We’ve won nothing yet, warns Cheika
Such a notion may sound absurd given that the opposition is coming from tournament specialists Leicester Tigers but it is equally true that the semi-final clash with Munster was regarded as by the far biggest game the province had ever played, and they duly romped home by 25-6.
How do you cap that? Could it have been their final? “We have done nothing in this competition yet,” Cheika emphasised yesterday. “Until you win it, you have done nothing. Bottom line, simple as that.”
Leinster’s media huddle at Donnybrook yesterday was dense with the customary platitudes about the strength of Leicester and how experienced they are. Equally, though, Cheika and his captain Leo Cullen are clearly not in awe of the task ahead as they bid to capture the European crown for the first time.
“Leicester are a very experienced outfit and proved again in last week’s Premiership final against London Irish that few teams know how to dog out a win better,” said the Aussie. “They are a formidable enemy. They’ve had a few foreign coaches in recent times but Richard Cockerill is true and true Leicester who has brought those characteristics to the team that they’ve bought into it in a big way.
“They’ve also had players who have come to the fore in recent matches. Sam Vesty is on top of his game, Jean Dupuy is keeping Harry Ellis out of the team. The competition for places is intense – there are guys like Lewis Moody, Martin Corry, Julian White on the bench. Cockerill is sticking with the guys who are doing a job for him. I just think they’ll fancy the idea of playing us.”
But Cheika is more concentrated about what he and his team need to do.
“What we’ve been doing over the last four years is to try and build a work ethic and spirit in the team,” he mused. “Some people mightn’t like it but we want to be a team with a strong spirit and be determined to come back from setbacks.
“There’s a lot of determination within the squad to get the club as high up the ladder as we can go and stay there. You don’t acquire that overnight. You’ve got to keep working at it and have consistency but if we build the right culture as to how we respond to adversity and how we deal with good times as well and keep everything in perspective, then we’ll have a culture that will be successful not just for us but for the team next year and the years after that.”
This is, of course, a massive game for Cheika although he claims not to have thought much of what it means to him personally. “I’m just the coach and the game is played by the players and it’s all about them,” he said. “They’re the people who win the cups and win them for fans and themselves.”
A team’s out-half is the pivotal figure in every rugby match and a huge amount of pressure will rest on the shoulders of Leinster’s Jonathan Sexton at Murrayfield. “We’ve always been happy with the way Jonathan has come along”, said Cheika. “It was a target of ours that he should become our number one playmaker and he’s getting the opportunity to take on that role now.”
Cheika announced a 26-man squad which includes Robert Kearney, Isa Nacewa and Shane Horgan. Only two of the trio can expect to start the game while Sexton, of course, will be at number 10 because of injury to Felipe Contepomi.
Leinster squad – Forwards: C. Healy, R. McCormack, J. Fogarty, B. Jackman, S. Knoop, S. Wright, L. Cullen, T. Hogan, M. O’Kelly, D. Toner, R. Elsom, S. Jennings, S. O’Brien, J. Heaslip.
Backs: C. Keane, S. Keogh, C. Whitaker, J. Sexton, L. Fitzgerald, R. Kearney, G. D’Arcy, F. McFadden, B. O’Driscoll, S. Horgan, G. Dempsey, I. Nacewa.
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