Champions look to the future

SOME Leinster players couldn’t help but glance back at the past, to the long road they had travelled and some of their fellow travellers who never made it to the end.

Others took a peek to the future and the possibility of further glories.

Most of them did both.

Gordon D’Arcy and Brian O’Driscoll were just two to namecheck the likes of Denis Hickie, Reggie Corrigan, Victor Costello and Shane Byrne. Guys who had laid the early foundations for last Saturday.

Their recognition is richly merited but the show must go on. It has taken Leinster 12 years to win one Heineken Cup but next season presents a more arduous task. Leicester are the only team to have retained this title thus far.

The words spoken in Murrayfield at the weekend were encouraging. There was no repeat of the famous incident after Manchester United’s 1999 Champions League triumph when one player declared he didn’t care if he ever won another game.

“Munster won two Heineken Cups,” said Bernard Jackman. “I think you have to win two to be considered a great team. A few teams can win it on a once-off basis but it would certainly be great to go and win it again.”

Leo Cullen concurred. “Hopefully this will be a stepping stone for us to go on and be successful for many years to come. We have a lot of young players in our squad and we want that level of consistency that we can perform to on an annual basis. Leicester are a team who have that and who have had that for a long number of years. That’s something that we’ll be striving for.”

Not everyone will be around for a second circuit. Rocky Elsom has all but booked his ticket back to Australia, Chris Whitaker is moving on and Felipe Contepomi starts a new life with Toulon.

Stan Wright’s situation has yet to be sorted out as well while, at 34, it was hardly surprising that Malcolm O’Kelly was asked whether he was eager to put his body through another gruelling season of rugby.

“There’s a recession lads, what are you talking about? There’s the testimonial and stuff planned. Both Leinster and myself want me to play for another year. I think Leinster need me for another year!

“We still need to develop some of our academy players. I’m happy to do it. I’m in good form. They look after me well and it’s not as though there’s a huge lot else knocking on the door at the moment so I’m happy to do it.”

Eoin Reddan has already been signed up to replace Whitaker. Others will arrive besides and the Australian scrum-half leaves knowing that the province needs to view this win as a beginning rather than an end.

“This is a massive occasion for us, the first time we’ve won the Heineken Cup, so we feel very privileged to do it. In terms of the club becoming a dominant force, that’s one down.

“Now I suppose it’s about finding the consistency like the Leicesters do, like the Munsters do. Every time you go into the Heineken Cup pool you want it to be like Munster, they are the big guys. Leinster want to be the big guys as well.”