Player ratings: Clermont Auvergne vs Leinster
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Clermont Auvergne
15. Scott Spedding – 6/10
Wasn’t in the game as much as usual, as Leinster limited the amount of times they kicked to their opponents. Did what he had to well but definitely not a standout performance from the fullback. Poor attempt to win the game with his penalty at the death.
14. David Strettle – 8/10
Played out of his skin all day. It looked like it was near impossible for the first defender to tackle him as he consistently beat them with his beautiful footwork. Set up the first try with a chip ahead, scored the second with a great solo run and didn’t shirk his defensive responsibilities either.
13. Aurelien Rougerie – 7/10
Some lovely touches to prove that he’s still got it. Smashed a couple of Leinster runners in defence and displayed great hands with a couple of sumptuous offloads.
12. Remi Lamerat – 7/10
Made break after break through the middle and tackled like a man possessed in defence.
11. Nick Abendanon – 6/10
Didn’t make any major mistakes but not in the game enough and had limited opportunities to counter attack due the nature of Leinster’s gameplan.
10. Camille Lopez – 9/10 *MOTM*
Showed that he has grown into a man for the big game. Managed the game superbly throughout and never looked nervous despite the Leinster comeback. His two immaculate drop-goals were the difference between the sides.
9. Morgan Parra – 8/10
Similarly to his halfback partner, he never looked under pressure. His first half performance had him on track to win the MOTM award as he slotted difficult kicks, put Strettle away for his try and even managed to show his forwards that he too is capable of turning over the ball on the floor. We’d expect nothing less from one of the best scrum-halves of a generation.
8. Fritz Lee – 8/10
Was Clermont’s go to player to get over the gainline and he did that every time. Carried well from the back of the scrum and made dominant hits on anyone that ran down his channel in defence.
7. Peceli Yato – 7/10
Showed real pace on a couple of occasions, scoring the first try of the game after a chip ahead and breaking down the touchline in the second half. Looked like a duplicate of his back-row partner Lee other than that, making a high amount of tackles and carries.
6. Damien Chouly – 6/10
Missed a couple of tackles in the second half when Leinster were mounting their comeback but wasn’t all bad as a whole. Won the battle of the breakdown, preventing Leinster from getting virtually any turnover ball.
5. Sebastien Vahaamahina – 7/10
Was visibly exhausted when he was substituted late on and it was easy to see why, as the huge second row seemed to be everywhere throughout the game.
4. Arthur Iturria – 7/10
Did what he had to do, as Clermont secured all of their lineout ball and managed to steal three of Leinster throws
3. Davit Zirakashvili – 7/10
Clermont had the dominant scrum all day and as we all know, the Georgian deserves a large amount of the credit for that. Put in a good shift, only coming off 15 minutes before the end.
2. Benjamin Kayser – 7/10
Was substituted early enough but it was not down to his performance as his throwing in the lineout was spot-on and he carried hard in the loose.
1. Raphael Chaume – 7/10
Also played a key role in the dominant scrum and wasn’t replaced until late on.
Replacements
16. John Ulugia (55’) – 6/10
Looked like he was joining a sinking ship when he entered the fray but kept plugging away and reaped the rewards coming away with a place in the final.
17. Etienne Falgoux (65’) – 7/10
Never took a step back when he entered the field of play as the scrum marched on.
18. Aaron Jarvis (65’) – 7/10
Got the upper hand over his opponent, Dooley, in the final period of the game.
19. Paul Jedrasiak (70’) – N/A
20. Alexandre Lapandry (55’) – 6/10
Carried well on a couple of occasions but was stepped by Carbery on a couple of occasions out wide.
21. Ludovic Radosavljevic (70’) – N/A
22. Patricio Fernandez (66’) – 7/10
Made a crucial tackle on Kirchner, driving him into touch, which stunted Leinster’s momentum.
23. Damian Penaud (58’) – 6/10
Was stepped too easily by Ringrose for the Irish international’s try. Stood up and made a fantastic take off of Lopez’s final restart, which gave Clermont possession and the ability to wind down the clock.
