Leinster's assistant coach, Robyn McBryde, has claimed that Leinster's decision to leave players at home before their Champions Cup game against the Northampton Saints will only have a known negative or positive effect after the final whistle later today.
Leinster overcame La Rochelle in the quarterfinals of the competition, and some of the players on show have not played since then.
A younger and more inexperienced side played the Stormers in the URC last weekend and were well beaten abroad.
Many of the players that didn't go will now return to the side, but there is concern that the likes of the older and more experienced players will be rusty heading into their semi-final this weekend. According to Robin McBryde, the players should be able to adapt.
"The result will dictate whether we get it right or not," said McBryde.
"I think everyone understands the reasons why we chose to do what we did. It’s a fine line between being battle-hardened and battle-weary.
“Those guys have had a lot of minutes in the Six Nations, but the level of detail retention is second to none. I’ve never worked with a group of players like them."
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 🏟️#FromTheGroundUp pic.twitter.com/z10hC2MOBl
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) April 29, 2024
This weekend, Leinster will play in Croke Park for the first time since 2009. The chance to play in the iconic GAA stadium is sure to be a memorable one, no matter what happens later today.
One man, although not a current former rugby player, knows a thing or two about winning at Croke Park.
Declan Darcy was one of Jim Gavin’s right-hand men during the Dublin footballers most dominant spell. A former footballer with Leitrim and Dublin, Darcy was a selector when his native county won six All-Irelands in seven years, a run that included a five-in-a-row.
McBryde, now on the Leinster roster, has told the Leinster players to play the game, not the occasion. McBryde added that he also wants the Leinster players to feed off the crowd in Croker.
"Declan's got experience at Croke Park, and he's warned that it's a double-edged sword, really," said McBryde.
"You can't allow it to become something bigger than what it is.
"But if you play well out there, it gives you more energy—that's true for whichever team is playing well on the day.
"So we've got to make sure that we start well and feed off that energy."
