New kid on the block

By his own admission, Jamie Heaslip faces the biggest challenge of his career when he faces Anthony Foley in tomorrow’s Heineken Cup semi-final at Lansdowne Road.

It’s a classic case of the new kid on the block up against the wise old head, a 22-year-old against a 32-year-old, and Heaslip is well aware he needs to perform big time to knock Munster’s inspirational captain out of his stride.

“It’s going to be a tough game for everyone, a tough game for individuals such as myself, especially when you come up against a guy like Anthony. He has a huge amount of experience, from Heineken Cup to international level. I’m going to have to come up with something special to try and outwit him and maybe drag him around the park a bit.

“It’s more than about me though; Munster have a well-proven pack, and that’s a big challenge in itself.”

However, Heaslip is not one to respect reputations. He has come through the ranks, from schools, to U-19s and U-21s and can boast, unlike a lot of others, that he was involved in a World Cup final at U-21 level.

“I’m new enough to the team, but the Leinster pack has had to cope with criticism for a good while now. It’s kind of like water off a duck’s back at this stage. We’re all sick of hearing about how weak we are in the pack, but we have proven ourselves time and again this season against the bigger packs that were meant to shove us around the place.

“It’s a question of stepping up to the challenge and responding against Munster. I’m also sure the Munster backs are a bit fed up of being told that Leinster are better in that department, so it should be a pretty exciting contest,” he said.

Heaslip is happy his side has come into form at the right time: “I think the second half of the season was better than the first, and we have done well at national level against Ulster and Munster. We have also done well home and away to Bourgoin, and against Bath and Toulouse away. These are probably the stand-out games from our pack’s perspective,” he added.

Heaslip is particularly proud of the contribution from the back-row trio in recent weeks: “When you look at the likes of Eric Miller and Niall Ronan, and know what they’re capable of, I guess I’m lucky to be in the team.

“But Cameron [Jowitt] and Keith [Gleeson] have been right up there in terms of form. They have been a huge help to me. There is a huge understanding between us, we have a good balance, and we’re all willing to share the workload and get around the pitch. So far, it has paid dividends,” he said.

Gleeson’s influence, particularly, has rubbed off on Heaslip. “He is the ultimate professional; he throws out words of wisdom and keeps my head screwed on at times when I might be floating away. He has been a huge influence on me this season and he is probably playing the best rugby he has ever played.

“Cameron seemed to come out of nowhere. He was hitch-hiking around Europe or something, and then came to us out of the blue. It’s an amazing story, and everything seems to be paying off for him, and us.”

Heaslip is not one to panic, and views this semi-final in the same way as any other game. “I can’t see much difference between this and the U-21 World Cup, between playing for Trinity at College Park or Clontarf at Castle Avenue. I consider every game as being important; maybe, for sure, it’s going to be a lot more frenzied, but it’s 15 guys against 15 guys and I like to think it won’t trouble me to play in front of a massive crowd.

“I think I have come on anyway as a player, and that we have learned from what happened against Munster at Musgrave Park earlier in the season,” he said.

Undoubtedly, that learning process will be put seriously to the test tomorrow.