IT ISN’T THE names on the starting XV that leave the biggest impression. Nor even the quality of the eight replacements.
We’re 23 players deep into the Leinster squad at this stage, and have yet to mention their injured sextet – grand slam winners Johnny Sexton, James Ryan, Dan Leavy, Jack Conan; the Pro14’s leading try scorer from the 2017/18 season, Barry Daly; their talented young hooker, Ronan Kelleher.
It is only when we get to the third list, the one titled dented pride, that you realise precisely how good and deep this Leinster squad now is. Check them out for yourself tomorrow at the RDS.
They’ll be the ones seated in the Anglesea Stand in their shirt and tie. You’ve internationals Michael Bent, Fergus McFadden, Joe Tomane and Adam Byrne and that’s before you get to the hugely talented Ed Byrne, Josh Murphy, Scott Penny or Conor O’Brien.
We could go on but we’ve mentioned 37 players already at this stage and it’s fairly clear that it isn’t just a squad Leo Cullen is building but a dynasty.
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“The players know it’s a competitive arena they are in,” Cullen said at yesterday’s press conference. “They know there are individual battles going on, that a lot of guys performed very well throughout the Christmas period, which accordingly has made this selection very competitive for us.
Let’s put it another way, there are a lot of guys who aren’t in that 23 man squad to play Lyon tomorrow who are pretty pissed off. So guys know that when they’re in the team that they can’t afford to slip up because there’s someone waiting there to take their spot.”
The evidence is everywhere to see. If Jordan Larmour doesn’t impress at full-back, then Rob Kearney, the most decorated medallist in Irish rugby history, is waiting on the bench to remind everyone he has a future, not just a past.
If James Tracy is off-colour, Séan Cronin is waiting; so is Jamison Gibson-Park on Luke McGrath. So are the other five replacements not to mention the team’s poster-boys, Sexton and Ryan.
Jordan Larmour starts ahead of Rob Kearney at full-back for Leinster. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
There’s a point to all this. Leinster, unbeaten in 14 games this season, received a warning from their coach yesterday. Avoid complacency was the message because if you fall into that trap, there’s a fairly lengthy list of quality players ready to take your place.
“We must keep our focus,” Cullen said, “because statistically there is a better chance of winning a quarter-final, if you have a home draw. For the quarterfinals last year we were ranked third and that would have entailed us having to travel to Paris had Racing 92 beaten Toulouse in their quarter-final.
“So the further we go in this tournament, the more we want to have things stacked in our favour. Getting a No1 seed brings benefits as you go deeper into the tournament.
“We’ve got ourselves into this situation, where we have made it into the last eight but now it’s just trying to push on and maximise the position that we’re in, to try and win with a bonus point. And we’ll have the same mindset the following week.”
If they don’t, they know the consequences.
Andy Dunne joined Murray Kinsella and Gavan Casey in studio to chat about Joey Carbery, the Saracens fallout, Munster’s future, and much more.
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'Players are pi**ed off not to be in the squad'
IT ISN’T THE names on the starting XV that leave the biggest impression. Nor even the quality of the eight replacements.
We’re 23 players deep into the Leinster squad at this stage, and have yet to mention their injured sextet – grand slam winners Johnny Sexton, James Ryan, Dan Leavy, Jack Conan; the Pro14’s leading try scorer from the 2017/18 season, Barry Daly; their talented young hooker, Ronan Kelleher.
It is only when we get to the third list, the one titled dented pride, that you realise precisely how good and deep this Leinster squad now is. Check them out for yourself tomorrow at the RDS.
They’ll be the ones seated in the Anglesea Stand in their shirt and tie. You’ve internationals Michael Bent, Fergus McFadden, Joe Tomane and Adam Byrne and that’s before you get to the hugely talented Ed Byrne, Josh Murphy, Scott Penny or Conor O’Brien.
We could go on but we’ve mentioned 37 players already at this stage and it’s fairly clear that it isn’t just a squad Leo Cullen is building but a dynasty.
“The players know it’s a competitive arena they are in,” Cullen said at yesterday’s press conference. “They know there are individual battles going on, that a lot of guys performed very well throughout the Christmas period, which accordingly has made this selection very competitive for us.
The evidence is everywhere to see. If Jordan Larmour doesn’t impress at full-back, then Rob Kearney, the most decorated medallist in Irish rugby history, is waiting on the bench to remind everyone he has a future, not just a past.
If James Tracy is off-colour, Séan Cronin is waiting; so is Jamison Gibson-Park on Luke McGrath. So are the other five replacements not to mention the team’s poster-boys, Sexton and Ryan.
There’s a point to all this. Leinster, unbeaten in 14 games this season, received a warning from their coach yesterday. Avoid complacency was the message because if you fall into that trap, there’s a fairly lengthy list of quality players ready to take your place.
“We must keep our focus,” Cullen said, “because statistically there is a better chance of winning a quarter-final, if you have a home draw. For the quarterfinals last year we were ranked third and that would have entailed us having to travel to Paris had Racing 92 beaten Toulouse in their quarter-final.
“So the further we go in this tournament, the more we want to have things stacked in our favour. Getting a No1 seed brings benefits as you go deeper into the tournament.
“We’ve got ourselves into this situation, where we have made it into the last eight but now it’s just trying to push on and maximise the position that we’re in, to try and win with a bonus point. And we’ll have the same mindset the following week.”
If they don’t, they know the consequences.
Andy Dunne joined Murray Kinsella and Gavan Casey in studio to chat about Joey Carbery, the Saracens fallout, Munster’s future, and much more.
The42 Rugby Weekly / SoundCloud
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Cullen Depth Leinster