Leinster celebrate their latest Heineken Cup success
© Getty Images
|
The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley reflects on Leinster's Heineken Cup triumph over Northampton at the Millennium Stadium.
"Never mind rugby, this was an epic comeback in any sporting context and if anybody in the Leinster machine recorded their ten-minute interval crisis management, they could release it and make a mint. Greg Feek having taken the pack through a DVD of their first-half scrum problems on his laptop, Jonny Sexton, sporting anorak that he is, had the presence of mind to cite Liverpool’s comeback from 3-0 down to Milan in the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul during his animated rallying call.
"Brian O’Driscoll described him as like a man possessed during the interval, and thereafter Sexton played like one too. Those of us hailing him as the best outhalf in Europe had been given the most compelling proof on the most perfect of stages.
"Thus, this was the best final, best final comeback and the best individual performance in a final all wrapped up in one game. But for Sexton’s performance, on any anything resembling a normal day, Seán O’Brien would have walked off with the bubbly, though starting with the lap of honour, that was not in short supply."
RSS feed
