The Ireland international scored two of Leinster’s three second half tries as they fought back from a 27 – 7 half-time deficit at home. Yet as he was commended on a 57-minute man-of-the-match display, he shrugged and the gruff Kiwi tone flowed:
“Not much of a consolation. I’d rather have a win.”
James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Boss entered the game as a first-half replacement for the injured Eoin Reddan. The Limerick man, like Richardt Strauss who also left the fray injured, is expected to recover from “a bang on the shoulder / neck” in time to compete for a place in the looming Champions Cup quarter-final against Bath.
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“It’s a shame we let the first half get away from us,” says Boss, “that happens sometimes. Before you know it, one or two things don’t go your way and you’re 20 points down at half-time.
“I think it was good character from us. We knew what we had to do and it was spoken about in the second half. It’s no magic formula except a bit of an attitude shift and trying to change the momentum.”
James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
On a night of eight tries and flawless goal-kicking from both sides, Leinster found falling short of victory a hard hit to take after opening up a gap of seven points with just 10 minutes on the clock. On home soil, the reigning champions would normally expect to close the game out from that position.
“You’re exactly right there,” Boss says to confront his side’s failings.
“Some of the same things that happened in the first half. Maybe there was a lack of concentration there. We did the hard yards to get in front and they needed the try to level with us. I think it was just a bit of a lapse for a second that let them back in it.
“We know we should have got more points out of it in the end. You look at 20 to go, we were really on the offensive there. It’s disappointing that we didn’t finish off our comeback, but at the same time credit the character.”
James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Though the history books will be raided to find a similar deficit incurred by Leinster, the major stand-out memory is of the 2011 Heineken Cup final turnaround against Northampton in Cardiff. That, it seems, was enough to leave an unspoken belief in the home dressing room that 20 points against formidable, in-form opposition could be easily erased.
“We know we can come back from that and we did it, very successfully. We were ahead. Then we let ourselves down, we let our foot off the throat a little bit and probably relaxed,” Boss recounts like a man who had already been through the tumult of emotions in his head once already.
We had them under the pump and then didn’t clear our lines off that kick off and let them back into it so it was a dogfight to the end. We could have pushed on.
“We were clinical at times, just not at the end of that second half. Which hopefully doesn’t come back to haunt us.”
'No magic formula, just an attitude shift' behind Leinster's big comeback
LEINSTER SCRUM-HALF Isaac Boss was in far from celebratory mood when he swapped the changing room for the media table after helping Leinster to a 34 – 34 draw with Pro12 leaders Glasgow Warriors.
The Ireland international scored two of Leinster’s three second half tries as they fought back from a 27 – 7 half-time deficit at home. Yet as he was commended on a 57-minute man-of-the-match display, he shrugged and the gruff Kiwi tone flowed:
“Not much of a consolation. I’d rather have a win.”
Boss entered the game as a first-half replacement for the injured Eoin Reddan. The Limerick man, like Richardt Strauss who also left the fray injured, is expected to recover from “a bang on the shoulder / neck” in time to compete for a place in the looming Champions Cup quarter-final against Bath.
“It’s a shame we let the first half get away from us,” says Boss, “that happens sometimes. Before you know it, one or two things don’t go your way and you’re 20 points down at half-time.
“I think it was good character from us. We knew what we had to do and it was spoken about in the second half. It’s no magic formula except a bit of an attitude shift and trying to change the momentum.”
On a night of eight tries and flawless goal-kicking from both sides, Leinster found falling short of victory a hard hit to take after opening up a gap of seven points with just 10 minutes on the clock. On home soil, the reigning champions would normally expect to close the game out from that position.
“You’re exactly right there,” Boss says to confront his side’s failings.
“Some of the same things that happened in the first half. Maybe there was a lack of concentration there. We did the hard yards to get in front and they needed the try to level with us. I think it was just a bit of a lapse for a second that let them back in it.
“We know we should have got more points out of it in the end. You look at 20 to go, we were really on the offensive there. It’s disappointing that we didn’t finish off our comeback, but at the same time credit the character.”
Though the history books will be raided to find a similar deficit incurred by Leinster, the major stand-out memory is of the 2011 Heineken Cup final turnaround against Northampton in Cardiff. That, it seems, was enough to leave an unspoken belief in the home dressing room that 20 points against formidable, in-form opposition could be easily erased.
“We know we can come back from that and we did it, very successfully. We were ahead. Then we let ourselves down, we let our foot off the throat a little bit and probably relaxed,” Boss recounts like a man who had already been through the tumult of emotions in his head once already.
“We were clinical at times, just not at the end of that second half. Which hopefully doesn’t come back to haunt us.”
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