SPOILED FOR CHOICE
Blues have strength in depth to conquer Europe’s money men
LEINSTER’S march to their first European Cup title in 2009 is widely remembered as the Rocky Elsom show. The Australian was ridiculously good that season. Carefully nurtured by head coach Michael Cheika and his management team, Elsom was granted certain allowances in training because Leinster knew he would deliver on match day. And, how he delivered. It was a glorious one-season contribution by Elsom, hitting a peak he never achieved before or after, but it is instructive that the Rockyhero factor, pushed relentlessly by an adoring media, subsequently became something of a sensitive topic for his team-mates.
Elsom (below) was indisputably the headline act but it was very much an ensemble effort during that campaign, featuring some of the greatest players of the professional era in Irish rugby — Brian O’Driscoll, Gordon D’Arcy, Johnny Sexton, Isa Nacewa, Cian Healy and current head coach Leo Cullen among them.
The other notable aspect to Leinster that season was that the first XV pretty much picked itself, with precious little debate surrounding who should get the nod for the big games. A glance through the replacements bench on that famous afternoon in Murrayfield when Leicester were vanquished 19-16 in the European Cup final bears out the point.
John Fogarty and Ronnie McCormack were established understudies in the front row, Devin Toner and Sean O’Brien were yet to establish themselves fully as frontliners, Simon Keogh was never going to usurp former Wallabies captain Chris Whitaker at scrum-half, Girvan Dempsey was on the final circuits of a distinguished career as back-up to Nacewa and Rob Kearney was on the bench after four games out with mumps.
Contrast that situation to this season, where a debate revolves around almost every position due to Leinster carefully assembling a squad that carrries depth to rival any in Europe.
It is a welcome headache to have and one Cullen, Fogarty (scrum coach) and Dempsey (backs coach) can readily appreciate from their own experiences of a time when options were not nearly as plentiful.
Indeed, in the current squad, it could be argued that only Sexton and Tadhg Furlong are nailed-on selections with no debate – in the two positions (out-half and tighthead prop) considered the most vital in any team. Even Sean O’Brien (a Lions Test starter last summer, like Sexton and Furlong) faces intense competition from the excellent Josh van der Flier for the No7 jersey. In fact you could now name two Leinster starting teams (see panel) capable of taking on any side in Europe with confidence, and this is allowing for injured absentees of the quality of Jamie Heaslip and Joey Carbery. That was certainly not the case in 2009, or even in 2011 and 2012 when Joe Schmidt added two more European Cups to the Leinster trophy cabinet. The breadth of options underscores the growing conviction that Leinster are ready again to scale the summit of the European club game and should not fear any side in the Champions Cup, despite the landscape changing considerably in the five seasons since their last crowning. Leinster’s three titles between 2009 and 2012 spurred the England and French into action and their orchestrated annexing of the European Cup — backed by massive TV-money injections — has seen the last five trophies shared between financial behemoths Toulon and Saracens. Knowing they could never compete with the financial heft allowing the big Top14 and English Premiership clubs to cherry pick the cream of imported talent, Leinster have instead relied on their own internal player production facilities – and it is reaping rich dividend. Take the back three. Kiwi James Lowe made a stunning two-try debut against Treviso last weekend but there is such strength in this area that Leinster have decided they do not need to register the former Chiefs man for Sunday’s showdown with Exeter. Rob and Dave Kearney, Fergus McFadden (all experienced Ireland internationals), Adam Byrne (who made an impressive start to his Ireland career last month), breakthrough Academy talents Rory O’Loughlin and Jordan Larmour and captain Nacewa are all in contention for back three places. O’Loughlin and Nacewa are also capable of relocating to midfield but those centre spots could well be filled by Ireland’s 2017 Six Nations pairing of Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose.
And all that with other standout performers Carbery and Barry Daly unavailable due to injury.
It is an intoxicating array of backline talent and all, with the notable exception of Nacewa, self-generated.
A similar situation exists in the backrow, where competition is so intense the 18-times capped Jordi Murphy is off to Ulster next season in search of game time.
Even if Sexton or Furlong were to be ruled out in the key roles of out-half and tighthead, Ross Byrne and Andrew Porter have made such impressive progress recently there would be no major concerns if they were thrust into frontline European action.
It is an uplifting scenario for Leinster, for Irish rugby and for everyone who believes success should not be pre-determined by the money men.
It is also the reason why Leinster have genuine designs on European glory again, buttressed by the knowledge they have developed a squad capable of overcoming the best England and France can throw at them.
That will be tested against Exeter, the England champions and current Premiership tabletoppers, this Sunday.
Ordinarily, you would say emerging from Sandy Park with a bonus point to take back to Dublin for the second leg of the doubleheader would constitute a job well done — but this is no ordinary Leinster outfit.
Under the calm, controlled guidance of Cullen, there is no danger of this Leinster squad being depicted as a one-man band — as they were erroneously when Elsom was in his pomp in 2009 — this is a full orchestra, ready to make some noise.