Heineken Cup / Bourgoin v Leinster: It's a curious and possibly Irish mindset that favouritism on the sporting field sits about as comfortably as a wirehair undershirt. Leinster thumped Bourgoin last week at the RDS and on that evidence there is nothing to suggest they don't possess the wherewithal to repeat the success, if not the margin, in France today.
Those of a pessimistic bent will point to last season when the Irish province romped away at Lansdowne Road only to six days later scrape home 26-23 courtesy of Brian O'Driscoll's virtuosity. It's a reasonable concern but in examining Leinster's performance last season at Stade Pierre Rajon it's apparent some of their problems on the night were self-inflicted. While Leinster didn't back off the physical confrontation their surprise at the intensity was palpable and a hesitancy crept into their game.
Defensively they fell off some tackles and the tackling in general lacked front-foot aggression. Initially the visitors were racked by doubt but gradually overcame that handicap and by the end demonstrated both quality and character.
The same questions will be posed today. Bourgoin will be more aggressive than last week and will benefit from the changes, notably the return of two Test players, centre David Venditti and secondrow Pascal Pape. The latter in particular will provide a hard edge up front, quite apart from his athletic qualities. He's been out since October and this is his first match back so he's unlikely to last the full game.
Bourgoin will be hard-nosed up front, the main theatre of confrontation. If they establish dominance then outhalf Benjamin Boyet - concussion or no concussion - is a very capable playmaker. Leinster's pack will set the tone as they did last week. To win away in France, the set-piece of scrum and lineout must be largely flawless, and there has to be a commitment to match Bourgoin's physicality.
If Leinster establish a decent platform up front then, as illustrated in the RDS, the Leinster back line is capable of shredding the Bourgoin defence, albeit that the French side's defence won't be quite as gormless.
Leinster coach Michael Cheika compared the permutations of playing in France to a mathematical equation. To unravel the solution he contended that what must first be established is the answer to the riddle of whether it is Irish teams that play well at home and poorly away or that French teams are stronger at home and brittle on foreign soil.
Cheika has preached all season that his priority is to concentrate on his team, be proactive rather than reactive. In recent matches there are signs the philosophy is beginning to bear fruit. The players seem comfortable with the patterns and while operating between general parameters of play, have been encouraged to problem solve on the pitch. None epitomises this more than Felipe Contepomi, Leinster's interim captain.
His willingness to play what he sees in front of him makes him more difficult to defend against and allows greater freedom for those outside. He varies his game shrewdly but his first inclination is to keep possession. His playmaking nous is pivotal to Leinster's well-being quite apart from his place-kicking accuracy, exemplified by his status as the tournament's leading points scorer. For the younger members of the team like Brian Blaney, Jamie Heaslip and Robert Kearney, they are about to endure a crash course in the demands of playing in France and will know more about themselves at the final whistle.
Bourgoin won't produce anything that constitutes a surprise. They'll play on the margins, try to intimidate, looking for the whiphand up front and inject pace and width into the game. Their supporters will be a factor as long as the home side remain in the game.
Leinster have only to look to last season to thumb through potential pitfalls. They need to defend aggressively, be disciplined because there will be provocation, and be confident enough to play their patterns. There's little to be gained by hugging the touchlines in pursuit of less risky patterns.
The primary reason Leinster won so convincingly last week was that they went for the jugular. Little has changed in the interim. As the renowned theologian Del Boy Trotter used to say: "He who dares, wins."
BOURGOIN: A Peclier; A Forest, D Venditti, JF Coux, D Janin; B Boyet, M Forest (capt); O Milloud, B Cabello, P Peyron; J Pierre, P Pape; J Frier, A Petrilli, W Jooste. Replacements (from): P Cardinalli, Davit Kinchagisvhili, F Montagnat, L Baluc Rittner, A Diotallevi, M Campeggia, N Carmona, G Davis, I Giorgadze.
LEINSTER: G Dempsey; K Lewis, G D'Arcy, S Horgan, R Kearney; F Contepomi (capt), G Easterby; R Corrigan, B Blaney, W Green; B Williams, M O'Kelly; E Miller, K Gleeson, J Heaslip. Replacements: D Blaney, E Byrne, B Gissing, C Jowitt, B O'Riordan, J Hepworth, E Hickey.
Referee: T Spreadbury (England).
Previous meetings (HC): Leinster 92 Bourgoin 17; Bourgoin 23 Leinster 26; Leinster 53 Bourgoin 7. HC 2005-2006: Bourgoin - bt Glasgow Warriors (h) 16-3; lost to Bath (a) 39-12; lost to Leinster (a) 53-7. Leinster - lost to Bath (h) 22-19; bt Glasgow Warriors (a) 33-20; bt Bourgoin (h) 53-7.
Leading points scorers: Bourgoin - Alexandre Peclier, Benjamin Boyet 11 each. Leinster - Felipe Contepomi 60.
Leading try scorers: Bourgoin - David Janin, Glenn Davis 1 each. Leinster - Felipe Contepomi 3.
Verdict: Leinster to win.
Bourgoin v Leinster
Stade Pierre Rajon, Saturday, 3.0 Irish time
On TV: Sky Sports 2
