Toulouse beat Leinster to make Heineken Cup final
Defending Heineken Cup champions Leinster were beaten 26-16 by Toulouse yesterday, in the first of the semi finals this weekend. David Skrela scored 21 points as they stormed into the final in front of their home crowd at Stadium Municipal.
The French flyhalf scored a try, two conversions and four penalties, with centre Yannick Jauzion scoring the other try as they outplayed and outscrummed the Irish side, who managed to score a consolation try through Jamie Heaslip with 15 minutes left.
"This win exceeds all our expectations. We have been through a difficult season and now we are offering to the people who supported us all the way a final in France," said Toulouse coach Guy Noves.
"It's pure bliss because to reach that point means you have done a lot of work and a good job for months and even years. It's a fantastic reward," he added.
Skrela, named as Man of the Match after his commanding performance, is hoping for more success come final time.
"I'm very proud of this team. Now we have the final to play in France. We deserve to be in the final. I have played in two and lost both of them. I hope it'll be better this time," he said.
They will face the winners of the other semi final which takes place today between Biarritz and Munster in San Sabestien. The final will be at Stade de France on May 22.
Time: 05:00
The French flyhalf scored a try, two conversions and four penalties, with centre Yannick Jauzion scoring the other try as they outplayed and outscrummed the Irish side, who managed to score a consolation try through Jamie Heaslip with 15 minutes left.
"This win exceeds all our expectations. We have been through a difficult season and now we are offering to the people who supported us all the way a final in France," said Toulouse coach Guy Noves.
"It's pure bliss because to reach that point means you have done a lot of work and a good job for months and even years. It's a fantastic reward," he added.
Skrela, named as Man of the Match after his commanding performance, is hoping for more success come final time.
"I'm very proud of this team. Now we have the final to play in France. We deserve to be in the final. I have played in two and lost both of them. I hope it'll be better this time," he said.
They will face the winners of the other semi final which takes place today between Biarritz and Munster in San Sabestien. The final will be at Stade de France on May 22.
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42 Comments:
go TOULOUSE!!! PS:first!
By Remy, at May 02, 2010 11:40 am
Well done Toulouse from a Leinster fan, all Irish sides have a serious problem when it comes to the Scrum. We can't afford to ignore it anymore, SOMETHING has to be done. If that means signing foreign props until we find some Irish ones that can actually scrummage then so be it.
By Anonymous, at May 02, 2010 11:55 am
First Toulouse try comes after a pretty nice set of play if I recall. Shame it isn't shown there.
By Anonymous, at May 02, 2010 12:38 pm
What a match!
Tou-lou-sains!
Tou-lou-sains!
By Maximus, at May 02, 2010 12:41 pm
I feel like the highlights left out a lot of important play. Would have Preferred a 10 min highlight vid with everything. Oh well, congrats Toulouse... well deserved!
By Unknown, at May 02, 2010 1:05 pm
Robbery!
By Anonymous, at May 02, 2010 1:13 pm
yes, a lot of nice play left out. the lead up to the Leinster try was also very good. Not a great video.
Well done Toulouse. Very deserving winners!
By theboss, at May 02, 2010 1:24 pm
Good game, especially in the 2nd half. Irish players were brave as usual but as someone said before they must improve their scrum. Great try by Skrela.
By Pitseleh, at May 02, 2010 1:25 pm
If you saw the game, then why complain about bits being left out? It's free ffs. Beggars can't be choosers. Donate to the site then maybe you'd have a slight case for complaining.
I'm happy Toulouse won. We just need Biarritz to beat Munster today, and it's a clean sweep over the Irish for the weekend.
By Benson, at May 02, 2010 1:44 pm
everyone comes onto Rd and bitches about how SH teams are better than in the NH but i think this game has just shown that its not true. If toulose played like that against a team like the blue bulls or the crusaders they would easily win
By matty10, at May 02, 2010 1:45 pm
@ Matty
Noone brought it up here? So why did you have to bring it up?
Well done to Toulouse, well deserved
By Conor, at May 02, 2010 1:59 pm
I agree with Conor. No need to get into that. So as a SH person, well played Toulouse.
