Turning point: Rob Kearney breaks clear to set up Cian Healy
Leinster are still on track to defend their Heineken Cup title after beating Clermont 19-15 in Sunday's semi-final in Bordeaux.
Leinster will now face Ulster in an all-Irish final at Twickenham on Saturday, 19 May - the team from Dublin's third final in four years.
The match was billed as the 'game of the season' in Europe and the capacity crowd at the 34 500-seater Stade Chaban-Delmas were certainly treated to a tussle of the highest quality.
Clermont led 12-6 at the interval of a cut-and-thrust encounter but Leinster ruled in the second period and took control thanks to a try set up by Rob Kearney and scored by Cian Healy.
The French side looked to have snatched victory in the dying moments however but Wesley Fofana lost control of the ball in the act of crossing the try-line.
The game ended with les Jaunards camped under the posts but referee Wayne Barnes handed a decisive penalty to Leinster, much to the displeasure of the booing French fans, who felt that the Englishman already owed them two yellow cards.
Glorious sunshine had replaced the rain of the earlier in the day and Jonathan Sexton put Leinster on the board first from the kicking tee. But his effort was cancelled out by a penalty from opposite number Brock James to leave matters all-square at the end of the first quarter.
Leinster skipper Leo Cullen was lucky not to see yellow after landing a punch on Lionel Faure. If anything referee Barnes's decision to let Cullen off the hook was probably influenced more by theatrical manner in which the loosehead went to ground rather than the weak punch itself.
Clermont enjoyed a strong 15 minutes but their only reward was another penalty from James to which Sexton replied three minutes later.
But the French side were slowly but surely beginning to control the tempo of the game and were enjoying the lion's share of field position. Clermont finished the half the stronger of the two teams and two more penalties gave l'ASM a deserved six-point lead at the break.
Europe's defending champions started the second period in perfect fashion however as Kearney burst through a gap in the inside channel from Richardt Strauss's clever pass to set up a try for Healy.
Sexton's conversion put Leinster one point ahead before Kearney stunned Clermont when he slotted a long-range drop goal!
Almost immediately James had a chance to cut the lead to a single point but pushed his penalty attempt wide to awaken the ghosts of that fateful day in Dublin two years ago. The Australian didn't waver with his next kick though, leaving the scores at 16-15.
Sexton held his nerve to split the uprights from out wide going into the final quarter to restore the four-point gap as Leinster plied the pressure.
The closing stages were filled with drama and the TMO was called upon when Sexton sent a penalty attempt directly over the top of the outside upright. Leinster were denied the three points, setting up a grandstand finish as Clermont went in search of what would surely be a winning try.
Fofana and Clermont celebrated what they considered a five-pointer, but the video referee correctly ruled against them.
With just seconds left, Leinster survived a monumental final assault to advance to Twickenham after an epic battle.
Man of the match: The best full-back in Europe at the moment, Rob Kearney didn't put a foot wrong and produced a seven-minute spell that changed the complexion of the game.
Moment of the match: In an extraordinary finale, Fofana thought he had scored two minutes from time as he twisted out of Gordon D'Arcy's tackle, but as he landed on his elbow he lost his grip on the ball, which squirmed out of his hands as he tried to ground it.
The scorers:
For Clermont:
Pens: James 5
For Leinster:
Try: Healy
Con: Sexton
Pens: Sexton 4
The teams:
Clermont: 15 Lee Byrne, 14 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 13 Aurélien Rougerie, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Julien Malzieu, 10 Brock James, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Elvis Vermeulen, 7 Alexandre Lapandry, 6 Julien Bonnaire, 5 Nathan Hines, 4 Jamie Cudmore, 3 Davit Zirakashvili, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Lionel Faure.
Replacements: 16 Ti'i Paulo, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Daniel Kotze, 19 Julien Pierre, 20 Julien Bardy, 21 Ludovic Radoslavjevic , 22 Regan King, 23 Jean-Marcel Buttin.
Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Isa Nacewa, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Luke Fitzgerald, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Isaac Boss, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Shane Jennings, 6 Sean O'Brien, 5 Brad Thorn, 4 Leo Cullen (c), 3 Mike Ross, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Nathan White, 19 Devin Toner, 20 Kevin McLaughlin 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Fergus McFadden.
Venue: Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Comments
peachlegs says...
I really think people are missing the point here debating Wayne Barnes........this was a wonderful game of rugby!the heart and bravery of the Leinster defense in that last 5 made my eyes water...I could of cried!and that's from an Ulster fan!
Posted 20:12 29th April 2012
ciaran1792 says...
