VIDEO: Are Leinster the ultimate chokers?
WATCH as Springboks Schalk Burger and Jean de Villiers discuss Leinster’s latest failed Champions Cup campaign.
The Irish powerhouse came up short once again in the prestigious competition by going down to Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup semifinal by 34-37.
They’ve also been losing Champions Cup finalists for three consecutive seasons. They lost twice to La Rochelle and last season against reigning champions Toulouse.
BOKS OFFICE host Hanyani Shimange alongside Springboks Jean de Villiers and Schalk Burger shared their views why Leinster fail to get over the final hurdles every season.
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“It’s a worry [the choking tag], for sure it is,” Burger said.
“Every time we get to this stage of the competition they copy and paste their player management processes from the year before, even though the result isn’t ideal.
“I’m on the point of view that they’ve got to change that. This weekend they played their strongest available side. In the years gone by if they were in a Champions Cup Final that wouldn’t have been the case.
“Before they played Northampton [Saints], that team hadn’t played together since the quarterfinal. That’s three weeks where some players would’ve been involved and some wouldn’t when they beat Glasgow [Warriors] by 50 [plus] points.
“Sometimes, if you miss out on a week [of not playing] you’re fine. If 23 or 15 players have not played for three weeks they can be below par.”
Former Springbok captain Jean de Villiers echoed his former teammate’s views but also provided some perspective for Leinster’s shortcomings.
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“The [chokers] tag will remain because they played in so many play-offs and not getting past it.
“In saying that, they’ve also been ‘unlucky’ in the fact that they’ve been up against proper teams who on the day have been exceptional. That you need to take into account as well.”
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