When Leinster’s players ran down the tunnel at half time in last night’s Investec Champions Cup win against Leinster, they did so two points behind and in danger of falling to a shock defeat.
Johann van Graan’s Bath had given them a bloody nose in that opening half, racing out to a 14-0 lead inside the opening seven minutes, and although Leinster recovered to get in front on 36 minutes, another Tom de Glanville try on the stroke of half time had the potential to flip momentum back to the Premiership leaders.
Leinster haven’t had to go chasing games much this season, but they showed no signs of panic.
In the end, they took everything Bath had to offer, and still won the game pulling up, with a 28-0 second half guaranteeing them home advantage for at least the next two rounds of the competition should they get there.
It was a night where the province’s frightening strength in depth was on show for all to see. On 46 minutes, with his side looking to get back into the game, head coach Leo Cullen summoned RG Snyman and Caelan Doris from the bench, and within five minutes they had made an impact, Snyman reaching over the line with one arm from what was an almost comical distance to score a try. From there Leinster never looked back.
The South African was at his very best at the Aviva; abrasive when he brought the ball into contact, but with the ability to free his arms and keep the ball alive.
For Van Graan it was a reminder of why the former Munster coach brought him to Ireland in the first place when he signed him in 2020, and why his Bath side were reportedly keen on signing him last year.
“You all know how highly I rate him [Snyman] as a player,” Van Graan (below) said.
“Somebody that I signed at Munster and he’s now at Leinster and I thought he was phenomenal.
“The two of us come back a long way from when I started coaching him at school. He’s got this ability to get the ball away.
“He’s got incredible hands and a natural feeling for the game. Not to speak about his size and his hitting and his poaching and his line-out. But he kind of makes something happen out of nothing.
“He pulls three, four, five defenders in around him and I thought he was on fire tonight. That’s why I believe he’s one of the best players in the world.
“He got injured when I was with Munster in the first seven minutes against Leinster. He re-did his ACL against the Scarlets. But I think people around the world are only starting to see how good he is now.
“He’ll make a big difference for the rest of the season for Leinster. I can’t speak highly enough of him, really.”
Snyman scored two tries in total, on a night where Leinster’s big money signings all delivered.
The Springbok World Cup winner and Jordie Barrett were both prominent, but it was the less heralded of the new arrivals, Rabah Slimani, who caused Bath problems throughout.
The Premiership side gave up four scrum penalties in total, with all four coming on Slimani’s side. Francois van Wyk and Beno Obano couldn’t get a handle on the veteran France international, with Obano eventually picking up a second yellow card and a red midway through the second half.
And the Bath coach believes that trio of signings might well tip the scales in Leinster’s favour later in the season, as they look to finally get their hands on the Champions Cup trophy, following three successive final defeats.
“In my view, Leinster is, in terms of their pipeline, the best in world rugby. What they’ve done with their school system is getting aligned into their academy, if you just think about it, 23 players going to the Six Nations from this team, and then if you add some of the best players in the world.
“Slimani hasn’t played for the French in five and a half years, and all of a sudden he’s back in the French picture. I don’t need to say anything more about RG.
“And Jordi Barrett is one of the best in the world. They are a phenomenal team. They’ve played in the last three Champions Cup finals, they’re unbeaten in the URC. They definitely can win it [the Champions Cup].
“Tonight, I believe, we went toe-to-toe with Leinster for 60 until we conceded that red card. It’s also about us and where we’ve come from. Hopefully, in time, we’ll get there,” Van Graan added.
