It’s fair to say Leinster didn’t set the world on fire with their 33-21 victory over the Scarlets at Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Despite a seemingly comfortable scoreline, Leinster fans found the game everything from comfortable. After a fast start and two quick tries from James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park, it appeared that Leinster would cruise to another URC semifinal. However, the Scarlets stormed back into the game and put Leinster under pressure at times, cutting Leinster’s lead to one point by halftime. If it wasn’t for Leinster’s enormous strength in depth getting them through, there could’ve been yet another shock home defeat for Leinster.
Leinster’s assault left a lot to be desired, with Donncha O’Callaghan providing an excellent illustration for how their kicking game limited their gifted players. The attack, along with a defence that Scarlets were able to split open on many occasions, has many people concerned that this Leinster season will conclude without a trophy if they do not improve in their URC semifinal against Glasgow Warriors next weekend.
Since their shocking defeat to Northampton in the Champions Cup semifinals, Leinster has struggled to regain their form. The defeat stunned the rugby world, as many had Leinster penciled in for the final in Cardiff, having been seeded on the easier side of the draw and facing some of the most powerful rugby players up to that time. With Leinster having previously defeated Northampton in the 2024 semifinals, many believed they had a berth in the final locked up before a ball was played.
This sentiment appears to have spread to the Leinster camp as well, with Leo Cullen admitting as much to the media following Saturday’s win over the Scarlets.
Again, going back to the semi-final we’ve already lost [to Northampton], people were looking ahead. Everyone’s looking ahead. Everyone is. Supporters, staff were trying to look too far ahead. So, it was a real harsh lesson for us, but [it’s about] making sure we learn from that.
While it is common for fans and analysts to say that they appeared to have already won the game before kickoff, Leo Cullen’s admission that the staff were looking forward to a final before they had won the semi-finals is unusual. It begs the issue of how the squad was prepared for the semifinal; could they have been better prepared for the Northampton assault, which ripped them open with ease, and could the attack have been better set up to break down a team who finished eighth in the Premiership?
It leaves the door open for others to question Cullen. After losing the previous three finals in a row, Leinster should have been the last team to consider that far ahead.
The pressure is undoubtedly on for Cullen and Leinster that they go on and win the URC this season. For the amount of talent and support Leinster has, going this long without a title is disappointing. They’ll need to improve next week if they want to overcome the defending champions Glasgow Warriors and earn a home final and a chance to end their wait.
Leave a Reply