“They went for the try, instead, and Ala’alatoa got the red card and it was game over.”
On this week’s House of Rugby, it was time to give La Rochelle their proper dues, ask tough questions about Leinster, revel in ROG leaning into the underdog role and to look ahead to Munster’s URC Final big day out, in Cape Town.
Greg O’Shea, Lindsay Peat and Jason Hennessy pored over the big moments, great plays, yellow and red card calls and tough breaks of the 2023 Champions Cup final. There was also a tunnel flare-up and a bizarre coin toss accusation to dig into.
“Is it just the obvious elephant in the room?” O’Shea asked, “Johnny Sexton not being in the squad? Do you think he would have been there to provide that mental edge and get the boys to grab the game by the scruff of the neck?
“There were a few decision-making calls about going for the posts or for a try. Even the last penalty, for Ross Byrne, was 45 metres out, to the left. Could he have gone for it? Just that indecision there that shouldn’t be happening at that top level of rugby.”
As well as Sexton being out injured, stand-in captain James Ryan lasted only 29 minutes before going off concussed. Garry Ringrose was on-field captain for the rest of the game and said, post-match, he ‘I trust his gut’ when asked about Byrne not kicking that long-range penalty.
While both versions of the show feature some eerie pre-match comments from Lawrence Dallaglio, the podcast [LISTEN from 52:00 below] also contains some Aviva Stadium reactions from the victorious Ronan O’Gara and Gregory Alldritt, of La Rochelle.
Dallaglio on La Rochelle power and Munster set for URC Final
Ahead of Leinster’s Champions Cup final against La Rochelle, at Aviva Stadium, Jason Hennessy spoke with former England and Lions star Lawrence Dallaglio.
While Dallaglio felt home advantage gave Leinster the edge, he was on the money when he spoke of La Rochelle’s power game.
“For me, if you stop La Rochelle’s carrying game, you go a long way towards stopping their momentum. There’s one thing saying it, and there’s another thing doing it. They are big, big men and there’s a lot of these big men.”
“Losing twice to La Rochelle is bad enough,” Dallaglio added. “Losing three times would be, not just a doubt for Leinster but a doubt for Ireland. And I mean this is in the nicest possibly way but this [Leinster] side is effectively the Ireland team, bar one or two. If you can’t close this game out, in your home stadium, then you’ll start to have doubts when you travel to France.”
After a wildly dramatic weekend of rugby, Greg O’Shea, Lindsay Peat and Jason Hennessy were in the House of Rugby studio, and we heard from Dallaglio, Ronan O’Gara and Gregory Alldritt. The team discussed:
(1:00) Jason and Lindsay on the town
(3:00) Lawrence Dallaglio tees up final showdown
(5:30) – Champions Cup final analysis
(26:40) – Respect for ROG and what next for Leinster?
(52:00) – Ronan O’Gara and Gregory Alldritt
(55:00) – Munster vs Stormers URC final preview
Munster face Stormers at DHL Stadium, in Cape Town from 5:30pm this Saturday, May 27.
WATCH HOUSE OF RUGBY ON THE CHAMPIONS CUP FINAL
Related Articles:
- Leinster vs. La Rochelle: All the talking points, biggest moments and player ratings
- Gregory Alldritt deftly deals with Stuart Barnes question on Ireland’s World Cup hopes
- Ronan O’Gara reveals Ireland ambition as more details of tunnel clash emerge
- Garry Ringrose on why Ross Byrne and Leinster did not kick late penalty
- Leinster fans call Liveline to complain about Munster not supporting them
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