TARGET PRACTICE
Blues can do their bit for Ireland by putting away Scotland’s finest
Leinster have an opportunity to re-establish the old order
WHAT was the most predictable result at the 2015 World Cup? Ireland’s comprehensive pool win over France.
For years in the run-up to that long signalled pivotal group fixture, a concerted effort was made not to give the French an inch. The pattern of Test results screwed a nail deep in Gallic heads and the consequence was that by the time the pool decider took place in Cardiff, French confidence was at an extremely low ebb and Ireland duly profited.
Now the focus is to screw a similar nail in Scottish heads in time for the 2019 finals. It won’t be until November 2 that the exact details of when and where Joe Schmidt’s Ireland will do battle with Gregor Townsend’s Scotland in Japan are confirmed, but Leinster today have a golden opportunity to start laying a World Cup foundation by landing the psychological blow of putting Glasgow in the Champions Cup ha’penny place.
With so many international players in their respective ranks, Leinster versus Glasgow is the de facto club version of an Ireland-Scotland Test match. While Leo Cullen’s side are minus a few very familiar faces — their list headed by Sean O’Brien and featuring others such as Rob Kearney and Jamie Heaslip — they still field a starting XV with 13 Ireland internationals, with Aussie Scott Fardy and young Barry Daly the odd two out.
It’s no great leap then, to suggest that winning away at Scotstoun against a Warriors XV containing 10 Scotland internationals would be a very useful first step in retaking the ground ceded eight months ago at Murrayfield.
Little was expected from the Scots last February. Ireland had long dominated the Test fixture and even clinched the 2015 title in Edinburgh with a runaway hammering.
However, a Six Nations encounter that had eight starting Ireland players from Leinster and nine starting Scotland players from Glasgow tipped the way of the home side, the 27-22 upset serving notice that the World Cup matchup in two years’ time between the countries might could become an unpredictable affair, not one where the Irish would be fancied to win comfortably.
The confidence gained by the Scots from this unexpected victory was huge, with their campaign ending with them level on points with Ireland and France.
But now comes an opportunity to begin re-establishing the old order, Leinster facing Glasgow twice in Europe before the Six Nations rolls around next March.
Not since 1999 have Glasgow beaten Irish opposition in Europe and with Leinster having only won one of their last 10 away European games anywhere (two draws, seven losses), these club results will very much be in the national interest.
It can’t be completely ignored how Munster inflicted a double dose on the Warriors in last season’s Champions Cup, but the bottom line was that the Reds only provided three starters to Schmidt when the Six Nations began, hardly a meaty representation to leave the Scots’ Glasgow contingent fearing the worst on an international stage.
Therefore, Leinster gaining a decisive European edge this winter would be a different situation, given their place at the bedrock of Schmidt’s Test selections through to the World Cup, where the Scots will likely remain heavily Glasgow influenced, even more so now that their old boss Townsend has taken over the national reins.
Townsend is a canny foe to be very wary of. When he took over at Glasgow, rather than forever fear they couldn’t compete with the provinces, he set about mirroring how the Irish went about their business, on and off the field, and the grand reward was their 2015 Pro12 final destruction of Munster in Belfast.
Now, having taken control of Scotland, his ambition will be to quickly build on the belief from last spring that his country isn’t second rate and plot the long-term ambush of the Irish in Japan.
That outcome would be a disaster, if it happened. On paper, the draw for the 2019 finals has presented Ireland with an appetising route towards reaching a first-ever semi-final.
However, young players such as Tadhg Furlong, Joey Carbery and multiple other recent newcomers could do with getting into the pre World Cup habit of beating up Glasgow and Scotland regularly.
This is what happened last time around, the likes of Kearney, Heaslip and O’Brien becoming so used to beating France and its club teams that they never flinched when it came to the task of dismissing Les Blues at England 2015.
That same pattern is now sought, with everything Scottish in the Leinster crosshairs.