Finished Millennium Stadium
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O'Driscoll lauds Sexton inspiration
Brian O'Driscoll revealed some "inspirational" words from man-of-the-match Jonathan Sexton helped the Irish province win the Heineken Cup. More
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Live Commentary
Time:80'- Leinster
- Northampton
80+1' FULL-TIME! LEINSTER WIN THE HEINEKEN CUP FINAL! An incredible comeback win seals their second Heineken Cup triumph in three years. Northampton players lie dejected on the ground - they cannot believe that this game has been stolen from them, but Leinster blew them away in the final forty minutes.- 80' Heaslip and O'Brien break for Leinster. The Irish will spend the last moments of this match in their opponent's 22. What a second half showing.
- 79' Leinster have the put-in at the scrum as we start the final minute of the match. O'Driscoll can barely contain his grin.
- 79' Leinster staff hugging one another already, Lawes spotted shaking his head as Northampton slide to defeat. To say this has been a game of two halves is an understatement.
78' Ashton also limping off, Commins steps in for the Saints.- 77' Leinster look to have the game under control. Another change for Northampton as Day is replaced by Sorensen, while Sexton comes off to an ovation for Leinster. Madigan on in his place.
- 76' Ashton continues to limp as the game heads to the final whistle - it looks like Leinster fancy ending this clash with a final crowning try.
- 75' Sharman through as Northampton make a foray forward - Ansbro's handling error costs them the momentum, and Leinster weave the ball back into their opponent's half with a cunning low kick from Nucewa.
- 74' O'Driscoll has not been at his best, but he played his part in the Leinster resurgence.
- 73' Leinster just controlling the game in the Northampton half with the forwards - Sexton waiting in the pocket if they feel the need to add some points.
- 72' A sight no England fan wants to see - Chris Ashton is limping here as Northampton slide towards defeat.
- 71' Better from Northampton - is it all too late? Clark brought down and O'Brien has won his side a penalty. Leinster's defence holding firm.
- 70' NORTHAMPTON BREAK! Their first move forward in the half - Foden and Ashton combine with a moment of brilliance, but as Ashton gets to the 22, Nucewa catches him up and Leinster get the turnover.
- 68' McFadden on, D'Arcy off for Leinster.
- 67' Another penalty for Leinster, and you wouldn't back against Sexton, despite the 40m kick... but this time he misses.
- 66' Northampton ring the changes - four men on - Waller for Tonaga'uiha, Mercey for Mujati, Geraghty for Myler...
66' Another difficult kick dispatched with aplomb by Sexton - he used the wind to just guide it home. The fly-half hasn't missed a trick for Leinster.
65' TRY FOR LEINSTER! Hines drives the ball over - his fourth try in the Heineken Cup is the one which has surely put this contest beyond Northampton.- 65' Sexton just misses out trying to grab the final pass and get in for his hat-trick - but Leinster are still going...
- 64' Leinster win another scrum on the halfway line. Confidence draining rapidly from the Saints as Leinster charge onwards.
- 64' Northampton change - Easter on for Wilson.
- 63' The gap is just four points. IF Northampton can gather themselves, the game is still there to be won. It's a big if after Leinster's showing. They've been remarkable since half-time.
- 62' Van der Merwe for Healy in a Leinster change.
- 61' Another successful kick for Sexton - another nail in Northampton's coffin. What a passage of play from Leinster.
60' And they will again - Dowson punished for coming in at the side and he picks up a yellow for the infringement - Leinster were already playing on advantage there in any case, and Sexton has a simple kick to extend the lead. Despite the yellow and slipping another three points adrift, Northampton could have come off worse there.- 59' The Irish crowd baying here as O'Brien carves through the Northampton defence. It's another visit to the Northampton 22, and they keep coming away with points...
- 58' Powerful driving from the Saints, before Myler hits a hopeful up-and-under - Nucewa gathers with ease for Leinster.
- 57' Just 17 minutes into the second half, Northampton's 16-point lead has been swallowed up. Maybe the only thing they can cling on to is that they are back to being underdogs in this one.
- 57' If they do win, then this is a significant moment - Sexton drills the ball straight and true through the posts, and for the first time in this match, Leinster are ahead.
56' Leinster win a penalty at scrum time! Would you believe it? They've been destroyed repeatedly in the first forty minutes - and yet they roar back! The way the forwards slap each other on the back it's as if they think the game is won.- 55' Knock-on from Foden - a horrible handling error - and that's pressure, nothing else. Who can steady the ship for the English side?
