Player Ratings: Porter, Doris and Sheehan stand out for Leinster in spite of Champions Cup final defeat

Neil Treacy Neil Treacy | 05-26 08:15

An all-too familiar feeling for Leinster, as they lost a third successive Investec Champions Cup final. The wait for their fifth star goes on.

It will come as little consolation to Leo Cullen's side and their supporters that their 31-22 extra-time defeat to Toulouse will go down as one of the tournament's greatest finals, and Leinster played their part in that classic.

Here's how we rated the Leinster players at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium...


Hugo Keenan - 6

Keenan didn't do much wrong, but Leinster's blunt attacking, and trouble at the ruck, meant that they struggled to get through enough phases to really bring him into the line. He did make one crucial kick-chase and tackle on Ntamack on 75 minutes, forcing a knock-on which led to the scrum, from which they won their equalising penalty.

Jordan Larmour - 7

Like Keenan, Leinster struggled to get Larmour into the game from an attacking sense, but his last-ditch tackle on Lebel to knock the winger into touch kept Leinster in the game towards the end of normal time. Put Toulouse under a lot of pressure, and it was his retention of a box-kick in the 79th minute which gave them the platform to potentially win it. Defensively he got turned around by Ramos in midfield for the Toulouse try in extra-time.

Had Leinster won it, Larmour's tackle on Lebel would have been crucial

Robbie Henshaw - 7

Ran himself into the ground, making a team high 19 carries, but aside from one excellent break through the middle of the pitch in the first half, couldn't do enough damage with the ball. Left a crucial pass short for Ross Byrne around the 12-minute mark which saw a promising attack end.

Jamie Osborne - 5

Got onto a lot of ball with 12 carries but consistently found himself running into walls, making just 11 metres with it. Looked nervous early on with the concession of two early penalties, both of which were kicked by Kinghorn to put Toulouse 6-0 ahead early on.

James Lowe - 6

Looked like he was in the mood early in the game when a darting run brought Leinster in behind the defence after nine minutes, but couldn't get the ball into the hands of Gibson-Park. Got blocked down with a clearance kick on 28 minutes, while his yellow card in extra-time for a deliberate knock-on proved a pivotal moment.

Ross Byrne - 7

Was forced off late in the second half, but did quite well considering the poor quality ball he was working with. Made all four of his kicks, while his tactical kicking was generally quite good, and kept Leinster with a territorial advantage. Put a brilliant crossfield kick towards Dan Sheehan which almost yielded a try, but the bounce just went too long.

Byrne kicked 12 points off the tee

Jamison Gibson-Park - 7

Wasn't the usual force of nature in attack we've come to expect, in large part because of how Toulouse dominated Leinster at the breakdown. His kicking was good and gave Leinster's chasers a contest more often than not, while he made two crucial tackles on Antoine Dupont, one of which stopped a try in the opening minute.

Andrew Porter - 8

Very few, if any, loosehead props could play 88 minutes of a European final, take a two-minute break, and then come back on for another spell, but Porter is a different beast. He was they key member of a dominant Leinster scrum, and was probably unlucky with the penalty decision against him, which resulted in three points for Toulouse. Only Caelan Doris made more than his 11 tackles for Leinster, while he made seven carries, one in particular into the 22 on 54 minutes which should have been rewarded better by his team-mates.

Dan Sheehan - 8

All-court, all-action stuff from Sheehan who was the best player on the pitch in the opening half. Could have had two tries after Byrne's close crossfield kick, and his interception of Dupont. He also came up with a crucial penalty just before half time, which gave Leinster the platform for their attack which allowed them make it 9-6.

Dan Sheehan nearly scored a wonder try

Tadhg Furlong - 6

While most of Leinster's scrum damage was done by Porter, Furlong did get credit for one scrum penalty just after the hour mark. The tighthead had to get through a lot of the unglamorous work around the pitch.

Joe McCarthy - 7

Was at the heart of a brilliant turnover won by Leinster's maul defence on 24 minutes, and almost came up with an acrobatic interception of his own. Constantly looked to get onto the ball, making 11 carries in total.

Jason Jenkins - 5

Aside from managing to flick back a restart onto the Leinster side to put them on the attack, Jenkins struggled to impose himself before his injury on 39 minutes. Was too loose in possession when he allowed the ball to be ripped from his hands as he carried in the 22 around the 14-minute mark.

Ryan Baird - 7

Had played every minute of the tournament prior to his departure midway through the second half, and left very little out on the pitch. Got on the ball for 11 carries, ran the lineout well in the first half, and won a brilliant breakdown penalty early in the second half, which his side couldn't capitalise on.

Baird has firmly established himself in Leinster's starting team

Will Connors - 6

Made seven tackles in just over 40 minutes, but Leinster probably looked more dangerous when Josh van der Flier came on.

Cealan Doris - 8

While he gave away a crucial penalty to allow Toulouse go six points ahead in extra-time, Doris had enough credit in the bank after an otherwise incredible display. His 16 carries were more than any other forward, while he had a team-high 14 tackles. He flattened Romain Ntamack with a tackle leading up to the first three-pointer Leinster scored, while his rampaging run into the 22 was crucial to the penalty they landed just before half time.

Replacements:

Rónan Kelleher - 6

It didn't quite happen for Kelleher after he came on for Sheehan. His lineouts were solid, but conceded two penalties; one for carrying the ball into contact while isolated, and the other for going in at the side, which Ramos kicked to make it 25-15 in extra-time.

Cian Healy - not on long enough to be fairly rated

Michael Ala'alatoa - 7

A year on from his red card in the final against La Rochelle, Ala'alatoa made a positive impact when he came on, particularly when he was quickly on the scene to grab the ball after Larmour's knock-down, putting Leinster in possession for what nearly became a match-winning drive.

Ala'alatoa added an impact off the bench

James Ryan - 7

Looked determined when he came on at half time, and provided some real punch to Leinster, particularly in the early stages of the second half. Took over lineout-calling after Ryan Baird left, and came up with a couple of crucial grabs in the air while being heavily contested.

Jack Conan - 6

Replaced Baird on the hour mark, and while he got onto the ball a few times, Leinster's struggles in attack meant he couldn't get the ball in the wider channels where he has the most impact.

Ciarán Frawley - 7.5

Replaced Ross Byrne with just 10 minutes remaining, and did a fine job. Straight away he made a clever break down the blindside of the pitch, and followed it up with a high-kick with great hang-time, which led to the penalty that he scored to level the game. He'll look back at frustration with his drop-goal attempt to try win it, but it was a good distance out. At the very least, he had the balls to take it on.

Josh van der Flier - 7

Made an instant impact when he came off the bench, logging 12 carries, one of which resulted in a try, while he also contributed seven tackles. However, when he was stripped of the ball in the Toulouse 22 with just two minutes left to play, it summed up Leinster's afternoon.

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