Lowe hat-trick sees Leinster survive late Northampton surge at Croke Park

Northampton Saints 17

LEINSTER ARE ONE game away from Champions Cup glory after overcoming a dogged Northampton Saints side at Croke Park.

This was a wonderful occasion at the home of the GAA as rugby returned to Croke Park for the first time since 2010.

Crowds of blue slowly snaked their way from the city centre in the hours before kick-off as the province relocated to Dublin’s northside for the day, the novelty of the occasion adding a notable buzz to the pre-game build-up.

Hill 16 was a sea of blue long before kick-off, even if they day wasn’t without it’s problems – a disrupted DART service no doubt playing a part in the 10-minute delay to kick-off as crowds struggled to get to their seats. Eventually all 82,300 made their way inside in what was a record attendance for a Champions Cup fixture.

Croke Park was a sell-out for the semi-final clash.

What followed was worth the wait, Leinster initially meeting the occasion with a commanding performance, before Northampton’s second-half surge made for a nervy finish at GAA HQ.

The province led by 12 at half-time thanks to two James Lowe tries and a Ross Byrne penalty, and appeared to put the game beyond any real doubt when Lowe added his third shortly after the restart.

Yet Northampton then sparked into life with two second-half tries, Leinster hanging on to claim a three-point win. They’ll now play the winners of tomorrow’s meeting between Toulouse and Harlequins in the May 25 final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

At times Leinster’s rugby was irresistible, with Jamison Gibson-Park outstanding, while their aggression in contact ensured Northampton never got any handle on proceedings across the opening 40.

After some early scrum issues and the odd loose pass Leinster soon settled into the game, and it quickly became clear Northampton were not operating on the same frequency.

There was a hesitancy about the visitors and against a team with the quality of Leinster, that indecision gets punished. The first blow arrived after Alex Mitchell and George Hendy got their wires crossed as they attempted to claim a kick into the Saints 22. Hendy knocked the ball on and Leinster used the subsequent penalty to put the squeeze on.

Their first rumble at the Saints line failed, but when a second penalty came their way Gibson-Park sensed opportunity. As Northampton regathered the scrum-half took a quick-tap and threw a risky pass over two Saints defenders and into the arms of Lowe, who sliced through the pair to score. Croke Park roared in appreciation as Ross Byrne added the conversion.

It was an ideal start for the hosts and they continued to dominate the territory, with their second try arriving just minutes later.

With Saints again acting too slow in possession around halfway, Byrne jumped out of the line to intercept a Finn Smith pass and for a moment, it looked as though the out-half was going to have a Brian O’Driscoll moment at Croker. Unfortunately for Byrne, he doesn’t have the same pace as the former centre and needed the cavalry to back up his charge toward the 22.

A high tackle on Ciarán Frawley allowed Leinster keep the pressure on, with Caelan Doris going close with a strong carry. The Leinster captain looked to be over for try number two but as he crashed for the line the ball spilled loose, with Gibson-Park again reacting quickest to slap the ball out to Lowe, who was left with an easy finish.

This time Byrne’s conversion attempt struck the post but with just 15 minutes played it already felt like Northampton could be in for a long evening.

The Premiership leaders were unable to build any period of sustained pressure in the Leinster half and while the province saw their intensity dip after that impressive five-minute burst, they never looked overly stressed in defence – with Joe McCarthy, Robbie Henshaw and Josh van der Flier all prominent in contact.

The next score didn’t arrive until just after the half-hour mark, Byrne kicking a penalty from a central position after Northampton were pinged at the scrum.

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Northampton eventually punched a hole in the Leinster defence shortly before half-time, only to butcher the opportunity in the corner.

Playing with penalty advantage, Northampton surged towards Hill 16, Fraser Dingwall linking with his centre partner Tommy Freeman, but Freeman threw the crucial final pass behind George Furback, who couldn’t gather the ball.

Ryan Baird makes a break.

The play was called back for the penalty and Smith put his team on the board with three points off the tee.

