DESPITE THE ABSENCE of their sizeable international contingent, Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde is excited for the visit of Cardiff to the RDS in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday (kick-off 5.05pm).
Of the 37 players Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has selected for the forthcoming Six Nations, no fewer than 20 of them are from Leinster. Not including Jonathan Sexton and Tadhg Furlong – who are both working their way back to fitness, but have made the cut for the spring international window – there are also seven names on the injury list at the eastern province at the moment.
Although the depth of their squad means there will still be plenty of experience within the home team’s ranks in Ballsbridge this weekend, McBryde is eager for the province’s young prospects to seize upon a golden opportunity to impress.
“We get the privilege of watching them [young players] train against an international team really, so they’re spending their time during the weeks doing their homework on the opposition. Running players against the starting team, you get proper feedback because they’re training against quality opposition,” McBryde acknowledged at a Leinster media briefing yesterday
“It’s great to see them get the opportunity to do that on a Saturday against live opposition. I was already reminded of the fact that Joe McCarthy played in the same fixture last year and you see how much he developed in a short space of time. Very exciting and they’re very keen. Very hungry for their opportunity. Really looking forward to it.”
Following last Saturday’s Champions Cup pool stage triumph over Racing 92 in the Aviva Stadium, Leinster have now extended their winning run in 2022/23 to 16 games. This has once again put them in the frame for success on the domestic and European fronts, but this was also the case 12 months ago.
In the end, the inaugural URC Irish Shield was all they had to show for their efforts last season. While this disappointment has been spurring them on significantly, McBryde still believes there are areas Leinster will need to work on as their latest push for silverware gathers pace.
“We’ve got variety in the way we go about things from week to week, but we can’t go too far away from the basics you know. There are a couple of issues around the scrum the last couple of weeks. Obviously we’ve conceded a couple of driving mauls. I think we’ve defended five on the weekend, conceded one try.
“When teams get into that area of the field – the best teams – they are very hard to keep out within five or ten metres of a try line. We’ve got to do our best to stop them getting that field position initially.
“We’ve got to stop giving penalties away, giving that entry into our ’22’. Obviously we are happy with the situation we find ourselves in, but we’re not kidding ourselves either. There are plenty of things we need to improve on as well.”
As it stands, Leinster are nine places and 27 points in front of Cardiff in the URC standings. Yet there is a significant reason for them to be wary of the challenge that Dai Young’s side can pose.
When the two teams clashed almost exactly 12 months ago in Cardiff Arms Park – 29 January, 2022 to be precise – the visiting Irish province were on the wrong end of a 29-27 final scoreline.
With his memory still fresh of that dramatic triumph for Cardiff (Jarrod Evans kicked a stoppage-time penalty to swing the game in their favour), McBryde is hoping home advantage can offer them an extra edge on this occasion.
“We saw this time last year how much that victory meant to them. How they celebrated after the last whistle. They will come in all guns blazing and we will have to be ready for it. That is the challenge for these youngsters,” McBryde added.
“First up, a Cardiff team with a bit of wind in their sails and gathering momentum. It will be a great challenge for us this weekend. It is in the RDS, so hopefully that will play into our hands a little bit.”