Cheika cheer as Leinster reach new levels

LEINSTER’S performance against Munster silenced many doubters.

Just over two months ago, they made the trip to Musgrave Park for a Celtic League tussle with Munster after some encouraging performances but returned with their heads on their chests like embarrassed schoolboys.

It wasn’t the defeat that rankled, rather the manner of it and that memory has been an itch they have been waiting impatiently to scratch. They did just that in the RDS on New Year’s Eve.

Again, it will be the performance and not the result Michael Cheika and his players will dwell on. Against Bath and Bourgoin, Leinster failed to hang on for crucial wins earlier this season.

That they managed it here despite Munster’s late push, is another sign that Cheika and David Knox are achieving their ambitions.

“People talked about revenge and stuff like that coming up to this one but it wasn’t about that,” said Cheika. “It was reclaiming what we’d lost that day in Musgrave Park and I think we managed to achieve that.

“People perceive what they want to perceive. We looked at ourselves after that game in Munster and we talked about where we wanted to go and how we wanted to get there but the reality is that we need to keep reaching new levels. Every other team is doing that and so do we.”

For Leinster, any win over their old rivals is one to savour but this particular game served up treats far beyond a mere victory and bonus point.

Billed as a contest between blue flair and red thunder, Leinster’s pack showed from the first Munster maul that they weren’t there to be pushed around.

“The pack took a few steps forward today and I’m absolutely delighted about that. I thought they did extremely well. What I was most pleased with was the work ethic, the commitment.

“We were down a man twice but it was all about their desire out there rather than their talent or ability.”

The visit of Munster was always going to attract a bumper audience but a fair chunk of the 14,135 crowd can be credited to the fact that it was Brian O’Driscoll’s first start in six months.

He didn’t disappoint. Leinster’s first two tries came as a result of the Ireland skipper’s contribution and his shoulder seemed to be the last thing on his mind as he ploughed into contact.

“I think he robbed a few boys of their oxygen out there,” laughed Cheika. “He was blowing bloody hard after about 30 minutes, sucking on air whenever he got the chance. I’ve got to say he was marvellous out there for us.

“He hasn’t been used to that sort of contact for a long time now so it’s only natural that it should take a bit out of him. I probably kept him on a bit longer than I’d intended to. I was going to take him off after 60 minutes but he’ll benefit from that run out, no doubt about it.”

Leinster’s potential with ball in hand is increasing game by game as the season progresses and their backs edge closer and closer to Cheika’s wavelength of running rugby.

With Denis Hickie returning to action for 10 minutes on Saturday as well, the Australian coach can now choose his first-choice backline for the first time this season but, despite their embarrassment of riches, it seems Felipe Contepomi is one man they cannot afford to do without.

Leinster wandered listlessly for the ten minutes the Argentine spent in the sin bin and his ability to steer the ship in such an unorthodox yet effective fashion is crucial to his side’s ability to unlock today’s machine-like defensive systems.

“You’d have your heart in your mouth watching him at times. He is really influential on the game, especially the way we want to play it,” said Cheika. “This team just loves him. He deserves all the accolades he’s getting right now because he wants to keep improving all the time.”

Next up for Leinster now is next week’s trip to Llanelli. It’s been a hectic month on the club scene since the end of the autumn internationals and now Cheika must decide whether it is better to rest key players ahead of the Heineken Cup match against Glasgow in a fortnight or stick with a winning formula.

“This run of game is what we want. I was really looking forward to this block of eight or nine matches both sides of Christmas. Playing back to back games like that is exactly what we need. We want to see how we back up and back up and back up. It’s what we need to really test ourselves.”