Bernard Jackman believes doubts will persist about Leinster until they can routinely beat power-based teams like ROG’s Rochelais.
FORMER LEINSTER AND Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman says Leo Cullen’s side will need to produce a more physically powerful performance than their last four meetings with La Rochelle if they are to knock the reigning European kings out of the Champions Cup at the quarter-final stage, and Jackman believes that the addition of assistant coach Jacques Nienaber may prove decisive at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Jackman said of Leinster’s last-16 opponents, Leicester Tigers, that, “at times, when they brought that power game, they made Leinster look human.” “So, that power, historically, has taken away a lot of Leinster’s X-factor and flair. It’s become a battle — and Leinster can’t run away from that. They’re going to have to win those battles this weekend. Unfortunately, I look back at the semi-final that they lost during Covid, I look back at the two finals, and the best players on the field were wearing La Rochelle jerseys — in all three games.
“And the other doubt — and again, Leinster players won’t like me saying this, and Leinster fans might not either — but the reality is that until this team becomes better at winning silverware or closing out games or coming from behind to win in the last 10 minutes, there’s that doubt there as well. He, Murray Kinsella and host Gavan Casey discussed on the podcast how Leinster have become more economical this season, scoring tries with less work but equally growing more comfortable without the ball — so much so that Leicester had more possession, and more territory to boot, in their 36-22 defeat to the eastern province on Saturday.
“And you might say, ‘Oh, it’s early, he only came after the World Cup, it’ll be next year before we see the best of him,’ et cetera, and I don’t doubt that.
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