MOST OF THE supporters who made their way to the RDS last Saturday arrived at the ground expecting to see another Leinster win, but few would have predicted the breathless, 13-try thriller that played out on a gorgeous October evening.
“It was full-on really from the off,” says Garry Ringrose, scorer of two tries in the province’s 54-34 defeat of the Sharks.
“A lot of the back and forth, we created a bit of space on the scoreboard, but the danger they have, I’m not 100% sure was it when I got stripped, they managed to score from that and it was game on again. With the ability they have, you can’t really lapse in concentration which we did a few times, some our own fault, and some where they were really good.
“Some stuff we’ll be really happy with, and then some stuff that will give us something to talk about [during the week]. We had a lot of respect for Sharks going into the game and they didn’t disappoint with some of the things they delivered, which made life tough for us. Guys rallied together and put some good pieces of play together, some good defensive sets when we needed it and getting a good win at home, we’ll always be happy with that.”
Ringrose was called into the action early as Jordan Larmour limped out after just 20 minutes, the 27-year-old turning in a man of the match performance on the wing.
The centre has played out wide previously, but admits covering the position still presents its challenges.
“When you’re [number] 23 you sort of prepare for a number of positions you could be called upon [to cover], and someone like Jordo, coming on for him, it’s pretty big boots to fill.
“So yeah, some good moments, but others were just me being in the right place at the right time off the back of good work from Johnny [Sexton], a brilliant kick from Robbie [Henshaw] as well.
“So happy with some parts and other parts, I’ll have to pick the brains of the wingers to see how I can be better if I’m there again.
“They [wingers] play a massive role in our defensive system, and trying to be a step ahead and see what the opposition are going to do.
“When they [Sharks] scored in the near corner, I think it was Ryan [Baird], Will [Connors] and Ross [Molony] that I had on the inside of me, and what I probably should have done better was cue them up to what was coming next maybe a phase or two later, to then give us a bit more defensive width to be able to come off square, which unfortunately I didn’t do and then they were able to turn and score pretty easy in the corner.
“So just little things like that, where I’ll have to have a conversation with the coaches and the other wingers to see how I can be better in those spots.”
Ringrose wasn’t the only Leinster player to catch the eye. Captain Johnny Sexton also delivering a number of quality moments on his first start of the season, with the out-half in a particularly fiery mood.
Sexton’s interactions with referee Craig Evans didn’t sit well with some viewers, but his presence clearly helps lift those around him.
“There’s loads of different levels to his leadership, and he’s a pretty high bar to try chase in terms of the leadership standards,” Ringrose continues.
“But what he does, without a doubt, is he leads by example in how he plays and how he commits to the plan in place, but then also how he individually leads in his own performance. So that’s probably the biggest thing that he does.
But then he also draws on his experience and probably notices and makes decisions in the right time and the right areas of the park, which have a bigger impact on the team. He’s a great person for a few of us who are challenging the leadership role to learn off, and while he’s still here we’ll keep trying to learn off him as best we can.”
This weekend Leinster head to Galway for a Friday night interpro derby against a Connacht side who are fresh from picking up their first win of the season, overcoming Munster on The Sportsgrounds’ new artificial turf last Friday.
“The Sportsground is one of the toughest games to go in Ireland, in the URC,” Ringrose continues.
“We had them in Europe last year, and were quite lucky to come out with a win in that first leg. It’s one of the toughest places to go, and you need to be at your best if you want to beat them.
“They had a slower start to the season, but you can see them getting better and better with every game. It was evident in their win against Munster and how they managed to grind it out. Jack Carty said after the game they were probably operating at about 60%, so their ceiling is still a lot higher than the level they’re at.
“For us, the challenge is to dust ourselves off, get right and prepare as best we can. That’s what we’ll need to do to beat them.”
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