Can Leinster break their European hoodoo?
episode
The Counter Ruck: The Irish Times Rugby Podcast
25 min
2 speakers
8 chapters
transcribed 4 months ago
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What are the key matchups in the European finals this weekend?
Hello and welcome to the Counter-Rocker Rugby Podcast brought to you by the Irish Times in partnership with Oak Energy. European Finals weekend is here. Ulster Montpellier on the Friday night in the Challenge Cup and Leinster against Bordeaux on the Saturday as Leo Cullen's side looks to break their finals hoodoo and win their coveted fifth European crown. Gordon Darcy is here with me to preview all the action. Darce, hello. How are things? We're much closer to what is all of a sudden becoming, well, it's a game that's looming into view. It's funny, I remember once we saw the draw, we knew it was Bordeaux. I think this game didn't quite have as much hype because Leinster are not going into it as favourites and there's almost a...
I've resigned acceptance among some people that they are going to be up against it.
How has Leinster's pressure impacted their performance in finals?
But it's almost as if as things get closer, people get more optimistic. There's more positive chatter about, you know, if this doesn't go right and the pressure that will come on once again. And will this whole cycle repeat itself? It's been a strange old build up, but we're here and we're a couple of days out now.
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.
Why is that? I mean, Leinster's relationship with pressure has been a fascinating one over the last couple of years. You'd forgive them if there's almost just, again, that crippling nervous energy just because this has become a self-fulfilling prophecy of them getting to big European days and big finals and falling up short. That can't be a good place to be if that nervous energy is flying about the place.
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
What factors contribute to Leinster's cautious optimism this year?
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. And when you get that right, it's kind of the thing I've talked about a couple of times and I've written about. It's like getting the head right so the body follows. So I think that is a really...
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What are the key matchups in the European finals this weekend?
0:04–0:57
2
How has Leinster's pressure impacted their performance in finals?
0:57–3:04
3
What factors contribute to Leinster's cautious optimism this year?
3:04–4:50
4
How does Leinster's mindset differ from previous years?
4:50–7:23
5
What challenges does Ulster face against Montpellier?
7:23–8:59
6
How important is player fitness in Ulster's chances?
8:59–11:07
7
What strategies should Ulster employ to succeed in the final?
11:07–13:39
8
What historical lessons can Leinster learn from past finals?
13:39–25:24
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Counter Ruck: The Irish Times Rugby Podcast
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