Focusing on performance rather than the return of personnel will be key if Leinster are to kick-start a season that has begun with a brace of defeats in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
A rump of the pride is back from Lions duty in Australia, swapping the grind of preseason for the rough and tumble of a first competitive outing. Despite this, it would be foolish to think the transition from training paddock to pitch will be smoothness personified when the Irish province host the Sharks at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Returning from a two-game tour to South Africa with one point from a possible 10, Leinster’s defeats contrasted wildly. They were meek and off-colour in going down 35-0 to the Stormers, but much improved and a tad unlucky against the Bulls (39-31). There was still, however, a small bit of overlap from the previous game in areas that didn’t click.
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen will rely on instinct to get the right balance between returning Lions and those that deserve another shot from the Bulls game. Players require different time frames to get up to match speed. Some are quick, others less so.
RM Block
One of those Lions who’ll be involved on Saturday evening is Rónan Kelleher. He is refreshed after a five-week break, including a fortnight sampling the delights of Croatia. Holidays or not, there is no going crazy in the off-season as fitness levels must be kept ticking over.
Kelleher’s exposure to a second Lions tour brought with it some nuggets in his desire to keep evolving as a player, not all of it strictly in his bailiwick as a hooker. He cited the work of the English coach Richard Wigglesworth.
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“He had a massive interest in the kick/chase and the exit strategies,” said Kelleher. “It was fascinating to see how he viewed that side of the game. Some of the stuff he implemented, I assume we are going to take back and implement here and [with] Ireland as well.”
In terms of his teammates, it was about getting used to each other and getting the set-pieces down to a tee.
Kelleher continued: “It is similar but there are differences in how people do things. The little nuances in how people play the game, little tweaks, little differences in how things are coached and how they see the game versus how we see the game. Even though there are similarities in how everyone is running their attacking shape and their defensive shape, there are slight differences.”
One of the most enjoyable aspects, when it came to playing and his personal development, was being challenged to prepare differently. He explained: “I’m very process driven. I have to tick off things in my preparation each week. Over there it was different because the games came thick and fast and I ended up being involved in eight of the 10.
“You can’t really do the same week-long prep for a game. It was quite enjoyable going game to game, doing your homework, but maybe not doing all the prep. There was an emphasis on recovery and how you mentally prepare for the game.
“Basically, I stripped down my process. What can I tweak here? A lot of it was trusting the coach and the S&Cs and the information they were giving us. They weren’t going to ‘beast’ us in training and then play a game the next day. I found that enjoyable. [I thought it was going to be] a tough ask [with] a turnaround every three, four days, but I really loved it.”
Sharks head coach John Plumtree will be able to call upon some of his international cohort that helped the Springboks win the Rugby Championship, a triumph clinched with a win over Argentina.
He must decide who of Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche, Eben Etzebeth, Bongi Mbonambi, Vincent Koch, Grant Williams, Ethan Hooker, Andre Esterhuizen and Makazole Mapimpi will get to stretch their legs at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening.
Outhalf Jean Smith had a decent outing against the Dragons while scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse has been a key figure. Plumtree may continue with Edwill van der Merwe at fullback and the centre combination of Jurenzo Julius and Lukhanyo Am.
A large part of Leinster’s focus this week will have been internal, looking to reintegrate the Lions contingent, while also retaining an element of continuity. The disappointment of what’s gone before has to be replaced by a resolve.
Kelleher said: “What is important for us is that we are bringing the energy in training, trying to lift up the lads. Then it’s about getting back on the same page, getting the cohesion back, making sure we’re burning with enthusiasm and carrying the energy into training.”
The final step will be to bring that cohesion and desire to the match arena and to play like champions.
