Make or break pressure fires up McLaughlin

Four months have passed and with them 17 games and almost 400 points claimed for and against, but as Kevin McLaughlin admits, Leinster’s season will only truly kick off on Saturday when they face Scarlets in round five of the Heineken Cup.

As campaigns go then, it could be a short one, especially.

“There’s an element of the season almost starting now, or almost ending now,” said the 28-year old flanker. “As a team we don’t like the thought of being out of Europe in January. We kind of look at January as the make or break month for the team … We’re a team that has been at the top of Europe for the last few years and want to stay there.

“It becomes harder every year because teams are trying to topple you and we’ve learned that this year where Clermont outfought us in a couple of games. We’ve put ourselves in this position now so its going to be very much a case of hopefully our season is starting because we desperately don’t want it to end.”

Leinster have been on similar ground before. Seven years ago, they turned into the New Year on the back of a record that read won two, lost two and progressed thanks to two bonus-point victories against Glasgow and Bath and four of the current squad will be attempting a repeat this month.

Brian O’Driscoll, Gordon D’Arcy, Jamie Heaslip and Rob Kearney were all on call back in 2006 when a 35-25 defeat of Bath at the Recreation Ground propelled Leinster towards what would ultimately turn out to be a famous quarter-final victory against Toulouse in the south of France.

McLaughlin, something of a late developer, was still 12 months shy of his senior debut back then but he spoke this week of the frisson of excitement mixed with a dollop of nerves that has enveloped the players and even coach Joe Schmidt ahead of the first of two successive must-win encounters.

“I think guys who have been around the block a few times enjoy the pressure. We enjoy the pressure, we enjoy big games, that is why you’re a professional,” added McLaughlin.

“If games you were playing didn’t matter it would not be near as enjoyable so there is definitely a bit of a buzz around. Guys are spending hours doing video work, making sure they leave nothing to chance.”

Hopes have been heightened by the return of Brian O’Driscoll, Rob Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald for last week’s four-try victory in Murrayfield but the knowledge that nothing less than a quartet of touchdowns will suffice frames this weekend’s outing in an altogether different light.

“The experienced guys coming back into camp really helps. The likes of Drico, he has been in a lot of games where it is high pressure and you have to win. Obviously the try thing adds another element to it because getting five points would be excellent.

“Every European week is high pressure because you can’t really afford to lose and unfortunately we have put ourselves in the position now where we have lost twice and there is even more pressure heaped on. We have got to take the positives and enjoy it. We’ve a sellout crowd and it is one of those games that can make or break a team.”