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Leinster player ratings: Leinster kept their undefeated start to the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup rolling with a tight 15 – 7 win over Clermont at the Aviva Stadium.
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Scoring two superb tries in the first half through Garry Ringrose and Jordie Barrett, Leinster looked to have found their attacking mojo.
This attacking panache would be short-lived as Clermont frustrated their hosts with a barrage at the breakdown and an assault on the Leinster line-out. This pressure, coupled with a raft of handling errors, saw the blue machine sputter.
Defensively however, the home side were superb and now look full embedded into the Jacques Nienaber system, conceding just one try to a rather haywire bounce of the ball.
Here is how the Leinster players fared against Clermont.
1. Andrew Porter – 9
Confrontational and niggly throughout, Porter locked down his side of the scrum whilst sprinkling in his usual moments of gainline-busting magic. Catching the eye with his work rate, notably with his chase back in the 62nd minute, which halted a certain Clermont try.
2. Ronan Kelleher – 5
A solid performance in the loose but once again a disastrous showing at line-out time with Clermont picking his pocked on multiple occasions. This haywire showing cost Leinster multiple try-scoring opportunities.
3. Thomas Clarkson – 6.5
Held his own in the scrum despite Clermont clearly entering the match with a view to targeting him. Around the park, he had some nice carries and put in some big shots, proving he’s more than just a dependable cog in the machine.
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4. Joe McCarthy – 6
Quiet by his high standards, Big Joe got through his work with 11 tackles and 8 carries but didn’t add to his extensive highlight reel. Replaced early in the second half, he looked a little ‘leggy’ which is understandable given his exceptional run of form over the past few months.
5. James Ryan – 8
A true general in the engine room, driving Leinster forward with relentless work rate. Showing plenty of gas to streak away from the Clermont defence in the build-up to Leinster’s second score was a nice reminder of his athleticism in open play.
6. Max Deegan – 7.5
Putting forward a real case to lock down the number 6 shirt long-term, Deegan was his side’s go-to option at line-out time. Outside of an unfortunate kick deflection, which set up Clermont for their first half-try, his impacts were by and large positive.
7. Josh van der Flier – 6
Looked like a player who has put in a massive shift over the past few months, While his fitness is off the charts, his impact was somewhat off his best. Still, he never let the side down through 47 minutes in the park.
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8. Caelan Doris – 7
Ran hard, tackled harder and looked every bit the key figure Leinster needed. His performances rarely come with anything less than full-bodied flavour. Topping the turnover charts with 3, the skipper was the key difference for his side when it mattered most.
9. Jamison Gibson-Park – 7
Working his way back to top form following last season’s hamstring injury, this evening was another good step forward. Judging him by the world-class standards he has set over the past four years, this was still not a pristine showing. This being said, he managed to direct play well and handled a bomb site of a breakdown.
10. Sam Prendergast – 8.5
Rugby league-esque in his ability to exploit space with a perfectly timed pass, the young ten never looks troubled in the face of defenders. Sprinkling in moments of ‘wow-factor’ namely from the boot with his ability to get huge distance on his kicks, his reputation grows with every appearance.
11. Jimmy O’Brien – 6
Struggled to capitalise on his opportunities, making 35 metes from 10 carries with just a lone defender beaten. On a positive note, he never stopped looking for work, but in a similar vein to Gibson-Park, he doesn’t look fully back to his best post-injury.
12. Robbie Henshaw – 6.5
A solid but unspectacular outing. Offered some steel in defence but lacked his usual finesse in the attack.
13. Garry Ringrose – 7
Sliced through Clermont’s defence like a hot knife through Camembert for Leinster’s first try. Defensively, the veteran was immense in cutting down Clermont’s attempts to go wide.
14. Liam Turner – 5
Struggled to impose himself in the star-studded Leinster backline. Overall, he was industrious with his kick chase and made a few good defensive reads.
15. Jordie Barrett – 9
A Rolls-Royce performance from the Kiwi import. His booming clearances and counterattacking threat made Clermont’s backfield look like a minefield. Having occupied column inches this week about where Leinster would slot him in, this evening’s showing might have made one Hugo Keenan feel rather uneasy. Ending the first half with 106 meters from 13 carries and a try tells you all you need to know about his evening.
Replacements:
16. Gus McCarthy – 5
Had an opportunity to make a case as the regular starter but had the same throwing issue as Kelleher.
17. Cian Healy – N/A
Not enough time to impact the fixture as he entered the fray in the 77th minute.
18. Rabah Slimani – 6
Took the fight to his old teammates, the wiley veteran shored up the slight creaks that began to appear in Clarkson’s scrummaging.
19. RG Snyman – 5.5
Brought energy from the bench but was undone by uncharacteristic handling issues. Letting slip a few try-scoring opportunities in the wake of powerful bursts will frustrate the Springbok. Overall, his issues were symptomatic of Leinster’s generally sputtering attack.
20. Jack Conan – 6
Slotted in for van der Flier and brought his usual oomph in the carry into heavy traffic.
21. Fintan Gunne – 6.5
There were limited opportunities to make an impression, but when they did appear, he took full advantage, notably with a nice little dart through the Clermont defence in the 77th minute. One big gaff that he will want back was not tapping the ball when Leinster went for an attacking quick tap.
22. Ross Byrne – 6
Guided the ship home with his tactical kicking and clearly took note of the discussion around his lack of attacking intent with a few nice charges at the defensive line.
23. Andrew Osborne – 6.5
Put in a superb thirty-minute shift in replacement of Turner which upped the ante on the right wing. Working hard to get into the action, Osborne popped up all over the show
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Not sure why they decided to play Barrett at FB after him completely cutting up Bristol last week with Prendergast. Cullen has to start settling on combinations. Stop tinkering.
Also please use your money to hire a coach who can coach a modern line out. Same for the Irish National Team.