THE SEASON THAT promised so much ended in desperately disappointing fashion for Leo Cullen’s Leinster.
For those supporters hardy enough to brave a second viewing of Friday night’s Guinness Pro12 semi-final defeat at home to the Scarlets, the performance was even worse than it appeared live.
Missed tackles, lazy defensive structure, simple dropped passes, sloppy exit plays and poor restarts – the list goes on.
While Leinster have dazzled on many occasions this season and brought a new edge to their attacking game under Stuart Lancaster, they were well beaten by a hungrier and more focused team last weekend.
“Saving our worst performance of the season in a semi-final of the Pro12 isn’t ideal,” is how Isa Nacewa summed it up.
The captain himself was guilty of somehow hammering a straightforward conversion attempt against the post at a crucial time in the second half.
“We are critical of ourselves all the time, but at home it hurts a hell of a lot more. It really does,” continued Nacewa.
“We’re going to cop a lot of shite for this in the coming week, I’m guessing, but we have to be prepared to handle that and take learnings and go forward. The hurt will last all summer long, but we’re not that far away.”
With this defeat compounding the sheer frustration of a Champions Cup semi-final loss to Clermont, a difficult summer beckons for Cullen and his squad.
Leinster believe they should have won that European encounter too, with their downfall having been a shocking opening quarter when they let Clermont race into a 15-0 lead.
Despite having finished second in the overall Pro12 table behind Munster, many were tipping Leinster to at least claim the league title as consolation, particularly with the final taking place in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
But the Scarlets upset the odds impressively on Friday night and Leinster’s wait for silverware will go on into next season, their last trophy having come in the Pro12 in 2014 under Matt O’Connor.
“I’m massively confident, massively confident,” said Nacewa when asked if he believes the wait for a trophy won’t be a long one. “Massively confident in the fact that the young players got an opportunity this year and they took it.
That hasn’t happened in a long time in my eyes. We battled through some tough times during the season and we lose in the semi-final of Europe and a semi-final of the Pro12, so we’re at a level.
“But young guys, old guys, experienced guys, less experienced guys, we have to understand how much it hurts and then really clue in on the things that are going to make a difference in our on-field performance across the board.
“Front rows, second rows, loosies, backs – that’s the only way we’re going to get better. I don’t think it’s going to be a long time until we win a trophy.
“We’re nearly there, and the drive in the young guys is massive. They want to lift a trophy, so it’s going to hurt all summer long but we’re not far away.”
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