Last minuet penalty to Clermont are u joking. Sean O'Brien got excellent body position over the ball and contested it at the breakdown and Clermont were caught holding on. Hence the penalty to Leinster. Leinster are my team but I do think Barnes was too lenient with Cullen I said yellow card straight away, but Clermont were no angels either pulling off the ball holding players back they just got caught for it today. Against Ulster Nathan Hines block no Clermont fans complained when his dirty play got them a try and a home win. Id be ashamed to be a Clermont fan booing like that.
Posted 20:00 29th April 2012
lawynd says...
So according to all of you, Barnes' performance was terrible because he favoured BOTH teams...interesting! I for one thought most of the calls were spot-on although Leinster can count their blessings that they finished the game with 15 men and not 14 or 13 possibly on the field. Overall, it was a great game and both teams and the officials played their part in that...somehow I doubt the one-eyed Leinster and Clermont fans alike would ever agree, though.
Posted 19:54 29th April 2012
Paddy91317 says...
Leinster have beaten munster edinburgh ulster clermont in consecutive weeks. I thought leinster the better team and lucky to win but champions make there own luck. Never mind nails i have no hands left
Posted 19:50 29th April 2012
J_HDK says...
I don't know how anyone watching that match could suggest Barnes was pro Leinster. Completely ignored so many Clermont infringements of coming in from the side when he awarded penalties against Leinster for the same infraction.. and one imaginary one where the ruck had not formed.
Yes Cullen was a bit lucky not to get that yellow card. However it was not a punch. It was a push with a forearm. However, no one seems to have mentioned why it happened. Offensive player from Clermont trying to take out a Leinster defender.. well ahead of the ball carrier and not part of the ruck... and this happened at least a dozen times throughout the match. Quite obvious and never penalised.
Another thing that was very prevalent in this game and many referees seem to just ignore it. Offensive players arriving to a ruck and making absolutely no attempt to stay on their feet.
Ultimately the right result but plenty of heart in mouth stuff.
Posted 19:24 29th April 2012
Saint_Andre91 says...
Pathetic effort from Wayne Barnes. Penalised Clermont every time they looked dangerous, so he could prevent tries from being scored... One-eyed ruling of the breakdown, forgot he had yellow cards in his pocket... It would have taken Clermont to be vastly superior to Leinster in order to have a chance to win this game, which they weren't. Sad ending to a great campaign.
Posted 19:18 29th April 2012
vyvyansno1fan says...
Completely ruined by Wayne Barnes...I was neutral fr this game but byu the end shouting for Clermont. entirley due to the massive bias shown to Leinster by the referee. Its a disgrace that such an inept official is given charge of such an important game.
I hate to say it, and I cant really believe it, but I think Barnes was ensuring that Clermont didnt win. The last decision to end the game beggars belief...should probably have been a penalty try to Clermont.
Posted 19:07 29th April 2012
Rosbif says...
@stag and crunchfit, sorry I should have clarified (and I accept re-reading my post it sounds like I am..) but I'm certainly no ASM fan!! quite the opposite, I'm a Toulousain, so it would normally give me great pleasure to see ASM lose. btw, the french blogs are full of Toulon fans poking fun at Clermont complaining about the ref (remember the s*domoy comments from their owner after being reffed out of a contest against ASM earlier this year?). "now at least Clermont know how it feels" is the prevailing message from rival Top 14 fans :)
In short, most neutrals seem to agree that Barnes was poor and seemed to give a lot of advantage to the men in blue. That's not saying Leinster wouldn't have won anyway. Who knows? They're a fine team indeed. But, in the realm of hypotheticals, imagine having to play for 70 mins with Madigan at 15 and McFadden at 13 with BOD shunted out to the wing. An already mighty close game might have been closer still....
Once again, well played both teams. And great spirit from both sets of fans. Peace.
Posted 19:01 29th April 2012
crunchfit says...
@sextons_on_fire
I only said he was bad in attack. Didn't actually notice who made tackle though. Good to hear. I don't like slating someone like him, nice guy, puts everything on the line and there through the not so great times. I just can't ignore his poor attacking if it's impacting the team, and I think he may have cost us a few times (not all in this game) to varying degrees by killing the attack.
Posted 18:57 29th April 2012
acmexo says...
Kearney was fantastic but in my opinion the man of the match was brian o'driscoll. his tackling was immense, leadership extraordinary and he turned the ball over a number of times.
Posted 18:24 29th April 2012
Stag says...
@rosbif: victory does not seen hollow at all. Barnes wasn't good but Claremont weren't good enough to get a score when they needed it. Leinster are just a better side as difficult as it for you to accept.
Posted 18:24 29th April 2012
rockman says...
