Must have been an incredibly tough watch.
Dan Leavy must have been seething as he sat in the stands, at Suncorp Stadium, and watched the likes of Michael Hooper and David Pocock lay waste to Ireland at the breakdown.
Between them, the Australian flankers turned Ireland over six times and slowed down an awful lot of their ball. Joe Schmidt went with the versatile Jordi Murphy in the No.7 jersey but his side suffered from the lack of a dedicated openside in their back row.
All that has been put to bed with the inclusion of Leavy, alongside captain Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander. The Leinster flanker has been superb for the past six months, was a break-out success story of the Six Nations, and took the fight to Scarlets, Saracens and Racing 92 in the Champions Cup.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s game at Melbourne’s AAMI Park, Leavy cut the bull with his honest assessment on the First Test.
“It was a tough game to watch last weekend, especially with the result in the end… I don’t think we put our best foot forward and we left a lot to be desired. So it’s all about bringing our ‘A’ game [this week].
“We all know how tough the Aussies are, especially at home. It’s all about making sure we give ourselves the best opportunities, training hard and showing up.
“It was very tough [watching on],” he added. “I’ve never really experienced anything like it – the incredible Irish support, in Brisbane, and watching the guys going out and maybe not performing as we know we can. To be there, just sitting behind the subs’ bench… it was very difficult.”
Leavy takes a beat before he goes on to say how much he is looking forward to having an active, physical part of the Second Test and you can feel that frustration and heat in his demeanour.
Time can’t go quick enough. Leavy has been ready to show the world he can compete with the very best for years now.
Saturday in Melbourne will be a test as acidic and brutal as they come.
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