A BRILLIANT WEEKEND of URC action played out nicely for Leinster. The province were fourth in the table heading into the latest round of fixtures, and came out of it having moved up to third thanks to Friday’s bonus point win over Ulster.
Even better, those around them stumbled. Glasgow and Stormers (who remain first and second respectively) both lost, while Ulster slipped back to fifth.
On 51 points, Leinster are now level with the Stormers and just four points off Glasgow – who were thumped 54-12 away to the Lions.
This weekend, Leinster are on the road to Benetton, before they return to Champions Cup action and a home semi-final date with Toulon. After that, Leinster close out the regular URC season with home ties against the Lions and Ospreys.
Given their slow start to the season, it’s all starting to take shape for Leo Cullen’s men.
“Well, we were in Croke Park after round four, we were sitting there doing media. If you offered us where we are at the moment, we’d probably have taken it,” said Cullen, speaking in Belfast after Friday’s 29-21 win.
“But it doesn’t matter. You can see teams get a little bit excited and a bit of giddy at this time of year. You’ve one bad performance and it all comes crashing down around you.
“You keep working at getting better. That’s what we need to do. Don’t get too far ahead of ourselves. Keep working hard.
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“It’s always a great time, it’s so exciting,” Cullen added.
“All the groundwork you do, everyone involved in the club, the work that goes in. They’re magic days, so it’s making sure we enjoy them as well.”
Leinster built a 29-0 lead against Ulster before a strong finish saw the hosts score three unanswered tries. Yet the damage was done across Leinster’s strong, confident start.
James Ryan, captain on the night, felt the performance highlighted the progress Leinster have made over the last few weeks.
“I think it shows that the group’s in a good spot now at the moment. Guys are putting themselves, putting their hands up to be involved in the big games.
“The other thing we talked about this week was just making sure that we do it in the right way in terms of being selfless and putting the team first, in terms of the type of performance we put out there.
“I think that’s what the lads have done unbelievably well tonight. The lads were playing for each other, which is what we want, what we need as well at this time of the year.”
One of the challenges facing Leinster is keeping everyone happy when the big games roll around. Many of those who shone in Ulster won’t make the matchday squad when Toulon come to Dublin on 2 May, and may only have limited gametime if Leinster progress through the URC knockouts.
Yet for those players, there is an expectation that they still play their role during the week.
“It probably comes back to our values really generally,” Ryan said.
We talk a lot about having a ‘brothers’ mindset in the building. So I think it comes back to that really. We’ve got to all pull in the same way.
“So, I think the environment in there is very good at the moment. That’s the main thing. It comes back to our values and making sure that we’re putting the team first.”
And for Cullen, it’s the familiar challenge of managing that squad rotation while generating some momentum through games, and ensuring Leinster keep the fight going on two fronts.
“Well, it’s the way we would train anyway,” Cullen said.
“You need to have guys there to step in. One of the big things we’d see is how the non-selected prepared the team. That really tells the story of any great squad, doesn’t it?
“You need to have that healthy competition amongst the group, and there’s always that bit of an edge there. We need to keep going, one day at a time. I’m just thinking about Benetton. It’s on to the next one quite quickly, isn’t it?
“Listen, we know we’ve got another (Champions Cup) game the week after that, so it’s good. Around selection rotation and all the rest, you need to box clever but the main thing is we want to give guys opportunities because they deserve it, because they put in the work. So if they’re not putting the work they won’t get an opportunity. So when you see them put in the work like as in, it’s easy and you know they’re desperate to play. So they know they won’t let you down, is the big thing.
“That’s what you need for competition. The group just keep working away. It’s not rocket science. It’s been a busy few weeks, obviously, two six-day turnarounds. And so we’ve been an eight-day now and on to Italy and we’ll see we sit after that.
“We knew after losing the first three games, sitting in Croke Park, it was like, ‘this is gonna be tough work to make the top eight’. But yeah, we just need to keep pushing on now.”
