CULLEN: DEPARTING DUO KEY FOR US
LEO CULLEN says that his Leinster squad are using the impending departures of captain Isa Nacewa and Jordi Murphy to fuel their double dream. The Blues edged Munster 16-15 in a thrilling Pro14 semi-final at the RDS on Saturday, and are now looking to become the first club to win both the European Cup and Pro14 titles in the same season. Nacewa is set to retire at the end of the campaign after a 10-year association with Leinster, while Murphy, who made his debut for the province in 2011, is moving to Ulster. ‘Some players are finishing up and it’s wanting to give them a good send off, Isa in particular and Jordi,’ Cullen said. ‘It means a huge amount to the group because this group is never going to be the same again. ‘It’s been an amazing year. It’s come off the back of a lot of disappointment over the last couple of seasons. We’ve got ourselves back in the position again. ‘Everyone wants to work hard for another week to give people the ideal send-off. Sport is never really the perfect story, is it? But, we would ideally like to give people the perfect send-off.’ Saturday’s defeat of Munster was a final RDS appearance for both Nacewa and Murphy, with the captain succumbing to his troublesome knee injury at half-time, although Leinster are confident of having the versatile back available this weekend. It was an opportunity for other players to shine, with Man of the Match James Lowe particularly impressive after failing to make the match day squad in Bilbao. Speaking shortly after the final whistle on Saturday, Lowe was even able to joke about missing out against Racing. ‘I’m pretty knackered man,’ he said with a smile. ‘I’m sorry fellas. I don’t get to play often.’ The 25-year-old played a key role in the move that led to Jack Conan’s early try, and almost swooped for a try of his own. While his attacking abilities are well established, most striking on Saturday was how Lowe brought some renewed intensity and focus to his defensive game — attributes that will be key in his bid to start Saturday’s meeting with Scarlets at Lansdowne Road. ‘Man, no team has ever done the double; so it’s something we’ve talked about,’ Lowe added. ‘It just shows how mentally tough some of these boys are to play 160 minutes of finals footy, some of them are going to play 240 minutes of finals footy. ‘There’s a very special group of men in that changing-room.’ After seeing their season ended by their most fierce rivals, Munster captain Peter O’Mahony had nothing but praise for Leinster, outlining just what makes them so hard to beat. ‘I think their basics are something that makes them stand out,’ O’Mahony said. Their set-piece, their kicking game. It’s a simple gameplan they play with but it’s incredibly hard to get the ball off them.’