ANOTHER CHAMPIONS CUP season arrives but this time, there doesn’t appear to be as much external expectation around Leinster, who remain on the long hunt for their fifth European star following last season’s crushing final defeat to back-to-back champions Bordeaux-Begles.
Generally, there is a sense that French giants Bordeaux and Toulouse remain the teams to catch, with Leinster now operating in the layer just underneath, capable of going all the way without being as well-positioned as the Top 14 heavyweights.
Perhaps that will suit a group who have previously played under an almost suffocating pressure to scale the mountain. Maybe they will benefit from reframing their Champions Cup ambitions. There’s no talk of finals or grand plans, with the focus instead more concentrated on the here and now.
Leinster head to Clermont this weekend. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Which means it’s all-in on Saturday’s opening pool game in Clermont [KO 3.15pm, Premier Sports 2]. The French side have six Top 14 games under their belt, winning two, with Leinster only three games into their new season, blooding a host of younger players while losing twice in South Africa before the internationals returned to beat Cardiff last weekend.
“We can’t have any excuses really,” says Leinster head coach Leo Cullen.
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“We’ve done our best to try and prepare the group as best we possibly can to get to this point, which is an exciting challenge. It’s Clermont Auvergne, it’s always going to be a tough challenge, but one that we want to embrace as a team against a team that’s very passionate when they play at home.
They have a proper fan base there, and it’s just one of the greatest places to play, nice high stands, which creates a proper atmosphere on the day.
“Now we just need to travel, play the game, play well, and deal with some of the threats that Clermont have. You know what you’re going to get with a Christophe Urios’ coached team, which is a lot of physicality, strong lineout, very good lineout defence and a good lineout maul.”
The Stade Marcel-Michelin is a wonderful place to launch a European campaign, and the earlier Champions Cup window adds to an interesting start to Leinster’s season. After opening their URC account with two games in South Africa, it was back to Dublin for a first home game at the newly developed Laya Arena. After this weekend, it’s on to a tasty pair of interpros against Munster and Connacht.
“We need to be very focused on the here and the now. We don’t have a grand vision for the season, we’re very short-term focused at the moment.
“We have very much looked at this first block of the season. There’s no grand vision. It’s get what we can out of these games.
“What are we, eight points after three games,” Cullen adds. ”This time last year what were we, I think (we were) six points after four games. This is our game four this week, so what can we get, different competition I know, but we need to properly battle to get whatever points we get. It won’t be easy, so there’s no point looking at any grand vision at the moment.”
New bonus point rules have been introduced to the competition, following the model used in the Top 14 and Super Rugby. This season, a bonus point will only be awarded if a team scores at least three more times than their opponent.
Leinster’s leadership group took time during the week to speak about the change and discuss the different scenarios it could produce. Tournament organisers will hope the move lessens the amount of ‘weakened’ sides fielded in the competition.
The province expect to be tested at the lineout. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
“There’s definitely a lot more jeopardy for longer in games where the bonus point structure has come in.
“Watching Top 14 games, it is a more exciting last 10 or 15 minutes because some games can fizzle out. Like, when a team has scored four tries and the other has scored one, it can fizzle out and a team might come back and score a couple of tries and there’s no actual consequence from it.
“A team that is trying to stay three or four tries in front, you’re encouraged to keep playing and the game continues on with much greater competitiveness to the end. If it totally blows out, it’ll totally blow out but generally speaking it’s a better system for the fan, but this is the first time we’ll be experiencing it.
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'We don’t have a grand vision' - Leinster embrace step-by-step approach to new season
ANOTHER CHAMPIONS CUP season arrives but this time, there doesn’t appear to be as much external expectation around Leinster, who remain on the long hunt for their fifth European star following last season’s crushing final defeat to back-to-back champions Bordeaux-Begles.
Generally, there is a sense that French giants Bordeaux and Toulouse remain the teams to catch, with Leinster now operating in the layer just underneath, capable of going all the way without being as well-positioned as the Top 14 heavyweights.
Perhaps that will suit a group who have previously played under an almost suffocating pressure to scale the mountain. Maybe they will benefit from reframing their Champions Cup ambitions. There’s no talk of finals or grand plans, with the focus instead more concentrated on the here and now.
Which means it’s all-in on Saturday’s opening pool game in Clermont [KO 3.15pm, Premier Sports 2]. The French side have six Top 14 games under their belt, winning two, with Leinster only three games into their new season, blooding a host of younger players while losing twice in South Africa before the internationals returned to beat Cardiff last weekend.
“We can’t have any excuses really,” says Leinster head coach Leo Cullen.
“We’ve done our best to try and prepare the group as best we possibly can to get to this point, which is an exciting challenge. It’s Clermont Auvergne, it’s always going to be a tough challenge, but one that we want to embrace as a team against a team that’s very passionate when they play at home.
“Now we just need to travel, play the game, play well, and deal with some of the threats that Clermont have. You know what you’re going to get with a Christophe Urios’ coached team, which is a lot of physicality, strong lineout, very good lineout defence and a good lineout maul.”
The Stade Marcel-Michelin is a wonderful place to launch a European campaign, and the earlier Champions Cup window adds to an interesting start to Leinster’s season. After opening their URC account with two games in South Africa, it was back to Dublin for a first home game at the newly developed Laya Arena. After this weekend, it’s on to a tasty pair of interpros against Munster and Connacht.
“We need to be very focused on the here and the now. We don’t have a grand vision for the season, we’re very short-term focused at the moment.
“What are we, eight points after three games,” Cullen adds. ”This time last year what were we, I think (we were) six points after four games. This is our game four this week, so what can we get, different competition I know, but we need to properly battle to get whatever points we get. It won’t be easy, so there’s no point looking at any grand vision at the moment.”
New bonus point rules have been introduced to the competition, following the model used in the Top 14 and Super Rugby. This season, a bonus point will only be awarded if a team scores at least three more times than their opponent.
Leinster’s leadership group took time during the week to speak about the change and discuss the different scenarios it could produce. Tournament organisers will hope the move lessens the amount of ‘weakened’ sides fielded in the competition.
“There’s definitely a lot more jeopardy for longer in games where the bonus point structure has come in.
“Watching Top 14 games, it is a more exciting last 10 or 15 minutes because some games can fizzle out. Like, when a team has scored four tries and the other has scored one, it can fizzle out and a team might come back and score a couple of tries and there’s no actual consequence from it.
“A team that is trying to stay three or four tries in front, you’re encouraged to keep playing and the game continues on with much greater competitiveness to the end. If it totally blows out, it’ll totally blow out but generally speaking it’s a better system for the fan, but this is the first time we’ll be experiencing it.
“But, it’s a good little tweak.”
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Champions Cup first hurdle Leinster Leo Cullen Rugby Clermont