That was as good as it got for Northampton in the opening 40, and the half ended with Leinster pushing for a third try, Van der Flier spilling the ball forward with the try-line calling.

The sides turned for the Hogan Stand tunnel with Leinster up by 12.

Northampton needed a strong start to the second half but instead it was Leinster who put the foot down, Ryan Baird making huge ground with a trademark charge down the middle. The rampaging flanker was eventually grounded but another wave of blue pushed Leinster into the 22, with Henshaw going close in the corner.

When the score didn’t come Leinster recycled the ball across the pitch, with Dan Sheehan showing great hands to find Frawley, the fullback then sending Lowe over for his hat-trick try in front of the Hill.

Byrne’s conversion sailed wide but with 43 minutes on the clock Northampton’s day felt done.

When the Saints did get into the 22 they were met with a ferocious Leinster defence. A big McCarthy hit forced a Northampton knock-on before another attack ended with Leinster ripping the ball away.

Eventually Northampton managed to land a blow, Hendy scoring in the corner after Andrew Porter and Jordan Larmour failed to gather the winger’s chip over the top. Smith’s conversion cut Leinster’s lead to 10 points with 20 minutes remaining, setting up a nervy final quarter.

George Hendy crosses for Northampton.

Leinster had an opportunity for a quick response but Byrne pushed a penalty wide from just outside 40, prompting the first notable groans from a crowd.

Northampton continued to make life uncomfortable. Gibson-Park needed to be alert to gather a Furbank kick behind before Frawley rose to claim a high ball in the corner.

Suddenly a Northampton try felt inevitable and with the next passage Tom Seabrook ran-over unchallenged as Leinster’s defence was stretched. Smith’s excellent conversion left Northampton chasing a three-point lead with just five to play.

A game Leinster should have put to bed earlier now hung on a knife-edge.

A big steal from Courtney Lawes on the floor allowed Northampton break in search for a game-winner, but they failed to execute an overlap on the Cusack Stand side before Doris won a crucial penalty to survive.

That was their chance. After a messy lineout, Harry Byrne finally killed the game by booting the ball to touch.

What initially looked a walk in the park somehow turned into a tense day at the office for Leinster, but the province held out. They’ll need to be more ruthless if they are to end their six-year wait for Champions Cup glory later this month, but Leinster are one step closer to capturing that elusive fifth star.

Leinster scorers:

Tries: Lowe [3]

Conversion: R Byrne [1/3]

Penalty: R Byrne [1/1]

Northampton scorers:

Tries: Hendy, Seabrook

Conversions: Smith [2/2]

Penalty: Smith [1/1]

LEINSTER: Ciarán Frawley (Harry Byrne, 80); Jordan Larmour (Jimmy O’Brien, 73), Robbie Henshaw, Jamie Osborne, James Lowe; Ross Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter (Cian Healy, 72), Dan Sheehan (Rónan Kelleher, 53), Tadhg Furlong (Michael Ala’alatoa, 61); Ross Molony (Jason Jenkins, 53), Joe McCarthy; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier ( Jack Conan, 53), Caelan Doris (capt).

Replacements:, Cian Healy, Michael Ala’alatoa, Luke McGrath, Harry Byrne, Jimmy O’Brien.

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS: George Furbank; James Ramm, Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, George Hendy (Tom Seabrook, 69); Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell (Tom James, 69); Alex Waller ( Emmanuel Iyogun, 55), Curtis Langdon (Sam Matavesi, 58), Trevor Davison (Elliot Millar Mills, 58); Alex Moon (Temo Mayanavanua, 69), Alex Coles; Courtney Lawes (capt), Sam Graham (Angus Scott-Young, 65), Juarno Augustus.

Replacements: Sam Matavesi, Emmanuel Iyogun, Elliot Millar Mills, Temo Mayanavanua, Angus Scott-Young, Tom James, Tom Litchfield, Tom Seabrook.

Referee: Mathieu Reynal (Fra)

Attendance: 82,300