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England's Italian job in Rome just got even harder
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'We are definitely one of the best, if not the best club in the world'
By Simon Thomas
As he closes in on his century, try machine Scott Penny will be hoping there are many more appearances for Leinster Rugby to come.
The openside flanker is out of contract at the end of the season, but is loving his time at the province and his value to the team is readily acknowledged by coach Leo Cullen.
Penny will make his 99th appearance for the BKT URC champions when they take on Cardiff Rugby at the Arms Park on Friday night.
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He has scored no fewer than 39 tries from his 98 games to date, providing further evidence of his prolific poaching with a hat-trick in the victory over Edinburgh Rugby in the last round of league matches.
“I am loving my rugby here,” says the Dublin-born 26-year-old.
“It’s great. It’s such a good environment, such a good bunch of lads. We are definitely one of the best, if not the best club in the world. Your learnings every day are just amazing.
“I’ve got to focus on myself at the moment and do what’s right for me, keep trying to get good game-time, put in good performances and I think everything works out after that.”
So, it’s pretty clear that he’s keen on staying on board at Leinster and his boss is hopeful on that front too.
“Scott is a great pro in terms of his organisation,” said head coach Cullen.
“He is such a good communicator and he’s very creative.
“He is such an integral part with tap penalty moves and pick-and-go close to the opposition line.
“He’s a key member of the group because of his professionalism, his leadership and how he communicates with everybody around him.
“We definitely see him as being part of the future here as well, so hopefully that will get sorted at some point in time.”
Penny’s second half hat-trick against Edinburgh saw Leinster turn around a 15-7 half-time deficit to claim a 28-20 bonus point victory and make it 11 wins in a row in all competitions.
“I was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time,” he said, modestly.
“It was a very tough match. In the first half, we weren’t really up to the standard that we hold ourselves to and Edinburgh were really testing us.
“But it was a really good response in the second half. It was a great team effort.”
Now the attention turns to the Arms Park as Leinster look to continue a winning run which has taken them up to second in the league table.
“Everyone knows how competitive the BKT URC is. If you lose one game, you drop out of the top six,” said Penny.
“It’s so tight, you can’t let any games go to waste.
“We know how good Cardiff will be, especially at home. It’s a tough place to go. It’s a very hostile atmosphere, especially on a Friday night under lights at the Arms Park.
“It’s a big challenge. They are a good side with plenty of ambition in attack. You have seen over the last few years, their attack is lethal.
“We played them in pre-season and they opened us apart. They have a really good skill set and really good pace on the edges. They are very physical and they will go after our breakdown.
“If we are not on 100 per cent or if we are slipping up and making silly errors, they are going to be able to bite us.
“We need to focus on ourselves, get the physical part of the game right and then go on from there, taking it moment by moment.
“Everyone is buzzing to get back playing. For a few lads, it’s been quite a while. The excitement within the group has been brilliant.”
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