Defence key as Leinster plot end to drought

Leinster's inability to claim a single trophy since 2022 and a ‘European’ crown this past five seasons ranks as nothing less than a serious underachievement and Lowe knows it.

DEFENCE IS KEY: Leinster's inability to claim a single trophy since 2022 and a ‘European’ crown this past five seasons ranks as nothing less than a serious underachievement and JamesLowe knows it. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Some clichés are so baked into the sporting firmament that they can’t help but flavour our perceptions. The theory that the science of preventing scores is more integral to success than the art of creating them has long been a staple.

Alex Ferguson had it that attack wins games but defence earn titles. Bear Bryant, one of those near-mythic American football coaches, swore by the mantra that while offense sells tickets it is defence that wins championships.