Leinster have secured a potentially significant victory in the Champions Cup this evening, defeating La Rochelle away from home on a 16-9 scoreline after a bruising encounter.
The Irish side came into this fixture having suffered a number of high profile defeat Ronan O'Gara's men, most recently in the final of this competition back in May. They would have been keen to reverse that trend in France this time around, something they managed after some of their players came up big in key moments of the contest.
There was no bigger moment than the one right at the end of the match.
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Ciarán Frawley nails insane kick in Leinster win
Leinster found themselves under quite a bit of pressure in the closing stages of the game, with La Rochelle trailing by four points and dominating in terms of territory.
However, the Irish province would produce a number of big defensive stands to keep their noses in front. That included one defensive line-out from the five-metre line in the closing stages, an occasion where the hosts turned down a guaranteed three points in order to go to the corner.
Leinster would manage to force a knock-on during the ensuing maul.
With the game entering the final 60 seconds, the away team were awarded a penalty on their own ten-metre line.
They opted to go for the posts, with the TNT Sports commentators assuming they did so in order to simply wind down the clock and force La Rochelle to run the full length of the field in order to get the try they needed. After all, it seemed like an almost impossible kick considering the horrific weather conditions.
Ciarán Frawley saw things rather differently.
He would step up to nail the penalty with the final play of the game and ensure that La Rochelle would suffer their first Champions Cup defeat in two-and-a-half years.
"That is an almighty kick! It's a monster!" 🤯
Ciaran Frawley slots an incredible 60m penalty to break @leinsterrugby's drought over @staderochelais in the #InvestecChampionsCup! pic.twitter.com/vsoQFr8Wv9— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 10, 2023
Incredible stuff.
Speaking on TNT Sports after the game, former Wales star Jamie Roberts summed up how important the moment was.
It was a massive, massive kick. Four points up and taking a penalty while the clock is going into the red, if that kick fails to go the distance the ball stays in play and [La Rochelle] have another opportunity to counterattack.
It was a huge kick. Okay, La Rochelle get a bonus point at home, but it was some effort. Ciarán Frawley came off the bench and had an impact.
This is the latest big contribution from Ciarán Frawley, who also impressed in the win over Munster a couple of weeks ago. Leinster seem hesitant to use him in the out-half position, but this was the latest example of the value he can bring in that role.
It will be interesting to see what sort of impact he can make over the coming weeks.
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