Ahead of Leinster’s Champions Cup clash with Racing 92, Isa Nacewa was lining up kicks from across the San Mames pitch.
The veteran Kiwi [with one Fijian cap] played his final European game, in Bilbao, and it was fittingly in his fourth European Cup final.
Nacewa has not only lost a yard of pace, he’s lost two. He was solid enough in defence but offered little spark in attack. He was not alone here – few Leinster players can claim to have grabbed the final by the scruff of its neck.
However, winner that he is, when Nacewa was asked to step up and slot over a couple of late penalties he obliged with the minimum of fuss. Two kicks in the final 10 minutes went sailing over and Nacewa kicked his beloved Leinster to the Champions Cup.
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Following Leinster’s 15-12 victory, Sexton told us why he handed over the kicking tee to his teammate. It was not due to his kicking return of three from five. No, Sexton explained it was due to a knock he had picked up. He said:
“It was great for Isa to finish off with the last couple of penalties.
“I had just earlier in the game and I tweaked my groin a little bit and I was struggling a bit. There was no point risking it in the middle of a kick and it going and it costing the team.
“Obviously, when you’ve got such a good kicker in the team as Isa, you just hand it over and, yeah, he did the job.”
No better man indeed. 12-9 became 12-12 and then, with 77 minutes gone, Nacewa popped over his second penalty to clinch it 15-12.
The man himself pointed out that himself and Sexton have been alternating the kicking duties for a while now and it took no more than a nod and a few words from the outhalf to let him know his additional skills would be needed.
“Kicking is kicking,” Nacewa said, in all his deadpan glory.
“It’s a game within a game and often a mind-game too. Me and Johnny talk often on who takes kicks and you’ve got to channel your focus and do that.”
Typical of Nacewa, he also paid tribute to Leinster kicking and skills coach Emmett Farrell for helping him out on that side of his well-rounded game.
Between Sexton and Nacewa, they have kicked a lot of crucial points over the years. Between Sexton and Nacewa, they now have eight European Cup winners’ medals between them.
