THE END OF the season usually represents a chance to celebrate and unwind at Leinster, a club where winning silverware is more of an expectation than an ambition.

The closing weeks of last season had a very different feel. For the first time since 2017, the province ended the campaign without a trophy to their name, losing to La Rochelle in the Champions Cup final before home defeat to the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship semi-finals.

They were the type of losses that take a while to digest. The type of losses that can’t be just pushed to back of the mind. 

As such, as a chunk of the Leinster squad jetted off on Ireland’s summer tour to New Zealand, the remaining party knuckled down for some extra days at Leinster HQ.

“It wouldn’t (usually happen),” explains Luke McGrath. “You knew the that lads can’t be booking holidays were going to be around for a few days at least. I think it was important to come in and have the reviews of those game then, rather than letting the summer go by and linger.

“We put kind of a statement on it. Just park it there. No ‘go off and enjoy your holidays and come back in with everyone refreshed.’ It was a tough couple of days. Just the mood around the place, you can only imagine. It wasn’t great at all.”

The mood at home was much brighter, with McGrath and his partner, Rebecca, welcoming a baby boy, Bobby. 

“He actually arrived the day after the La Rochelle game. So it was the lowest point and then the very highest point the next day.

“It is tough to manage the whole rugby side of things as well, the lack of sleep, that’s the hardest bit. He came home the day we got knocked out so the good thing is I was prepared for that. There was no holidays, pretty much trying to get used to the whole thing and it’s going great now.”

A new season awaits, with Leinster back in URC action today, taking on Zebre Parma in Italy [KO 1pm Irish time, RTÉ2, Premier Sports 1 and URC TV]. Yet even with a summer of reflection behind them, those defeats to La Rochelle and the Bulls continue to be mentioned around the training ground.

We obviously referenced the games, even this week a couple of little things. For example last Thursday we had a bit of a little 25 minute, 30 minute in-house game where there were still elements of the game where we got ourselves in trouble in the Bulls game and the La Rochelle game, so it was constantly referenced on the back of those games and it probably will be for a few months at least.

“You constantly have to add little things. The two games last year, the La Rochelle and Bulls game, our defence needs a bit of tightening up so we have done a lot of work on that, and it is great to have Seanie O’Brien back as well. He has done a lot of work around the breakdown, the defensive breakdown, as well and some bits in the tackle and defence.”

O’Brien will also look to add more ‘edge’ to Leinster’s game. The former Leinster flanker is an interesting addition to Leo Cullen’s coaching staff, forming a different type of relationship with players he previously called his teammates.

“It’s very different,” McGrath explains.

“He has a whistle early doors as well so he has been whistling that like mad the first few weeks. It’s great. He’s such a good voice to have around the place. I was lucky enough to have him about the place for a few years and he has freshened up the place a bit and he is letting lads know when they do something wrong, which is great.

“I thought he would change a bit more but he is still around the players’ changing room, popping in. His last game here was, what, a couple of years ago so he is kind of in between the coach-player relationship. He has been brilliant for us.”

There are new faces on the pitch too, with centre Charlie Ngatai and second row Jason Jenkins both set to make their Leinster debuts today. Fullback Max O’Reilly [nine caps] and winger Rob Russell [five caps] will also be keen to catch the eye.

These are the games Leinster are expected to win at a canter, even allowing for early season cobwebs. The Italian side lost 17 of their 18 URC outings last season, but have had a radical overhaul of their squad over the summer months. Four of their starting team make their Zebre debuts – fullback Richard Kriel, outhalf Tiff Eden, hooker Jacques Du Toit and flanker MJ Pelser – with two additional newcomers on the bench.

“There’s probably more pressure (on us) from just being the first game of the season,” McGrath adds.

“Everyone knows there are probably going to be a few mistakes. Obviously there are going to be a few mistakes in the first game of the season so we are just trying to improve… We played Harlequins just a few weeks ago, made a few mistakes and we’re trying to fix them up this week and just be ready for a good hit out against Zebre.”

ZEBRE PARMA: Richard Kriel; Pierre Bruno, Erich Cronjé, Enrico Lucchin, Simone Gesi; Tiff Eden, Chris Cook; Paolo Buonfiglio, Jacques Du Toit, Matteo Nocera; David Sisi (captain), Leonard Krumov; Luca Andreani, MJ Pelser, Taina Fox-Matamua. 

Replacements: Luca Bigi, Juan Pitinari, Muhamed Hasa, Joshua Furno, Guido Volpi, Alessandro Fusco, Franco Smith Jr, Jacopo Trulla.

LEINSTER: Max O’Reilly; Rob Russell, Jamie Osborne, Charlie Ngatai, Dave Kearney; Ross Byrne, Luke McGrath; Ed Byrne, Rónan Kelleher, Michael Ala’alatoa; Ross Molony, Jason Jenkins; Rhys Ruddock (captain), Scott Penny, Max Deegan.

Replacements: John McKee, Michael Milne, Vakhtang Abdaladze, Brian Deeny, Alex Soroka, Nick McCarthy, Ciarán Frawley, Will Connors.

Referee: Ben Blain [SRU].

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