Battle of the breakdown key for Champions Cup last contenders

The breakdown is a key factor to winning any game, the Champions Cup quarter-finals were no different.

Leinster cruised past Leicester in the end to set up an attacking showdown with Toulouse in the semi-final. However, Leicester got under Leinster's skin at times and attempted to use the breakdown as a gateway to disrupt the Leinster flow.

Tommy Reffell had a number of jackals resulting in penalties, which makes you wonder what is the best way to get at Leinster’s attacking ball?

You could chase breakdowns in the hope of slowing the ball and winning turnovers, however, if you are slightly inaccurate with your timing or poaching ability the defence will be short on numbers and the Leinster attack will become even more potent.

The other tactic could be to leave the breakdown alone altogether to avail of a full defensive line, hoping to slow the attacking ball with a full front line of defenders, which should allow for less defensive frailty when the ball is slower coming from rucks.

We know from the Leinster and Ireland template that two to three-second ball is what their attack thrives on so choosing the defensive tactic to lengthen the time it takes for the ball to be available is a necessity.

In reality it’s probably a hybrid of the tactics above. Losing defenders to breakdowns that are already won is a cardinal sin. Having defenders on their feet to clog the front line, force slightly slower ball and open opportunities to attack a different breakdown is a balance that most teams are trying to achieve regardless of who they are playing against.

That can be easier said than done against the attacking ingenuity of semi-finalists Leinster and Toulouse.

The Leicester defence was chasing shadows for Garry Ringrose’s opening two