Murray Kinsella reports from Stade Vélodrome
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LEINSTER CAPTAIN JAMIE Heaslip says his side’s defeat to Toulon in the Champions Cup semi-finals was down to collective failings, rather than any individual errors.
There was an understandable focus on Ian Madigan’s pass that was intercepted by Bryan Habana in the first half of extra time immediately post-match, with the South African wing having raced away to score a crucial try.
Madigan releases the pass that Habana picked off in Marseille. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO
It was a sublime read from Habana to pick off the pass when Leinster were numbers up on the outside right edge following a turnover in midfield, but it appeared that simply shifting the ball through the hands rather than attempting a long skip pass might have been the stronger option.
It’s an easy observation to make from the stands, but head coach Matt O’Connor admitted it was a costly error for Leinster.
“I’ve only seen it the once,” said O’Connor post-match in Stade Vélodrome.
“There was probably seven or eight decisions from us and the officials that had the potential to change the game and it’s always going to be that tight at this level.”
Heaslip immediately shifted to focus to Leinster’s team performance when asked if Madigan had been particularly downcast after the game.
The number eight echoed O’Connor in pointing out that Madigan’s intercepted pass wasn’t the only error to come in an absorbing contest.
Madigan kicked well off the tee for Leinster. Source: James Crombie/INPHO
“It’s not down to one player,” said Heaslip. “It’s down to the group, the collective, to be honest. At different times, all the players made mistakes in the game on both sides. So it can’t be down to one moment.
“You know, we probably left a lot of opportunities out there in the first 40. I thought we had some very good position and momentum in the game to maybe get a bit more of a return that what we did.
“There was nothing between the sides, but at this level if you make mistakes against a team with the quality of players they have, they don’t need much.”
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