Hines demands Magners now, champagne later

LEINSTER second row Nathan Hines is taking the mantra of ‘one game at a time’ to the extreme.

The province may be gearing up for a glamour Heineken Cup final with Northampton later this month but the Scottish international insists his focus is on more mundane matters this week.

He revealed: “I haven’t even seen the video of the Northampton semi-final because I’m far more worried about this match on Friday in the Magners League against Glasgow.

“We played them in the first round and were in a good position at half time but played terribly in the second half and they won.

“We know what they’re capable of. I’m not going to worry or even think about Northampton until the final comes around. I have enough on my plate with Friday.”

Saturday’s victory over Toulouse is being deemed a Heineken Cup classic but for Hines it was merely another day at the office. “I suppose it was (an exciting match), but as a player you’re not really thinking of that during the game. You just try to remember what sort of plays you are doing and make sure you don’t get yourself in the way and muck things up. “Obviously it was a hugely important game, but as a player you try to treat every match the same.”

The manner in which Hines has automatically refocused for Friday’s RDS clash with Glasgow is typical of the maturity of this Leinster squad. It was a quality that came to the fore too against Toulouse when they refused to panic despite conceding an early try and losing their opening line-outs.

“We’d let ourselves down when we conceded that first score,” says Hines. “It was a lucky bounce and I think everyone was looking at one another, even the referee, and wondering if it was a try.

“We also lost the first two line-outs and the first scrum, so that’s not a very Leinster-style start to the game. But we just kept our heads, played the way we normally play, and got ourselves back into the game. We’re a very mature, experienced team, and I think that came to the fore.”