- 54' A simple conversion, and over it goes! Leinster just two points adrift now - and Sexton has scored all 20 of Leinster's points.
- 53' TRY! Leinster get their reward! Sexton again is the finisher, and this one is right under the posts. The pressure tells as Clark cannot contain the Ireland fly-half.
- 53' Leinster get the ball and they're still on the offensive, Northampton's defending is desperate as the Irish sweep from left to right and back...
- 52' But IT'S NOT A TRY! There's no conclusive angle, and that's another huge moment in this contest. Scrum on five metres - can Northampton retain their dominance at scrum time?
- 51' 'Is it a try? Yes or no?' the referee asks. It's a question of whether D'Arcy managed to ground the ball as the Northampton defenders pile in - Leinster fans have seen the replays, and they like what they see...
- 50' O'Driscoll looks like he could pull the trigger but slips at just the wrong moment - but Leinster continue through Fitzgerald and D'Arcy - is D'Arcy over?! It's back to the video official!
- 50' Seven phases and Leinster right on the line for a second try. They can smell it, but they're being patient...
- 49' O'Driscoll a different beat in the second half, terrorising defenders as he runs straight and hard. Reddan fuelling another Leinster move through the backs towards the left corner.
- 48' This is Northampton's test - can they stop the Irish momentum? For the first time, they look vulnerable. If they can fight their way through this, they will deserve to be the champions of Europe. Leinster on the move again.
- 47' 83% possession for Leinster in this second half - it's been a reversal of the first half so far.
- 46' Cute angle for Sexton - he hits the post as well! But this time the bounce off the post breaks Leinster's way and it's two more points - surely this tie won't be settled by the difference of those two kicks hitting the post?
- 45' That's exactly what the contest needed - something for the Leinster players and fans to get excited about. The gap back down to 11 points - and Sexton has the chance to reduce it to single figures with a difficult conversion from the right hand touchline.
- 44' O'DRISCOLL BREAKS THE LINE! So close to the try - he finds Heaslip, but the number eight is also held up... Leinster swarming, throwing it all forward... the ball spins right, and SEXTON IS THERE TO SCORE!
- 43' Turned over! Northampton's defence holds up and Foden, waiting deep, kicks to just short of the halfway line to ease the danger for now.
- 42' Early initiative with Leinster at the start of the second half - after 11 phases they've got to within 10 metres of the Northampton line.
- 41' It's all for Leinster to do - they've made a change - Jennings on for McLaughlin.
41' The second half begins!
40' HALF-TIME: That's the final action of the half. Northampton will struggle to put together another half as good as that, Leinster will surely make fewer handling errors - but is the damage already done? An enthralling half of rugby awaits us - we'll be back for it in a few moments.- 40' Myler's conversion hits the post and misses! It's about the only thing that's gone wrong in this wonderful half for Northampton!
- 39' TRY! High fives, cheers, and green and yellow flags waving across half of the Millennium Stadium. It's the captain Hartley who finally drove the ball over the line.
- 39' 'Is there a reason why I cannot award the try?', the referee asks. On the face of the replays we've seen, there is not...
- 39' Ashton now held up on the line on the right wing - a third try would make this a mountain for Leinster. They think they've got the ball down, they look to the referee... he blows his whistle and he's going upstairs to the television official...
- 38' CLARK CLOSE FOR SAINTS! He just bounces off the Leinster men and refuses to go down - he can't get over the line but Northampton spin the ball right...
- 37' Ball lost forward for Northampton there - Mujati (and Clark) make their way back on to the field for the Saints. A terrific ten minutes from Mercey.
- 36' Good composure from Sexton - just when his side needed an icy cool kick, the fly-half delivers. The deficit reduced to 11 points. Despite Northampton's brilliance Leinster have the tools to get back into the contest in the second half.
- 35' Chance for the Irish side, though - Sexton has a penalty. Anything to reduce the arrears here would be priceless for Leinster. Very kickable distance, just left of centre.
- 34' They've got the man advantage but Leinster are having on for half-time here. Foden clears Northampton after skipping around Nacewa as if it's the easiest thing in the world.
- 33' Myler adds the conversion - 17-3 to the side who came into the game as underdogs!
- 32' All the more incredible when you look at the pictures of Mujati, who's still got three more minutes in the sin bin. Northampton have had a spectacular start, and an even better last ten minutes.