Leinster
1. Jack McGrath – 6/10
Pretty quiet afternoon for the loosehead. Struggled at scrum time under huge pressure from his opposite number and failed to carry the ball often enough.
2. Ricardt Strauss – 5/10
Lineout was very poor, several overthrows handing easy possession back to Clermont at key moments in the game. Also failed to make an impression with ball in hand.
3. Tadhg Furlong – 6/10
Struggled in the scrum at times under huge pressure from the Clermont front row. Put in a very solid shift defensively and made some huge hits at key moments.
4. Devin Toner – 6/10
Good option at lineout time. Put in a solid shift at the breakdown and stood up in defence to make some vital tackles. Failed to make much of an attacking impression with ball in hand.
5. Hayden Triggs – 7/10
Put in a big defensive shift and carried well at times. Good option at the lineout and hit an impressive number of rucks.
6. Rhys Ruddock – 8/10
Very solid work rate throughout. High tackle count and high number of rucks hit. The stand out performer in the Leinster pack.
7. Dan Leavy – 6/10
Carried well and put in a good shift at the breakdown. However, was at fault for Strettle’s try and was the cause of a Leinster try being disallowed as he was found guilty of holding Rougerie in a ruck.
8. Jack Conan – 6/10
Quiet afternoon for Conan. Got through a solid amount of work at the breakdown and made some vital defensive tackles. However, he failed to make a real impact in an attacking sense.
9. Luke McGrath – 7/10
Another solid performance from the scrum-half. Controlled his backline well and executed some perfect box kicks. Passed accurately and made some big hits in defence when called upon.
10. Jonathan Sexton – 8/10
Played some lovely passes to set team mates into space at times. Made a few brilliant breaks and recorded a 100% success rate from the tee.
11. Isa Nacewa– 6/10
Started the game poorly, missing a couple of tackles and being sent to the sin bin. A few moments of brilliance in attack to create space and opportunities for his team mates.
12. Robbie Henshaw – 7/10
Solid defensively and hard working at the breakdown. Made a couple of incredible breaks and gave it his absolute all for 80 minutes. Posed a constant threat in attack both with ball in hand and with some accurate territorial kicking.
13. Garry Ringrose– 8/10
Posed a serious threat in attack from start to finish. Scored a truly sublime individual try after some mesmerising footwork and blistering pace. Question marks over some of his decision making early on but more than made up for it as the game wore on.
14. Fergus McFadden– 5/10
The weak link in the Leinster back line. Failed to make an impact with ball in hand, struggled defensively and cheaply gifted Clermont territory and possession with a sliced kick to touch on the full.
15. Joey Carbery – 8/10
One of the stand out performers in the backline. Consistent under the high ball and dangerous when running from deep. Showed some flashes of attacking brilliance with beautiful footwork and accurate passing. Had the Clermont defenders worried at all times.
Replacements
16. Sean Cronin – (50’) – 7/10
Made a positive impact off the bench when called upon. His pace and intelligent attacking lines caused the Clermont defence some trouble.
17. Peter Dooley – (62’) – 6/10
Struggled to make a significant impact off the bench. Put in a good shift and got through a respectable amount of work.
18. Michael Bent – (72’) – N/A
19. Ross Molony– (62’) – 6/10
Failed to make any real impact off the bench. Put in a shift at the breakdown and was solid in defence but never posed a threat with ball in hand.
20. Josh van der Flier – (66’) N/A
Didn't have much time to make a really significant impact on the game. Gave away a silly penalty at a vital time of the game for sloppiness at the breakdown. Got through a solid amount of work at the breakdown and tackled strongly.
21. Jamison Gibson-Park – (65’) 6/10
Didn’t have a lot of time to make an impact but was solid when called upon. Ran some intelligent lines in attack and looked dangerous with ball in hand at times.
22. Ross Byrne – N/A
23. Zane Kirchner– (72’) N/A
