Leinster and Toulouse adopted a laser focus in preparing for Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup semi-final at the Aviva Stadium, one that encompassed keeping their frontline players in a training bubble to concentrate exclusively on the European match.
Leo Cullen sent a young squad to South Africa for their two-game United Rugby Championship assignment, the head coach returned home with Jason Jenkins after the victory over the Lions in the first game, the Springbok secondrow the only player from that travelling squad likely to make Leinster’s matchday 23 at the weekend.
Toulouse head coach Ugo Mola was also risk averse in his focus, dispatching a second-string side to face Stade Francais in the French Top 14. As a result, there is nothing to be gleaned directly from last weekend’s action when examining Saturday’s game in Dublin.
In terms of mood music, the young Leinster squad would have returned from South Africa reasonably upbeat, Sam Prendergast’s debut added a lustre to a win over the Lions in the first game, while Rhys Ruddock, unfortunately injured in that match, Will Connors and Max Deegan provided a nuanced direction and inspiration to their young team-mates.
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Jake White’s Bulls were forewarned and forearmed, using their superior power to rough up their visitors and then exploit that dominance through the pace of their back three in which Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie excelled. Deegan produced another accomplished display, but Leinster were battered and bruised; it was a backhanded compliment that the Bulls went after them full-bore.
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There aren’t too many positives or lessons for that matter to pull from the wreckage of such a severe beating other than giving young Prendergast an insight into what rugby life is like with no platform, where possession comes with huge pressure and in trying to play off slow ball.
Toulouse lost on the road to Stade Francais, a stale encounter, the team unrecognisable from the one that will run out on Saturday at the Aviva Stadium.
I was delighted to get a chance to see the son of my old team-mate and friend Trevor Brennan, Josh, playing in the second row. He is a chip off the old block but was unfortunate to catch a stray elbow which cut short his game.
The French club’s policy since the start of the new year has been to play their full side at home and send the squad players out on the road. Antoine Dupont has only been involved in one matchday 23 for an away match in the French Top 14 and that was a game on New Year’s Day.
As I watched both matches it got me thinking about whether, in my playing days with Leinster, we were able to prepare for a game in the same way that the top clubs can nowadays.
The week before the November Test matches or the Six Nations Championship starts spring to mind but that opportunity was open to all clubs rather than just those in the upper echelon.
When at Leinster Joe Schmidt would occasionally steal some time, devote a training session to an upcoming key game, rather than prepping for the next game on the schedule. It was very rare, complicated things a little for the players who were doubly engaged, and in terms of the net result, the material benefit gained was arguable.
I have written before of how you reap what you sow from earlier in the season when winning matches gives you a buffer to rest key players and keep them fit and firing at the business end of the season. Toulouse, Leinster and European champions La Rochelle, who beat Clermont Auvergne at the weekend, have been able to mix and match and are in pretty good nick all things considered.
The fourth semi-finalist, the Exeter Chiefs, weren’t as fortunate and had to go toe to toe with Bristol Bears over the weekend, which wasn’t the ideal prep for their trip to Bordeaux this weekend to take on Ronan O’Gara’s champions.
The Devon club has failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the English Premiership and there is a large group of players leaving the club at the end of the season. It seems like a watershed moment, one last hurrah. Exeter know how difficult it is to get to the business end in Europe, especially when having to rebuild next season.
Leinster have been almost ever present in the knock-out stages of Europe and the various incarnations of the URC since I retired in 2015 but have only one European Champions Cup trophy (2018) to show for their endeavours.
Cullen’s charges are getting to where they want to be each season, challenging for trophies, but that’s not sufficient. In professional sport it’s all about winning. Leinster’s defeat at home to the Bulls in last year’s URC semi-final highlights a competitive landscape that has changed utterly with the arrival of the South African teams.
The similarities between Toulouse, La Rochelle and Leinster are palpable, all perfectly placed domestically and therefore able to switch between competitions, albeit aware that a slip up anywhere over the next few weeks can derail a season in a heartbeat.
There is a bit of conjecture about the fitness of World Player of the Year Josh van der Flier and Ryan Baird and whether they’ll be fit for Saturday. James Lowe won’t and his absence is a weighty enough blow.
The stage is set for Ross Byrne to silence the naysayers. The Johnny Sexton safety net has been removed so it’s up to Ross to build upon his measured performance in the quarter-final victory over the Leicester Tigers.
He took a positive step forward that day in dealing with the pressure, venturing a little closer to the gainline while maintaining his unflappable demeanour.
Sexton’s absence provides a leadership vacuum but that doesn’t need to be wholly filled by Byrne; others can pick up the slack. He possesses the strength of character to facilitate that process, aware that the only thing that matters is the outcome.
Jamison Gibson-Park, Robbie Henshaw, Caelan Doris and Tadhg Furlong will need to emulate Garry Ringrose’s impressive growth this season and the consistent excellence and positive influence he has brought to bear in big games.
Ringrose has proved there is no fixed ceiling for any player, no matter how good, and that armed with the right stimulus, anything is possible.
Byrne has the self-possession and game smarts to allow others to provide the creative spark when those moments arise. It is something that Sexton came to appreciate under Ireland head coach Andy Farrell, and it elevated his game. As the opposition raced to close him down, there was space for others.
It is a trait common to the way that Byrne plays, he’s happy to delegate, while keeping his finger on the pulse of a match. His game management has been top drawer for as long as I can remember, and that sangfroid will be vital in a clash of two heavyweight teams that passionately embrace attacking rugby.
Toulouse can play any which way that suits. They probably kick a little more than Leinster to try and squeeze the opposition territorially but are lethal on turnover ball, or that which is poorly kicked. Their strike plays aren’t too shabby either.
Dupont is often the catalyst, a snipe, an offload, a perfectly executed kick from a wide repertoire, a trail line, all with that uncanny knack of inflicting maximum damage. Leinster can be a little more prescribed in this approach, but it is just as effective and plays to their strengths.
There was a template on how to frustrate Dupont from Ireland’s victory over France in the Six Nations, with many players familiar with role requirements. It is important to remember that, even with the focus he generated that day, Dupont very nearly broke the deadlock and was still a contender for player of the match.
How Leinster replicate that vigilance is so important and selflessness is a vital component in stemming the scrumhalf’s creativity. Leinster’s inside defenders must track up field cutting off the offload channel when the maestro is in possession, while others block off his inside trail lines from which he scores so often.
It’s a game-long assignment as he never stops probing. It is thankless work because it is rarely acknowledged when you are there, and the pass is not thrown but questions will arise when you are not there and the offload lands.
It’s a match of fine margins but I feel there are a few nuances that will swing it in Leinster’s favour.
Jenkins’s timely return from South Africa adds some athleticism and bulk to the tight five, home advantage is huge and I believe Byrne’s form and temperament will allow him play the pivotal role that his team will require to edge home.
