If you think my headline means I blame the atrocious weather at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo for Leinster’s defeat, think again.
There were several factors that led to this result, and the steady downpour most certainly wasn’t one of them. First and foremost, there was the stunning 80-minute display by the home side.
You would think a club new to a well-established league would be intimidated enough by the arrival of the 2009 Heineken Cup winners and 2010 table-toppers without conceding a try in the opening minutes as Nacewa followed up his man-of-the-match showing last week with a perfect finish to a perfect backline move. He even added the two from the corner for good measure.
But the Italians clearly had a gameplan to pin us back in our own half and not only did they find the composure to settle into it, they executed it perfectly. Basically, when they pressed in our 22 they were able to put points on the board while we couldn’t.
And when it came to stopping us, if it wasn’t their number 8 Vosawai being a brick wall when we ran at them, it was their fullback Brendan Williams slithering his way past tacklers after fielding a garryowen.
So while there were parts of Leinster’s game which need addressing, let’s be clear that the home side was every bit worthy of their victory, and having seen the Munster v Ospreys match which followed, I doubt either of the league’s last two champions would have fared much better against them.
So…just how did we contribute to our second away downfall of the campaign?
For one thing, I counted four line breaks by Sean O’Brien where we ended up turning the ball over because he had no support. I have a feeling that is down to his not getting the memo on our new offloading system. It appears to be a method by which you ONLY break through a gap if you know you have passing options. So clearly the squad still has to come to grips with the new offence, and if so it’s a shame that’s the case three matches into the season.
Next, we have our decision-making on the pitch. This hurt us last season as well, and I hate to say so but it was also when Shane Jennings was captain.
Down by 9 after 72 minutes, with place-kicking anything BUT a reliable option, and with a guaranteed extra man for the remainder of the match, SURELY the option was to kick for the corner. It stands to reason that if you definitely need a try to get back into a game, it’s better to get it first, THEN you may be left with a 3-pointer to get.
But instead we kicked the first penalty, and missed. Then we kicked the second penalty, and also missed. But the third? No, THIS time we’ll go for the try, but now instead of having 8 minutes to go through organised phases, we were scrambling for a bonus point which left us wide open to a fly-hack down the field which ended up in Williams’ much-deserved clincher.
And last, but certainly not least, we have the player-protection system. I have a simple philosophy when it comes to sports with limited substitutions NEVER start a player who you don’t want to/ think can finish a match.
This season, unfortunately, every time I watch Leinster play in the Magners League I’m going to dread the moment when the clock nears 60 minutes. Why? Because that’s when the pre-determined replacements take place. Our defence had JUST been broken down for Treviso’s first try, and anyone with an ounce of rugby knowledge could see that Eoin O’Malley wasn’t cutting it going forward so the sensible move would be to bring McFadden on to partner Gordon D’Arcy in the centre.
Sadly, the IRFU mandate dictated that the Wexford man had to come off. Or at least I have to assume that’s the case since I haven’t heard of any injury. Meanwhile, over in Thomond Park, it was ok for Ronan O’Gara to come on after 3 minutes and see out the game.
I KNOW what the protection is for and of COURSE I want the national squad to be at full strength when the World Cup comes around. But my contention is, if you want to protect a player, don’t let him play at all. Let the coach have a 23 he can work with for 80 minutes and adapt according to match conditions. I bought my season ticket so I can watch Leinster compete, and that means behaving as every other professional rugby team does over the course of a game.
As you can see, I’m giving coach Schmidt the benefit of the doubt here. Not so over on the Leinster forum where folks are already calling for his head.
Well given the interference from the mother ship, I’m prepared to give him time, but with a trip to wounded Embra next weekend followed by the Auld Enemy in front of a huge AVIVA crowd, that time is wearing thin.
PS…on TG4’s presentation, well it was “an-mhaith”, and long live the Irish language and all, but with all the radio stations keen to show off they’re “official Leinster partners” you’d think ONE of them would offer live commentary “as Béarla” of every match.
