Cronin rallies the Leinstermen
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Sean Cronin has called on his Leinster teammates to play the best game of their careers when they face two-time champions Toulon in the European Cup semifinal on Sunday.
Leinster, winners in 2009, 2011 and 2012, face the daunting task of handing the Top 14 leaders a rare home defeat.
The stats are against Matt O’Connor’s side, with only 14 of 38 European semifinals won by the visitors.
However, hooker Cronin is adamant Leinster can do the job ,and book a final berth against either Clermont or Saracens, who play on Saturday.
“I believe that each individual is going to have to play their best game, maybe in their careers, if not the season to get a result over there on Sunday,” Cronin told RTÉ Sport.
“It doesn’t get much bigger than this. It’s going to be a huge challenge, going over to the two-time champions who are looking for their third [title].
“It’s a daunting task, but I think we’ve got the group of players here to go over there and get a win.
"There’s a lot of experience here, having gone to France before and won.
“We’re under no illusions how tough it’s going to be. We just need to focus on our group of players and getting the best out of ourselves."
Asked what the mantra has been around training, the 28-year-old said it was all very well talking about what needs to happen during the week, but they must walk the walk in the Stade Velodrome.“Belief would be one word, and then intensity and desire," he said.
"They are easy words to say, but they are hard to bring to a game, or to your life in general.
“There’s a lot of intensity there [in training]. The leadership group are driving everything and it’s building nicely. You don’t want to peak too early in the week.
“You just want to try and start building and getting your stuff right, your detail when it comes to the game plan. You can forget about that as the week goes on and start building up the intensity that you’re going to have to bring."
Leinster fell to Toulon in last season's European Cup, in a quarterfinal that was decided well before the final whistle blew.
RTÉ Sport
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