By Scotsdale, at May 02, 2010 2:07 pm
I need some help to understand a ref decision in this match.
Médard nearly scores a try: he kicks, runs, grabs the ball in the score zone, slips out of the pitch with the ball before grounding it. No try of course BUT how come it turns out into a scrum at the place of Médard's kick and not into a 22 metre kick? Isn't it a little weird to consider Médard had thrown the ball directly in dead zone on purpose?
By Maximus, at May 02, 2010 2:36 pm
@anonymous no.1
munster and leinster have both signed foreign props,brugnaut and van der linde respectively.this hasnt seemed to help,especially in van der linde's case,as yesterday he was absolutely sh*t
By Ireland for WC 2011, at May 02, 2010 2:51 pm
@ Benson ''We just need Biarritz to beat Munster today''
Not happening mate!
By Anonymous, at May 02, 2010 3:05 pm
" @ Benson ''We just need Biarritz to beat Munster today''
Not happening mate! "
I can't see injury stricken Munster winning it. And I'm an Irish supporter. The French will have really destroyed us this year if they do win it though...
By Anonymous, at May 02, 2010 3:17 pm
Maximus-
As far as i understand the rules, if you kick the ball and it goes out of play past the try line, ie the dead ball zone, then it turns into a scrum from point where you kicked it. because his feet went out before he grounded the ball that means he kicked it out of the dead ball area therefore scrum from point of kick..
By themull, at May 02, 2010 3:19 pm
BTW Irish seriously need to start investing in the youth system in terms of developing decent props...At the moment too much emphasis is being put into developing open field players who are great with ball in hand, ie Healy but forgetting about their most important job, ie scrummaging....
If not, once Hayes retires we are gonna be even worse than we are now and there will be no hope of surviving against any half decent teams....For the last few years our backline has saved our lack of scrummaging but there's only so much pressure a backline can absorb....
Toulose were magnificint and deserved the win...Hopefully Munster can put one over Biaritz in few hours....
And finally from a Leinster point of few BOD was GOD once again fro them....Amazing in defense and very dangerous with ball in hand too....
By themull, at May 02, 2010 3:23 pm
themull - Thanks
I had thought about that but what I find weird is that he didn't KICK the ball out, he CARRIED it out sliding.
How can you penalize a player by sending him 40 metres back while he actually had the ball in hand past the try line?
Nevermind, I just found this decision curious.
Twas a beautiful match anyway.
By Maximus, at May 02, 2010 3:53 pm
i'didn't see the match :( but i wasn't surprised by the result as toulouse really want to conquest their 4th H-cup.
It will be very difficult for biarritz vs munstermen. despite o'connell absence, munster have the experience to win it with o'gara boot. Ugly way can still be an useful way;)
By Flooz, at May 02, 2010 3:58 pm
what a game!
No SCRUM, no WIN !
We are waiting Munster for the big final, it will be awesome !
By Anonymous, at May 02, 2010 3:58 pm
The better team won at the end of the day. Our pack wasn't up for it, CJ has to go, he's just shite. Felt sorry for Reddan though, he was so close.
By Box, at May 02, 2010 4:03 pm
^ So was Healy
By Bluedog, at May 02, 2010 4:08 pm
"I had thought about that but what I find weird is that he didn't KICK the ball out, he CARRIED it out sliding.
How can you penalize a player by sending him 40 metres back while he actually had the ball in hand past the try line?"
I think his legs were out when he caught the ball. As he then becomes an extension of the dead ball zone, when he catches the ball, the ball has essentially been kicked straight into the dead ball zone.
Same thing as when the defender puts their leg over the line when the ball is rolling towards it to get the scrum where the kick was made.
That's the only way I can see the scrum being given. But I don't think his legs were actually out of play... so not 100% sure about that one.
By Anonymous, at May 02, 2010 5:13 pm
YEAAAHHHHHHHHHH Biaritz won !!!!!!
Well done France !
By Anonymous, at May 02, 2010 6:05 pm
BBBBBBBBB OOOOOOOO !!
wonderful game from biarritz ! they destroyed physically the munstermen.
looking forward to beat the great toulouse team for a 100% french final in Paris ! :)))
By PAIS VASCO, at May 02, 2010 6:06 pm
Toulouse vs Biarritz !
