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'Big gulf again' - Leinster's monopoly in the Pro14 leads fans to question whether they have gathered too much power
Leinster’s incredible run in the Pro14 continued with their 23rd straight victory in all competitions this season with a 27-5 win in the final over Ulster at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
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After conceding the first try after four minutes, the hometown side failed to concede a single point thereafter, running away with the final in the second half despite some jitters with their performance. Ulster were down only five at halftime but an early penalty kick to Leinster followed by a gut-wrenching intercept moments later quickly blew the deficit out to 15, which proved insurmountable.
The third straight league title for Leinster elevated their status as one of the most dominant sides in sport, ensuring they will go down in history as a revered side with an undefeated season. The men in blue enjoyed praise on social media for their achievement with many in awe of an ‘untouchable’ club side.
Good to see the state of Irish rugby looks bright after an all Irish final, all I hope is for the irfu to maybe look at managing some of the other provinces a bit more and make the provincial game even stronger. Works for everyone right? #SUFTUM #LEIvULS @PRO14Official @IrishRug
— Jack Fogarty (@FogartyJack) September 12, 2020
The untouchables of European rugby @leinsterrugby duly complete a hat-trick of PRO12-14 titles with plenty to spare, 27-5 @UlsterRugby . That's 23 out of 23 for the season with @Saracens next up in Dublin @ChampionsCup next week. Can't see anyone beating the All Blues.
— Peter Jackson (@JackoRugby) September 12, 2020
No shocks in the end. Leinster are some machine… Big gulf again.
— Brian O'Driscoll (@BrianODriscoll) September 12, 2020
After winning every game in a league season over the course of more than a year, this Leinster side now go down in history as amongst the most dominant in any sport. #LEIvULS
— Karl Brophy (@KarlBrophy) September 12, 2020
A few asked whether their dominance and ‘monopoly’ on silverware is a good thing, with worries that the imbalance in power won’t be changed any time soon with Leinster’s powerhouse academy pumping out a production line of pro calibre players with the other teams picking up the names that aren’t able to stay.
Some corners of Welsh fans held onto a belief that Leinster escaped being tested by the Scarlets this season, thus aiding their undefeated season. Without a trip to Cardiff, Leinster avoided any clashes with the Welsh side in the shortened season.
Leinster are an exceptional team, but it’s such a bad look for the Pro 14 that they’ve gone undefeated while barely getting out of third gear and playing weakened teams all the way up to the final.
It’s just not good for anyone for a league to be this uncompetitive.
— Josh Gardner (@joshgardner) September 12, 2020
Unfortunately Ulster can’t expect to be competitive with Leinster when such a large portion of their squad is made up of players Leinster themselves have already deemed not good enough, (i.e. rejects). Can’t keep being Dublin’s dumping ground. #LEIvULS #SUFTUM
— Ian Turner (@i_am_turner) September 12, 2020
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Congrats to Leinster etc, but legitimate questions will be asked regarding the legitimacy of this triumph, given how they went through a shortened league season, without once coming face-to-face with the one team capable of stopping them dead in their tracks. #LEIvULS
— Edward Jenkins (@edjenx) September 12, 2020
They haven't played the Scarlets (or Cardiff) in this unbeaten run as far as i know.
(Not that i think we could have stopped their first team this year)
— Gareth (@GarethJC10) September 12, 2020
The views around Leinster’s unrestrained power could be a ‘prisoner of the moment’ trapping, forgetting that not so long ago their were doubts around Leo Cullen’s ability to turn Leinster’s fortunes around, with the club reeling from the Matt O’Connor years where the side had perpetually declined after a successful era under former Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt.
Those seeing the bigger transformation picture were ready to lather Cullen with superlatives, ready to label him a ‘legend of a coach’ and player for his work.
When Leo Cullen took over a few years back there was a genuine feeling that he got the job cos no-one decent wanted it and there was a fear he'd be a disaster. How wrong that was and what a coach hes turned out to be. Legend of a player – legend of a coach #LEIvULS #GuinnessPRO14
— Conor Flynn (@conf101) September 12, 2020
Leo Cullen doesn't get enough credit for the job he has done at #LeinsterRugby, the ability to keep the hunger within the team and the conveyor belt of talent happy and united is amazing. Surely next Ireland head coach?
— Billy Wright (@billy_wright92) September 12, 2020
Leo Cullen is 42.
He captained Leinster to three Heineken Cup titles in 2009, 2011 & 2012. He won 3 league titles & a challenge cup.
As a coach he’s led Leinster to three consecutive Pro14 titles in 2018, 2019 & 2020
A Heineken Champions Cup in 2018
And nowhere near finished.— Sinéad Kissane (@sineadkissane) September 12, 2020
This was Leo Cullen's first big test as a coach. 6 of that squad were making their European debuts.
It was a disaster, we lost at home 33-5 against wasps. The change of personal, coaching, standards and results in space of 5 years is incredible.#LEIvULS #pro14 pic.twitter.com/7jZ9zQTwu8
— Baz Walsh (@BazWalsh85) September 12, 2020
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Former captain and Irish international Jamie Heaslip also offered his view, putting the success down to the system and process of developing talent which other teams could potentially learn from, which led to 53 players being used in this season’s successful campaign.
53 players used in the season by Leinster. Investing in their system and process of developing talent. Granted probably a bigger player pool to take from but lessons to be learned about bringing through the talent and giving them exposure to playing in senior team. #LeivUls
— jamie heaslip (@jamieheaslip) September 12, 2020
Other fans shared a similar view around an academy-driven approach, questioning whether there any significant road blocks to club sides in Wales & Scotland taking the same approach.
I haven’t a clue what Leinsters budget is and no one seems to know but I don’t think it’s beyond the reach of clubs in Wales or Scotland if they develop their academy’s to the same extent as Leinster have. The talent must be there in large areas of Wales & Scotland surely?
— Sean Larkin (@SPLarkin) September 12, 2020
Leinster certainly have proven to have a hold over the Pro14 but they will be now looking ahead to the European title race where they were downtrodden by an imposing Saracens side in the final last year, despite being the defending champions.
They will face Saracens in a do-or-die quarter-final clash next weekend, while Pro14 runners up Ulster will have to pick themselves up to play Toulouse.
Comments on RugbyPass
Jake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
11 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
11 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
11 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
39 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to comments