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Jackman posits interesting theory as to why Leinster's season flopped
The Bulls 27 – 26 victory over Leinster on Friday night blew apart the established URC pecking order and there will have been plenty of hand wringing and head scratching in Dublin this weekend as a result.
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Having won the competition four years on the trot, getting turfed out in the semi-final stage after being physically dominated in Dublin is a new, uncomfortable reality for a Leinster side used to getting their own way. Coming just two weeks after a similarly galling Champions Cup Final loss to La Rochelle, it guarantees a summer of soul searching for the Irish heavyweights.
In the aftermath of the boilover victory, the Irish commentariate have focused in a number of odd selections by Leo Cullen and his coaching ticket and Bernard Jackman believes there may in fact be evidence of a lack of confidence in their wider squad as the campaign reached its climax.
Leinster used 60 players this season and largely navigated the URC and the Heineken Champions Cup competitions with alternate sides. Yet Jackman doesn’t buy that there’s full belief in the wider squad.
“You have to give massive credit to the Bulls. Jake White knows how to win knockout rugby,” Jackman told RTE Sport in the aftermath of the loss. “They came here without any current Springboks. Had a six day turnaround and put in place a template to beat Leinster.
“I think when Leinster review this they are going to look at selection. Should they have started Johnny? I think if they started Johnny they win. Hugo Keenan was rested.
“A really interesting thing I’ve picked up around Leinster is a lack of faith in their bench.
“Either they have data to show that ‘Don’t use the bench’ and it just hasn’t worked in two games, or there’s a lack of faith there.
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“It’s become a 23-man game and if you look at someone like Joe McCarthy, who there is a lot of hype about; big powerful young lock, exactly the type of player you need against a La Rochelle or a Bulls. He had four minutes against La Rochelle, he got five minutes against Leicester, and four minutes against Toulouse.
“Luke McGrath got five minutes against La Rochelle and ten minutes last night [against the Bulls]. Cian Healy got two minutes last night. Sean Cronin didn’t come on.
“So it’s a big ask for a pack or a team who were maybe underpowered phyiscally, to go 80. You saw the Bulls, their frontrow did brilliantly. Sixty minutes. Bang [they were taken off]. So that’s something that maybe they’ll re-analyse.
“Maybe they’re ahead of the curve and they’ve just been unlucky in those two games, but while they’ve played 60 players over the course of the season, that they haven’t had a 23 that they’ve had massive faith in is strange.”
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Former Leinster and Ireland No.8 Jamie Heaslip says that the men in blue are being trully challenged physically for the first time in a long time. “No one has challenged them physically until this year. What’s mirrored in Europe over the last four years is that when they are against these sides that can dominate them physically, they don’t get their way, they don’t dominate the tempo of the game.
“Or when the script is flipped on them in a game and they’re behind a team and in a pressure cooker environment where they can’t play this free-flowing rugby or it’s not sticking. They seem to come a little undone.
“Players need to take responsiblity as well. There’s a cohort there that have to will take another really harsh lesson and figure out and learn how they win these types of games. It can’t always be free-flowing rugby.
“The management have to take responsibility here as well. If you keep doing the same things, teams will eventually figure you out. That’s sport. You’ve got to tweak it a little bit.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments