D’Arcy: We must up game by 20%

Victories over Munster at Thomond Park have been rare commodities in Gordon D’Arcy’s rugby career.

So Leinster’s 18-9 Saturday night success in the heart of enemy territory is one which the Irish international enjoyed immensely but with a Heineken Cup quarter-final this weekend filling the champions’ horizon, the thrill of victory will be short-lived.

D’Arcy admitted: “It’s not a feeling we get very often so it’s one we will savour. We have come here before, attacked for 40 minutes and then lost momentum; we know what happens when you do that against Munster. On Saturday we were very attack minded and that suits me. But come Monday we will have forgotten about the Munster game. It goes back to being professional, it has to be one game at a time and we have a seven day lead into the game. It is something we have become quite good at — by Monday lunch time the game at the weekend is done and dusted — and then we start focusing on the next one.”

D’Arcy accepted the loss of some front line players was a massive blow to the hosts. But he also felt that Leinster’s approach to the breakdown was a cornerstone to victory over their greatest rivals.

“Munster suffered because of the guys that were missing, but we’ll take the four points. The referees have been given a new brief on the breakdown, and I reckon we were a little more accurate. Basically it’s not allowed for players to compete (for possession) with their heads below their hips.

“It’s something we have to get used to and the ones that adapt to it quicker are usually the ones that do better. If your head is pointed down and your backside is in the air you’re not cleaning out, you’re stopping the opposition at having a clear whack at the ball.

“The rules are open to interpretation, referees have their own personalities and clubs have their own styles. Some don’t put anybody much at the breakdown, others put five or six players in there, so as the season progresses, clubs tend to interpret the rules differently.”

D’Arcy agreed this tie was the perfect tune-up for both provinces ahead of the next weekend’s European fare but he insisted that the champions have plenty of scope for improvement ahead of their date with Cardiff Blues.

“There was a phase there between 55 and 65 minutes when it was as quick a game as both teams will have played this season, it was as tough a phase of play as you will get. For both teams going into next week it is the ideal preparation. Both teams focused on as hard and fast a game as we could, but we all would say the same thing — whatever we did was the base line and we have to go up 10, 15 maybe 20%.

“The Heineken Cup is different, it is a marked gap, what was good enough to win in Thomond Park, and that was a big effort from 23 players, won’t be good enough to win next week when the little things will make a difference.”

Disappointed Munster winger Simon Zebo is under no illusions that the province must show huge improvement to defeat Ulster in Sunday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final.

Zebo agreed: “We have to try to bounce back as best we can and go into next week with positivity. These type of games have happened before and we’ve bounced back from them. We will be looking to do the same next week.

“Fair play to Leinster, they played well, beat us at all the 50-50’s, they upped their game, kept the ball well and we struggled to cope at times.”