The forwards do their own thing.
All Irish rugby fans remember that epic comeback from Leinster during the 2011 Heineken Cup final against Northampton Saints at the Millennium Stadium.
22-6 down at half time, and having been carved open by the Saints on multiple occasions during the first half, Leinster were all but beaten. Not many people gave them much hope of adding to their maiden Heineken Cup crown, which they clinched two years previously.
The rest, as they say, is history.
The eastern province led by an incredible performance from their out half, scored 27 unanswered points in the second half to blow away their English opponents.
Much has been made about the dramatic turnaround in the performance displayed by Leinster in that match – with most of the credit going to Johnny Sexton as he gave a rousing speech at half time to motivate his teammates.
However, Jamie Heaslip, speaking to Rugby Tonight, recalled that the forwards didn’t even hear what Johnny said in the dressing room.
“It’s a weird one because a lot what was made of what Johnny said, but like the forwards don’t have a clue what he said. (There is a different part of the room?) Yeah they’re off there probably having a cup of tea.”
Heaslip recalls that the forwards were situated in their own part of the dressing room discussing their roles for the second half.
“We’re talking scrums or lineouts or mauls or what we can do.”
The former Leinster captain further added that the main thing they needed to do was hold onto the ball for the remainder of the match – do that and they were confident that the tries would come.
“But when we came together as a group, the one thing that Joe was saying was that we had created a couple of line breaks in the first half but we just knocked on the ball or spilled the ball and they took opportunities when they put pressure on us. So we just said hold onto the ball.”
22 -6 down at half time.
33-22 up at full time.
Rugby is a simple game, making a concerted effort to deny the opposition possession can be key to turning around the outcome of a match – as evidenced here.
Leinster will be hoping that there will be no need for any further half time heroics as they lock horns again with the Saints in a crucial Champions Cup tie at the weekend.
See the full interview with Jamie Heaslip below.
.@jamieheaslip tells @RugbyTonight Extra's @andNickMullins that his playing future may lie away from @leinsterrugby. https://t.co/qb88YGVnxh
— Rugby Tonight (@RugbyTonight) December 8, 2016
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