Leinster live to fight again
Reigning champions Leinster set up an all-Irish Heineken Cup final against Ulster with a superb 19-15 win over Clermont in Bordeaux.
By Rob Lancaster
Last Updated: 29/04/12 5:42pm
Leinster remain on course to win the Heineken Cup for an unprecedented third time in four years after a sensational 19-15 win over Clermont.
The reigning champions of Europe set up an all-Irish final against Ulster at Twickenham on May 19 thanks to a 10-point burst early in the second half.
The outstanding Rob Kearney landed a drop goal after setting up a try for prop Cian Healy, helping the visitors turn around a 12-6 half-time deficit at a colourful Stade Chaban-Delmas in Bordeaux.
In the end they were forced to cling on, however, escaping at the death by the slenderest of margins when home centre Wesley Fofana had a try ruled out.
Jeers
The game was finally put to bed when Sean O'Brien won a penalty deep into added-on time in the shadow of his own posts, leaving Clermont - and their raucous supporters - to once again jeer a decision from referee Wayne Barnes.
Leinster had started the match in contrasting fashion to how they finished it, running the ball at every opportunity to put their opponents on the back foot.
Yet for all their early attacking endeavour all the Irish province had to show for their efforts was a single Jonathan Sexton penalty, though had the bounce favoured Isa Nacewa the winger may well have gathered his own kick to score.
Brock James' dreadful drop goal attempt suggested Clermont were rattled, while also hinting that the Australian was having flashbacks to his nightmare performance against the same opponents two years ago at the quarter-final stage.
The loss of Julien Malzieu did not help their cause, but the big-spending Top 14 outfit seemed to come alive after James had knocked over a penalty to level matters.
Sitiveni Sivivatu - one of their expensive imports - produced a scintillating break down the right wing to show Clermont's dangerous strike power, while their pack began to turn the screw, particularly at set pieces.
Leo Cullen was perhaps fortunate to escape a card for landing a short-armed jab on the chin of Lionel Faure, even if the prop went down a little easier than you might expect from someone making a living at the coalface of the scrum.
James and Sexton traded penalties, Nacewa making amends for coming in from the side by being caught off the ball, before the former slotted over two more attempts to make it a six-point lead for the hosts at the break.
That advantage, however, disappeared less than two minutes into the second half.
Scythe through
Kearney came back against the grain to take an inside pass and scythe through a gap, his pace taking him clear before he utilised the supporting Healy - who showed he is no slouch for a prop forward - to get a crucial try.
The full-back wasn't done there in terms of showing his skills from deep either, following up Sexton's conversion with a booming drop goal from out wide on the left that suddenly made it 16-12 before Clermont had time to blink.
Having scuffed one attempt badly, James's fifth penalty got his team back into within one, although that would be as close as they would get.
Sexton slotted over an effort to give Leinster a little breathing room and he thought a further attempt at the posts had made it a seven-point gap, only for the TMO to rule that it was impossible to say if the ball had gone over inside the line of the right-hand upright or not.
Thankfully the official was able to spot that Fofana had spilled the ball as he attempted to win the match, letting the holders off the hook. The centre celebrated wildly but the evidence was clear - a knock-on meaning it was Leinster who go through, putting them just one more victory away from becoming only the second team to retain the title.
