RUGBY HEINEKEN CUP Leinster v Scarlets:IN THE build-up to last weekend's clash between today's protagonists, Scarlets' coach Nigel Davies suggested that his charges wouldn't be cowed by the pressure of their unbeaten opening to the Heineken Cup and that they would adhere to the expansive handling style that he was looking to foster in a young team.
Leinster introduced the Welsh club to a hard-nosed intensity from the opening whistle at Parc y Scarlets and by the time the home side had rediscovered an element of poise in possession, the outcome was effectively decided as the Irish province had pocketed three tries.
During that period Leinster played sumptuous rugby but also preyed on the naivety of the Scarlets, who undermined their ambition with a succession of mistakes. At times it was down to accuracy of execution, where individuals looked to force a pass that quite simply didn’t need to be made.
A spiralling error-rate induced an anxiety that manifest itself in poor option taking, with and without the ball. It was difficult to fathom why the Scarlets insisted on kicking so much possession to a foot perfect Rob Kearney: it merely handed back possession the Scarlets could ill afford to spurn and ratcheted up the pressure defensively. It was self perpetuating masochism.
This week Davies has offered a more cautious and measured appraisal of what the Scarlets need to do to try and elicit a change in fortune. “This will be another big game for a number of our younger players who are new to the rigours of the Heineken Cup. It will be a true test of character and spirit after last weekend’s result but the disappointment from our last performance has now been replaced by a desire to go to Dublin and show what this Scarlets team is capable of. We are now just focused on putting in a good performance at the weekend and we have everything to play for.”
Accountability for last week’s disappointment is evident in a number of changes. Rhys Priestland, a talented outhalf, is named at fullback with Daniel Evans moving to the bench. Lee Williams drops out of the match day squad and is replaced by Darren Daniel, a free scoring wing with oodles of pace. The final alteration is the backrow with Jonathan Edwards preferred to Richie Pugh.
The bookmakers suggest that the home side are 17-point favourites, which seems faintly ludicrous. This is a Scarlets side that went to the Madejski Stadium and beat London Irish. They endured a bad 30 minutes last weekend in which they effectively lost the match. That doesn’t make them a poor team.
It’s a defeat that will have smarted all week and that should be reflected in a difference in attitude and application from the opening whistle. For those who look to history for precedent, 11 years ago Leinster beat Llanelli at Stradey Park in the European Cup and then two months later the Welsh side travelled to Donnybrook and repaid the favour by beating their hosts.
Leinster coach Michael Cheika won’t have peddled that statistic during the week but what he will have impressed upon his players is that the clock and the scoreboard start from zero at the RDS today: success will be determined by the integrity of performance and not because the home side are favourites or by virtue of what they achieved seven days earlier.
Deciphering whether the Irish side was a little mentally lax just before half-time and for 20 minutes after the interval is a moot point. The Scarlets definitely improved but it is really what Leinster do in a proactive way that matters. They must continue to play with a heads-up philosophy and none epitomised this more than Isa Nacewa, who was outstanding last week in terms of the lines he ran and his distribution.
Shaun Berne ran the game intelligently as did the excellent Eoin Reddan. Defensively Leinster will need to dissuade Scarlets’ centre Jonathan Davies from carrying ball with greater authority. The Welsh side’s lineout was virtually flawless, an area their hosts will look to improve upon while Leinster gave one or two hints that they can get after their opponent’s scrum.
Leinster won the battle of the breakdown – Seán O’Brien, Leo Cullen and Jamie Heaslip were especially conspicuous – a feat they’ll have to repeat. They’ll want to effectively shackle Scarlets’ number eight and captain David Lyons while releasing Heaslip, O’Brien and Kevin McLaughlin.
In essence Leinster must not step back but remain unswerving in implementing their playbook. The European champions were attuned to their task from the outset last week and that challenge has not altered one iota. It may even have got a little more difficult, which would make another victory all the more satisfactory.
LEINSTER: R Kearney; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, I Nacewa; S Berne, E Reddan; C Healy, J Fogarty, CJ van der Linde; L Cullen (capt), N Hones; K McLaughlin, S O'Brien, J Heaslip. Replacements: B Jackman, S Wright, M Ross, M O'Kelly, S Keogh, P O'Donohue, G Dempsey, F McFadden.
SCARLETS: R Priestland; D Daniel, S Lamont, J Davies, A Fenby; S Jones, M Roberts: I Thomas, K Owens, D Manu: L Reed, D Day; S Easterby, J Edwards, D Lyons (capt). Replacements: E Phillips, P John, J Corsi, V Cooper, R McCusker, T Knoyle, D Evans, G Maule.
Referee: W Barnes(England)
2009 HC results so far: Leinster– lost to London Irish (h) 12-9; bt Brive (a) 36-13; bt Scarlets(a) 32-7. Scarlets bt London Irish (a) 27-25; bt Brive (h) 24-12; lost to Leinster (h) 32-7.
Previous HC meetings: Oct 1996 at Stradey Park – Llanelli 34 Leinster 17. Sept 1998 at Stradey Park – Llanelli 27 Leinster 33. Nov 1998 at Donnybrook – Leinster 27 Llanelli 34; Dec 2009 at Parc y Scarlets: Scarlets 7 Leinster 32.
Leading points scorers: Leinster– Jonno Sexton 28. Scarlets– Stephen Jones 30.
Leading try scorers: Leinster– Kevin McLaughlin 2. Scarlets– Daniel Evans, Lee Williams, Mark Jones, Rhys Thomas, J Davies 1 each.
Odds(courtesy of Paddy Powers): Leinster 1/16, draw 28/1, Scarlets 13/2. Handicap: Leinster (+17) 10/11, draw 25/1, Scarlets (-17) 10/11.
Verdict: Leinster to win.
