Munster literally showed Leinster how to win a game down less than 3 with 2 minutes left. Get your out half into position for the drop goal and trust him to put it over. Leinster absolutely bottled it.

I feel for Leo Cullen, he seems like such a nice guy that I really don’t want him to have lost. As for the players, after Sextons antics I feel a bit less for the players.

no they are big time bottlers! Ross byrne not going into the pocket for the drop goal was inexcusable.

I am more than a little bit tired of the line of argument about how Top 14 clubs or La Rochelle beat Leinster because they have a much bigger budget that enables them to attract star foreign players. Leinster has as big a budget, if not more, than La Rochelle, and don't have to comply with a salary cap. They choose, credit to them, to spend it on home grown talent, but let's not pretend they can field 12 of the Ireland starting XV by paying them less than what La Rochelle pays its players.

Stuart Barnes in The Times: "The Leinster back-up fly half fits into both his club’s and country’s system. He makes a decent fist of being the imitation Sexton. But those games for Ireland were against teams incapable of responding to the Irish game plan. The plan is fluid, Sexton is superb at changing the point of attack with a late pass or kick. In the final we witnessed the flaws of Byrne, the back-up. When La Rochelle grabbed the game, the home side needed someone to reboot another Leinster plan. Instead he seemed to go through the motions, kicking long and without threat, enabling Brice Dulin to instigate waves of counterattacks, or Antoine Hastoy to mix and match the game and keep his side surging forward. Farrell sets great store by loyalty. It is an admirable trait, but loyalty and faith become negatives if the eyes have to be screwed shut to avoid seeing the reality. Fingers crossed for the main man, but it is hard to deny that Byrne may not be the shadow Sexton that Ireland need.”

Who cares what a team does in the group stages and quarters and semis , it’s all about one day and for the third year in a row Leinster have been beaten in the final.

Byrne not going into the pocket for the drop goal !!!!!...no game management......Munster did it perfectly.

They stopped playing rugby in 2nd half but to say they might never win it again is stupid they lost by 1 point and probably played there worst half of rugby in 10 years

Leinster arrogance cost them the game shouldve taken the shot at goal in the 78th min

Totally agree that Leinster should have had a pop at a drop goal - their game management really needs to be looked at - have they not learned their lesson. Last year, last week omg can they not see the obvious?

I think of Manie Libbok from a few years ago, he was a nobody and a down-and-outer, I didn't even know he existed and then when he started playing for the Stormers, Dobson gave him license to play and checked his style, then he let him go and we have now a man who has been performing as a fantastic flyhalf. Leo Cullen needs to give Ross Byrne the reins, give him the opportunities to make mistakes and let him come to the game with no Sexton in mind. Poor guy will always be in Sexton's shadow until the coaches allow him to come to the light and create his own shadow.

Two missed conversions and a red card makes life difficult

1:52 you are 100% correct on the drop goal. This is all that was going through my head watching the match. If you want to be a winner this has to be an option. England World Cup 2003, South Africa three world cups and played ugly in most of them, bar, one or two games. They can’t can’t all be pretty wins and sometimes a win is a win. Heroics on the line led to nothing. A simple drop goal would have led to a European championship. Unforgivable for a team hoping to win the World Cup.

In the stadium at the game everyone was shouting for them to hit the drop goal. It was a bit dumbfounding why they didn’t go for it. It was like self sabotage and threw away the trophy. Other teams with calm heads have nailed it in similar situations before.

Drop goal? Leinster looked so dangerous in the last 8mins and were 1 meter from the try line! If they dropped it, La Rochelle are such a threat at the breakdown that it's conceivable they could've gotten a penalty after the kick off in the final 2-3mins. Going for a try was a much better option, just made a costly unforced mistake.

Can't miss a chance to put the boot into Scotland. The poorest record as a Scotland Coach.

Watch Leinster at the end of the match pummeling away on the La Rochelle line I was shouting at the television "set up the drop goal for God's Sake!!" Would your conversation be happening now if they did? They had plenty of opportunities as they kept trying to push over the try line and they lost their heads, or the French player nearly did. They lost control when they had the great chance of winning the cup. All they needed was three points. Maybe Sexton would have seen the chance they had because it was obviously the thing to do.

What how many more world class players does Leinster want - they basically have the entire Irish team

....the sports psychologists would offer that nice guys finish 2nd frequently....

Not Leo Cullen’s fault really. Multiple terrible decisions and pieces of awful play by James Lowe, JGP and Byrne.

Williams cited La Rochelle's budget as a reason for their success... has he seen Leinster's wage bill?! The tournament(s) were set up for them to win. They would have had FIVE knockout games in a row AT HOME had they beaten Munster. Munster were away all 3 weeks yet got the job done and these guys persist with Leinster being the best team in (European section) of the URC. They are a world class team no doubt but they have completely bottled it went it matters two seasons in a row. No ECC's since 2018 is a shambles for a squad that size and with that talent and academy system supporting it. With Sexton and Lancaster both leaving it will be very difficult for them to reach the peaks they have recently, any time soon.

oh l irlande c est lienster la france c est le top 14 la rochelle toulouse toulon rc paris stade francais clermont lyon le niveau est tres fort

I think you guys need to look at the analysis by Squidge rugby.... looks like Byrne was going for the drop but JGP was playing for a try.....

It is so sad that this brilliant final, will always have a # next to it. As none of the South African sides that took part in this competition were allowed to select a side 100% based on merit.

