Much as they tried not to stray from the moment and Sharks, Leo Cullen and Rhys Ruddock, this week, were constantly drawn back to their European quarterfinal against Leicester in two weeks.
From the outside South Africa, as much as a chance to play a different kind of rugby in an entirely different environment, seemed also to be a colorful distraction.
Whatever happens in the closing stages of the United Rugby Championship, it won't be a match against the Sharks that Leinster will remember as defining. It will be Europe and, more pressingly, Welford Road on May 7th at the sharp end of the season.
Ruddock, who leads the squad in South Africa, played his part from the bench against Connacht last weekend in Aviva Stadium, agrees there are still “work-ons” for Leinster. Then, there always are.
It was the unsaid understanding that many of the starting team, including most of Leinster’s international players, are not on the tour but remain in Dublin. Their job over the coming weeks is entirely different to that of the Welsh born Ruddock. Theirs is to decide on what needs to be done against an in-form Premiership side.
Ruddock’s imperative is to marshal the squad and extract some immediate return in the Shark Tank. But the focus of the two groups of players could not be further removed.
The rub is that there are places up for grabs. Not many. Ruddock, a natural leader and Leinster’s youngest captain, when he took charge while still playing with UCD under-20s, talks of the need for a convergence of attention and purpose and adapt to the rugby and conditions of a different continent.
In essence, South Africa is a testing ground. The few places still available for Leicester can be earned. That, at least, is what head coach Cullen was preaching earlier in the week. Ruddock has become used to that imperative.
For the last few years, the requirement for him to prove himself to Cullen and Andy Farrell has been constant. After 13 seasons and over 200 Leinster caps, it seems demonstrating worth to teams has been an ever part of the job description.
“You look at how many caps he has (27). That guy should have more caps and I don’t understand why he doesn’t,” said Leinster and Ireland winger Fergus McFadden last year.
“For me, he was one of those guys that - you play with him and he’s one of the first people you want on the team sheet and beside you in the trenches on a tough day.”
Farrell spoke to Ruddock about being a “collision winner” and being more “dynamic and explosive” in contact. Still, the Irish coach has not plucked him from the province since Ireland’s game against France in the 2021 Six Nations Championship.
Last year however, consistently injury free Ruddock was impactful and eye-catching. But in the cut and thrust of Leinster selection and weekly realities, he is in South Africa leading the away campaign, not back at base blindly focused on the quarterfinal in England.
“I suppose the way we have looked at it is that these are the fixtures that were here if we got to the quarter-final,” says Ruddock. “Then it’s about how the coaches manage around that. I think you can look at it in two ways. There is a great opportunity when we are out here to get closer to each other and spend time in each other’s company. That’s a huge part of a successful team, how close you are and how tight you are together as a team.
“So, we have to make sure we take that opportunity and then make sure we prepare in the right way to get performances on the road. And we’re away from home for two weeks in a row against real quality opposition. There will be lessons we can learn for the Leicester game because there are similarities in the challenges that we will face. So, there are pros and cons but for us as players it is not about focusing on that too much.”
Commitment
The overarching fact is that Leinster remain in a good space. And Ruddock too. He recently signed a new contract that will keep him in Leinster despite interest from England and France.
There are still miles in the 31-year-old legs. But Tadhg Beirne and Iain Henderson, who can play lock and backrow, Jack Conan, Gavin Coombes, Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Peter O’Mahony and Nick Timoney are all duty bound to make backrow life challenging at Irish level.
Add Will Connors, Max Deegan, Josh Murphy and Scott Penny at Leinster level and the rule of thumb becomes don’t get injured or have an off day despite injuries being a probability over the next two weeks.
The squad travelled over on Monday and were on the training pitch and into a gym on Tuesday. Humidity is high but Ruddock, forever thinking like a captain, points out there are any number of justifications for a poor performance. He is choosing none of the options.
“At the moment we’re trying not to make room for those type of excuses. Obviously it was a long journey over,” he says. “There’s still the travel in the legs and we’re a little tired. So, it’s making sure we get everything nailed on. It’s definitely a different type of challenge but an exciting one. It is going to be incredibly difficult to win both games over here.”
As for the European Champions Cup, Leicester Tigers, and a tilt at legacy building at the RDS.
“They seem to be a team that have clicked and are performing well week-in, week-out. Going to Welford Road is a challenge at any time. But the way they are playing, they just kind of know how to win,” he says of Leicester.
“We will leave it to the coaches in terms of who plays and who doesn’t play.”
Getting on with it. A space that has worked for him before.
