Leinster bench press paying off

TWO seasons ago, Leinster travelled to France as reigning Heineken Cup champions for a semi-final against Toulouse, a club that considers itself that bit more regal than every other one with pretensions of royal status in Europe.

Michael Cheika’s side hitched up at Le Stadium that May Day bank holiday with injury worries over a number of regulars. Most damaging was Jonathan Sexton, who watched the game from the sidelines with a broken jaw.

In his place stood Aussie Shaun Berne, an honest pro but a squad man who had played ten years intermittently during his long stint in Europe with the province and Bath and someone whose abilities in the role fell far short of the young Irishman’s.