Empty stands made Leinster tap energy tank
HIS players were forced to draw on their own energy to compensate for a lack of crowd atmosphere when they beat the Southern Kings at a near-empty Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, Leinster captain Rhys Ruddock said.
There was a sparse turnout of 3 011 fans at the 46 000-capacity stadium when Leinster condemned the Kings to a third consecutive defeat in the Pro14.
When the Kings played in Europe against the Scarlets in Wales and Connacht in Ireland, there were close to capacity crowds at both games at smaller stadiums.
“Sometimes, when there is a huge stadium and there is not a huge number of people, you just need to bring your own energy,” Ruddock said.
Though the Kings held the Irish outfit in the first half, they fell away after the break on their way to a 31-10 defeat in which they were outscored by five tries to one.
It was a third consecutive win for the unbeaten Dublin-based side who are Conference B leaders.
“I thought the energy the Kings brought in the first half was greater than ours and that left us second best a lot of the time,” the Leinster skipper said.
“But we regrouped at half time and then I saw the intent and energy we brought. That allowed us to get a hold on the game and we kind of grew from there.
“We were disappointed with the first half, but credit to the way the Kings played – they put us under pressure with ball in hand and that was tough to defend.”
Leinster coach Leo Cullen said he was pleased to emerge with the win and that his attention was now focused on Friday’s clash against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
“We were a little bit inaccurate in the first half and the Kings put us under a lot of pressure,” Cullen said.
“Leinster just did not have enough control of the game.
“We were much more composed at the start of the second and we had better execution. We were also more direct with our carries and our ball security was better.
“We got turned over four or five times at the ruck in the first half.
“There is a lot to work on, but we are pleased with the outcome and happy with our bit. Now we are looking ahead to the Cheetahs.”
Cullen felt that attendances at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium would pick up as the season progressed.
“These things are going to take time. It’s been a difficult backdrop for the Kings, everything is set up here, they have a fantastic stadium and as the performances improve I’m sure you will get better crowds.”
The Kings face Italian side Zebre at the stadium in their second home game of the season on Saturday night.
In their first game in South Africa, Zebre were beaten 54-39 by the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
Kings medical staff said yesterday that props Entienne Swanepoel and Rossouw de Klerk would be available for the Zebre clash.
The pair sat out for the match against Leinster after suffering head injuries against Connacht and failing their mandatory head injury assessments.
Sometimes, when there is a huge stadium and there is not a huge number of people, you just need to bring your own energy