Maudlin is permissible as an emotion at this time of year. Players retire or move on to fresh challenges. Despite the promises, friendships are never exactly the same for those who depart. They can’t be when a player is not among the group every day.
Retirees often cite the camaraderie and dressingroom banter as aspects of their former life that they come to miss most. They stay in touch, but are not in touch with that daily working intimacy.
It is therefore not a surprise that James Lowe alighted on two players, one from either category – Cian Healy who retires at the end of the season and the Gloucester-bound Ross Byrne – when speaking about Leinster’s motivation in trying to win a United Rugby Championship title, the first step towards which is to beat the Scarlets at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday (3pm).
How can the provinces break France’s dominance?
“When I look around the changing-room and the people who aren’t going to be here next year, the two you obviously think of are Ross Byrne and Cian Healy. Some of the best days of your life are when you win silverware together,” the Leinster wing said.
“For Ireland we have been able to do that in recent years, but we haven’t been able to transfer that with Leinster. It doesn’t mean that because you have won with Ireland you are going to win with Leinster.
“You still have to come back here and perform on the biggest of days and under the most amount of pressure. That’s what we want to do. We can’t let Cian Healy leave Leinster without another medal around his neck. It’s not doing him justice; it’s not doing Ross Byrne justice. Those boys watched Leinster at Donnybrook years and years ago.”
Lowe also appreciates that it is the wider Leinster squad who have propelled the province to this point of the season in the URC, and for many they will not get a chance to play through the knockout phase should they progress to the final.
He said it was one thing to be disappointed after losing a match, but quite another to look at the faces of those who did not even get the opportunity. Empathy builds a strong bond.
Lowe learned a couple of other important life lessons over the weekend.
Dublin Zoo is much bigger than he realised, armed with one buggy and two children, and that his son Nico probably needs a couple of footwork drills to keep him upright when given a taste of freedom.
Lowe also got a first-hand appraisal of the sheer size of the circus that he would be joining as a Lion for the upcoming tour to Australia.
The recent orientation day in London saw him “introducing myself to people, like, three times a day. I was just, like, ‘I’m so sorry I’ve got no idea who you are or what you do, but you’re sitting there, and you look like I should introduce myself’.” There are 38 players in an official travelling party that will probably hit the 90-mark.
Lowe’s eloquent rebuttal of the criticism, from some quarters, of southern-hemisphere-born players wearing the red jersey hit its mark last week.
But he demonstrated a lighter touch in getting all touchy-feely emotionally with erstwhile enemies and soon to be team-mates.
“It was awesome, though, even just to mix and mingle on a social level with players that on the weekend you hate. You genuinely have a serious hate for these people and then to meet them in a context of [the fact] we are on the same journey together [and] about to tour Australia.
“You need to break down these barriers because we’re all in the same boat, going in the same direction and we want to succeed. It was cool in that sense.”
To more pressing matters and a game against a Scarlets team that recently beat Leinster in Llanelli, west Wales. A superior kicking game was central to the Welsh club’s victory.
Lowe offered the “skinny” on the Scarlets detail, saying: “On paper the team is very good. The back three is young, but they are all international players.
“Their midfield is big and abrasive, ball in hand, able to put little kicks in. Nine and 10 axis, you have a 10 there that wants to ping corners and that’s what they did.”
The Scarlets won that kicking battle, so Leinster must come with a plan.
“That’s how they beat us last time so it’s about us as a back three trying to nullify that,” Lowe said.
“If we can take that away with good kick pressure and pressure at the ruck, make [Scarlets scrumhalf Gareth] Davies at nine have to scrap for everything, make it a real tough day for him, I think it will go a long way.
“If we force them into bad kicks or read cues as a back three, if we can shut down kick angles with good pressure, that can make our lives so much easier. We can look after each other.”
