Ben White: D’Arcy says Leinster’s tight five will decide Toulon semi-final
ben white could turn on Leinster’s tight five when they host Toulon on Saturday in the Investec Champions Cup semi-final at the Aviva Stadium. Gordon D’Arcy says that unit will decide whether Leinster reach the final. The former Ireland midfielder also pointed to home advantage, but only if Leinster bring the right intensity early.
Leinster and Toulon at Aviva
D’Arcy was blunt about the task in Dublin. “Home advantage, it matters, it really does,” he said. “Leinster have to make that advantage count, and that is pressure on the field, got to get points on the board and that will come from the defensive intensity. They can’t get drawn into an arm wrestle with Toulon; they have got to come out of the blocks fast.”
Leinster are chasing their fourth Investec Champions Cup final in five seasons. They are also trying to avoid a repeat of last season’s home semi-final exit, when Northampton ended their run at the same stage. The job is sharper this time because Toulon arrive after Leinster’s 29-26 loss to Benetton last weekend left them fourth in the United Rugby Championship with two rounds of fixtures remaining.
Joe McCarthy and James Ryan
D’Arcy wants two locks back in the pack for the biggest day of Leinster’s European season. “They also need key players back. They need Joe McCarthy back; they need James Ryan. These are why you want the big guys, the big names for these matches,” he said.
That lines up with his view of how the contest should be won. “Whether you like it or not, the tight five predominantly end up doing the heavy lifting in that regard and if they are doing their job, that is when your back row starts to feature a little bit more prominently in the wider channels because your tight five is doing their job,” he said. “That’s what the job remit is, that is what the job spec is, you do the hard work so somebody else thrives.”
Leinster’s pack pressure
For D’Arcy, the decisive stretch is the same one that will punish hesitation. “For me, that will be the winning and the losing of the game for Leinster,” he said. The challenge is not just Toulon’s quality, but the way Leinster manage the collision battle and the scoreboard when the game tightens.
He also warned against carrying the Benetton finish into this week. “The game management in the last 10 minutes was embarrassingly naive, but they should have been able to close that game out, even for a draw, take two points and go okay,” he said. “The last penalty, I would have had words with a few people after that game with the way they gave up that penalty, but it’s gone, it’s done, there’s no point dragging that into this week.”
Leinster now have a clear brief: set the pace, protect the set piece and let the tight five do the work that frees the rest of the side. If they do that in Dublin, the route back to a fifth final in four seasons stays open.
