REWIND THE CLOCK to the last week in November. Leinster were still reeling from their chastening, and shock, defeat to Wasps in the opening game of their European campaign and the inquest had already begun.
Things couldn’t have gone much worse that afternoon as the province were caught horribly cold before falling to one of their most humbling losses on home soil.
But they had little time to lick their wounds. It was a short turnaround before a trip to Bath the following weekend. Leo Cullen insisted there would be no further sting in the tail.
Yet the tone had been set for what’s transpired to be a glum campaign. Leinster HQ on a Monday morning was beginning to be a place you’d prefer not to be. The players presented to the media all conveyed the party line but you could tell they were hurting.
Four defeats from four outings is almost unthinkable for a team which has tasted European glory on three occasions and it’s a strange situation for them to be in heading into the final two games of the pool stages.
There is now nothing but pride on the line for Leinster as they welcome Bath to Dublin this weekend – but the mood within the organisation’s walls couldn’t be any different to those grim November days.
There is a spring in the step and it’s with good reason too.
Seven straight Pro12 victories mean Cullen’s men are in good health in the league, lying only behind Scarlets in the standings.
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The disappointment of Europe remains but Leinster have used the difficult days as the catalyst to revive their season.
“We’re out of Europe, we can’t look into the past, we have a game this weekend and we’re still very much alive and kicking in the Pro12,” prop Tadhg Furlong said yesterday.
“It’s disappointing but that’s where we are and we can’t do anything about it now. There’s personal pride on the line now too. Nobody goes out to lose a game so we’re very much looking forward to this weekend and the challenge ahead.
Furlong speaking at yesterday's press conference. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
“Lads are playing for selection going forward, we’re playing in-front of a home crowd in the RDS which is the last one of the group, looking to give the fans something to cheer about.”
Friday’s win over Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium, the eastern province’s first in the league since 2009, was another clear indication of Leinster’s growing confidence.
Man-of-the-match Johnny Sexton controlled proceedings from behind the scrum and put in a performance which suggested he’s rediscovering his form after a difficult couple of weeks.
The out-half produced a perfect cross-field kick for Dave Kearney to collect and score the game’s opening try – one which set Leinster on their way.
“When the front row peaks his head out of the maul and you see Dave Kearney flying over in the corner, it’s pretty satisfying,” Furlong said.
“We played well, it was a weird game because of the conditions. There was a lot of kicking and it was a very tactical game. Johnny controlled us around the pitch well. He was a very deserving man-of-the-match.”
The attention now reverts back to Europe and although Leinster’s chances of progressing from Pool 5 ended with back-to-back reversals to Toulon last time out, Irish international Furlong insists there is still plenty of motivation ahead of this weekend.
“The training has been good throughout, Leo is doing a really good job and everyone is enjoying it. It’s a really enjoyable place to be around and lads are working hard off the field to getting the results on it.
“It’s very enjoyable playing rugby for Leinster at the minute. We were very close to winning the home and away Toulon games but small margins cost us. We’ve been building, building, building since and if we get a win this Saturday it will be a big boost.”
With both Mike Ross and Cian Healy sidelined with hamstring and knee complaints respectively, 23-year-old Furlong has been forced to take on added responsibility at scrum time.
The prop was part of the extended Ireland squad for last week's two-day camp. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
The Wexford man was part of Joe Schmidt’s World Cup squad and while he acknowledges the need to put his hand up over the coming weeks, he’s not getting carried away by looking at the bigger picture.
“I think everyone is trying to put their hand up with the Six Nations around the corner but for the time being I think there’s enough to worry about with Leinster for selection.
“Big competition for places, especially in the pack and there’s a narrow focus on this weekend rather than looking at the bigger picture.”
It may be a cliche but Leinster are taking one step at a time in rebuilding their season and rediscovering the panache which has yielded so much success in recent years.
'It's very enjoyable playing rugby here at the minute': Furlong reveling in Leinster revival
REWIND THE CLOCK to the last week in November. Leinster were still reeling from their chastening, and shock, defeat to Wasps in the opening game of their European campaign and the inquest had already begun.
Things couldn’t have gone much worse that afternoon as the province were caught horribly cold before falling to one of their most humbling losses on home soil.
But they had little time to lick their wounds. It was a short turnaround before a trip to Bath the following weekend. Leo Cullen insisted there would be no further sting in the tail.
Yet the tone had been set for what’s transpired to be a glum campaign. Leinster HQ on a Monday morning was beginning to be a place you’d prefer not to be. The players presented to the media all conveyed the party line but you could tell they were hurting.
Four defeats from four outings is almost unthinkable for a team which has tasted European glory on three occasions and it’s a strange situation for them to be in heading into the final two games of the pool stages.
There is now nothing but pride on the line for Leinster as they welcome Bath to Dublin this weekend – but the mood within the organisation’s walls couldn’t be any different to those grim November days.
There is a spring in the step and it’s with good reason too.
Seven straight Pro12 victories mean Cullen’s men are in good health in the league, lying only behind Scarlets in the standings.
The disappointment of Europe remains but Leinster have used the difficult days as the catalyst to revive their season.
“We’re out of Europe, we can’t look into the past, we have a game this weekend and we’re still very much alive and kicking in the Pro12,” prop Tadhg Furlong said yesterday.
“It’s disappointing but that’s where we are and we can’t do anything about it now. There’s personal pride on the line now too. Nobody goes out to lose a game so we’re very much looking forward to this weekend and the challenge ahead.
“Lads are playing for selection going forward, we’re playing in-front of a home crowd in the RDS which is the last one of the group, looking to give the fans something to cheer about.”
Friday’s win over Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium, the eastern province’s first in the league since 2009, was another clear indication of Leinster’s growing confidence.
Man-of-the-match Johnny Sexton controlled proceedings from behind the scrum and put in a performance which suggested he’s rediscovering his form after a difficult couple of weeks.
The out-half produced a perfect cross-field kick for Dave Kearney to collect and score the game’s opening try – one which set Leinster on their way.
“When the front row peaks his head out of the maul and you see Dave Kearney flying over in the corner, it’s pretty satisfying,” Furlong said.
The attention now reverts back to Europe and although Leinster’s chances of progressing from Pool 5 ended with back-to-back reversals to Toulon last time out, Irish international Furlong insists there is still plenty of motivation ahead of this weekend.
“The training has been good throughout, Leo is doing a really good job and everyone is enjoying it. It’s a really enjoyable place to be around and lads are working hard off the field to getting the results on it.
“It’s very enjoyable playing rugby for Leinster at the minute. We were very close to winning the home and away Toulon games but small margins cost us. We’ve been building, building, building since and if we get a win this Saturday it will be a big boost.”
With both Mike Ross and Cian Healy sidelined with hamstring and knee complaints respectively, 23-year-old Furlong has been forced to take on added responsibility at scrum time.
The Wexford man was part of Joe Schmidt’s World Cup squad and while he acknowledges the need to put his hand up over the coming weeks, he’s not getting carried away by looking at the bigger picture.
“I think everyone is trying to put their hand up with the Six Nations around the corner but for the time being I think there’s enough to worry about with Leinster for selection.
It may be a cliche but Leinster are taking one step at a time in rebuilding their season and rediscovering the panache which has yielded so much success in recent years.
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Leinster Tadhg Furlong Bath Rugby upward curve