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Controversial columnist Stephen Jones makes claim that's certain to upset Leinster fans

Leinster

Sunday Times columnist Stephen Jones is not one to shy away from issuing a strong opinion, even when it appears to fly in the face of popular opinion or even recent history.

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Numerous Jones’ articles have invoked the ire of New Zealanders, but he’s also fond of the odd jab at the Irish too.

His latest dig came in the wake of Saracens’ Premiership Final 27 – 10 victory over the Exeter Chiefs at Twickenham. Jones believes the newly crowned Premiership winners would beat Leinster, and by a solid margin too.

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The fact that Jones makes the claim despite Leinster dispatching Saracens comfortably just weeks earlier in the quarter-final of the European Champions Cup will rankle with some. Leinster went on to win that competition, all before being crowned the Pro14 Champions, after beating the Scarlets yesterday in the Aviva Stadium.

The Irish province became the first team outside of England and France to combine domestic glory with the continent’s top honour by overcoming the defending champions, who beat Leinster in the semi-finals en route to last year’s crown.

Asked by a fan on Twitter however, who would win should this Saracens team play Leinster and Jones was swift with a response: “Sarries by 12”.

And he was quick to point out that was ‘minimum’ scoreline before suggesting ‘easily, maybe more’.

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RugbyPass columnist and former Ireland backrow Neil Best RT’d his claim, with the words “Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

Jones described Best’s RT as pompous, before dismissing a suggestion by another Tweeter that Leinster were the best club side in the Northern Hemisphere as ‘nothing like’ the sort.

What has changed over the course of the lasts two months to suggest Saracens are now a significantly better team than Leinster and that a match between the sides would play out differently?

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You’ll have to ask Stephen Jones.

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Soliloquin 19 minutes ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

Hastoy was a good prospect before the 2023 RWC, he was the fly-half who led La Rochelle to the victory in the Champions Cup final in Dublin against Leinster.

But he made it to the squad only because Ntamack got his ACL.

He played against Uruguay, which a terribly poor game by the French side, and since then he declined a bit, alongside his club.

Under the pressure of Reus and West at 10, he regained some credit at the end of the season (among all a drop at the 81st minute of a game).

He’s quite good everywhere, but not outstanding.

He doesn’t have the nerves, the defense and the tactical brain of Ntamack, the leadership and the creativity of Ramos or the exceptional attacking skills of Jalibert.


I really hope that:

-Ntamack will get his knee back. The surgery went well. He wasn’t the most elusive player in the world, but he was capable of amazing rushes like the one against NZ in 2021 or the Brennus-winning try in 2023.

-Jalibert will continue to improve his defense. He started working hard since March (after his defensive disaster against England) with a XIII specialist, and I’ve seen great moments, especially against Ntamack in the SF of the Champions Cup. It’s never too late. And it would be a great signal for Galthié.

-Hastoy will build up his partnership with Le Garrec, that La Rochelle will start a new phase with them and Niniashvili, Alldritt, Atonio, Boudehent, Jegou, Bosmorin, Bourgarit, Nowell, Wardi, Daunivucu, Kaddouri, Pacôme…

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