Leinster tuned into emotional realities of PRO14 grand final

It is a final. You don’t need a lot more motivation, says scrum coach McBryde

Ryan Baird during Leinster Rugby squad training at UCD in Dublin. Picture: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Robin McBryde has declared that Munster will not have a monopoly on motivation when they meet Leinster in this Saturday’s Guinness PRO14 decider at the RDS.

Johann van Graan’s side will be looking to earn a first trophy for the province since they last won the league in 2011 and, should they manage that they would have the added bonus of avoiding a record sixth straight defeat to their old rivals.

If any further encouragement is needed then they travel up the motorway knowing that this is a huge opportunity to ensure that the retiring Billy Holland and CJ Stander can walk away at the season’s end with a glint of silverware in their back pockets.

McBryde, Leinster’s scrum coach, has acknowledged the need for the reigning champions to understand their opponent’s frame of reference but Saturday’s hosts learned a lesson in this facet of the game when beaten at home by the Ospreys last Friday.

“When that final whistle blew they let everybody know that they had qualified for the Champions Cup in the way that they celebrated. It wasn’t a dead rubber for the Ospreys. They were motivated, they came with a game plan and they executed that game plan.

“So, it was a timely reminder really to us that teams are going to get up for playing Leinster. There is always something on the line. As was said, it could be Billy Holland and CJ Stander’s last game. That is going to motivate them a little bit more.

“However, it is a final. You don’t need a lot more motivation. It is very easy to tip things over and be too emotional.”

Leinster Scrum coach Robin McBryde says teams are going to get up for playing Leinster

McBryde confirmed that there are no IRFU player management restrictions on Leo Cullen as the head coach decides which players to use this weekend but the province is certainly without the talented trio of James Ryan, Will Connors and Garry Ringrose.

Ryan is still following return-to-play protocols following the head knock he took against Scotland earlier this month, Ringrose suffered an ankle problem in that same contest and Connors has been confirmed as out for eight weeks with a knee injury.

Leinster can absorb that sort of news better than any side in the competition, and probably in Europe. 

Truth is that they face a difficult job in deciding just who to leave out as their international contingent returns to the fold following the Six Nations.

Eleven of their players featured for Ireland in last Saturday’s defeat of England – as opposed to six from Munster – although that involves a wide sweep of shifts from the 120 seconds afforded Jordan Larmour to the 90 minutes put in by the likes of Jack Conan.

Both sides face taxing decisions given they welcome French opponents to Dublin and Limerick a week later in the last 16 of the Champions Cup and Leinster have previous in leaving big names out for these Grand Finals in the past.

Opting for Ross Byrne over Johnny Sexton in last year’s decider is an obvious example that springs to mind.

“It is a balancing act,” said McBryde. “I’ve got to depend on Leo, Stuart (Lancaster) and Felipe (Contepomi). They have had the experience of being in this situation before and understanding the dynamics and emotions of everybody. The one thing we can’t do is look any further than Munster.

“Yes, there is a short week turnaround to Toulon, which is on a Friday, but we can’t worry about that because what is directly in front of us is Munster and the most important thing is winning that game against Munster. So, whatever team we fill is the best to do that and they will be playing on Saturday.”