Oh my! This is Why the Heineken cup is the most amazing tournament in the world. What a contest. Right down to the wire. Only negative though is Wayne Barnes. The guy was so far off the mark its unreal. How can a ref be deemed not fit for international rugby yet can be given the reigns of Europe's biggest game?
Posted 18:19 29th April 2012
makemehappy says...
Without Barnes Leinster would have had no momentum at all. Sadly he was like a man possessed, utterly determined to ensure Leinster won. When he stopped blowing his whistle then Clermont were the better team.
How did Leinster not get shown 2 cards? One for the punch - yellow guaranteed, regardless of how hard it was. Not to award a penalty for a punch is criminal - a ban for Mr Barnes I would imagine. Then at the end there is a penalty to Clermont, with Leinster having had a clear warning about their next indiscretion.
Leinster know how to win a game even when the worst team! Well done to them thought. They didn't deserve to win though, they game within an inch of losing, despite being awarded the game on a plate!
Posted 18:16 29th April 2012
sextons_on_fire says...
OMG That was tense. Why do Leinster always do it the hard way? Why do you do this to us??? hahaha
The Heineken Cup truly is the best rugby tournament in the world. What an advertisement. More than compensates for the ridiculously expensive Sky Sports package! hahahahahaaa
Congratulations to Clermont Auvergne - you are by far the toughest team Leinster have faced since 2009, and somehow we've come on top 3 times out of 4. We did not rely on luck this time as much as the 2010 QF but still, you are more than worthy opponents. If/when you face a flaky, over-rated Toulouse in the Top 14 final, you will win - that is for certain!
@crunchfit Who made the crucial tackle on to make Fofana fumble? Darce!!!! Yes he was a passenger for 79 minutes but you have to forgive him for that heroism at the end!
On to Twickers!!!
Posted 18:14 29th April 2012
crunchfit says...
@Rosbif
I assure you, the win is anything but hollow and I very much doubt Leinster give the slightest about the matter of the win. Also, it was a win, not a "win".
It's strange how you just ignore the fact that Clermont seemed to collapse in the 2nd half. I mean, leading 12 - 6 at 40 and trailing 15 - 19 at 80 with a single try scoring opportunity... If it was closer in the 2nd half and not all Leinster with a moment of pressure from Clermont then I wouldn't this just sour grapes.
Posted 18:14 29th April 2012
TVaddict says...
Well Barnes had a terrible game, you can't warn the captain that if there is any more foul play at the ruck then you'll card them, then allow another 4-5 similar penalties, some right next to the try line. Frankly he bottled it, as there should have been a yellow card shown at the very least in the final play of the match.
Then again that dive from the Clermont prop was awful, glad no card was shown for that acting display. These kind of actions are becoming more prominent in rugby, maybe the citing official should be able to hand out punishments for these kind of incidents as well.
However, that all said, Leinster were excellent. Showed true winning mentality to come back like that in the second half. Rob Kearney back to his best form. The whole match was a joy to watch. Bring on the final!
Posted 18:07 29th April 2012
mcdb06 says...
Leinster were the better team and will walk the final. But Waynes Barnes was a disgrace. Penalty he awarded to Leinster at the end was a joke, tackler didnt release player, ruck, not supporting weight, take ur pick. Very hard to see any other teams beating Leinster for forseeable future
Posted 17:43 29th April 2012
Rosbif says...
Disgusted by Barnes. Fwd passes, hands in ruck, in from side, not releasing tackled player, wheeling scrums, playing men in the air at lineout, punches, crossing, weird advantages being played or not played, etc etc..... What a clown. I guess we were naive to expect any better!!
That said, real shame there had to be a loser. Or, put another way, shame there wasn't a more stand-out winner.
Two great squads. Two great sets of fans. One poor ref. Leinster simply "smarter" at taking advantage. Shame for them and their travelling support. They would have much preferred to win with style I'm sure. As it is, victory must seem somewhat hollow, to all but the most die-hard who don't see anything other than a W.... Ask the Cambridge boat race squad how they felt a few weeks back....
To "win" on a Barnes decision on their try line on 81 mins pretty much sums it up....
Well played both teams. Great atmosphere in the stadium and in the town. And it didn't even rain!!!
Posted 17:41 29th April 2012
papachinzo says...
wow... words escape me... Although it looked like Barnes helped Leinster somewhat, he got everything spot on. perfect game from the Englishman.
Posted 17:38 29th April 2012
GCP_JONES says...
All can say at the moment at the moment what a great advertisment for the sport of Rugby Union,and the heineken cup, WOW.
@leinster Goy... A word of advice CHILL, Don't make a show of us,
Posted 17:33 29th April 2012