He may, or may not, be a slightly reluctant captain. He admitted that it didn’t come naturally to him at first, particularly in his dealings with referees. But does any of that really matter when you’re this good?
Whatever Caelan Doris said in the dressingroom or in huddles, he certainly led from the front and from the off, both in defence and attack. Leinster’s first and third tries emanated from their blitz defence, and Doris drew the first definitive line in the sand , pushing up fast in tandem with Tadhg Furlong (who looks fit, strong and hungry) to engulf Stephen Archer and force the penalty that led to the opening score by James Lowe.
After Doris himself scored for the second game running, the Leinster defence forced Jack Crowley to kick and following the counterattack by Ciaran Frawley and Hugo Keenan, Doris figured prominently in the build-up to the third; winning the turnover penalty that led to Keenan’s sweetly executed try.
As well as his exceptional breakdown work and carrying beyond contact, thereafter Doris continued to lead the defensive effort. Suffice to say he and team-mates looked seriously pumped from the off to the end.
“Well, when you’re looking at the season, even during the off-season, it’s one that excites you from pre-season playing in Croke Park, playing against Munster, the rivalry plus the unique opportunity of playing here. It’s one that’s been exciting lads for a couple of months at this stage.
“There’s been a good buzz through the week. We know the quality Munster have and how they’ve been on the rise over the last couple of years, and they’ve beaten us at times so we wanted to put in a big performance, we wanted to start well, we wanted to give the 80,000-plus here something to cheer for especially early on, and I think we did that quite well with a fast start.”
His team’s fast start pleased him the most, noting it was similar to last week in Treviso when Leinster also had four tries by half-time, before being kept scoreless until the 80th minute, and here for the entirety of the second half.
How Leinster overcame Munster in absorbing URC battle at Croke Park
“I don’t think it’s a trend. There were things we had to deal with in that second half that probably we adapted well to; lads playing in different positions, we had a couple of props in the backrow at one stage. I know we didn’t score in the second half but I think we still dealt with things pretty well. But probably the fast start is the most pleasing thing.
“Definitely, we wanted to feed the crowd and them to feed us and have that symbiotic relationship with them through a fast start. No, it was a class atmosphere.”
That fast start was also the clearest evidence of how this Leinster were inspired by the occasion and embraced it.
“I love playing in different stadia. It’s very enjoyable. I’ve been here watching Mayo a few times. It’s obviously a very unique and iconic stadium. It was class playing it.
“Because it’s rare, it’s extra special. Having 80,000 at a club game is pretty unique. There’s not many clubs worldwide that have a fanbase that big that can do that and sell out. From that perspective, yeah, it’s pretty unique.”
As in his seasonal return last week, Doris was eventually awarded a try after lengthy recourse to the TMO to adjudge his grounding of the ball.
“Last week was maybe a little bit more questionable but no, I was comfortable I had downward pressure and didn’t spill it on both occasions. The backs would have been very unhappy with me, given all the space there was out wide, if I didn’t get it down. So I made sure of it.”
As well as the faster line speed and blitz defence introduced by Jacques Nienaber, there’s also been a discernible shift in attitude, and in this Doris also led the way with 20 tackles.
“I think there’s more understanding in what we want to do, there’s more clarity within it and our work rate. Even if they do want to beat us out wide, our want to scramble hard for each other has improved definitely off the back of last year. It’s still by no means perfect but, yeah, improved on last year.”
Leinster have, of course, dipped further into the Springboks’ World Cup-winning influence with the arrival of RG Snyman.
“He’s been class, like you see what he does when he’s played 50 minutes in both weeks so far,” said Doris. “But the quality he has on the pitch, I’ve been extremely impressed by his presence and his knowledge. His ‘IP’ off the pitch as well, he has become a leader for us very quickly and offers a different perspective.
“He has taken control of the lineout along with the other second rows we have and he’s doing a really good job. He’s been very impressive.”
