Leinster player ratings: Ireland captain ‘absolutely incredible’ while back-row partner ‘wins the game’ with key intervention

Caelan Doris and Josh van der Flier in action for Leinster in the Champions Cup.
Following a 16-14 victory over La Rochelle in the Investec Champions Cup clash at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre on Sunday, here are the player ratings for Leinster.
Leinster player ratings v La Rochelle
15 Jordie Barrett: Good at the back and produced some useful defensive interventions. Also had the odd attacking foray but you definitely feel that centre is the position for him in this Leinster team. 7
14 Jimmy O’Brien: Was not necessarily a game for the visiting wings. O’Brien did his bit defensively, which is vital in Jacques Nienaber’s system, but had little ball in attack. 6
13 Garry Ringrose: Plenty of carries but it was mainly into the heart of the La Rochelle rearguard. It was in defence where he really shone, however, despite a poor start as they shut down the hosts’ dangerous runners. 7
12 Robbie Henshaw: Similar to Ringrose, Henshaw is such a reliable defender and showed his class in that area with a very good display. 7
11 Jamie Osborne: Some useful clearances from the centre playing out of position on the wing, but his attacking opportunities were limited. 6
Misfiring attack
10 Sam Prendergast: Charged down twice, was a bit too deep with the ball in hand and just couldn’t quite get the Leinster attack firing. Kicked very well off the tee, however. 5
9 Jamison Gibson-Park: Not quite at his best at the moment, but that probably has something to do with Leinster’s change in style, but his kicking remains accurate while he always makes smart decisions. 7
8 Caelan Doris (c): Absolutely incredible. You arguably won’t see a better defensive performance by a back-row all season. The Ireland captain was off the charts good without the ball. 9
7 Josh van der Flier: See Doris. Roamed around the field absolutely smashing opponents all game and charged down Antoine Hastoy’s drop-goal which won the game. 9
6 Ryan Baird: Showed his athleticism on occasion but he was overshadowed by his back-row partners, who were the stars for Leinster. 6
Solid set-piece
5 James Ryan: Big effort from the lock as ever and a dogfight suits him but he wasn’t quite as impactful as usual. 6
4 Joe McCarthy: Scored a try after latching on to a well-worked move, but he was taken off just after the break for RG Snyman. 6
3 Tadhg Furlong: In his first game since October, the tighthead put a decent shift in, but he was understandably rusty. 5
2 Ronan Kelleher: Set-piece went smoothly, both scrum and lineout, and he worked hard in the loose, but not his biggest impact. 6
1 Cian Healy: The ‘Leinster experiment’ was utilised again as Healy only did 20 minutes before being replaced. It wasn’t the most auspicious quarter, though, as he struggled in the scrum. 4
Replacements: Andrew Porter and Rabah Slimani made a significant difference in the set-piece, while Luke McGrath made some superb defensive interventions. On the other hand, Ross Byrne and Ciaran Frawley struggled. 7