Rugby’s Greatest Matches: Leinster 33-22 Northampton

Leinster’s Johnny Sexton celebrates a try during his team’s epic comeback and 33-22 win against Northampton Saints

Credit: Paul Thomas (Photo by Ben Radford Corbis via Getty Images)

As Charles Dickens wrote in his 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities - and later by a confused smoking monkey in The Simpsons - “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

For Northampton Saints and one then-17-year-old Saints fan, who was there that day in Cardiff in the middle of what felt like a sea of blue Leinster jersey’s, this could not be more apt at full time in the 2011 Heineken Cup Final.

Just an hour before that final whistle, Northampton Saints had been 22-6 up going into the break after Dylan Hartley crashed over for a well-deserved third try.

The Saints faithful at that point were dreaming of Hartley and his men joining Pat Lam’s immortals of 2000, who beat Munster 9-8 to claim the East Midland club’s first European Cup.

Despite Northampton having one hand on the trophy, much like AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League Final or Team USA going into the final day of the 2012 Ryder Cup, Leinster’s Johnny Sexton had other ideas.

Superb Saints race into early lead

Both sides had rather different routes to the showpiece final with Northampton coasting through a generous group containing Cardiff, Castres and Edinburgh with six wins out of six.

In the quarters, they swatted aside a defiant Ulster 23-13 before pulverising Perpignan 23-7 in the semi - which remains perhaps the finest game that Brian Mujati, Dylan Hartley and Soane Tonga'uiha had together as the French side’s scrum splintered under repeated pressure.

Meanwhile Leinster topped a Pool of Death containing Clermont, Racing Metro and Saracens and had to scrap past Leicester Tigers 17-10 and a vintage Toulouse 32-23 in the semi-final.

Leinster were clear favourites to nab their second Heineken Cup after winning in 2009, with Hugh Woozencroft writing ahead of the game: “Gordon D’Arcy at inside centre, Brian O’Driscoll at outside centre – need I say more?

“Ever the headline grabber, expect O’Driscoll to scoot over for at least one try. Northampton’s Jon Clarke and James Downey will definitely earn their keep when Saturday comes.”

However, it was the Saints who raced out of the blocks against a shell shocked Leinster. Like in the semi against Perpignan, the Midlanders’ scrum power was obvious along with the intensity of their pack.

Ben Foden celebrates his try against Leinster in the 2011 Heineken Cup Final in Cardiff

Credit: Michael Steele/Getty Images Europe

The first try came following a broken Leinster scrum, with the ball recycled to Jon Clarke who made a lovely break and offload to set up Phil Dowson to crash over.

Even a Mujati sin binning didn’t slow down the tempo of Saints, with Myler selling an outrageous dummy to Nathan Hines before the ball is worked out to X Factor’s Ben Foden who simply glides round the great Brian O’Driscoll to score.

This is dreamland for the Black, Green and Gold Army. Can it get any better? You bet it can. On the stroke of half time, skipper Hartley smashes over from short range to make it 22-6 to Saints at the break.

Whisper it quietly, but Northampton Saints are set to become champions of Europe.

Sexton speech and Saints fatigue

Although many in the stadium weren’t to know it, Saints had burned too brightly too soon. They were spent, their goose cooked and it was now a case of whether they could hang on and weather the Irish storm.

Director of Rugby Jim Mallinder, who relied heavily on the same regular starting 15 and didn’t have the greatest depth of squad, said after the game: “"We were tired, you could tell at half-time.

"It was just a case of telling the lads to dig in for just 40 more minutes. They were shot.

“It would have been nice not to have had a full-on game last week, and Leinster managed to take their five best players off in their game. We could not do that against Leicester in the Premiership.”

Meanwhile, in the opposing dressing room, Johnny Sexton was rousing his beleaguered team to fight their way back into the contest.

Sexton referenced Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League Final comeback to inspire his teammates, with Brian O’Driscoll saying: “He speaks when the time needs it but I think he really stood up to the plate this time around and was there to be a senior player as a ten.

“You need your ten to be a senior player and a leader and he was very much that. Besides what he produced in the second half, some of his words at half-time really struck a chord with a lot of people.

“He mentioned about how this will make it all the more memorable because of what we have to do now. You could just see he had the bit between the teeth and he was ready for it.

“To pick up two tries and a great kicking performance and just control the way he did, it was a phenomenal second-half performance from him.”

Early on in the half, Sexton glided over in the 44th minute to score Leinster’s first try to reduce the deficit.

At this point, the nervous looks are being exchanged not only between the Saints players, but the thousands of their supporters in the stadium.

It escalates into full blown panic as he dummies and fights his way over the whitewash to score again in the 53rd minute, sparking pandemonium amongst the Dubliners and their legion of fans in Cardiff.

Johnny Sexton crashes over to score in his sides stunning comeback 33-22 win against Northampton Saints

Credit Getty Images

It was now Leinster with all the pace and power, coupled with set piece dominance, with Sexton knocking over a scrum penalty in the 56th minute to nudge Leinster ahead 23-22.

By this stage, it was one way traffic, with Saints out on their feet as they rushed on substitutes in an attempt to stem the tide.

However, it would prove to be too late as Nathan Hines’ 64th minute score, smashing over from short range, proved the death knell for Northampton’s title hopes.

In 24 minutes, they had been battered into submission, only to be seen twice in the European Cup knockout stages since.

The Sexton Final

On commentary, Miles Harrison refers to it as ‘the greatest recovery of all time in this competition’ which, despite witnessing it on the losing end, is hard to disagree with.

In the stands, under the Millennium Stadium roof, the Irish party had started as my dad and I snuck out as the final whistle sounded.

For Leinster, they would defend their crown the following year by beating Ulster in an All-Irish final 42-14 and have consistently been at the top table in European Rugby since.

Although now known as the Sexton Final, it is a huge case of what if for Northampton and Jim Mallinder, with Leinster coach Joe Schmidt then in the middle of a glittering three year spell with the province that yielded a Pro12, a Challenge Cup and two Heineken Cups.

For better or for worse, it will be a match no-one will forget and was, at it’s core, a fantastic game of end to end rugby. Leinster deserved their win, completing a stunning performance that seemed entirely improbable at half time.

Who am I kidding, it still hurts now to think about… *Shudders*