Nathan Johns
๐ค SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
But even if you have a snipe there today for Leinster, in that scenario, if you beat that game, he's not doing anything to claw it back.
The try, look, again, you said it earlier, the carbon copy for the Ulster try, it seemed like both Leinster and Ulster had to work really hard for those opening scores, phase after phase after phase, you know, two or three of those phases, the blokes are just getting knocked back, and guys are having to flood behind to stop a breakdown turnover, but they got over it.
Harry Byrne, who I think, let's be honest, he struggled today.
We mentioned the intercept.
But in that first half, there was one passage of play where he threw two beautiful wide balls.
And they got over the gain line.
And just Jack Conan and Hugo Keenan got their wires crossed a little bit and Conan spills the ball inside the 22.
And then, you know, Byrne misses a few tackles and throws an intercept and he gets hauled off.
So I don't think it's as straightforward as saying...
Leinster couldn't impose their game on us.
You mentioned the Nienaber defence and I think sometimes I wonder, he's made a bit of a scapegoat for things.
For example, I don't think it was the defence that was the issue last year against Northampton.
I just think guys didn't chase kicks properly in Northampton towards the shreds, but that's an individual thing.
But anyway, look, he gets a lot of attention.
I think rightly so.
He's a double World Cup winning Springbok who was brought in to win a European Cup for Leinster and he's got one year left in his contract and he hasn't done that yet.
For me, this didn't look like a South African Jack Nienaber style game plan.
We talked about they just couldn't make any waves in contact or in the defensive breakdown, so therefore the line speed didn't have time to get set.
But even you look at the way they attacked, I mean, knockout rugby these days tends to be...
kicking plenty, winning the aerial collision and transition and being efficient.