Leinster getting on with business, says Fitzgerald
The GAA may frown on them here, for health and safety reasons, but there was little threat to life or limb at the cosy 10,000-capacity Stade Pierre Antoine, and it made for a charming scene.
Among those mingling were dozens of Leinster fans, and visiting players who stayed out long enough to converse and have their picture taken, but the idyll was soon broken as thoughts turned to the five-day turnaround. Within three hours of the final whistle they had replenished the energy level, been plunged into ice baths and been whisked the 50 miles westward to Toulouse Airport for the two-hour flight home.
Every minute saved and savoured will be needed as they prepare for the round six visit of Ospreys to the RDS and look to secure a place in the quarter-finals and, hopefully with it, the highest berth possible.
“There’s lots of teams that have a five-day turnaround every now and then,” said Luke Fitzgerald. “It’s not ideal but you get on with it and it’s same for the Ospreys, which is good as well. It’s not like sometimes in the league where the other team might have a seven-day turnaround and you’ve a five-day turnaround.
“That’s a bit trickier because they have the extra two days preparation as well as having the extra bit of break. But, look, it’s the same for the Ospreys so there’s no excuse. Both teams will go out Friday and be ready to go.”
Leinster’s exertions were all the greater given the fixture in Castres proved to be such a madcap head-spinner and one played on a heavy pitch that left both sets of players visibly drained long before the finish.
The end result, though, was a vital four points banked which keeps them ahead of the chasing Northampton Saints by the same margin, but that defeat to the Premiership side in Dublin still rankles with the 26-year old as he surveys the group scene.
“Well, obviously (the group is) in our control,” said Fitzgerald who bagged three tries in the earlier win at Franklin’s Gardens. “I’m a little disappointed to be where we are. We have to get on with it now. It’s our own fault. Against Northampton we didn’t show up so we are where we are.
“We knew coming into these two games we were going to have to win the last two. Northampton won as well (on Sunday) so that keeps the pressure on. In front of our own supporters this week we just have a big one. Hopefully we can put in a good performance and get the result.”
The Ospreys have once again failed to make anything approaching an impact on this Heineken Cup — upholding an unwanted tradition shared by all the regions across the Irish Sea — but they have rarely failed to rouse themselves for Leinster.
The meeting between the sides in Wales in round one was a grind, with Jimmy Gopperth guiding Leinster to a victory on his Heineken Cup debut but the Ospreys have, if anything, been more of a danger in Dublin. Twice in the past four seasons they have bettered Leinster in Celtic League finals in Dublin and the narrative ahead of round six will undoubtedly revolve around talk of the province’s bogey team coming to town.
“When you hear bogey you’re thinking that’s kind of a team maybe that is underperforming, that is not a good team,” said Fitzgerald. “They’re a very good team, you know. Sometimes we don’t give them credit for that.
“Over the years they have had brilliant players. They still have three or for Lions in the squad. They’re pretty fantastic. They’re a good team.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
