Leinster look well equipped to deliver ‘statement’ result against  Exeter Chiefs

All games carry a narrative, but the storyline tends to be written in a particularly prominent bold type in the run up to Christmas when the Champions Cup delivers its glut of back-to-back fixtures.

With Leinster this last week the script has stressed the need to ‘make a statement’ against England’s reigning champions and current front-runners even if none of it has been emanating from the province’s camp.

Isa Nacewa typified that yesterday when asked what message a second win over the Exeter Chiefs in six days would send out to the rest of the runners and riders.

“Who knows? We’re just worried about our own performance this week,” he said.

That’s fair enough, but the rest of us are free to speculate and surmise.

Leinster are among the most successful club sides in the history of the European Cup, but even they have struggled to put consecutive beatings on opponents in rounds three and four.

If anything, it seems to be getting harder as time goes on and standards rise.

The province won four of their first five such head-to-heads after the back-to-back concept was introduced 20 years ago, but they have managed just five in the 15 seasons since and the identity of those opponents is just as revealing.

Northampton, Bath, Scarlets, Agen, and Bourgoin make up the quintet to have succumbed twice over in that spell. None are exactly prized scalps on this stage. The Chiefs are relative Euro novices, but their rapid rise makes them an opponent of much more note.

Following up last Sunday’s 18-8 win at Sandy Park would leave Leinster in command of Pool 3 and establish a solid foundation for a prized home quarter-final. It would also mark them out as one to fear come the turn of the year.

“It’s a big mental challenge, turning around so quickly while having a long lead-in last weekend was a huge mental challenge in itself,” said Nacewa. “And then after the win and the away game it is about getting the body right, turning the page quickly.

“A lot of guys were sore after the game. It’s a mental challenge to recover well, get back on the horse and go again.

“The quicker we do that the better. It’s been a good week. The extra night away gave people a few extra hours sleep, we enjoyed each other’s company.”

That extra night, caused by the cold weather and an inability to fly out of Bristol Airport as planned on the Sunday night, is pretty much the only speed bump Leinster have experienced so far this term in Europe.

The nature of their win in Exeter, where they ground out a win against a side notorious for squeezing the pips out of opponents, was deeply impressive and maybe reminiscent of the grit shown back in the 2008/09 season when their first Heineken Cup was claimed.

It’s no surprise then that they have opted to tinker so little with the troops. Josh van der Flier for Rhys Ruddock — injured six days ago — is the one personnel change to the starting side although it does result in Sean O’Brien switching to the blindside.

The only other tweaks are the promotions of Andrew Porter and Dan Leavy to the bench but, while Exeter will also look to much the same 23, the migrations between their starters and reserves may be more revealing.

Among the six draftees into the XV are wing Jack Nowell and England No. 8 Sam Simmonds. Both present more danger to Leinster out wide and that is exactly where the Chiefs mined their one try last weekend.

Nowell’s name is far more familiar given his experiences with England and the Lions but Simmonds — who won his first three caps for England this year — is a particularly intriguing pick given he replaces Thomas ‘The Tank Engine’ Waldrom.

Both are exceptionally good predators.

Waldrom has claimed 49 tries in 87 appearances for the Chiefs. The younger Simmonds is on 13 from 30, but he will be expected to stretch a Leinster defence that proved resistant to so many close-in pick and goes first time around.

“I didn’t know how much our players would know about Sam Simmonds,” said Cullen.

“Even though he’s got capped for England, he’s a little bit under the radar in terms of what our players would see on a regular basis. You could describe him as a winger playing in the back row, that’s how quick and dynamic he is. I don’t know how quick he is but he is very quick. So that’s the best way to describe him, he’s very dynamic.”

Cullen didn’t plan on such an attritional arm wrestle last week. That’s just how it unfolded. It should open up in between weather and on a fast Aviva track today, but the refrain from Nacewa was the same: Win, whatever it takes and however it happens.

Leinster have it within them to do just that.