I'm a Leinster fan I think they are overated like change needs to happen like bring in top international players plus Cullen needs to go I feel he will do the same thing next season and same thing will happen I mean players like scot fardey etc that is what helped them win the cup 4 times

it's a 7 country competition, love Joe but more descriptive analysis of choices taken, moves made would be nice. It isn't underachieving to make a final, ever. I'm not sure it's useful or supportive of not just the 2nd best team for the last 2 years, but indisputably the players of the best rugby to watch anywhere in the world outside of New Zealand, and the best club rugby match of this or several other years. It's off to be having a conversation on that match without mentioning the pure dismantling of La Rochelle early on. Also, not to call the ref unfair as it's subjective and there's a lot of different views, but Wayne Barnes, Ben O'Keefe or Luke Pierce ref that match and I don't see La Rochelle getting back to within a score - a very wide interpretation of the gate at the ruck. I don't know if there was a single 'in from the side' given, and I have this image of Skelton at full stretch reaching across a ruck to slow the ball. If the biggest human in history is stretching laterally it would seem to me the gate's too wide.

Not taking the drop attempt was unforgiveable. But was the decision made by RB?

Most overrated team in the world. Fans believe that they are the best but can't even play knock-out rugby. Probably why they scared sending their best team to SA. They will be found wanting. What a joke of a team. They have never beaten the Stormers at home or away. They struggle against the Bulls. La Roc have their number, and their trophy cabinet is empty. So how are they the best team. What a joke 🤣

Well Matt, when the IRFU are shifting all of the 'talent' to Leinster, and the national team is focussed on Leinster, you sure can tell the rest of the country that we're not up to the standards.

Foreshadowing the World Cup. Not a chance.

The fact of the matter is that Leinster did not win both the URC and the European cup again, and that makes them unsuccessful in reaching their goals! I don't care if they have a 90% winning ratio in both competitions, they failed and therefore they will not be remembered as a champion team!

I think that a Ireland side should be be balanced with 4 provinces. Each province would bring it's own Clique. More options. Understanding is more important than just bringing top players.

Will Shelton was born in NZ.

Overrated, beat inferior opposition at a canter and then hit a brick wall to any team that challenges them physically, just a replica of last season.

The majority of their 1st 15 are recent Grand Slam Champions Matt ya sausage.

Totally overrated

I got slated at the start of the season for stating that Leinster have stagnated, albeit at a very high level. I think the last two weekends, alongside the lack of a trophy for since 2021 have proved that is the case. The recruitment of Nienaber should be a good nudge in the right direction for Leinster however there is a deeper rooted culture that needs addressing. Regardless of how future results go in the build up to final weekends this team desperately needs to learn the true meaning of humility and respect. Not only for opponents but for themselves, those who have come before and those in the stands who they represent.

Anyone who knows rugby knows we lost it at tight head. The replacement cost us the game. Period.

If only Ireland could clone the rugby strategical genius that is the sideline wizard Jerry Thornley. And if only Ireland could create a whole team of Jerry Thornley clones. What a world class, unbeatable team that would be.

Ireland wont pass the quarter finals

Maybe there is truth in the “Irish chokers” label?

2 years in a row they bottled it

Protecting players in rugby is nonsense can they not play 2 matches in 2 weeks

Irish rugby is overated! World Cup is the big test coming and I don't see the Irish doing it. Maybe not even making a semi final again! Beating the All Blacks a few times during the last 10 years and having a club team that has dominated a tournament that didn't represent the best countries teams in the world is not a reason to be so boastfull. South Africa join URC and are likely going 2 for 2. Should tell us something!

Leo Cullen needs a rest no silverware yet again with 85% of the starting Irish team ranked No#1 in the world - underachievement

If Leinster has it hard just imagine the SA teams. The salary cap for SA teams is half of what Leinster has. There is only three or four foreigners playing for all the South African teams combined. Then add a government imposed racial qouta on the whole squad, including coaches and backroom staff and then you can tell us how hard Leinster has it compared to others. South Africa has 132 South Africans playing for foreing clubs in the top leagues in the world and we cannot use them due to a laughable salary cap and 90% of those players have the wrong skin color. SA rugby is so cheap our URC teams can't fly direct to play their European games, it takes them longer to get to Europe then what it use to take to get to New Zealand or Australia. I love the fact that our SA teams are playing in the URC and Heineken Cup but please stop crying about things being hard for Irish teams in Europe. 😂

🤣🤣🤣they send their C team to South Africa oh please.

Underrated. The aussie prop's moment of madness cost leinster the game. For all la Rochelle's power, leinster had the LAR line at their mercy.

Leinster is properly rated. They played a 2nd team against a disrespected and very motivated munster si, e and they lost by a point to an excellent la rochelle team. Leinstewasre missing sexton,, and James Ryan loss was huge. I still think leinster needs to be aggressive in the market thioff-seasonon. They need an older commanding lock next to ryan who can shoulder the burden. Ryan Baird isn't ready yet, and neither is Joe McCarthy. Jason Jenkins can't stay healthy, and Ross Molony isn't of that level. Leinster should try and land someone like Lood De Jager, who has tonnes of international experience. He's robust and would cause a lot of headaches in the same way Will Skleton does. I would also bring in a loose head to replace Healy long term and feel that a bulkier winger at 14 would be hugely beneficial. Jimmy O'Brien and Jordan Larmour are solid, but another big wing could make a massive difference.

Leinster you behaved like english and you failed. Stop talking about it and move on.

overated, big time... 🍾

Apparently south african teams arent all home grown and we have international players in our team wow 🤡