JAMES RYAN HAS only really caught his breath by the time he strides into the nondescript room that serves as a media centre at the Stade Marcel Deflandre.
The adrenaline is surely only beginning to subside after another shift in the second row for Leinster.
Asked for his immediate thoughts on his side’s 16-14 win over La Rochelle, Ryan ventures that it was a game “we might have lost a couple of years ago.”
And before he’s prompted to explain what’s different, Ryan is speaking effusively about Leinster’s defence.
He recalls big defensive stands in the first half, some of their scramble defence, and the final passage of the game when Leinster withstood 20 phases of pressure after Josh van der Flier had blocked down Antoine Hastoy’s drop goal attempt.
“We’re loving it,” says Ryan. “The main thing is just discipline. I didn’t think they’d get in for a try but I just didn’t want to give them three, but we got there in the end.
“The lads love the system. They love defending for Leinster.”
The transformation of this Leinster team from one who always seemed to take the greatest pride and energy in their attack to one who appear to genuinely relish battering into defensive sets close to their own tryline has been remarkable.
After ‘Leinstertainment,’ we are now in the era of ‘Leinstercontainment.’
Leinster’s defence controls and constricts teams, sometimes giving them a sniff of something promising before slamming the door in their faces. While some teams get panicky defending in their own 22 or after conceding linebreaks, Leinster seem to enjoy the challenges involved.
The transformation has happened under South African senior coach Jacques Nienaber, who has helped to shift these Leinster players’ mindset around defence.
“That’s what defence is, it’s all mentality,” says Ryan.
“I suppose it’s very good clarity around the defensive system, so when you’re nice and clear going into a game in terms of what’s expected of you, you can focus on bringing the sort of intent piece, so the big part of this is clarity.”
Nienaber is reportedly excellent at using imagery, videos, and themed speeches to get his players into the right mindset to defend for their lives.
Not that Ryan is willing to provide detail on that front.
“Yeah, he’s good at that,” is Ryan’s simple answer.
The Ireland second row is in fine form at present, perhaps enjoying a more simplified role in the Leinster set-up given that he is no longer the co-captain and can instead focus more on his duties in the set-piece and around the pitch.
He is one of a few experienced heads in this Leinster squad, which he believes is now stronger than before.
“I think our defence has improved and maybe we’re just a little bit more experienced now as a group or a little bit older and we’ve got some guys that have come in and made a real difference like Jordie, RG and Rabah coming on.”
Barrett, Snyman, and Slimani have certainly added handsomely to Leinster’s existing qualities, but Ryan and co. know they were still close to seeing the win slip away in La Rochelle on Sunday.
In that sense, a true battle like that one against Ronan O’Gara’s team came at a good time in the season.
“It was a great game and it was it was a game we needed to sort of win ugly, but we’re delighted,” says Ryan.
“We won’t get ahead of ourselves either, you know? Third game in, there’s so much rugby to be played and they’re not going to be going anywhere.
“So we’re very satisfied with it, but there’s a lot of stuff we need to be better at. We made it hard for ourselves in the last quarter.”
Next up is a clash with Bath at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday when Leinster could secure a top seeding for the Champions Cup knock-out stages with a bonus-point win.
Fresh from their victory over Clermont, Premiership leaders Bath will be intent on throwing a spanner in the Leinster works.
It should help Johann van Graan’s cause that Bath now have ex-Leinster lineout guru Ross Molony in their ranks.
“Bath are one of the form teams in Europe,” says Ryan.
“Ross? Yeah, we’ll have to think about that and have a plan in place.”
Off with his hand!