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Leinster's Ciaran Frawley lands 60m penalty to seal epic win over La Rochelle
By Ian Cameron
In a captivating clash at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre, Irish giants Leinster emerged victorious with a memorable 16-9 win over bitter European rivals La Rochelle, with replacement Ciaran Frawley very much the hero of the hour.
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Frawley showcased nerves of steel in the 80th minute, slotting an incredible 60-metre penalty that ultimately sealed the epic triumph for Leo Cullen’s side.
Leinster scored first through wing Jordan Larmour in the 11th minute – converted by Harry Byrne – after some neat passing from the Leinster backs despite torrential conditions.
La Rochelle hit back through the boot of Antoine Hastoy, who slotted three penalties as the home side looked to reel in Leinster.
The visitors stuck to the task, however. Super-sub Frawley kicked a crucial penalty in the 59th minute, further extending Leinster’s lead to 13-9, placing the men in blue in a favourable position as the match entered the final quarter.
After some sustained pressure from La Rochelle, Leinster were awarded a penalty on their 10-metre line and chose to kick to posts in what was presumed by many as time time-wasting tactic with just a minute left on the clock. Frawley however landed the whopper kick and Leinster come away with a famous victory over the side that had beaten them on the last three occasions in this competition.
Most people thought Leinster were time-wasting when Ciaran Frawley stepped up to take a penalty from 60 metres out in the 79th minute.
Nope ?#LARvLEI | #investecchampionscup pic.twitter.com/ez3ixDmXgt
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 10, 2023
Stupid kick. Didn’t gain anything - La Rochelle still had a losing bonus point and Leinster didn’t add to the 4 match point win. If it had hit the woodwork, and La Rochelle had run it back for a try, the 4-1 match point tally would have been reversed. Brainless decision. Put the ball dead. TCUP - Thinking correctly under pressure.
I don’t think that you fully understood the situation. The clock was almost at 79:00 when the foul was committed. Kicking to touch would not have ended the game, they would have had to take the line out, meaning that option had the same possible down side (lose the lineout or miss touch and La Rochelle have the ball back) but limited upside (possibility but unlikely Leinster score try from the lineout). Kicking sticks gives 60 seconds to the kicker from when a shot at goal is called and they purposely waited for 79:00 to pass before indicating posts. Since Frawley has massive distance, he was likely to end the game with the ball dead or points, therefore taking the kick was the percentage option, and they worked that out in 2 seconds. TCUP was exceptional.