While they can be fun for the spectators, for players especially and coaches, night-time kick-offs are a drag – literally as well as figuratively.
Leinster’s Irish contingent, for example, were grateful for four early afternoon kick-offs in the Six Nations before the England game had a 5.30pm start, the same as last Saturday against Ulster. Hence, for James Lowe, the Good Friday 8pm kick-off for this weekend’s Champions Cup quarter-final between Leinster and Leicester at the Aviva Stadium will be his first night-time kick-off since their win over Munster at Thomond Park on St Stephen’s Day.
“The night before I get all my groceries ready. I have pancakes in the morning with a smoothie, I don’t make breakfast, breakfast is my darling wife’s job and she’s good at pancakes,” Lowe says.
“Then I just keep snacking and then either a steak sandwich or a pasta for pregame.
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“Saturday is Moving Day at the Masters, which would have been awesome to watch all day, but no, Friday, I’ll just be watching golf.”
With a six-day turnaround, and as warm favourites, the challenge for Leinster this week will have been as much mental as physical.
“I think it’s part of being a professional as well,” says Lowe. “You’ve got to understand there’s a bit of a target on your back, and I think we deserve it, but everyone’s there trying to pick us apart however which way they can.
“We know we’ve got a pretty good game plan, a good understanding of what we’re trying to achieve, and if you don’t do your homework and understand what the other team is trying to do, you’re setting yourself up to fail.
“Now this time of season is when it really matters. No one’s going to remember that we were unbeaten for 20-odd games if you don’t have any trophies at the end to show for it. The next game is the most important is the cliche but it’s knock-out footy and we need to not spoil the fact we’ve put ourselves in a great opportunity.”
It’s the amazing thing about knock-out rugby, it’s beautiful and cruel at the same time
Losing finals against Saracens in 2019 and La Rochelle last May are also reminders as to how difficult this tournament is to win.
“Yeah, and fair play, the two finals we have lost in the Champions Cup, we came up against pretty bloody good teams,” admits Lowe, who played in both of them and hence has yet to receive a winners’ medal himself.
“Saracens were better on the day and La Rochelle were better on the day. We’ve got to make sure that if we do get another opportunity in a knock-out game that we’re the better team on the day.
“It’s the amazing thing about knock-out rugby, it’s beautiful and cruel at the same time. Six-day turnaround, a lot of it’s going to be probably more mental than physical.”
Playing at home is “awesome” adds Lowe by way of contrast to last season’s quarter-final in the more cramped Welford Road. “The pitch is tight. I think it’s like 65 metres. Then it was an absolutely beautiful spring day but for some reason, the grass was probably an inch thick. It was wet all of a sudden, little things like that where you get to dictate the game you want to play,” he notes with a wry smile.
“Mate, if you give us an absolute carpet to play on and don’t water it an hour before the game, we’re pretty confident going into it. We’ve put ourselves in a great position to play at home for the next knock-out games, so we need to really capitalise on that.”
Last Saturday nature decreed it was one of the wettest games Leinster have played in all season. But their performance underlined their all-weather adaptability.
I don’t know why there’s such a difference in balls from competition to competition. If they all just made them like the Champions Cup balls, I’d be happy
Lowe believes it was beneficial for Leinster to win playing a territory-based, knock-out pressure game against Ulster.
“We were playing against a team who actually play that probably more weeks than they don’t, and we came out of that with better territory and possession. It was a bit annoying that we didn’t capitalise on it as much as we probably should have, so a few work-ons.”
Although his kick out on the full in the 55th minute did lead to Rob Herring’s try for Ulster, in his other six kicks in open play Lowe averaged more than 60 metres in distance, mostly leading to significant territorial gains.
“It was probably because of the weather more than anything but we went in with a game plan of kicking long and the kick-offs kept going my side. There were nice conditions [for kicking]. It was hard to explain to people why, but the ball is actually fractionally heavier so it’s easier to kick. Well, I found it easier to kick anyway,” Lowe says.
“It’s always a work on, don’t get me wrong, but genuinely those balls are just lovely to kick. I don’t know why there’s such a difference in balls from competition to competition. If they all just made them like the Champions Cup balls, I’d be happy.
“They’re just a fraction heavier so when you put your laces through them, they can travel. It was just a good day at the office with the boot.”
The forecast is for a dry evening in Dublin on Friday with moderate winds, which should make for the carpet-like conditions Lowe and Leinster ideally prefer.