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'It's not rocket science' - Cullen gets reward from rotated Leinster team
A BRILLIANT WEEKEND of URC action played out nicely for Leinster. The province were fourth in the table heading into the latest round of fixtures, and came out of it having moved up to third thanks to Friday’s bonus point win over Ulster.
Even better, those around them stumbled. Glasgow and Stormers (who remain first and second respectively) both lost, while Ulster slipped back to fifth.
On 51 points, Leinster are now level with the Stormers and just four points off Glasgow – who were thumped 54-12 away to the Lions.
This weekend, Leinster are on the road to Benetton, before they return to Champions Cup action and a home semi-final date with Toulon. After that, Leinster close out the regular URC season with home ties against the Lions and Ospreys.
Given their slow start to the season, it’s all starting to take shape for Leo Cullen’s men.
“Well, we were in Croke Park after round four, we were sitting there doing media. If you offered us where we are at the moment, we’d probably have taken it,” said Cullen, speaking in Belfast after Friday’s 29-21 win.
“But it doesn’t matter. You can see teams get a little bit excited and a bit of giddy at this time of year. You’ve one bad performance and it all comes crashing down around you.
“You keep working at getting better. That’s what we need to do. Don’t get too far ahead of ourselves. Keep working hard.
“It’s always a great time, it’s so exciting,” Cullen added.
“All the groundwork you do, everyone involved in the club, the work that goes in. They’re magic days, so it’s making sure we enjoy them as well.”
Leinster built a 29-0 lead against Ulster before a strong finish saw the hosts score three unanswered tries. Yet the damage was done across Leinster’s strong, confident start.
James Ryan, captain on the night, felt the performance highlighted the progress Leinster have made over the last few weeks.
“I think it shows that the group’s in a good spot now at the moment. Guys are putting themselves, putting their hands up to be involved in the big games.
“The other thing we talked about this week was just making sure that we do it in the right way in terms of being selfless and putting the team first, in terms of the type of performance we put out there.
“I think that’s what the lads have done unbelievably well tonight. The lads were playing for each other, which is what we want, what we need as well at this time of the year.”
One of the challenges facing Leinster is keeping everyone happy when the big games roll around. Many of those who shone in Ulster won’t make the matchday squad when Toulon come to Dublin on 2 May, and may only have limited gametime if Leinster progress through the URC knockouts.
Yet for those players, there is an expectation that they still play their role during the week.
“It probably comes back to our values really generally,” Ryan said.
“So, I think the environment in there is very good at the moment. That’s the main thing. It comes back to our values and making sure that we’re putting the team first.”
And for Cullen, it’s the familiar challenge of managing that squad rotation while generating some momentum through games, and ensuring Leinster keep the fight going on two fronts.
“Well, it’s the way we would train anyway,” Cullen said.
“You need to have guys there to step in. One of the big things we’d see is how the non-selected prepared the team. That really tells the story of any great squad, doesn’t it?
“You need to have that healthy competition amongst the group, and there’s always that bit of an edge there. We need to keep going, one day at a time. I’m just thinking about Benetton. It’s on to the next one quite quickly, isn’t it?
“Listen, we know we’ve got another (Champions Cup) game the week after that, so it’s good. Around selection rotation and all the rest, you need to box clever but the main thing is we want to give guys opportunities because they deserve it, because they put in the work. So if they’re not putting the work they won’t get an opportunity. So when you see them put in the work like as in, it’s easy and you know they’re desperate to play. So they know they won’t let you down, is the big thing.
“That’s what you need for competition. The group just keep working away. It’s not rocket science. It’s been a busy few weeks, obviously, two six-day turnarounds. And so we’ve been an eight-day now and on to Italy and we’ll see we sit after that.
“We knew after losing the first three games, sitting in Croke Park, it was like, ‘this is gonna be tough work to make the top eight’. But yeah, we just need to keep pushing on now.”
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Depth leinter rugby Leo Cullen rotation Rugby URC