Cup run has Dempsey buzzing
Last night, he described the European semi-final against old rivals Munster at Lansdowne Road in three weeks as “the fantasy match”.
Said Dempsey: “An Irish team is guaranteed a place in the final and that is a huge plus for the game here.
“It’s the game that every Irish rugby fan wants to see and every player wants to play in.
“It’s a mouthwatering prospect. It is the fantasy game. A lot of the Heineken Cup games could be compared to internationals, but this really will be something special.”
Dempsey played a supporting role in Ireland’s Six Nations Championship campaign, despite tremendous form for his province.
The 63-times capped full back said: “From my point of view, I’m feeling very fresh, very hungry, and I just want to get out on the pitch and prove that I still have my form and that I’m capable of playing even better than I have been.”
He admitted that the months prior to the magnificent victory over Toulouse had been frustrating.
“I haven’t got in many games, just a couple of Celtic League games and 20 minutes against England at Twickenham,” he said before the Toulouse clash.
“It’s frustrating when you’re just sitting there, waiting to get part of the action and, I suppose, the only consolation was playing some part in the Triple Crown success at the end.
“In the situation I was in, the only thing one can do is to keep performing, keep putting your hand up and send the message out that you still want part of the action and that you’re still keen and hungry to play.”
Dempsey remains confident about his own talents and about Leinster as they move onwards towards European glory.
“It’s ironic in a sense; you want to get games but don’t, and yet I feel the better for not having played too much. I feel very fresh, and I’m really looking forward to the build-up to this game.”
His positive health also goes back to what he described as “a magnificent pre-season programme” while he also praised the impact of Leinster’s assistant coach David Knox.
“He has done a huge amount of work with me and the two wings, because he believes the performance of the back three is crucial in giving us a real go-forward option to take some of the pressure off the rest of the back division. We have done the hard work,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lawrence Dallaglio may miss England’s summer tour of Australia.
The former England captain faces a dilemma over when to have an operation to remove from his ankle a metal plate that was inserted after he fractured it on the 2005 Lions tour of New Zealand.
If he has it early this summer he would have time for a full pre-season’s training but would not be able to press his World Cup claims in Australia.
“It’s a matter for consultation between England, Wasps and myself. I’m happy with going on tour or not,” he said.
“The plate in my ankle needs removing and if I’m to be a serious candidate for the Rugby World Cup that is something which needs to be done soon,” he said.
“To prepare for the next 18 months or two years I think I would benefit from a very serious pre-season training programme.
“But if I go on tour and then have the operation there will be no pre-season training.
“I would like to be part of the team for the tour and if I don’t go I have got to back myself in terms of my ability to win a place in the team next season.
“There are 16 Test matches until the World Cup so there is obviously a lot of time in terms of games played to stake your claim.”
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