THESE ARE THE type of weeks — big European weeks — that Robbie Henshaw upped sticks and headed east for.
Friday night under the lights at the RDS is always a special occasion, but this week’s visit of Montpellier for a high-stakes European fixture adds a further level of excitement, nervousness and everything in between.
“Absolutely, it’s a game every player would want to be involved in,” the centre says, excitedly.
Leinster can just about taste a return to the Champions Cup quarter-finals. A place in the knock-out stages, and a seat back at Europe’s top table, is within touching distance, and after the failings of last year that is of huge significance for everyone at the province.
Henshaw wasn’t here for those soul-searching days but it didn’t take long for him to realise how important this European campaign was going to be for Leinster and the supporters.
After four rounds, and three wins, Leinster are almost there. The equation is simple, and their destiny in their own hands. Beat Montpellier on Friday night and a quarter-final berth is theirs.
“Everything is good after the last couple of weeks,” Henshaw continued. “The squad is in a good position at the moment and we’re just really looking forward to Friday night and getting back out at the RDS.
“Our main goal is to get to the quarter-finals and ideally get a home quarter-final. Hopefully we’ll have the crowd behind us because they’ve been exceptional for us this year and hopefully get the win.”
With only a handful of tickets yet to be sold, a full house of 18,000 is expected at the Ballsbridge venue for Friday and the sense of occasion is already building.
There’s a real buzz around Leinster HQ these days and Henshaw admits the province’s supporters make home games an experience to savour.
“It’s unbelievable, it was always one of my favourite fixtures, playing up here away to Leinster,” he said of the RDS.
“Being part of it now every second week is brilliant and I just love getting out and hearing the cheer of the crowd. It’s a really nice stadium, the crowd are unbelievable.
“I’ve loved my rugby here, loved living in Dublin and the set-up. It’s definitely improving my game and I’ve got a better understanding of the game now.”
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Back-to-back Pro12 victories over Ulster and Zebre have maintained the winning momentum heading into Leinster’s final two Pool 4 outings, but everyone is fully aware that the size of the task ahead is far greater.
While the RDS has become a real fortress again under Leo Cullen’s watch, the players are also under no illusions of the threat a powerful Montpellier outfit will bring as they look to spoil the party.
“They’re a quality outfit,” Henshaw added. “We know we’ll have our hands full to get the win but overall we’re looking forward to it and will take time this week to look at places we can attack them and where they might be vulnerable.
“We don’t talk about the unbeaten run at home but every player knows we need to win at the RDS. There is pressure there but we just love going out and playing in front of a packed RDS and love it when we win there. We want to keep it up this week.”
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THESE ARE THE type of weeks — big European weeks — that Robbie Henshaw upped sticks and headed east for.
Friday night under the lights at the RDS is always a special occasion, but this week’s visit of Montpellier for a high-stakes European fixture adds a further level of excitement, nervousness and everything in between.
“Absolutely, it’s a game every player would want to be involved in,” the centre says, excitedly.
Leinster can just about taste a return to the Champions Cup quarter-finals. A place in the knock-out stages, and a seat back at Europe’s top table, is within touching distance, and after the failings of last year that is of huge significance for everyone at the province.
Henshaw wasn’t here for those soul-searching days but it didn’t take long for him to realise how important this European campaign was going to be for Leinster and the supporters.
After four rounds, and three wins, Leinster are almost there. The equation is simple, and their destiny in their own hands. Beat Montpellier on Friday night and a quarter-final berth is theirs.
“Everything is good after the last couple of weeks,” Henshaw continued. “The squad is in a good position at the moment and we’re just really looking forward to Friday night and getting back out at the RDS.
“Our main goal is to get to the quarter-finals and ideally get a home quarter-final. Hopefully we’ll have the crowd behind us because they’ve been exceptional for us this year and hopefully get the win.”
With only a handful of tickets yet to be sold, a full house of 18,000 is expected at the Ballsbridge venue for Friday and the sense of occasion is already building.
There’s a real buzz around Leinster HQ these days and Henshaw admits the province’s supporters make home games an experience to savour.
“It’s unbelievable, it was always one of my favourite fixtures, playing up here away to Leinster,” he said of the RDS.
“Being part of it now every second week is brilliant and I just love getting out and hearing the cheer of the crowd. It’s a really nice stadium, the crowd are unbelievable.
“I’ve loved my rugby here, loved living in Dublin and the set-up. It’s definitely improving my game and I’ve got a better understanding of the game now.”
Back-to-back Pro12 victories over Ulster and Zebre have maintained the winning momentum heading into Leinster’s final two Pool 4 outings, but everyone is fully aware that the size of the task ahead is far greater.
While the RDS has become a real fortress again under Leo Cullen’s watch, the players are also under no illusions of the threat a powerful Montpellier outfit will bring as they look to spoil the party.
“They’re a quality outfit,” Henshaw added. “We know we’ll have our hands full to get the win but overall we’re looking forward to it and will take time this week to look at places we can attack them and where they might be vulnerable.
“We don’t talk about the unbeaten run at home but every player knows we need to win at the RDS. There is pressure there but we just love going out and playing in front of a packed RDS and love it when we win there. We want to keep it up this week.”
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European Rugby Champions Cup Leinster robbie henshaw Montpellier under the lights