One of the infamous  rugby quotes came from Irish lock Moss Keane, after a particularly dour and muddy encounter in Wellington for the British Lions. When asked about the game, he replied, “Well, the first half was pretty even, and the second half was even worse!

That doesn’t apply to the Heineken Cup Final, there was a huge difference between the two halves and this week it’s interesting to examine what happened.

Northampton started with verve and gusto; abundant pace and a willingness to move the ball around, which really tested the Leinster defence. A betting man (and I’m told there are many of those in Ireland) wouldn’t have given any odds on anything other than a Northampton win, yet going into the dressing room at half time, it seemed that something changed.

I don’t believe, that Northampton collapsed under pressure, it was simply a game too far, combined with the size  of experienced quality players in their squad, coupled with a huge physical battle the week before. The Tigers’ premiership semi final encounter was a ferocious physical battle. Let’s be honest, when the two East Midlands rivals lock horns, not much is left in the dressing shed and local pride is very much at stake. It was a game of very few chances and would turn on one pivotal moment. And that’s exactly what happened, when the Tiger’s skillful front row combined to release Tuilagi Snr down the left flank in a short side attack, stepping over Chris Ashton, to score in the corner. Compare that with the range of options and gaps that presented themselves in the Leinster first half where the game was fast flowing, wide and played with a breathtaking momentum!

Leinster’ s experience of big match situations that gave them belief and confidence that they score enough points to come back. They’ve been there on many occasions before and it’s these experience that gave them the foundation of confidence . Contrast that with Northampton, who’d rarely been in the heady position of a 19 point lead in an important game and against that type of opposition.

The two tries straight after half time completely changed the dynamic of the game. This would have mentally changed a seemingly comfortable lead to a real contest – with the momentum with the Irish. With Leinster on the front foot, those seasoned internationals in the backs took advantage of the go forward achieved by the pack.  In the end, the expression of the Saints players said it all; they were devastated- simply- out of steam in a game that was one too far.

Those players will have gained a lot from that experience – but it will probably not be realized for some time.The future is bright at Franklin Gardens.

Speak soon,

Dave.