GAVIN CUMMISKEYon how the number seven sees the punishing of sealing-off as good for scavengers like him
THE RULES of engagement at the breakdown have changed. Again. Who better to ask about this convoluted, yet crucial area in the winning of rugby matches than Shane Jennings?
Despite finding it increasingly difficult to make the Leinster backrow for the big European games, Jennings proved against Munster a few weeks ago he remains the best number seven – in the strictest definition of the position – in Irish rugby.
“Course it’s tough,” he said about not being selected.
“I was happy with the Munster game and I’ve been happy with my form this season. But there’s a lot of competition in the squad and it’s up to me to keep consistency in my performance and if I do at least I’m sticking my hand up and putting pressure on (Joe Schmidt).
“He has to make the decision and I don’t want to make it easy for him by not playing well. It’s up to me to try and continue to play well as I certainly want to be in those games.”
Some 1,348 spectators, mostly schoolchildren, showed up at a sunny RDS yesterday morning to watch the open training session. Whenever the public address guy stopped blaring out irrelevant information, you could hear the players and coaches at work.
Jennings’ voice was a constant. He might be a fourth-quarter merchant, so long as Seán O’Brien is employed at openside, but he remains a squad leader and chief organiser.
Anyway, to the breakdown and the referee instructions to penalise attacking teams for sealing off the ball carrier.
“They’re just paying more attention to that rule and the refs are more focused on it, which is good. If someone isn’t allowed to seal off then it allows for competition at the breakdown and that’s what you want.”
So, there is more opportunity for a scavenger like Jennings to steal the ball? “It allows for more of a contest. Hopefully, you’ll have an opportunity to try and steal the ball or else make sure the other fella doesn’t get in before you to steal it.
“You can see that there’s not as much robbing at breakdown as there probably was.
“It’s swings and roundabouts sometimes and then for some reason they place more of an emphasis on it. It’s as physical as ever, so not too much is changing.”
Leinster meet Edinburgh tomorrow evening; a team they could conceivably face in the Heineken Cup final on May 19th.
Despite their atrocious RaboDirect Pro 12 League form, Edinburgh have excelled in Europe. Jennings expects the latter form as Michael Bradley’s team prepare for the semi-final against Ulster in two weeks’ time.
“Against a team like Edinburgh you can see that they can get through 13, 14 phases so they’re very good at that.
“(Ross) Rennie is a quality player, (Dave) Denton is a quality player and if they play (Netani) Talei, he’s a good player as well. So there’s going to be a good competition for us at the breakdown and it’s massively important.
“I think the team that’s sharpest there and disciplined enough not to give away penalties will come out on top.”
Edinburgh are tomorrow with Ulster next weekend but thoughts cannot but wander to Clermont Auvergne on April 29th.
Did Jennings see their destruction of Saracens? “I watched the first half before I fell asleep. I was stuffing my face full of chocolate so I was on a sugar downer. It was typical Clermont, powerful, just steamrolled teams, and if you give them the opportunity they’ll do that. When Brock James came on he showed he was just as good as Skrela; he can play the positions very well and just booted them down field.
“They wouldn’t rely massively on their lineout, but when they get it they can just rumble teams, like they did to us in the (2010) quarter-final. It’s going to be a very difficult game.”
