THE POST-SIX NATIONS window hasn’t always been the most exciting time of the year for supporters but nobody was complaining about the quality of rugby on show at the RDS on Friday as the URC returned with the a bang.
A Stormers team packed with Springboks came to Dublin looking to cause an upset and end Leinster’s 15-game winning run in the league. The home side didn’t boast the same strength on paper – with their Grand Slam-winning internationals all afforded the weekend off – but were still able to name a strong team that mixed youth with experience.
What transpired was an enthralling 80-minutes of rugby, despite the difficult conditions in Dublin 4 as strong winds and rain battered the players for much of the game.
The visitors used the wind to their advantage as they raced into a 17-0 first-half lead, only for Leinster to impressively wrestle the contest back in their favour – leading 22-17 with 20 minutes to play. The Stormers pulled level again through a Clayton Blommetjies try and Leinster had a late chance to win it, but Harry Byrne’s 77th-minute penalty struck the post, the game ending 22-22.
Speaking after the game, Stormers boss John Dobson was proud of his team’s efforts while Leo Cullen admitted to mixed feelings – happy with his team’s recovery from a challenging position but disappointed not to secure the win.
Not that winning would have made a huge amount of difference – the draw, with a bonus point, was enough for the province to secure top spot in the league table with two rounds of regular season fixtures still to play.
To come through such a thrilling battle should also stand to them as they head into Saturday’s Champions Cup round of 16 clash with Ulster at Aviva Stadium, where the province will welcome back a number of their Ireland internationals.
“It’s brilliant isn’t it,” said Cullen. “The quality of some of those (Stormers) guys, some of them have won a World Cup with South Africa. We’ve a mixed team, young guys and some experienced guys that have been really excellent for us, Mike Ala’alatoa, Ross Molony, Rhys Ruddock, Luke McGrath have been outstanding over the last period of games in terms of the more experienced members of that group.
“And they’re disappointed in the dressing room as well because they would have loved to have won the game. You’ve got to make that decision at the end, do you kick the ball out or do you have another crack, but you’ve got to make the most sensible decision based on where we are in the season and what we need to get out of the game.
But yeah, lots of learnings in the game. In terms of the product of the competition it’s bloody exciting isn’t it?
“The challenge for Stormers coming up from 30-plus degrees up here and it’s wet and windy and challenging conditions, but it still doesn’t take away from the contest. It’s two teams going full throttle at the game and that’s exactly what you want.”
Ulster – who warmed up for the game with a bonus-point defeat of the Bulls – will present a different type of challenge. The last time they made the trip to Dublin for a European knock-out game in 2019, the northern province came within a dropped ball of taking the spoils.
Leinster will of course be strong favourites but as Cullen is well aware, European derbys can often take on a life of their own.
“Well if you look back through the ages, yeah, they definitely do. They definitely do. There’s certainly no guarantees, the favourites don’t always win. That’s the way it goes.
“But we have a really good group there now and I think they’ll work hard for each other, and that’s what we’d love to see.
“There’s so much can happen in this sequence of games, it’s such an unusual sequence of games, different to what’s been before, but it can all be over very quickly and you suddenly have a load of free weekends. So it’s making sure you take each week one-by-one, and we’ll try do everything we possibly can to give ourselves the best chance in the Aviva.
“It’s getting close to being a sell-out game, and I think it will be an amazing atmosphere and occasion for Irish rugby, because it’s club rugby, provincial rugby, it’s all that’s good about the game here in many ways and that lays the platform for the international game really.
“Obviously for us the club game lays the platform for our game, so it will hopefully be a great showcase for Irish rugby.”
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