He’s not far wrong.
Having made the trek home from Galway on Saturday night in high
spirits, the weekend only got better the next day when, despite being 22-8 down
at one point, the Newport-Gwent Dragons managed to complete an unlikely double
over the defending Pro12 champions and give us, Glasgow, Munster and the
Ospreys the biggest lift imaginable by effectively reducing the Pro12 play-off
race to the final four teams.
Officially Leinster aren’t out of it as they can still catch the four
sides above them – although in order to do that they probably require three
bonus point wins, and based on how they’ve played so far this season and, also
coming off the back of their hugely physical Champions’ Cup semi-final this
Sunday, can you really see them coming away from the Kingspan next Friday with
a win, let alone with four tries? You’d be a brave man to back them.
And so, Matt O’Connor’s men depart for Marseilles with an embarrassing
defeat in Newport on their backs and with a mountain to overcome in the shape
of Bernard Laporte’s superstar side, needing to win effectively to save their
season altogether. Unless the miraculous happens and they do sneak into the
Pro12 play-offs at the death, the only thing that will salvage Leinster’s
2014/15 campaign would be winning the inaugural Champions’ Cup – even just a
final appearance probably wouldn’t be enough.
Is that a little harsh? Not really when you look at the disappointment
coming from down south at Matt O’Connor. A Pro12 title last season and a
Champions’ Cup semi-final appearance this season, on the face of it, is not a
bad record, especially whenever you consider he’s followed possibly the best
coach in the world in Joe Schmidt. However, with results faltering and
performances not up to the standard the Dubliners expect year on year there is
a desire for O’Connor to be given the heave-ho a year before his contract at
the RDS expires.
However, the league is a club’s bread and butter, and this season
Leinster have been way wide of the mark, epitomised by their disappointing
double defeat to the fourth Welsh region. With a win at the Kingspan now a
necessity to reach the play-offs rather than just a desire it looks very
unlikely Leinster will reach the semi-finals – the first time that would occur since
the play-offs were introduced. For Leinster fans, this is unacceptable.
So the pressure is on for this weekend. A win in Marseilles is now
essential for MOC to win back the fans because as well as they might play, a
Pro12 play-off berth looks out of their reach. Only having the Champions’ Cup
trophy back in the cabinet at the RDS will end the calls for the Australian to
depart his adopted province, with the heads at Leinster deciding whether or not
they will ultimately listen to them.
And with Toulon to overcome, you just never know.
Meanwhile, what a riveting game we had in Galway on Saturday! I said
at half-time that a 17-0 lead wasn’t enough considering the wind advantage that
Connacht would have in the second half (and it was a very substantial wind at
their backs) and it nearly proved to be correct. Ruan Pienaar’s 1 from 7
kicking stats didn’t help (although, again, due to the wind I don’t blame him
for that) and in the end we nearly found ourselves heading back to Belfast with
a draw – indeed, had Danie Poolman held that late offload from Robbie Henshaw
then we probably would have.
Nevertheless, it was one of Ulster’s better performances this season
and whenever you consider that we are only the second team this season to leave
the West with the win, and the first team this season to leave with all five
points secured, it reads as an extremely handy win and a very important one in
the context of our play-off push. While Glasgow, Munster and the Ospreys all
picked up bonus point wins, it looked like we would do well just to get the win
– four tries were a very welcome bonus.
Ulster are hitting form at the right time and it is exciting to watch.
The bonus point against Cardiff was a formality, but our ruthless efficiency in
the opposition 22 against Connacht on Saturday was fantastic, and in the end
was what it won us the game. If we can be that clinical against Leinster,
Munster and Glasgow then we will be a handful for all three – and with the home
advantage against our provincial rivals too, there’s a growing belief that there
will be not just a final in Belfast this season, but a semi-final too.
Although I’m sure a few other teams will have something to say about
that first…
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