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'We were a bunch of misfits… it was the end of the old school era'
Isa Nacewa felt nothing but pride seeing Leinster dig in and successfully defend their Guinness PRO14 title last weekend.
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The New Zealander called time last year on a playing career best remembered for his trophy-winning exploits with the Irish province.
But he was chuffed to see how his old team reacted to their Champions Cup final defeat to Saracens, Leinster picking themselves up to beat Munster in the PRO14 semi-final before winning the final in Glasgow against the Warriors.
“Massively important win,” he said to leinsterrugby.com. “The easy thing would have been to have dropped that game. Hell, I was part of teams that did that and it would have made for the worst summer for the lads.
“When you have got that tag on your shoulders saying you are expected to win and then you actually do, it is more of a sign of relief and it’s let’s enjoy the next week because we did it.
Isa also flew in to the RDS to catch up with faces old and not so old…and while he nearly curses (😲) at some of his 2009 memories, he eventually lands on one stand-out, key moment from that historic season! #Champions2009 pic.twitter.com/rpBtUoF85L
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) May 29, 2019
“Hats off to them for picking yourselves up, dusting yourselves off, beating Munster and then having a great win at Celtic Park. Winning is winning at the end of the day and it’s what matters most.”
Now settled back in New Zealand and working outside rugby, Nacewa was back in Dublin this week to attend Leinster’s 10th anniversary celebration of their breakthrough 2009 European Cup win.
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“I don’t like to compare squads but when you compare 10 years ago to what it is now today, we were a bunch of misfits. It was the end of the old school era, if you could say that. So many characters in the team. It’s so awesome to be back and having a beer with them, which is pretty cool.
"This is it. This is goodbye."
A letter from Isa Nacewa: https://t.co/jeaRnWLTFD#ThanksIsa pic.twitter.com/HSdK88OPTv
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) May 29, 2018
“If you actually look back on the season as a whole we lost a crap tonne of games. I don’t know how we got through really, but we dug it out.
“The Croke Park game in 2009 (against Munster) is one of the highlights of my career… you look back and think how important that day was. It was a bit of a milestone really, so that stands out in my eyes.”
Brilliant night on Tuesday as the 2009 Heineken Cup-winning squad gathered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their achievement with 1,000 guests at the RDS, kindly supported by @bankofireland.
Read the recap of the night: https://t.co/8r1n6XjZg9#Champions2009 pic.twitter.com/3D8YEvQFnP
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) May 30, 2019
Brian O’Driscoll added: “We had to go and do it a difficult way and we managed to do it. That made it all the more satisfying, that we didn’t navigate an easy route.
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“We still had trials and tribulations to deal with, but we managed to deal with that adversity and see our way through. That stood the team in good stead for what followed.
“I honestly think it was the catalyst for what has happened in the club since then. It seems like an eternity ago but so must positive stuff has happened with trophy wins thereafter.”
WATCH: RugbyPass goes behind the scenes at the 2018 Guinness PRO14 final where Leinster beat Scarlets in Dublin
Comments on RugbyPass
Will rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
2 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
2 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
1 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
2 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
3 Go to comments