Few people spoke more eloquently in the aftermath of last May’s Champions Cup final loss to Toulouse after extra time in the Tottenham Stadium, or indeed any defeat for anybody, anywhere all season, than James Ryan.
Losing a third successive final may have hurt terribly, but given a choice between being part of a team that kept banging on the door than one who were not contenders, he would sign up to the former every time.
So, in the early throes of another search for that elusive fifth star, he is true to his word and maybe even has a little more perspective on this Magnificent Obsession.
He has been asked if there is extra pressure having come so close in three successive finals, and he said: “I don’t think there is. There’s always pressure and it’s probably pressure we put on ourselves in terms of expectations and standards. It’s the same this year.
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“We want to go after winning trophies and that comes with huge pressure, but what’s the alternative? You don’t want to go after it? It’s the same this year, early days, but it’s great to be back in a competition we love playing in,” said Ryan in advance of Saturday’s clash with familiar Clermont Auvergne at the Aviva Stadium (kick-off 5.30pm).
As Leinster and Toulouse understand seemingly better than anyone critical to their prospects of lifting the trophy is securing the carrot of home advantage as deep into the tournament as possible. To that end emerging from last Sunday’s game away to Bristol was “very pleasing”, especially when reduced to 13 men.
That said, Ryan admitted: “We probably lacked a bit of cohesion at times in the first half, and then when we went down to 13 men, I don’t know, it seemed to sort of rally us at that point. To keep the scoreline to what we did was pretty pleasing because they’re such a good attacking side. They’re very different to nearly all of the sides that we face in that they like playing rugby from absolutely anywhere, so we knew defensively it was going to be a big one for us.”
Early into the second half, soon after the game returned from 13 v 15 to 15-a-side, it became 14 v 14 when French referee Pierre Brousset sinbinned opposing props Max Lahiff and a bemused Andrew Porter within two minutes of his introduction
Ryan revealed that his secondrow partner RG Snyman started laughing. “He’s pretty chilled. Like I said, laughing on the pitch. He’s already very popular off the pitch. He’s very laid-back. And on the pitch obviously he’s a great option in the lineout, but he has that all-court game as well. He’s very good with the ball in hand, you see the way he looks for offloads.
“When you’re putting a plan together for the week in the set piece he’s brilliant as well. He loves a lineout drive. He’d be very open-minded to trying different things and looking at what might work and what we can do this week. I’ve loved it, he’s been great.”
Therein lies much of the value in the provinces hiring world class coaches and players, aside from their contribution on the pitch, even with Leinster’s unrivalled production line,
“He does bring a different voice with different ideas,” said Ryan of Snyman. “He’s pretty open-minded to trying stuff. I’d say there are a lot of similarities as well in the way that he looks at the game, and the way some of the second rows in here would look at it.”
Ryan is true to an organisation where the obsessive Johnny Sexton set the tone, and he accepts that Snyman’s attitude is perhaps a welcome antidote.
“Now I wouldn’t pat myself on the back for losing the finals but even having a bit of a smile, I’d be quite serious, certainly when I’m on the pitch,” admitted Ryan, adding that Snyman’s approach has reminded him not to be afraid to enjoy his craft as well. “It is a good thing because maybe sometimes it can be a bit serious.
“Scott Fardy was the same when he came, real old school, completely different perspective on it. Now he’d be the other end of the spectrum, and even Jordie [Barrett] coming in, just a different personality, and James Lowe as well.”
Meetings between Leinster and Clermont, who have lost all three finals they have reached and are perhaps the best club never to lift the trophy, have provided the Champions Cup with some of its finest memories, and Ryan remembers them vividly, not least Leinster’s epic 19-15 semi-final win in April 2012.
“The one in Bordeaux was amazing. Was it Rob Kearney who scored that try? Was it Church?” asks Ryan of the second phase strike play from which Kearney made the break and Cian Healy applied the finish.
“For whatever reason it’s always seemed like Leinster v Clermont has been a big rivalry. I don’t think they’re too fond of us.”
Clermont have had an upturn this season, beating Benetton 28-0 at home last weekend, and under Christophe Urios’ old school direction will bring an altogether different challenge than Pat Lam’s all-singing, all-dancing Bristol.
“Yeah, they’re going well, is it second or third in Top 14? They’ve had some big wins. They obviously had a good win over Benetton at the weekend. They were very dominant in the first half, so it’s a very different challenge this week.”
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