Leinster’s season close to unravelling after dismal defeat

Viewed in the context of the images from Paris over the weekend, the postponement of a few rugby matches and some ensuing fixture congestion in the European Champions and Challenge Cups hardly amounts to a hill of beans.

Rugby had no option other than to respect the three days’ of mourning in France after the weekend’s terrorist attacks. This should also include rescheduling any of the postponed games for the time being.

Indeed it seemed utterly inappropriate, therefore, for Bath owner Bruce Craig to start complaining on Sunday about fixture congestion and speculating that the Toulon-Bath game might never be played, all the more so while stating that the players are “like lambs to the slaughter”, adding: “They are just being destroyed.”

Granted, Craig did at least have the sense of humanity to accept that “in the wider context of what has happened in Paris, this is not a serious matter, of course it isn’t. And I do understand why the decision was taken”.

Yet, given he was one of the primary agitators and bullies behind the new European order and is on the board of European Professional Club Rugby, for him to lay the blame for fixture congestion on the Rugby World Cup and England's tour to Australia next summer and suggest that the points be shared bordered on opportunistic.

Another defeat

Bath host

Leinster

at the Rec this Saturday, and even to speculate on the consequences of another defeat for Leo Cullen’s team hardly seems important in the light of the weekend’s atrocities in Paris.

Even so, another defeat, with back to back games away and at home to come against three-in-a-row champions Toulon in December, would leave them in as grim a position as they've found themselves since losing their opening two games of the 1995-96 Heineken Cup away to the Scarlets (17-34) and at home to Leicester (10-27).

To be honest, Leinster’s European campaign already looks pretty goosed after losing their most winnable game in a brute of a group and by a record margin at home. But their goose will certainly be roasted unless they beat Bath on Saturday. While Bath have yet to hit their straps themselves, little or nothing about the nature of Leinster’s defeat on Sunday suggested they could turn things around.

The performance, and the day itself, particularly given it was Cullen’s first European game in charge, was somewhat alarming. For sure, the loss of so many players before and during the game, especially as go-forward reference points to get them over the gain line (Ben Te’o and Sean O’Brien spring immediately to mind), was decidedly unhelpful.

Nevertheless, as he and his inexperienced coaching ticket face into a week that could hardly be any more dauntingly unfamiliar, Cullen and they must privately be wondering if they made the correct selection calls. Without their first (Rob Kearney) and second choice full-backs since early on Sunday morning, when Isa Nacewa was forced to withdraw with a knee injury, to opt for a outhalf cum inside centre (Ian Madigan) ahead of an outside back in Zane Kirchner who is ostensibly a full back and at Test level, was a curious call on such a blustery day.

Had Kirchner played at full back, this would have afforded Cullen and co the opportunity play Madigan at inside centre, and Fergus McFadden on the wing – what has long since become his best position – with Garry Ringrose at outside centre. Giving Ringrose his chance, in the midst of their current injury woes, would also cut Cullen more slack with supporters, media and organisation alike.

Leinster did have plenty of ball, especially in the first half, but have rarely looked so blunt. By contrast, Wasps’ back three looked altogether more potent individually and collectively, while the basic taking and passing, and straight lines of running, for Wasps’ dubious last try looked beyond Leinster.

But whereas Wasps, understandably, are a more settled club side who suffered comparatively fewer World Cup disruptions, to cut Leinster some slack, this was effectively a new, remodelled team, and over the previous two games Cullen had started 30 players.

To cut them some more slack, as bulk suppliers to Ireland’s World Cup, they are perhaps suffering the biggest World Cup hangover of the Irish teams. After all, that was a fairly intense three months or so, culminating in one of the biggest disappointments many of those players will ever suffer. Mentally it is a huge ask to go again so soon.

Drain away

Even so, the extent to which Leinster’s confidence and fight seemed to drain away after the concession of that soft try to Christian Wade before the interval betrayed a worrying lack of leadership and belief in each other. Like never before, Leinster looked to be missing their core of leaders throughout the professional era.

At times at the RDS on Sunday, so quiet were home team and crowd alike that you could have closed your eyes and imagined you were in church. There wasn't seemingly any anger either on the pitch, from say Johnny Sexton, or in the crowd, as there would have been had this performance happened under Matt O'Connor's watch.

For the man on the PA to start promoting tickets for December’s marquee game against Toulon on the Aviva was perhaps not the best-timed announcement of the weekend. But as with the post-match adds promoting ticket sales for that game on radio, Sunday’s defeat and the scale of it highlights how damaging it could be to the organisation if there is a reprise next Saturday.

gthornley@irishtimes.com