Exiles star Casey to let actions do the talking

AS CARLOS TEVEZ has shown us this week, when players return to face their former clubs, it can leave a bitter taste.

Yet don’t expect that to be the case when London Irish skipper Bob Casey lines up against Leinster in this evening’s Heineken Cup showdown at Twickenham.

The Blackrock College old boy spent three years with the province from 1999, and he struck up friendships that have endured to this day with the likes of Leo Cullen and Brian O’Driscoll.

So despite having been with Exiles since 2002, don’t expect trash talk to be on the agenda as the Guinness Premiership side go looking for the five points they need to make the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.

“There won’t be any bad words between any of us on Saturday,” explains the 31-year-old.

“There’s too much mutual respect there. I’ve got some great friends at Leinster, we won a Magners League title together and I still stay in touch with a lot of those guys.

“From my time, Leo Cullen, Brian O’Driscoll and Shane Horgan are still there, while Shane Jennings was coming through the ranks. I still see those guys whenever I go back, and I’ve got great memories of my time with Leinster – it’s my hometown club and I graduated from playing schools rugby to the Magners League and the Heineken Cup with them.”

But he adds: “London Irish is my life now, this is my soul.

And our only goal for this season is to win a trophy; Saturday is a massive stepping stone towards that.”

Casey is very much the epitome of a gentle giant, standing 6’8” and weighing nearly 20 stone, and from that vantage point he can give a sense of perspective of just how high a mountain his side must climb in west London.

Last weekend’s shocking collapse at The Scarlets has left Irish with an uphill struggle to make the last eight, yet he admits they are looking to today’s opponents as inspiration for how to fight back after years of disappointment.

“People used to question Leinster’s mental toughness, but I don’t think you can now, as time after time they deliver,” he adds. “You have to take your hat off to them as they have a great set-up and an excellent side.

“And what has impressed me is how they’ve backed it up this season after winning the Heineken Cup.

“They had their bad days in the Magners League and the Heineken Cup, but when you win something you get a massive amount of self-belief. As for us, people keep saying we’re a young team and we’re learning, but the time for that has to stop. We want to become a better team and we need to make the last eight of the Heineken Cup to do that.”

While Casey has been pivotal for London Irish during eight years at the club, he admits that it has been to the detriment of his international career. In many respects, Casey has had two debuts for Ireland, the first of which came in 2000 against USA. Unfortunate to be born in the same era as Paul O’Connell and Donncha O’Callaghan, he drifted away from the international scene – until, that is, he played for Declan Kidney’s side against Canada last summer, a full nine years after his last cap.

“I knew when I left Ireland that it was going to be (to the detriment of) my international career,” says Casey. “They said to me when I left that if there were any 50-50 calls, it would go to the guy playing back home. That’s fair enough. I’ve only got a few caps for my country, but I’m very proud of them in a position where Ireland are very strong. I’ll never give up on playing for Ireland and winning more caps, but I wouldn’t change anything. And if I can’t get the caps, what’s the next best thing? Trophies.”

Yet to do that Casey will have to be on top of his game today. There won’t be any trash-talking, but Casey won’t be holding back.