Ospreys will not be intimidated, warns Sexton
The RDS will be packed to the rafters for this eagerly awaited decider between the teams that finished first and second, and Leinster’s out half Jonny Sexton is expecting a nervy cracker.
Leinster have managed to squeeze through some difficult games even though their coach Michael Cheika took selection risks at times. The upshot is that they go into tomorrow’s decider with an unbeaten seasonal Magners League record at the RDS.
But Sexton knows that the Ospreys will take heart from performances produced by some visiting teams who came within a whisker of wrecking that unblemished record, and he is aware that his side have been targeted as the team to beat these days.
“I’d say, yeah, teams do raise their game especially coming over to the RDS, it’s a pretty good venue to play in and the majority of the time you get a full house.
“Maybe it inspires them a bit. I do find that teams raise their game against us these days; like everyone tried to raise their game against Munster when they were European champions, but if we’re going to be a successful team then we’re going to have to live with that,” he said.
Sexton believes that the Ospreys won’t have to raise their game as much as others given the quality within their team.
“They have serious players across their team and their backline is unbelievably impressive, especially in the back three.
“Then with (Dan) Biggar and (James) Hook, they’ve got two pretty good playmakers who bring the rest of the guys into the action, so it’s going to be an unbelievably tough game.
“Biggar is a quality player; I’ve only played about ten minutes against him but he looks very composed, he has a good temperament and he has had an excellent season. He’s a quality player, I’m sure he’ll play for Wales in the summer and it looks like he has a long career ahead of him.”
Collectively, Sexton expects a tough physical battle as much as he hopes to participate in a game of quality. “They’re a tough side and they will take the game to us for sure. But in these games, I suppose it often comes down to an ability to take opportunities. For instance, in the Cardiff-Toulon game (Amlin Cup final), Toulon could have scored three or four tries in the first half but they didn’t take their opportunities, and then Cardiff took theirs. I suppose that was a lesson for all.”
Leinster, he conceded, did not reach their promise at all stages of the season and had won some matches playing badly. “Yeah, we just got through a few matches; it’s something that we don’t like doing but you can take a little bit of satisfaction from it.
“You know, we’d rather go out and play to our potential and win. But if you’re not playing well and can still grind out a win, it does give you confidence that when you’re in that situation again that you can pull a victory out of the bag.”
Having suffered a broken jaw at a crucial stage – he missed the Heineken Cup semi with Toulouse – Sexton is delighted to be back in time to help his team bid for silverware on the last day of the season.
He went through the pain barrier and the significant embarrassment of having to blend all his food for a month as his frustration at being able to train, but not play, grew.
He was nervous before and for a time during his comeback match against Munster, admitting he fell off some tackles early in the game.
“I got a bang at the end but it was on the other side. It was more the shock than anything, and once I figured I was going to be ok I was grand. It was good to get through that game. The whole thing, the whole experience, was incredibly frustrating but I feel fresh now at the end of the season and hopefully that will stand to me.”
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