Dec 06,2024
Back to the base of the mountain.
Another year on and another final defeat older for Leo Cullen's Leinster. The big question is can the perpetual bridesmaids, fallers at the last hurdle in four of the last six renewals, get over the line this time.
Time will tell. But don’t be fooled by any talk of this being their time. That was the theme of the last three years.
The Aviva Stadium final of 2023 had destiny written all over it, a famous fifth star, vengeance for the knockout blows landed by La Rochelle in the previous two seasons, and a fitting farewell for Johnny Sexton.
Earlier this year they had vanquished Ronan O’Gara’s double champions in stunning style and arrived at Tottenham Hotspur’s sci-fi stadium ready to get the job done (below).
Antoine Dupont and his Toulouse team-mates had other ideas and claimed title number six after a thrilling encounter that went to extra time.
Leinster are due a win but they know it doesn’t work like that – deserve's got nothing to do with it.
But whatever way they cut it, there is no doubt that the pressure is on Cullen to deliver this season.
Into his tenth year as head coach, he has been backed by the powers that be at the province and given a two-year deal last month.
"While the last three years hurt, no-one feels that hurt more than Leo and of course, his players and coaches," said Leinster CEO Shane Nolan last month.
"But the page has turned...you can see that Leo and his squad, indeed the whole club, are as ambitious and as hungry for success as ever."
Bulk suppliers to Ireland’s seniors, Under-20s and Emerging sides, and even lending star full-back Hugo Keenan to the Sevens at the end of the season, Leinster may be inclined to take a more selfish approach.
The recruitment of Jordie Barrett (below) left many wondering where exactly the All Black back is going to fit in and who will lose out.
Cullen will probably reckon they’ve done enough to help others and if a nose is out of joint by an Ireland player or two getting benched then so be it.
There is hope that Barrett and RG Snyman, a game-changer if he can stay fit, are the final pieces of the puzzle.
The format of the competition remains unchanged this season with four pool games, home and away, against four different teams; that’s followed by four knockout stage games with the final taking place in Cardiff on 24 May.
Leinster have not lost a group stage game since 2018, and take on Bristol Bears on Sunday (5.30pm) in their Pool 2 opener.
Both teams are top of their respective domestic leagues. Former Ireland and Connacht scrum-half Kieran Marmion pulled all the strings in their 48-24 victory at Harlequins last weekend and it’s set to be a tasty encounter.
Leinster host Clermont the following week at Aviva Stadium, and travel to La Rochelle after Christmas in a repeat of last season’s pool encounter.
They finish up at home to Bath.
First up, all eyes will be on Munster - who beat the Lions last weekend to end a three-game losing run - and an intriguing home game against Stade Francais in Pool 3.
A Thomond Park tussle against a struggling Top14 outfit was one of the catalysts for their poor European showing last season.
An understrength Bayonne came away with a deserved 17-17 draw and Graham Rowntree’s side never recovered any momentum, scraping into the last-16 where they proved no match for Northampton.
Stade, like Munster, are themselves struggling this year and sit just above the relegation zone in France.
In seasons gone by this would have been a gimme and the Parisians would have lived up to the stereotype of a travelling French team but Munster, under interim head coach Ian Costello, are in flux and no one can be sure which version will turn up.
After that they face a trip to Castres, are at home to Saracens and complete the phase on the road at the Saints.
"Another opportunity, to show people what we stand for and what we represent," said Costello about joining the European battle after a turbulent URC season, which has come at the cost of the departure of Rowntree.
"There's always an extra level of excitement. We are going back into a competition that we love."
Ulster, after a late push to achieve qualification for the competition, couldn’t have a more difficult start to their European journey, with champions and Top14 leaders Toulouse waiting in Stade Ernest Wallon.
It’s a repeat of a meeting last season in Belfast, in which Dupont produced a masterclass in a 48-24 win.
Richie Murphy is on record as saying this will be a season of transition, but he has to be careful about how he selects and sets up for games like this that have the potential to get out of hand quickly if the mood takes Ugo Mola’s side.
Ulster actually came away with a 26-20 win the last time they played at the ground in April 2022 but that game, under Dan McFarland, seems a lifetime ago.
"Excitement, maybe, but fear? Probably a little bit," said Murphy when asked about Sunday's task, for which his side are without John Cooney and Jacob Stockdale, but Tom O'Toole and Iain Henderson come back after featuring for Ireland in the Autumn Nations Series.
"You look at their team and they’re two or three deep international-wise in nearly every position.
"But there are things in their game that you look at where there’s opportunity – it’s whether you can be good enough to be able to take that."
Tenth in the URC table with three wins from seven, including last weekend’s 27-20 home loss to Leinster, Ulster welcome Bordeaux to Belfast in round two.
They head to Leicester after Christmas before a home match against Exeter in their final Pool 1 tie.
Meanwhile, Connacht, after an 11th-place finish in the URC, compete in the Challenge Cup pool stages for the first time since 2022/23.
Off the back of a 28-14 home loss to Bulls in the URC, they open up against Zebre at the Dexcom Stadium (Saturday 8pm).
"We spoke as a group at the start of the season that the Challenge Cup is an opportunity to blood new players but it's a competition we want to go far in," said Pete Wilkins.
"There are some strong teams in the competition with a lot of ambition. The lads are really focused and want to do well in this competition."
They are at Perpignan in round two before welcoming Lyon back to Galway.
Their final game is against Cardiff at the Arms Park.
