LEINSTER MAY have gotten over the Heineken Cup hump with their cup season intact. No pressure then? “I wouldn’t have thought so,” said Leinster forwards coach Jono Gibbes reluctantly but firmly. “There’s errors that we’re making and some discipline issues that are costing us a bit of flow, so I wouldn’t have thought the pressure’s off at all.”
There are speed bumps ahead, and not just Cardiff this weekend in PRO12. In the back-to-back series in December (9th and 15th) Leinster face a more onerous sequence against Clermont in that tournament’s popular peculiarity, when the teams play home and away on consecutive weekends.
Joe Schmidt knows his Clermont. But Damian Browne, who has played in the Leinster secondrow for the last three weeks, is also a graduate of Gallic rugby.
His time in Brive took him to Clermont Auvergne for ritual beatings. He can’t recall ever leaving Stade Marcel Michelin with the scalp of the home side.
Ever won there? “No. Never.” Ever come close? “No. Never.”
Brive are not the European champions but the arm wrestle in France in the first match is going to be intense. Browne knows they will unequivocally target Leinster in their home game like few other teams do.
“I haven’t actually seen the game against Exeter but I was pretty impressed with the scoreline,” he said. “We were travelling back at the time it was on but some of the lads were keeping track of it. It was 12-9 at one stage and we were saying, ‘jeez, they’re in for a fight’.
“But then to pull away like they did and put 40-odd points on (Exeter) was very impressive over there because they gave us a very tough time.
“Exeter are a very dogged team, they hold the line well, defend well. You can only but be impressed with that score.”
Brive and Clermont was the one-sided local derby during Browne’s three seasons and like other grounds with the fortress tag such as Thomond Park, the pitch is close to the crowd. Frail minds can feel squeezed. Bonnaire, Fofana, Parra, Sivivatu, Nalaga. Danger in most places.
“There was a lot of head-banging and head-butting and punching in the changing room so it was a scary place to be,” recalled Browne. “I can’t remember where we attacked them but I presume we attacked the scrum. We always backed our scrum. That would have been one area where we had a cut at them. They are not a renowned team in France for having a huge scrum like some other teams so that would have been one area.
“I remember playing against Nalaga (Napolioni) and he was phenomenal at the time. He was fit and he was scoring tries. I think he scored 18 tries in the Top 14 that year to be top scorer. He is a very impressive finisher and ball-carrier and he is back this year after a year at Western Force. He is obviously comfortable in his surroundings and they have got him fit. Some player.”
For now it’s Cardiff and some international matches in between. Schmidt must wait to see what he has after November’s predictably attritional battles with South Africa, Fiji and Argentina. News now is brighter than it has been for some weeks. Gordon D’Arcy successfully came through 80 minutes in Llanelli, while Richardt Strauss received stitches to a cut on his chin.
It is also hoped Rob Kearney (back) will be available as well as Rhys Ruddock to smarten up the number of loose forwards. Kearney’s younger brother Dave, who has not played since the PRO12 final last season, is also set to step across the whitewash after recovering from hip operations.
As with everything with Leinster and Ireland, timing is key. Both Kearneys should have had have a good run, while flanker Seán O’Brien is likely to be a Christmas returnee.
“We’ve been a bit disrupted and haven’t quite got the flow that we normally have,” added Gibbes. “But we know there’s a lot of effort going in and a few things we need to tidy up and whatever happens in November we’ll start from there.”
Has it not been always thus?
