No French fears for D’Arcy as defeats lost in mists of time

HEINEKEN CUP POOL 6:

Depending on where you look it was either October of 1998 or close to Christmas in 1999 when he first pitched in for the province on the continent. However, it’s clear Stade Francais were the opposition and Stade Jean Bouin the venue.

D’Arcy only clouded the issue yesterday by speaking about how Leinster shipped 45 points on the day in question which, given they conceded 56 that first time and a mere 39 second time over, leaves us none the wiser.

Whatever the stats, D’Arcy didn’t enjoy those early trips. That first bloodied nose in Paris was followed by two more, a 30-10 loss in Biarritz and a 43-7 mincing by Toulouse, before Leinster finally learned how to crack the French code.

“It was like that for a few years but recent memories are all really positive,” said D‘Arcy, who is in his 16th season with Leinster and expects to extend that with a new contract in the coming week.

“There is enough experience in the squad now to take those good experiences, who know what it is to win in France, and then there are probably a few guys going there the first time and looking for a win.

“But, yeah, I like playing in France now. The crowd are always an interesting add-on to games over there because they pretty much support who is winning. You go down there and put it up to the home team and you can sometimes turn the crowd back on their home team.”

Leinster have now won there seven times and will seek to frustrate another French crowd this weekend when they face Top 14 champions Castres in their Pierre Antoine stadium where no one has managed to better them in over 12 months.

They will look to do it without Sean O’Brien, of course, as well as Fergus McFadden, who may make next week’s visit of Ospreys as he recovers from a broken bone in his hand.

Better news for coach Matt O’Connor yesterday came in the form of updates on back row Rhys Ruddock (calf) and hooker Aaron Dundon (shoulder) who both look to have shrugged off the knocks picked up in Galway last week.

Even better is the bulletin from France revealing that scrum-half Rory Kockott and No 8 Antonie Claasen will both miss the Heineken Cup encounter, although O’Connor remains wary of that home record.

“They play a little bit more [at home],” he said. “That is as reflective in their selection as anything. That is usually a pretty good indicator of them. Clermont got a draw there. There’s opportunities there if you’re good enough."