Advertisement
©INPHO/James Crombie
return leg

Mike Ross: 'Revenge is a nebulous concept'

Leinster’s tight-head prop feels his team must expect an improved challenge from Northampton this weekend.

LEINSTER HAVE DESERVEDLY been the toast of the Heineken Cup since last weekend, following their excellent performance in beating the Northampton Saints.

Complacency is a dangerous thing of any sport, but head coach Matt O’Connor has been working hard to ensure that mental state of mind is not a factor in the return leg at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday. Leinster can ill afford a slip-up at home, particularly as they find themselves in such a favourable position atop Pool 1.

Tight-head prop Mike Ross admits it is difficult to avoid the media coverage of his province, especially in a week where it has been so positive. However, the Ireland international insists he and his team-mates won’t be buying the hype.

You’d be conscious, it’s a bit of background noise I suppose. It’s hard not to[pay attention] if you pick up a newspaper or even read anything around. At the same time, we’d know we weren’t perfect ourselves, we’d be our own worst critics.

“We dissected our performance on Monday and Tuesday and we know there are elements we can improve on. We know this weekend is probably not going to happen the same way again.”

Ulster went to Northampton in last season’s pool stages and earned a bonus point victory, before losing 10-9 to the Saints the following week at Ravenhill. Ross says Leinster need to learn from that history and be highly wary of Jim Mallinder’s side second time around.

“We’re conscious that it happened last year and I think if you had told us before the game last week what the scoreline would have been, we wouldn’t have believed you. I don’t think any of us anticipated that coming and they’re a pretty proud team so I’m sure they’ll be firing on all cylinders.

imageRoss and Matt O’Connor discuss tactics ahead of Saturday’s game. ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan.

“You kind of have to be careful, you have to look after your own performance first. We’re certainly expecting a tough battle up front, that much hasn’t changed. The hits were pretty hard still at the weekend, but we executed when we got our chances and that was the difference.”

The Saints come to Dublin planning to avenge last weekend’s hammering, although Ross insists that “revenge is a nebulous concept.” Regardless of the prop’s issues with the idea of revenge, Mallinder’s side were embarrassed last time out and will almost certainly be much-improved on Saturday.

With this high-profile fixture taking place at the Lansdowne Road headquarters, Leinster will be able to count on the vocal support of at least 44,000 people. Ross says the relocation is very welcome among the players, despite last season’s pool stage loss there.

“It’s a great stadium to play in. You know, after playing there in the November internationals, especially the New Zealand game, the noise is incredible. Generally, when Leinster play there we have a fairly good record.

“I think we’ve only lost once there and that was against Clermont last year. It’s something we don’t want to repeat and revisit again.”

Like rugby? Follow TheScore.ie’s dedicated Twitter account @rugby_ie >

‘Truly fantastic day’ for Mike McCarthy as he’s given job at burrito bar

‘David ran to Goliath’: This video has us pumped for Connacht’s rematch with Toulouse

Your Voice
Readers Comments
1
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.