Time for Leinster to take the final step

LEINSTER face into their first European Cup final today. Over the years they’ve played in some big fixtures, like their quarter-final win in Toulouse in 2006 and the Celtic League victory over Munster in 2006.

But this is much more of a headrush.

Today they have an opportunity to announce their arrival as one of Europe’s elite rugby clubs. With such a fantastic prize comes a heightened sense of pressure and intensity. It is this pressure that can make or break a team.

In 2000 a very raw and rugged bunch of no-hopers from Munster travelled to Bordeaux to confront the mighty Toulouse in an European semi-final. The spirits of every squad member sank the minute the unfavourable draw was made. Surely we couldn’t leap the insurmountable hurdle of the French elite?

Not only did we surprise every rugby pundit that day, but we also surprised ourselves. We played some fantastic rugby in the first half. Our defence was rock solid and John Hayes hauled himself off the ground to receive an offload and score his first try for Munster. But Irish teams had often performed well in the early stages of games against French sides and we would need that extra bit of belief to force the result in the second half.

Our confidence was boosted by an incident at half-time. The dressing rooms in the Bordeaux stadium are located about a kilometre away from the pitch. We had decided we would jog to them so we could sit down, get some much needed fluids and discuss tactics. Having had our brief rest, we briskly walked back to the pitch. On the way back we passed the Toulouse team who were thrown on the ground. They never returned to their dressing room and had instead collapsed in the tunnel. As we stepped over their prostrate bodies we noted their obvious exhaustion. They were the ones struggling in the heat and we had the psychological edge.

We would drive the pace of the game and eventually they would blow a gasket. Munster scored one of their greatest tries in the second half, running from inside their own 22, the ball going through the hands of every back before Ronan O’Gara scored under the posts. Toulouse couldn’t match our superior fitness.

We went on to seal the victory when poacher Jason Holland brilliantly intercepted and evaded the chase to score. At the time it was our greatest scalp and it sparked celebrations that lasted a couple of days. A nervy Northampton edged out Llanelli in the other semi but because of our recent achievements the feeling was that they couldn’t put a stop to our fairytale cup run. When we travelled to Twickenham we forgot about all the hard work and effort that had got us to the final. We stepped onto the pitch believing that fate would steer us to victory and that it was our destiny to lift the cup. We stalled. All the graft and effort of the season was for nothing. One of my abiding memories of the day was heading back under the stand while Queen’s “We are the Champions” blasted through the speakers.

“No time for losers.”

In this year’s semi-final Leinster produced a performance that nobody outside of their squad believed possible. The pre-match build-up to the battle of the Irish provinces portrayed them as rank outsiders. Early morning skits on the radio were derogatory about Leinster’s ability and suggested that true grit was lacking within the team. Michael Cheika should have thanked the Irish media after the game for providing free motivation for every player and supporter in a blue shirt. Leinster were superb against Munster and showed character and a will to win at every collision and confrontation. Every time Leinster went into contact they did so with savage intensity, their defensive line was a brick wall and Rocky Elsom was a man mountain. It was their best performance of the season.

They’re not new questions, but they’re no less relevant for that: can they produce a similar effort against a battle hardened Leicester team or have they already played their final?

Unlike the Munster team of the 2000 Heineken Cup, Leinster have the benefit of experience in the knockout stages of this competition. In 2003 Leinster meekly bowed out in their semi-final against Perpignan in Lansdowne Road. Many of the players who appeared that day are still around the dressing room and won’t have forgotten the disappointment. They also suffered a humiliating 29-13 quarter-final defeat at home against Leicester in 2005. These unhappy memories won’t be far from Leinster minds. Also they have to realise that beating Munster in a semi-final means nothing unless you go on to win the final. This motivation should be enough to ward off any Leinster complacency and should e they will perform on the biggest day.