The jerseys were blue rather than green but otherwise this was an entirely familiar Anglo-Irish storyline. Leinster are through to the last four of the European Rugby Champions Cup while England’s Six Nations under-achievement has now been mirrored at elite European club level. The presence of three Pro14 sides in the semi-finals and none from the Premiership is not an easy statistic to gloss over.
Should Leinster, as they must now be favourites to do, go on and burnish Ireland’s recent grand slam with another major title it will simply add to the sense of a rugby nation going places. Saracens never relented in their dogged pursuit of an extraordinary third successive European crown but entering the final quarter trailing 30-12 meant it was a doomed chase.
If any team is accustomed to probing Leinster’s weaknesses it is probably Scarlets, their looming semi-final opponents who clinched last season’s Pro12 title against the odds in Dublin. Leinster, though, will once again be roared on by a sold-out Aviva Stadium crowd and may also have their Lions flanker Sean O’Brien back in the selectorial mix. Even if he plays merely a cameo role, the blossoming talents of Garry Ringrose, Dan Leavy, James Ryan and Tadhg Furlong will, on this evidence, take some stopping.
The huge irony, of course, is that Leinster’s renaissance is being supervised by the former England head coach Stuart Lancaster, whose impact in Dublin since crossing the Irish Sea has been universally admired. Sarries, guided by their former Irish international Mark McCall, had won their past five European quarter-finals in a row but, as they have discovered this season, standing still at this level is not remotely an option.
While a fit Billy Vunipola might have made a difference, there could be little disputing the better team here. Leinster were also missing their own international No 8, Jack Conan, but increasingly possess a squad of real calibre. Ryan, who is yet to taste defeat for either his province or country at senior level, looks the real deal at lock and Furlong is now firmly established as the northern hemisphere’s foremost tight-head. Quite why Ringrose was omitted from the British & Irish Lions tour party last year grows ever more unfathomable and Johnny Sexton does not require a ringmaster’s hat to denote who is pulling the strings.
Collectively, too, Leinster are not remotely shy of hard work. Despite their creative superiority and Ringrose’s galloping third-minute try, courtesy of alert approach work from James Lowe and Isa Nacewa, there was still a fair amount of unglamorous chiselling to be done after three Owen Farrell penalties had ensured the visitors went in at half-time trailing only 13-12.
It said everything about Sarries’ desire to cling to their lofty European reputation that the north Londoners could even have been ahead at the break. Marcelo Bosch had just landed another of his long-range specials from the tee when, unaccountably, Farrell chose to kick to the corner rather than seek to harvest the three points that might have sent the hosts down the tunnel in arrears. It meant Leinster never had to chase the game and a third-quarter change of gear with a chilly wind at their backs duly took them clear.
Not only was the management’s request for more aggression around the tackle visibly heeded but Saracens also had to contend with the tireless Leavy, as influential here as he was against England at Twickenham. Once the 23-year-old flanker had exchanged slick passes with Ryan and raced clear to score under the posts in the 47th minute there was only one realistic outcome and a second Leavy break then paved the way for Leinster’s third try just before the hour, finished from close range by an exultant Lowe.
At 30-12 the echoes of Ireland’s dominant Twickenham win were deafening. It said plenty about Saracens’s resolve that they conceded no further points, scored a try of their own through Blair Cowan and even caused a late ripple or two after Devin Toner had been yellow-carded. As McCall acknowledged afterwards, however, Leinster still had too much for his side.
“They were the best team in the pool stages and they were good today,” McCall said. “No excuses, we were beaten by a better side. For us to win this competition two years in a row is something we should be proud of but you want to forget about the past and move on with the present.”
English rugby would certainly swap places with its Irish counterparts just now. Say what you like about the respective leagues and player workload but the scores on the doors do not lie; the only consolation for the Premiership’s finest is that next season can hardly be any worse.
According to Nacewa, last season’s defeat to Clermont in the semi-finals of this same competition has been a major motivation for Leinster – “Losing to Clermont last season is etched in the back of our heads” – but the galvanising effect of Ireland’s grand slam campaign has also played a part. “They’ve come back and the hunger’s huge,” Nacewa said. “We’re a strong squad.” An all-Irish final in Bilbao next month? A serious green party could yet be on the cards.
