WHEN MICHAEL BENT came off the bench to replace Tadhg Furlong for the final 14 minutes of Leinster’s Heineken Champions Cup win over Toulouse last weekend, the tighthead prop bridged a 16-month gap between European appearances.
Bent has been an ever-present and reliable member of the Leinster dressing room for the last seven years, racking up 122 appearances in that time, but many of his contributions in recent seasons have come off Broadway.
The emergence and development of Andrew Porter has relegated the 32-year-old to third choice in the tighthead pecking order, but Bent’s enduring worth was again evident at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday as he stepped into the breach.
After Porter had pulled up during the week with a pectoral injury, Bent was named in Leo Cullen’s European matchday 23 for the first time since December 2017, when he made a late appearance against the Exeter Chiefs at the Aviva Stadium.
The Kiwi-born prop is enjoying a strong run of form and fitness having played a key part in the province’s dominance of their Pro14 conference, particularly during the international windows, and Sunday’s cameo was his 16th appearances this term, 11 of which have been starts.
“I had to be a little bit patient this season and obviously, that opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time for me,” Bent says. “I was delighted to get out there and play in Europe again and now I’ve just got to keep working hard.”
Bent, who made the last of his four Ireland appearances back in August 2015, admitted he was keen just to come on and continue the good work of the pack through to the last minute.
“It’s probably a trap you can get into, thinking you’re a little bit rusty in that area, but it all comes down to the preparation in the week,” he continues.
“I knew they [Toulouse] had a big pack and they were going to be physical so it was just about getting out there and working in our systems and not doing anything out of the ordinary. Just working hard.”
With uncertainty over Porter’s fitness heading into Leinster’s run-in, Bent knows there could be a big opportunity for him to stake his claim and play a part in the province’s two-pronged title tilt.
The Hawera native will get another chance to continue his good form in Saturday’s Pro14 inter-pro against Ulster, ahead of Leinster’s Champions Cup final against Saracens and then the league semi-final later next month.
“Those days are what it’s all about,” he adds. “I’ve had to be a little bit patient but it’s great to get the reward. I’m not 100% sure what Andrew’s situation is but I’ve just got to keep working hard and hopefully when the time comes, I’m ready to step in.”
Gavan Casey and Murray Kinsella are joined by Andy Dunne to get stuck into last weekend’s Champions Cup semi-finals.:
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