Gordon D’Arcy

Yeah, I think there's less expectation with this time because, as you said, you're not coming in as favourites.

So that makes it a really interesting place for supporters and everything.

So when you start having, as I've had a few times this week, you start having kind of long conversations.

You almost start, you kind of flip between, I suppose, people who are really into rugby now.

you're almost they're trying to be overly analytical and they're almost finding reasons why leinster won't win kind of with the fingers crossed behind their back when you're just talking to a fan or somebody who's just you know a supporter they start you start finding it's almost the opposite you start finding reasons to go you're going like you're almost talking yourself into the win so it's really uh i find that dynamic really interesting i was on a panel earlier in the week and

Bernie Jackman was one of the panelists.

And, you know, he's looking at it absolutely dispassionately and kind of saying, oh, you know, it has to be a massive outperformance for Leinster to win that game.

And he probably is right on balance.

I'm, yeah, I'm kind of, as always, trying to be glass half full.

I'd love to be in that changing room this week.

Yeah, I just, I feel there's more of a resignation and with that comes a little bit of freedom that you're not in control of everything.

And I think maybe Leinster have been guilty of that and trying to

it's being too cute is the wrong way of saying it but they've tried to do too much or they've tried to control too much and there's a kind of a yeah just that resignation of that that they're not in control of everything and that can be quite freeing as a player because you just say okay we will just control what we can control and

play our best game, everybody be ready, be right, not get tight in the game, enjoy it, that kind of thing, that kind of a mindset.

And that frees them up an awful lot to go in and just to swing for the rope.

And I've been that player where you understand that you're not in control of everything.

We just say going, okay, well,

All I have to do is trust that the guy on my left and my right is going to be as well prepared as they can be.

They're going to fight for their life in this game.

And that's all I have to do.