Gordon D’Arcy

What I think is very, very different this season is the bit with that defence is the scramble.

And the scramble, you cannot coach.

You cannot train.

It has to come from within.

And I think the desperation that is within all of these players has shone through this season in particular.

So that's why I think there's just something different.

You look at the South Africans, you look at when you see Razzy and when Nienanbar was there and you look at them in the last World Cup and everything.

It's that absolute pure selflessness for the team.

Now, I'm not suggesting for a moment that Leinster weren't that.

I think they had it really good, but I think they were a much more technical team than South Africa.

And they've moved away from that.

And this is the third year now with this type of defensive style.

But if you look at the sheer desperation they have in tackle, in rucks and things like that, the fundamentals, the zero talent moments, the...

Those ones, I think that has gone up a notch this year.

So arguably a poorer team on paper this year, but are delivering, are harder to beat this year.

no i think it's i think it's like they're really bloody hard to uh to beat the mindset that was required to win just based on what ninambar sorry that's like ninambar like ninambar like he's not a magician like what he what he brought into leinster was a new philosophy and defense and it was really good i think the balance was off because the attack dropped

You look how different their attack was four years ago, three years ago, versus how it is four years ago, five years ago, versus it was.

You look at the difference Geordie Barrett made to the attack last year.

Don't mention the war with Geordie Barrett, but if you look at the difference that he made to that Leinster backline.

But there was such a sea change in the approach to their defense that I don't think they had the understanding of what the total, what the commitment level to that type of defense requires.