The wince-inducing tackle on AJ MacGinty was a great example.
JUST THREE MINUTES into Leinster ’s Champions Cup campaign, it was Garry Ringrose who set the tone with a thunderous tackle.
MacGinty was seen as the key to Bristol unlocking Leinster’s aggressive defence. The USA international is clever in the face of linespeed, with his deft skills and vision allowing him to put team-mates into slivers of spaces. Ringrose recognises the threat of Ravouvou running at his inside shoulder but is also aware that out-half MacGinty is set to swing out the back of Ravouvou as the back-door option for Harding.
Ringrose knows that right wing Jordan Larmour is almost certain to be blitzing up and in with him, while fullback Ciarán Frawley will be closing up from the backfield. “It allows me to make reads or even the ones that I’ve missed or any of us have missed, the wingers, the fullbacks kind of cover for that.”
As much as the brilliant platform this bit of Leinster defence gives them, it is a vicious statement of their intent. Inside the opening minutes, the visitors have completely shut down the Bristol attack and taken their key playmaker, the man who potentially had the keys to unlock them, out of the game.Advertisement Leinster’s outside centre is a key man in what has been a superb defence this season, with Nienaber’s men conceding an average of just 11.
The instance above is another example of Ringrose’s ability to cover different options without sacrificing his ability to be very aggressive. Ideally, Ringrose wants to be able to get to Janse van Rensburg and deny Bristol the chance to move the ball wide but he appreciates that his own centre partner Henshaw might not be able to get out onto Ravouvou as he worries about ball-carrier Jack Bates.
We get one such example below against Bristol when Ringrose blitzes up and in but fails to stick his tackle on Janse van Rensburg.
Garry Ringrose Leinster Ringer
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