Changing the culture is a catchall phrase in the context of team sport, particularly in the absence of specifics, one that covers a multitude of possibilities but identifies none.
Leinster senior coach Stuart Lancaster doesn't deal in abstract notions so when asked about the transition in personnel and playing terms that the squad has undergone this season and the role fulfilled by the younger generation, he offered a candid appraisal of the process.
Leo Cullen, Lancaster and the rest of the coaching team, encourage the young players to express themselves in the way they play the game but to accomplish that goal they must find distinctive voices off the pitch; it's all about speaking up.
Lancaster explained: “When you’ve got a lot of senior players in the squad, who are Irish internationals. Inevitably, because of the level of experience, young players tend to look towards them.
“What I try to do during the course of the year is to explain to the younger players that they’ve got an equal voice in meetings to grow their voice and their opinions.
"So that when Johnny (Sexton) isn't there, Joey has the confidence to speak or Ross Byrne has the confidence to speak or Garry (Ringrose) has the confidence to speak. It has taken time actually because the natural inclination of the younger players is to wait."
Equality
The reasoning behind this gentle prodding fosters a sense of equality within the squad. Everyone is expected to contribute. Lancaster continued: “At international level and the top club level you don’t get put under less pressure when you take the field; everyone is the same, regardless of the level of experience.
“The opposition just judges you as one team. The younger players have to understand that you are treated as a senior player when you are on the field and you therefore have to behave as a senior player.
“It is just changing their mentality but I think they have got the message and I can certainly see it coming through the team now. The reality is, a lot of the time, senior players haven’t been available for whatever reason, injury or international programmes, so trying to grow that new group of future leaders is critical for the team.”
The transition was initially a little slow until Lancaster chided his charges: “With periods of an injection of bluntness from me where I would say, ‘boys, it’s time for you to step up now, let’s stop being polite about it,’ (it gradually changed).
“To be a player you have to have a point of view on the game and you have to be able to articulate that and to do that you have to have done your homework, thought about the game and prepared. Otherwise other players will just overtake you.
“I suggested it, we worked on it and that sort of cycle continued until eventually they felt comfortable speaking. That is natural in the transition of a team where you have got senior players finishing and a younger generation coming through.
“It’s quite hard for them sometimes if you are a nine or ten up with someone who has 70 or 80 international caps to actually do that but there aren’t many now who don’t have the confidence to do that which is a good thing.”
Injury update
Leinster's primary injury concern ahead of Friday night's Pro12 semi-final against the Scarlets at the RDS (7.45) is hooker Sean Cronin, although there are lesser concerns over Robbie Henshaw (rib), both of whom were injured in the Champions Cup against Clermont Auvergne.
Sean O’Brien, who hasn’t played on over a month, has returned to full training. All players had to prove their fitness at training on Monday afternoon as Leinster won’t train again until Wednesday.
Lancaster said: “Sean Cronin is getting tested this week. He is probably less likely. He has not been ruled out yet. (About) the other two (we) are very optimistic. Wednesday will be critical in terms of announcing the team.”
He admitted that Leinster would have to take an appreciate step up in standard from their performance in defeat by Ulster and whether Joey Carbery appeared a little rusty given a lack of game time at outhalf. "To be fair to Joey, it wasn't all on him.
“We didn’t generate much set-piece ball, front-foot ball. Ulster’s defence was very good on the day and our attack was pretty poor. Flyhalf often cops it when a performance like that doesn’t go his way but it was a great learning experience for him and for the whole team and it serves us well going into this game about what not to do.
“As painful as the defeat was, and the review, it’s given us a good wake-up call about the basics and what we need to do right this week.”