By Yannoche, at May 02, 2010 6:18 pm
6 Nations Grand Slam, H-Cup, maybe Challenge Cup... Too bad the world cup is not this year, the French are just unstoppable this year.
I root for Toulouse but I'm so glad Biarritz won. I hope the ST wins the HCup and the Brennus shield, then I could die happy :)
By Ben, at May 02, 2010 6:55 pm
"6 Nations Grand Slam, H-Cup, maybe Challenge Cup... Too bad the world cup is not this year, the French are just unstoppable this year.
I root for Toulouse but I'm so glad Biarritz won. I hope the ST wins the HCup and the Brennus shield, then I could die happy :)"
Sounds alot like Ireland lastyear... Hopefully the France aren't in the same rut this time next year as Ireland are this year
By Conor, at May 02, 2010 7:05 pm
@Maximus: originately the ref wanted to award a 22m kick-off but the side ref told him to give a scrum. It appears the touch judge thought that Medard caught the ball off limits. My opinion though...
By Anonymous, at May 02, 2010 7:35 pm
Yes! Full French flavour for the Heineken cup final! The French look pretty good this year.
Now I don't have to train to be a surgeon to remove the bias and pole from every Irish mans ass :)
By Les Bleus, at May 02, 2010 7:47 pm
^ Can you give yourself a personality transplant while you're at it?
By Anonymous, at May 02, 2010 8:00 pm
@Maximus
From the camera angles in that clip, that should have been a try. The Toulouse player (Médard?) caught the ball in the field, slid over the line grounding it as he did so then let it go. Did anyone who watched the whole game see a different angle that showed something different?
By Anarchangel, at May 02, 2010 9:47 pm
" Did anyone who watched the whole game see a different angle that showed something different?"
Yes
By Anonymous, at May 02, 2010 10:18 pm
Unfortunately Anarchangel, you can see his right knee cross the dead line before he grounds, so no try but no scrum either.
Thank you all for answering.
By Maximus, at May 02, 2010 11:11 pm
Leave irish men's arses alone les bleus.
Well done to Touloun, Toulouse and Biarritz. Great fans, great rugby, well deserved. Feel very sorry for Munster and Connacht though.
No real complaints about Leinster losing! We were second best but there's no better way to go out
By Third Centre, at May 02, 2010 11:46 pm
Haha, in the slow-mo replays I was paying too much attention to the line and not enough to which line it was. You're right of course Maximus!
And thanks for your incredibly constructive comment, Anonymous.
By Anarchangel, at May 03, 2010 12:10 am
What a shit weekend for Irish rugby, and a great one for the French.
The one good thing I'm hoping for is that Kidney takes on a few more Connacht players into the national side. It was obvious that of the 3 sides playing, Connacht put up the best defensive effort.
By Natalie Portman, at May 03, 2010 7:39 am
Two 2 tries, 2 BOD's mistakes. Highly unusual.
By Antoine, at May 03, 2010 7:02 pm
Shame the scrum half stretched for the line, momentum, i would bet, would have carried him over :(...
...mind you that would reduce the deficit by 7 points (probably) therefore not enough to win....
I think there was a french conspiracy against the irish, they cheated,...i dont know how toulouse cheated but biarritz had some sort of something to nullify the irish in harinordosomething-or-others conk guard!!!
By CONSPIRACY!!!, at May 03, 2010 11:33 pm
loved skrela's try btw, well, i didnt, but, i did at the same time :(
Les Bleus said...
Yes! Full French flavour for the Heineken cup final! The French look pretty good this year.
Now I don't have to train to be a surgeon to remove the bias and pole from every Irish mans ass :)
May 02, 2010 7:47 PM
Anonymous said...
^ Can you give yourself a personality transplant while you're at it?
May 02, 2010 8:00 PM
HAHAHAHA Awesome, shame you have anonymous selected though :(
By CONSPIRACY!!!, at May 03, 2010 11:42 pm
i thought meddard carried it out too, the video ref surely saw that, shame the match wasn't at murrayfield for him, the 'in goal" area is 15m+ deep.
By mat, at May 04, 2010 12:22 pm
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