Jack Conan: ‘People definitely revel in Leinster underachieving at times’
FINAL BOOKED: Leinster's Jack Conan thinks people revel in their underachieving. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Hated, adored, never ignored. The mantra adopted by Manchester United fans has kept many of them going during these recent years of drought and blight. And Leinster clearly leaned into that idea in recent weeks.
It was Joe McCarthy who, on RTÉ after this BKT URC semi-final defeat of Glasgow, explained how “everyone loves to hate Leinster and it drives us on”. It was a line good enough to ignore the fact that he spoke about ignoring all the noise just seconds later.
Leo Cullen, Ryan Baird and more will tell you that they don’t do social media or read the media, but you can’t go through their trials and tribulations since the Champions Cup loss to Northampton Saints and not know which way the wind is blowing outside.
“I don't think everyone hates Leinster,” said Jack Conan, “but I think people definitely revel in us underachieving at times. We get enough flak and stuff. You try to block out that noise because it's irrelevant, but what we appreciate is the people who come out to see us week in week out, when the days are good and the days are bad.
“Those are the people we are doing it for, the staff, the lads in the changing room, the people that give everything to this club, and you try to block out the noise. It's always nice to prove some people wrong and hopefully we can go again next week and silence a few more critics.”
This six-try performance against the reigning champions suggests they are still well capable of doing that next week when they face the Bulls in a Croke Park final. Glasgow were awful here but a lot of that was down to the home team’s dominance.
This was so much better than the vapid efforts against the Warriors and Scarlets in recent weeks. It was a performance typified by a Ryan Baird man-of-the-match effort that was all grunt and belligerence. It was almost like shouting enough was enough.
But it wasn’t perfect.
The two late tries claimed by the Warriors will be dissected in detail in Monday’s video session and the fact is that the Jacques Nienaber defense, though improved for vast stretches, was breached too easily again and three times in total.
That’s a worry. So is the continued travails of out-half Sam Prendergast who showed more delightful stuff in general attacking play that was balanced out by more defensive black marks and another eleven points that went begging off the tee.
The hope is that the collective will be reinforced for the decider. Missing five British and Irish Lions squad members two days ago, Caelan Doris is a long-term loss but it looks as if Josh van der Flier is the most likely to be available this week.
Garry Ringrose is another who is looking like a good bet but Hugo Keenan and Tadhg Furlong are less advanced in their journeys back to fitness for what will be the club’s shot at a first ever URC title and a first trophy of any stripe since 2021.
It will be interesting to see how many tickets are shifted for the final. Less than 16,000 took in this last four tie. It may be that a figure twice that will turn out and find itself lost in the vast expanses of the Croke Park stands.
“We've relished every opportunity to run out there in the last few years,” said Conan, “so the history and the iconic nature of that stadium isn't lost on us. We want to do right by that and be at our best again.”
This trophy wouldn’t wipe the slate clean for Leinster after the Saints scuppered their hopes of finally earning that fifth star, but it would ward off a summer beset by endless self-examination and recriminations.
Three Champions Cup finals have slipped from their grasp in the last four seasons. Getting over the line is an absolute must for this coaching staff and this group of players, but are they ready to go out and grasp it this time?
“I don't know,” said Cullen. “How do you answer that question, I don't know. I don't look at it like that at all. I look at it like, what are we in control of now? The game has ended, recover well, look after yourself.
"What can we control now? We'll control having a really good week and enjoying it.”
: J O’Brien; T O’Brien, J Osborne, J Barrett, J Lowe; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, D Sheehan, T Clarkson; J McCarthy, J Ryan; R Baird, S Penny, J Conan.
: C Frawley for Barrett, R Slimani for Clarkson, R Kelleher for Sheehan and RG Snyman for Ryan (all 56); J Boyle for Porter (60); R Byrne for Prendergast (61); M Deegan for Conan (64); L McGrath for Gibson-Park (70).
: J McKay; K Steyn, S Tuipulotu, T Jordan, K Rowe; A Hastings, G Horne; J Bhatti, G Hiddleston; F Richardson, A Samuel; S Cummings, E Ferrie, R Darge, H Venter.
: S McDowall for Hastings (HT); J Matthews for Hiddleston, R Sutherland for Bhatti, S Talakai for Richardson and M Williamson for Samuel (all 45); J Dobie for Horne (52); M Duncan for Venter (60); J Mann for Ferrie (73).
: A Piardi (FIR).
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