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Craig Watson/INPHO

Competition enabling Leinster to 'rotate without a dent in performance'

The Champions Cup favourites made wholesale changes in between rounds two and three, but kept their winning streak going.

A HARD-GRAFTED win away to the Top14 leaders cemented Leinster’s status as the Heineken Champions Cup favourites.

Then 17 of the 23-man squad were changed as they issued a statement performance in their Pro14 defence by beating last year’s beaten finalists on their own patch.

For another visit to face a table-topping in-form team – Northampton in the case of the coming weekend – the changes will flow back again for the eastern province. Yet almost every position feels as though there is a strong argument swirling over for any given match. Alternatives are easily found.

The Test-cap count in the European line-ups will reveal an understandable leaning towards the established names. However, the rise of Ronan Kelleher or Caelan Doris are examples of how willing Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster are to adhere to the form guide over past deeds.

“Sometimes it is not about names, but who is in better shape and who is performing better to be best able to do the job for the team for a particular game,” said Felipe Contepomi yesterday.

The Argentine does not feel that the style of Leinster’s last two wins were all that different. Instead, he says, they both springboarded off the same fundamentals. One opponent demands an arm-wrestle, the other a little more flair.

“What we try to do with training and the way we train is to make sure it’s not about names who are in there, it’s about Leinster – that’s the big name.

felipe-contepomi Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

“It’s Leinster always being represented with the best players we can. It doesn’t matter who plays, Leinster have an identity and the way we want to play, what we want to show.”

As ever, competition for places drives the standards that has run through Leinster’s nine-game winning streak, competition that begins within the walls of the team rooms and training field.

And as long as a team keeps winning, there will be a continuous feed of the willingness to buy in and fill in when the opportunity comes.

We are lucky and wealthy in terms of how tough the competition is within the squad.

“For us it is not a question of just setting up a team; we want to put the best and the strongest team on the pitch every weekend… you select them and they perform and then you have some other guys that didn’t play and they are fresh (and eager).

“That’s how rotation goes. You can make that rotation. We are lucky that we have a lot of competition for every place and we are able to do that rotation without a dent in performance.”

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    Mute Declan Snow
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:04 PM

    Surely he shouldn’t be admitting this?

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    Mute Figo murphy
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    Feb 21st 2019, 1:32 PM

    @Declan Snow: 100% should receive a one match ban. For doing it and even more for being so open and proud of it.

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    Mute kev egan
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:05 PM

    Why would you come out and admit doing this…!!

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    Mute Dan
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:16 PM

    1 1 in Germany with 5 mins to go and every Liverpool player should go down holding their leg.

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    Mute Gary O'Rourke
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    Feb 22nd 2019, 8:23 AM

    @Dan: no point doing that when it’s 3-1 to Bayern you gimp

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    Mute Johnno Byrne
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:08 PM

    Did he also reveal that water is wet? Cue the outrage. Even though every team does it

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    Mute Cormac Flanagan
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    Feb 21st 2019, 1:38 PM

    Iv said it before if a players goes down and match has to be stopped, they should have to go off for a minimum period of time say 3 minutes. See how quickly all this would stop.

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    Mute Ted Logan
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    Feb 21st 2019, 5:15 PM

    @Cormac Flanagan: and what about genuine cases? Want the oppositions star striker off for 3 minutes? “Accidentally stand on his toes at a corner….

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    Mute Cormac Flanagan
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    Feb 21st 2019, 6:58 PM

    @Ted Logan: if it’s genuine then he will require time for treatment anyway. Or be substituted. And if the star striker gets targeted it’s up to the ref/VAR to sort it out.

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    Mute Peter Govan
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:40 PM

    Football players fake injury , shocker

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    Mute Michael
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:21 PM

    That game was like playing fifa being a goal up at the end and just passing about killing time at the same time pissing off the other player

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Feb 21st 2019, 6:20 PM

    Ramos is still a (unt though right?

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    Mute Brian Les
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    Feb 21st 2019, 3:34 PM

    Good thing Bielsa didn’t say this. 200k find incoming

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    Mute Tricksy
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    Feb 21st 2019, 3:05 PM

    Well , there’s a surprise . He won’t have any bad feelings so if Liverpool are ahead and develop a lot of cramp ! How does these guys become managers ? A silly admittance . Half time ….. hope next game is better than the anfield one .

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    Mute Hardly Normal
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:19 PM

    Kick em out of the competition

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    Mute James Clancy
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    Feb 21st 2019, 1:41 PM

    @Hardly Normal: Harsh.

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    Mute Hardly Normal
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    Feb 21st 2019, 3:00 PM

    @James Clancy: I know ya but still

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    Mute Noel Lillis
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:30 PM

    This is worse than Beckham gettin the yellow card

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