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Glasgow Warriors return to the Aviva Stadium for the final round of the United Rugby Championship after most recently facing Leinster in the Quarter Final of the Champions Cup. That day, Leinster came away with the win, recording a 52-0 drubbing to Franco Smith’s side.
It’s just over a month later and the vibes could not be more different. I don’t want to hear about last week’s 76-5 win over Zebre. I don’t want to hear it. Despite having twelve players being named as part of the British and Irish Lions tour, the atmosphere around Leinster Rugby have been at an all time low.
It’s often easy to slip away, to drift. What’s it all for? Times like this, what can you rely on? What can you use as a foundation? Flann O Brian’s Workman’s Friend begins to play between my ears. If there wasn’t a line about money being tight, it would be a decent anthem for Leinster this time of year.
Leo Cullen will tell us otherwise, but time and time again, when the European race is ran, so too is Leinster’s domestic season. All evidence suggests that Leinster face an uphill climb to mourn, recover and refocus in time to make a genuine push for the URC title this season.
The Champions Cup weighs so heavily on the Irish province, it’s an obsession. It’s be all and end all and they make it so themselves. The URC is there for the taking each and every year, a win is a win is a win and Leo Cullen and co. rob themselves the opportunity to inject a little positivity into the group. The larders in Leinster Rugby are hardly bare, but the larders in Leinster rugby are bare. The last time Leinster won anything was in 2021 and it was the old iteration of the URC, before the South African sides added international flair and quality to the competition. Andrew Porter was still playing at Tighthead. Devin Toner lifted the trophy. Fans weren’t even in the stadium! There was a global pandemic? Do you remember that little period when you drank takeaway pints 6 feet away from your mates in the park?
They create a mountain to climb for themselves by putting the Champions Cup on such a pedestal. Will they be able to get over the hump this year? It’s a long shot. They have all the quality to win this competition out right but all the baggage to say they won’t. I don’t want to let Leinster off the hook, but if they can rally and win the URC it will actually be a fantastic achievement for the group. If not? Andy Farrell will be welcoming in a contingent of players who haven’t felt that winning feeling in quite some time.
The margin for error, sympathy and any semblance of success is so small. They have to go on and win the entire thing for them to have any hope at a shred of a saved season, They’ve painted themselves into a corner. Andrew Porter himself said the stars above their crest aren’t counting league wins. It’s going to be a hard sell for players and fans alike. It may feel like second best now, but in a few weeks time, we’ll all sleep a lot sounder holding onto our URC medals than nothing at all.