VIDEO: Leinster to 'maximise everything' with Sharks next up
SPOTLIGHT: Leinster boss Leo Cullen wants his squad to take full advantage of this play-off window they are currently in.
The Irish giants accomplished their first goal on Saturday in what they are hoping will be a fruitful five-week window.
Cullen’s side outplayed Toulouse on their way to a 41-22 win in their Champions Cup semifinal and next up for them is a home United Rugby Championship quarterfinal against the Sharks on Saturday.
“There were plenty of moments where the guys were clinical in terms of taking opportunities [against Toulouse], which was pleasing as well,” Cullen told Irish media.
“But it’s a semifinal,” he quickly added. “We were at this stage last year and you put in a big performance and then you’re just trying to manage things to a Final.
“The season’s structure is different this year, so we’re into a [URC] quarterfinal. We’ve got to get our heads around that pretty quickly.
“The most pleasing thing is to be in a Final because that’s what it’s all about. For us, it’s, ‘Right, the job is done, that part of the job is done and let’s turn our attention to what the next challenge is going to be’.”
He added: “As coaches, already towards the tail end of this week, you’re turning attention towards the Sharks and now the players come in on Monday morning, review the game, and take the learning from it, things we can do better and there are some excellent parts of that performance.
“We just look forward to the next challenge. We know we’ve got a quarterfinal but we’ve never really had a sequence of games quite like this. At the very start of the season, you’re looking at the prospect of being here. Even the fact that we’re playing a quarterfinal here as well because Bruce Springsteen is playing in the RDS, which is great in many ways because it makes it tidy.
“We’re back here next week, you’ve got that type of battle ritual in many regards. Back to the question, what’s the most pleasing thing? To win the semifinal and be in a final. But it’s trying to manage the next little period that will be the key bit.”
After the disappointment of not winning anything last season, Cullen knows that there will be pressure, but he also wants the month of May to be a special occasion for a number of his stalwarts.
“Some players won’t play for Leinster again that are in our group and we had a couple of retirements early in the season as well so it’s really just about enjoying the time together now.
“As a player you never get this time back. So, it’s about trying to maximise everything in this window.
“We talked about a five-week window. Now, it’s a four-week window left, we hope. At least we have three weeks to look forward to. It might be two games but it’s three weeks so it’s about trying to enjoy our time together.”
Additional Source: Irish Times
