Saracens are Champions Cup winners, and you can't argue that they don't deserve it. They outplayed Leinster on the day, and thoroughly deserved their win.
Despite Saracen's dominance, you get the feeling the outcome could have been very different. Leinster were leading 10-3 at the end of the first half when the clock ticked into the red, but chose not to put the ball out of play.
That would prove a disastrous decision, as Saracens would level the scores going into the break. They would also squander a golden try opportunity in the opening minutes of the second half, and Saracens would go on to kill the game from here.
Speaking on Virgin Media One, Matt Williams said it was a lack of composure during this period that cost Leinster a potential European Cup.
"The five minutes before & after half-time, Leinster did not manage the game well."@MattRCNM on where Leinster lost that game.#LEIvSAR #ChampionsCup #VMTVRugby pic.twitter.com/ijxF3077pl
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) May 11, 2019
The five minutes before half time and the five minutes after half time, Leinster didn't use them well. They were 10-3 up at half time, they didn't kick the ball out and went in even-steven.
In the next five minutes, they had a four-man overlap to score a try and Garry Ringrose didn't pass. If they had changed those minutes by just doing what they should've done, one pass and one kick, they would have won that game. That's the margins in this...
If you're 10-3 going in, and all of a sudden it's 17-3, you're a long long way to winning a European Cup. It's all supposition.
The best day on that day won, they deserve it. Leinster didn't quit, they fought every inch of the way.
The one thing I will say about Leinster is that they chased the game too early, there was still 15 minutes to go and they were tapping the ball.
It could have been a very different game had Leinster taken their opportunities at this time. A 14-point deficit surely would have been too much of a mountain to climb for the English side.
