France's Rugby Dominance Grows Stronger

Nothing in sport lasts for ever. Dynasties come and go and even the best fade to grey eventually. That, at least, is the theory. The stark truth in European club rugby is that France’s dominance grows stronger by the year. It is now six years since another nation won the Champions Cup and Bordeaux- Bègles’ second successive title did not feel like the last of its vibrant type.

Consider the evidence. Not only is the Top 14 spawning a golden generation of domestic players, it also has the major financial clout to attract premium foreign talent. Thus it is that Tom Willis, the most penetrative forward in England, is heading to Bordeaux next season while Tommaso Menoncello, the brilliant Italian centre, is joining Toulouse.

The remarkable Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who scored two more rapier-like tries in Saturday’s 41-19 final demolition of Leinster, is still only 22. Bordeaux’s gifted fly-half Matthieu Jalibert is a mere 27 and their 33-year-old fulcrum, Maxime Lucu, still looks to have at least a couple more prime years in him. “Maybe we were surprise guests last year,” murmured Yannick Bru, UBB’s head coach, after Saturday’s game. “Now we’re confirming our status.”

That is certainly how it looked as Leinster, supposedly one of the few sides with the resources to compete with the French aristocrats, were put to the sword in the most one-sided first 40 minutes ever seen in a major European rugby final. It was eerily reminiscent of the opening night of the Six Nations in February when France led Ireland 22-0 at half-time in a sodden Paris.

For good measure there was Friday night’s 59-26 rout of Ulster by a power-packed Montpellier, another French club visibly on the rise. That made the aggregate weekend score 100-45 in the Top 14’s favour. And if you draw a line through it all – ultimately the reason Leinster reached the final was because Toulouse and Bordeaux ended up on the same side of the draw – it is hard to avoid some brutal conclusions.

The first is that Leinster require more than a modest little nip and tuck to become Champions Cup winners again. Everyone respects their accomplishments in the past 15 years or so, a period in which they have claimed back-to-back titles themselves, but some key figures are in the twilight of their careers. Maybe the injured RG Snyman and Ryan Baird would have helped at the weekend but in some ways that is to miss the point.

Because the style of rugby that Leinster are playing also feels increasingly outdated. They simply could not match the pace of Bordeaux’s Ferraris in thought or deed, their only lifeline coming when the masterful Lucu was harshly sent to the sin-bin for tugging Joe McCarthy’s collar. The modern game grows steadily quicker and there were nagging echoes of the Irish province’s semi-final defeat to a free-wheeling Northampton in Dublin last season.

A fifth final loss in eight years will also inevitably stoke the debate about what can be done towhat they can change the stuck record. The captain, Caelan Doris, remains admirably loyal – “I still believe massively in the structures we have and the people we have in charge” – but Leo Cullen conceded that, tactically, Leinster will need to add some extra go-faster stripes to overhaul the likes of Bordeaux. “That’s probably the bit we’re noticing: the speed of the way they’re doing things. That’s a mindset we need to adopt in our league.”

Cullen also suggested that Leinster “don’t have access to the foreign talent that the Top 14 would have”, which, given he has had the ability to sign Snyman, Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane in the past two seasons is a slightly moot point. At some stage the focus is going to have to shift to whether Leinster are maximising their domestic player pipeline and whether they can win the biggest tournaments without a top-class out-half. Bordeaux’s superiority was hardly Harry Byrne’s fault alone but the gaping hole left by the now-retired Johnny Sexton remains conspicuous.

In Cullen’s view there continues to be enough quality to propel Leinster to the URC title with the playoffs looming. He may yet be right but there was precious little in the baking heat of the Basque Country to support the argument that the creme de la creme of French rugby will be gobbled up by their pursuers any time soon.

Admittedly Bru’s side still face a battle to make this season’s Top 14 semi-finals but when the coach looks at a player such as Bielle-Biarrey he sees someone who, as well as lightning pace, still has room for growth. “He’s like a sponge,” said Bru. “He’s very efficient in the rucks, he’s winning balls in the air … that’s what makes a great champion. He’s smart, he’s fast, he’s handsome, he’s got a degree … I think he’s going to be minister of sport one day.” If Leinster and the rest of Europe are relying on a sharp dip in French standards they are in for a long wait.