IN STARK CONTRAST to the majority of his provincial team-mates, Leinster and Ireland back-row Caelan Doris experienced a far more relaxed St Stephen’s Day earlier this week.
While the eastern province were having to negotiate treacherous weather conditions on their way to securing a 9-3 triumph over Munster in the United Rugby Championship at Thomond Park, Doris was back in North Mayo watching his former club Ballina RFC taking on a President’s XV in the Aubrey Bourke Cup final – a game held every year on 26 December to honour the memory of Bourke, who was the brother of former President of Ireland Mary Robinson.
Because he was in his native Lacken for Christmas after being afforded a rest for Leinster’s showdown with their arch rivals in Limerick, Doris was in a position to attend this fixture alongside his fellow Irish internationals Michael Moylett, Gavin Duffy and Dave Heffernan [all of whom have represented Ballina RFC in the past].
He had initially returned to his home county three days earlier and, having played a significant role in helping Leinster to record back-to-back European Champions Cup victories against La Rochelle and Sale Sharks in recent weeks, it proved to be an ideal break from the rigours of professional rugby for Doris.
“I went down on the 23rd. My brother was back as well. I brought him back from LA and chilled out for a few days. A few beach walks and a trip up to the pier for the annual swim. I didn’t get in this year though,” Doris said.
“I went down to the rugby club actually on Stephen’s Day. There was a match on there [the aforementioned Aubrey Bourke Cup], which was actually of pretty decent quality. I enjoyed having a pint or two there and catching up with a few people.”
Yet Doris’ time away from the Leinster set-up was brief as he was back on the training field in UCD on Thursday in preparation for a New Year’s Day clash with Ulster at the RDS. Last season’s corresponding fixture between the two teams on 3 December, 2022 was a thrilling affair as it saw Leinster overcoming a red card for veteran prop Cian Healy and a 19-point deficit to eventually beat their interprovincial rivals on a scoreline of 38-29 in the Ballsbridge venue.
Although there have been some difficult results for Ulster this season, they come into their latest battle with Leinster on the back of morale-boosting wins over Racing 92 and Connacht in the European Champions Cup and the United Rugby Championship respectively.
Despite being nine points adrift of URC table-toppers Leinster heading into Monday night’s meeting in the RDS, Doris believes Dan McFarland’s charges will potentially pose threats right across the pitch.
“They were impressive against Racing. I haven’t seen all of the Connacht game yet, but another good win. Their attack, we were looking at bits of it this morning, is very unpredictable.
“They sort of change direction quite a bit. John Cooney, in particular, at 9 is very good at spotting opportunities down the short side or snipe opportunities.
“They’ve got a very strong set-piece, their scrum and their lineout is pretty impressive and is a weapon they have used quite a bit to good effect in the past. They have good poachers as well throughout. Nick Timoney has been impressive in that area.”
Though Leinster are currently on a run of nine straight victories across the URC and the Champions Cup since their opening round defeat to Glasgow Warriors in the former competition, there is still a sense that Leo Cullen’s men are searching for more consistency over 80 minutes within games in 2023/24.
From Doris’ perspective, this is something that he and his colleagues in both the provincial and international environments are constantly striving for. The fact that they had already played six games this season in advance of Jacques Nienaber finally taking up his post as senior coach in late November may explain why there is still such scope for improvement within this Leinster side, but Doris is confident that things will start to click fully as the term progresses.
“It’s what we’re always chasing down, both in Ireland and in here, an 80-minute performance. There have been plenty of examples of good stuff in a game, but never quite getting the 80-minute performance. It’s hard when you’re playing different quality opposition who are throwing different tricks at you,” Doris added.
“A big focus has been, regardless of what has gone before, whether it’s positive or negative, being present and playing what’s in front of you. As clichéd as that is. That’s quite a focus. The more we train together under these new coaches, we’ll get more cohesion and things will naturally come together a little bit better.”
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