French media lament a loss

• Published date: 15 April 2024
• Publication title: Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)

“And moreover, even with the ball in hand, they frequently found themselves under pressure, both on their maul attempts, with their frequently hassled launch plays. The kicking game could have been an interesting alternative but, used very little, it did not make it possible to exploit the free spaces. Much of the credit for this goes to the Leinster men’s aggressive defence instilled by Jacques Nienaber.”

Nicolas Zinardi, in the same publication, singled out Leinster’s Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe for special mention. “For this fifth match in the saga between European giants, the Leinster men finally took their revenge on the title holders thanks to an extraordinary performance from the Kiwi duo Lowe/Gibson-Park while, on the La Rochelle side, the usual leaders suffered considerably.”

Only Levani Botia (inset) was absolved...