- 31' FODEN THROUGH! Magnficent try - started by Myler, and finished by Foden who backs himself and skips through O'Driscoll's tackle to score Northampton's second!
- 31' Myler sells a dummy and moves to within a couple of yards of the line - he's held up but Northampton keep it alive...
- 31' Leinster have put in at the scrum - but against the head Northampton blitz the Irish and gain possession in their opponent's 22!
- 30' Fiercely committed display from Northampton so far, but they're held up here by a strong tackle from Fitzgerald on Lawes.
- 29' Lawes on the crash ball gives Northampton momentum as they push for the line. All Northampton despite the man disadvantage.
- 28' Leinster being battered at the scrum for now - they need to find a solution and fast.
- 27' Northampton's scrum holds up superbly despite the change - beyond superbly! The Saints get on the march and push Leinster back all of ten yards in a sensational drive. Tonga'uiha is hurt though - the only negative there for the English side.
- 26' Errors just letting Leinster down in the final moments here. They have a scrum and that means Northampton have to rearrange - Clark off, Mercey on for the Saints.
- 25' McLaughlin almost breaks through for Leinster, but Mujati is picked up here holding the shirt of Healy and that's not on - 10 minutes in the sin bin for the Northampton prop. Great chance for Leinster to build.
- 24' Cracking game here. Leinster very much in this despite the seven-point deficit - but Northampton have held on under this pressure and come out well from a scrum in their own 22 to clear their lines.
- 23' GREAT TACKLE FROM FODEN ON O'DRISCOLL! The full-back saves a certain try after Leinster cut the Saints' defence apart - but O'Driscoll realises he cannot get there on his own and as he looks for an offload Foden bundles him down.
- 22' Leinster roar back every time the Saints add points, but this time after Horgan gathers from the switch-kick and Leinster try to weave through the middle with O'Driscoll and D'Arcy the move eventually breaks down.
- 20' Myler turns away immediately after he kicks this, confident he's put it through the posts. It takes the judges a moment to decide, but sure enough it is over. Northampton back into a seven-point lead.
- 19' Chance for Myler here with a penalty. It's just short of the halfway line but much straighter than the conversion he successfully kicked earlier on.
- 18' Leinster go long at the line-out, and it's working immaculately. Great hands from the Irish until Horgan pops an awkward ball up for the hooker Strauss. Promising for Leinster though.
- 17' Myler hammers the ball low and out of play as Leinster look to go forward, and he's kicked Northampton back to the Leinster 22.
- 16' Whoops, Dylan Hartley - no effort to bind as the ball breaks down and that means a promising Northampton move comes to an end.
- 15' Reddan tries an unconvincing box-kick as the Saints pile forward. The English side piling through the phases here, and looking sharp.
- 14' Good penalty, straight through the posts. It gets Leinster back to within four of the Saints.
- 13' Penalty chance for Leinster - Sexton to boot one from the middle of the park, about 40m out.
- 12' Leinster do a great job of pressurising the scrum, far better from the Irish side, but it almost blows up in their faces as Wilson picks up a loose ball and breaks 20 metres forward before Heaslip pulls him back in!
- 11' Scrum time - Northampton have the put-in. It's one area where they've shone so far, and they'll need to get it right again just inside their own 22.
- 10' The men in blue are on the march - the first sign of D'Arcy as he charges earnestly into the middle, but he loses the ball in contact.
- 9' A pulsating start in Cardiff, and Nacewa drives forward as Leinster launch an attack.
- 8' Myler knocks over the conversion! That's a confident kick from the left touchline and has given this final just the start it needed. All on Leinster now to respond.
- 7' TRY FOR NORTHAMPTON! This time they make it count - a powerful scrum on the edge of the 22, they spin left and Dowson gets in at the corner to break the deadlock!
- 3' Powerful scrum from the Saints - Leinster win it though, despite being driven back.
- 2' The roof is closed at the Millennium Stadium - Foden almost reaches it with an up-and-under.
- 2' Another kick from Sexton, and Ashton doesn't quite grab it. The ball bounces backwards, though, and he composes himself.
- 1' A first chance for Foden to run with the ball as Leinster kick hopefully forward. Early momentum with the Saints.
1' We begin! Myler kicks off for Northampton.- 16:55 The teams head out on the pitch at the Millennium Stadium. The ground looks full to capacity - a terrific atmosphere already - we just need a contest to match up to it.
