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The scoreboard may have said there was 9 points between the sides at the end of 80 minutes but in reality the gap was far bigger between La Rochelle and Leinster and as a Munster fan unfortunately that's something I can relate to only too well.
Leinster started this game well and gained a foothold in the La Rochelle half because of Dillyn Leyds inability to deal with the restarts due to the glare of the sun. Even as they piled the pressure on in the first 10 minutes it was clear that Leinster weren't going to dominate the gain line as they would normally expect to and that was the primary factor as to why Leinster didn't perform on the day.
Munster have been in that situation too many times in the past few years and know exactly how it feels. Rugby may be a complicated game but if you win the collisions and get front foot ball then the game becomes a lot simpler and easier to play. You have to commit less men to the breakdown, the half backs get that extra second on the ball to make decisions, your ball carriers are running at defenders who have to step back before they can sprint forward etc. Munster and their players have been pilloried in the media at times for their performances when they couldn't win the gain line but I think Leinster's domination of the Pro14 will allow them some breathing room for three successive semi final defeats to huge packs.
Leinster have used the population and socio economic advantages, the schools system, their academy success, the number of central contracts allied to their strategic planning and brilliant coaching to dominate Irish rugby for well over a decade now. They are so dominant on and off the pitch that its considered a very poor season nowadays if they don't have silverware at the end of it.
Their ability to produce players through the academy system means that they have strength in depth that other teams can only dream of. That strength in depth allows them to use a power game with multiple heavy carry pods to dominate the gain line and continue to grind teams into submission.
Leinster despite being able to batter all the Pro14 teams and last seasons champions of England and Europe into submission couldn't cope with La Rochelle and their size. People may focus on a fussy ref not letting the game flow, what tv angles the TMO got to see, the fact it was away from home or some other arbitrary issue but I don't think that those change the result or the important battle for the gain line.
Leinster were missing players, Sexton, Gibson-Park, Leavy, Doris, Connors, Deegan etc but I would question how much those players would impact the game to change the result. Not being able to change half backs during the full 80 minutes had an impact in terms of freshness but its really in the pack that we need to look. Injuries will happen and Leinster, like Ireland need to start accepting Sexton isn't going to be around forever.
Sunday's defeat doesn't make Leinster a poor side, far from it, but it does throw into question some of the IRFU policies. Leinster are able to dominate the Pro14 because of their strength in depth. Their second XV is far better than everyone else's second XV and in a lot cases everyone else's first XV. Leinster don't need to play their first XV very often and can use player management and the Irish national team to get players the minutes and exposure to top level rugby to keep them match sharp. James Lowe and Tadhg Furlong during this seasons 6 Nations being prime examples.
While that's great for Leinster in the Pro14 it hurts them in Europe. No one, including Leinster know exactly how good their "second string" players are under pressure because they rarely have to play under pressure. It also leads to situations in the media calling for Harry Byrne to play against Italy in the 6 Nations and for Luke McGrath to go on the Lions tour which I'm not sure either player would find helpful.
David Nucifora and the IRFU have a policy to prioritize the national side and I don't think anyone disagrees with that. This isn't a new policy but previously the provinces were permitted upon IRFU approval to sign very limited world class non Irish qualified players to supplement the Irish players and keep the provinces competitive in Europe - players like Howlett, Elsom, Contepomi, BJ Botha etc
In recent times Nucifora and the IRFU have deviated from that pushing the agenda of spreading the indigenous talent across the provinces more and curtailing the spending on imports. (I would just point out that it took an absolute crisis in Munster to sign De Allende and Snyman and that was financed through external non IRFU channels). The plan to spread players around the provinces should in theory help the national team but when players who have moved to other provinces and aren't getting selected for the national squads while second and potentially even third string Leinster players get picked ahead of them its hard to persuade players to keep moving for the good of Irish rugby.
Sizes matters these days and if the IRFU want the provinces to be more competitive in Europe then they are going to need to loosen the reigns. Munster reportedly went to the IRFU with two big name players for next season, neither of which would have been funded through the IRFU but in both cases they were denied. With the Peter Steph du Toit situation the rumoured reasons were to do with optics having cut salaries and letting players go, but somehow the IRFU sanctions the signing of Jason Jenkins instead???
The IRFU need to be ruthless about player movements between provinces. Its no longer good enough for just academy or fringe players to move between provinces, we need to see proper national depth management with no team stockpiling players in positions. Having the first, second and potentially even third choice player at a province has to stop and contractual this has to be enforced. Yes it may not be fair on players but if they wish to play professional, and that's the key word PROFESSIONAL, they may have to move out from home to do so. There may be impacts to the provincial make ups but the provinces primary purpose is to support the national side so I don't think it stacks up as a reason to stop enforced movement.
I think for the provinces to be challenging realistically for silverware in Europe again we need both a change in the recruitment process for both Irish and non Irish players to be implemented. Hopefully the addition of the South African teams to the Pro16 will mean more meaningful games in the league process and if the IRFU can spread the talent around the provinces and supplement it with limited numbers of world class non Irish qualified players then we might see some silverware.
For those who are fearful of the impact of these changes on the national side, I would ask what benefit the national side has seen in terms of results since 2018 from the current policy?
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