THE BREAKDOWN:AMERICAN AUTHOR Mark Twain knew what he was talking about when he observed that "facts are stubborn things but statistics are more pliable." The assertion carries a certain resonance when applied to rugby's post match balance sheet, the same figures often thrust forward to support diametrically opposite opinions.
The statistics - available on the scrum.com website - arising from Leinster's victory over Castres Olympique at the RDS make for interesting reading ahead of tomorrow night's second meeting of the teams at the Stade Pierre-Antoine.
Leinster dominated possession at the RDS, passing three times as much and running more than twice as often as the French visitors. It was only in their respective kicking statistics that Castres and Leinster offered comparable figures, with the home side kicking the ball 34 times, one less than their opponents.
The Irish province placed an emphasis on keeping the ball in hand - the first 20 minutes notwithstanding when they kicked more often than not - and managed twice as many offloads in contact.
Castres backs coach Mark McCall pointed out in the aftermath that his side had tried to slow down Leinster's ruck ball and while they managed this to a point, Leinster's protection of their possession in this facet of play saw them win 91 rucks from 93 in which they took the ball in: Castres lost the ball on seven occasions.
It is in the category of turnovers conceded (19 as opposed to Castres' 16) that Leinster coach Michael Cheika will be looking to address ahead of tomorrow night's match.
As he conceded, the Irish province probably won't enjoy the same amount of possession at the Stade Pierre-Antoine and will therefore have to be more frugal when it comes to errors.
The Australian, along with defence coach Kurt McQuilkin, will be happier with his charges' vigilance when not in possession. Leinster made 60 tackles, while missing just three, while Castres spent a great deal more time defending, a fact reflected in 142 tackles made and 23 missed. The Irish side made four clean line breaks while giving up none.
The set-piece breakdown illustrates that Leinster were dominant out of touch, while Castres enjoyed an edge in the scrums. The Irish side took four of Castres' nine throws but were twice adjudged to have conceded the advantage on their own scrum.
The French club have lost several matches in their domestic championship by a single score but there is a recurring theme that points at indiscipline.
At the RDS last Saturday, Leinster led 9-0 at the break through three penalties from outhalf Jonathan Sexton: Castres gave up 13 in total, including one that led to a yellow card for prop Yannick Forestier.
Leinster duo Brian O'Driscoll and Shane Horgan stand on the cusp of reaching an elite milestone in Europe. O'Driscoll's try at the RDS was his 24th in the Heineken Cup, allowing him to pull alongside his team-mate.
ERC recognise, through an award (The Elite25Club), any player to reach 25 tries in Europe and as of now there are just two, Daffyd James (29) and Vincent Clerc (27).
The two Leinster players though remain doubtful. Both teams will confirm their match 22s at lunch-time today.
