CULLEN’S LEINSTER HAVE GOT A REAL TASTE FOR WINNING
Young’s Wasps are left stung by a Leinster side in ruthless form
DAI YOUNG knew there was no point in looking for any sympathy as he sat in the RDS media room shortly after witnessing his team get torn to shreds by a bloodthirsty Leinster on Friday night.
‘It’s pretty much the Irish team isn’t it really?’ the Wasps rugby director shrugged. ‘And they haven’t done too bad of late, have they?’
With a string of key men missing, Wasps — who have the highest wage bill in the Premiership — were never going to be in for a comfortable evening at the home of the defending European champions, but even the most pessimistic of visiting supporters could hardly have envisaged such a rout — the 52-3 win representing the Blues’ record winning margin against Premiership opposition.
When Leo Cullen sat in the same chair minutes later, he attempted to play down the significance of the performance. One suspects he will have to engage in many similar conversations over the coming months.
It was not simply the fact that Leinster stuck eight tries on their visitors, but the manner in which they did so. Hooker Sean Cronin left Sprinkbok Willie Le Roux clutching at air when he turned on the burners and raced over the line with just five minutes on the clock.
Tighthead Tadhg Furlong produced a moment of magic in the second half when he hit the gas before a wonderful offload to set James Lowe free in the build up to Luke McGrath’s second try. Even Johnny Sexton got in on the party atmosphere in that second period, producing a brilliant no look, through-the-legs pass to find Robbie Henshaw, who in turn released Lowe for the Kiwi’s second try of the night.
And it was Lowe who stole the show. It is still remarkable to think that last season he only featured three times in this competition as he fell victim to the restrictions on Antipodean players.
Surely, he will play a more prominent role this time around. On Friday night he dotted down twice for the second time in six days. He could have had even more, turning down a run at the corner in order to play in Luke McGrath while he also fired a pass that bounced off Sexton’s chest when the two had worked a good position during a first-half break. Lowe made 164 metres in total, more than the entire Wasps team (136).
Late tries from Jordan Larmour, Henshaw and Jack McGrath brought the try count up to eight. Next up is a trip to Toulouse, who stand alongside Leinster on the tournament’s roll of honour.
The Blues have lifted this trophy three times since Toulouse won the last of their four Champions Cups in 2010, and it is likely they will reemphasise that shift in power at the Stade Ernest Wallon on Saturday. The province may have to plan for that trip without Dan Leavy (who pulled out at the last minute having struggled with some tightness in his calf throughout the week), Cian Healy and Rob Kearney (who both also felt some tightness in the game), but that hardly seems to matter, such is the quality available to Leo Cullen in reserve.
While Wasps brought on Ashley Johnson, Tom Cruse and Kearnen Myall in the second half at the RDS, Cullen sent in Scott Fardy and Ireland internationals Andrew Porter and Sean O’Brien. The victory equalled Leinster’s longest winning streak in the competition, matching the run of ten victories across the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons. There is no reason to believe that they can’t extend that figure to 18 come the final in Newcastle.
‘I think last season’s experiences just gave players a taste for it (winning),’ explained Cullen.
‘And I think they liked it as well and they wanted more of it. It’s enjoyable for them to play like that.
‘Last season just gave a lot of belief to the players about what they are capable of, and I think they think there are tons of areas they can get better at. Even the natural instincts, they were a bit disappointed at the end of the Champions Cup final (last season) because they never really got the chance to play in the game.’ Even the team selected by Cullen read like a statement of intent. Despite having to swap Leavy for Rhys Ruddock shortly before kickoff, this was as strong a team as Leinster could have fielded. For the opening round of European action last season, Cullen selected a far more diverse side, blending youth with experience. Only seven of the players that started on Friday were in the team that swatted aside Montpellier 12 months ago (where James Ryan made his Champions Cup debut after Scott Fardy’s last minute withdrawal). This time, Cullen named 11 players that were also in his first 15 for the final against Racing last May. Captain Sexton hadn’t played a first round game in the tournament since 2015. The province have now won their last seven games against Premiership opposition having only won four from ten against English teams before that. The home side boasted 71 per cent possession and 75 per cent territory. The rest of Europe must have been watching through their hands. The message from Cullen heading to Toulouse will be more of the same, please. ‘Having skillful forwards, if you want to play a skilful game you need skilful forwards to be able to play as well,’ Cullen continued. ‘The work that Stuart (Lancaster) does, even John Fogarty on some of the catch-pass and execution of some the basics is hugely important and something we’ve gone very hard after the last couple of preseasons. ‘Defensively we looked quite solid as well, I thought, nice and aggressive on the edges as well and we put Wasps under a lot of pressure. Then sometimes off those turnovers guys were able to pounce and pick Wasps off.’ One game into the new European season, and Leinster’s grip on the trophy looks as strong as ever.