- 16:50 That's assuming that Ashton has recovered from the ferocious punch he took from Manu Tuilagi during last week's Premiership play-off... Tuilagi gets five-week ban
- 16:45 No shortage of talent on either side, but if the likes of Ben Foden and Chris Ashton can shine for the Saints they have a chance. If they do win today, they would become the first side to win the tournament without tasting defeat at any stage.
- 16:40 Leinster, who are playing the final of the Magners League next weekend, start as favourites for this one. You can get around 4/9 on the Irish side, with Northampton 12/5. Can the Saints spring an upset?
- 16:35 Expect this encounter to go down to the wire - in the previous three Heinken Cup finals there has been three points or fewer separating the teams by the final whistle. And in the tournament's fifteen finals, eleven have been decided by a margin of six points or fewer, while two matches went to extra time.
- 16:30 KNOCKOUT STAGES: Both sides earned home ties - there was a keenly-gought 17-10 victory for Leinster over Leicester Tigers in Dublin, while Northampton moved homes briefly to Stadium MK to beat another Irish opponent, Ulster, 23-13. In the semi-finals Leinster used home advantage to get the better of defending champions Toulouse 32-23, while Northampton went back to Milton Keynes to beat another French opponent, Perpignan, 23-7.
- 16:25 PROGRESS THROUGH THE GROUP STAGES: Northampton swept unbeaten through a pool which included Cardiff Blues, Castres and Edinburgh. Leinster tasted defeat in Pool 2, losing 20-13 away at Clermont-Auvergne, but it was their one blip in a difficult pool also featuring Racing Metro and Saracens.
- 16:20 Yesterday in European rugby we were treated to another thrilling final - Harlequins turned around the game in the final minutes to stun Stade Francais in Cardiff. Read the match report here.
- 16:15 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS: B Foden; C Ashton, J Clarke, J Downey, P Diggin; S Myler, L Dickson; S Tonga'uiha, D Hartley [capt], B Mujati, C Lawes, C Day, C Clark, P Dowson, R Wilson Replacements: B Sharman, A Waller, T Mercey, M Sorenson, M Easter, S Commins, S Geraghty, J Ansbro
- 16:15 LEINSTER: I Nacewa; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, E Reddan; C Healy, R Strauss, M Ross, L Cullen [capt], N Hines, K McLaughlin, S O'Brien, J Heaslip Replacements: J Harris-Wright, H Van Der Merwe, S Wright, D Toner, S Jennings, I Boss, I Madigan, F McFadden.
- 16:10 Leinster boosted by the availability of Brian O'Driscoll, who has overcome a knee injury to start at centre. For Northampton the news is that Tom Wood is not able to take his place at flanker and misses out for the Saints.
- 16:05 Kick-off is just an hour away in Cardiff. Will we see Leinster regain the trophy the first won two seasons ago, or will Northampton triumph more than a decade after they beat another Irish opponent, Munster, to lift the trophy?
- 16:00 Good afternoon everyone and welcome to LIVE text commentary from Eurosport Yahoo! of the Heineken Cup final between Leinster and Northampton.
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Summary
Leinster versus Northampton Sexton 43’, 52’, Hines 64’ Tries Dowson 7’, Foden 30’, Hartley 39’ Sexton 45’, 53’, 65’ Conversions Myler 8’, 32’ Sexton 14’, 36’, 56’, 60’ Penalties Myler 20’ Drops
Live Team Line-Up
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LeinsterManager: Joe Schmidt
On the Field
- Healy
- Strauss
- Ross
- Cullen
- Hines
- McLaughlin
- O'Brien
- Heaslip
- Reddan
- Sexton ×2
- Fitzgerald
- D'Arcy
- O'Driscoll
- Horgan
- Nacewa
Subs
- Boss
- Jennings
- Wright
- Toner
- McFadden
- Harris-Wright
- van der Merwe
- Madigan
Injured
None
Suspended
None
- Healy
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NorthamptonManager: Jim Mallinder
On the Field
- Tonga'uiha
- Hartley
- Mujati
- Lawes
- Day
- Clark
- Dowson
- Wilson
- Dickson
- Myler
- Diggin
- Downey
- Clarke
- Ashton
- Foden
Subs
- Sorenson
- Easter
- Geraghty
- Mercey
- Ansbro
- Sharman
- Waller
- Commins
Injured
None
Suspended
None
- Tonga'uiha