Intensity at centre of Investec Champions Cup final between Toulouse and Leinster
Without getting you all too excited, I do believe this weekend’s Investec Champions Cup could be one of the few finals that matches last year’s epic comeback by La Rochelle, who rallied from 17-0 down inside the opening quarter.
Because Leinster versus Toulouse isn’t just Leinster versus Toulouse; it’s four-time winners against five-time winners, Ireland versus France, might taking on might. It is a monumental clash of the European titans and the final we deserved.
The players
In Leinster, you’ve got a team who have lost key players such as Johnny Sexton but who have not at all flinched.
They’re always there or thereabouts and their tenacity in targeting this competition is commendable.
Toulouse, meanwhile, are the French fancies, the team with that je ne sais quoi that makes them so watchable. These are the powerhouses of Europe.
I can count myself lucky that I didn’t play in the same domestic league as Leinster but I was involved in clashes with Toulouse.
If we went down there and beat them it would feel like we had won the league, such is the aura clubs like Leinster and Toulouse hold in professional rugby.
And that’s why this is the final that is worthy of an arena like the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
They’re two quality duos but Byrne isn’t quite on the level of the other three in that foursome.
Ollie Phillips
Champions Cup showpiece
As to where this match will be decided, it is so hard to see major discrepancies within the two squads. Both sides are packed with talent.
But I note what happened to Leinster against Ulster at the weekend and in the Champions Cup semi-finals against Northampton where, despite leading, the Dubliners allowed their opposition back into the fight.
At Croke Park against the English table-toppers they hung on, but against their Northern Irish rivals they conceded a late penalty.
For Toulouse, a lot hinges on the fitness of players such as fly-half Romain Ntamack, who has been back from injury for a couple of weeks but who still looks slightly rusty.
And that’s where this game will be fought, in and around the No9-No10 partnerships; Ntamack and Antoine Dupont versus Ross Byrne and Jamison Gibson-Park.
They’re two quality duos but Byrne isn’t quite on the level of the other three in that foursome.
He maybe hasn’t made the right decision in critical points at times in this season, while you can always rely on Ntamack to do the game changing thing, as he did with his last-minute try in the Top 14 final last season.
This game could be 40-39 when full-time comes, but more likely it is going to be a tighter, lower scoring affair in north London.
But given the intensity these two teams bring with them wherever they go, it will be a cracker nonetheless and a treat for every neutral who loves the sport.
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance, experts in leadership development behavioural change and executive coaching support. Follow Ollie on Twitter and on LinkedIn @OlliePhillips11