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The Counter Ruck: The Irish Times Rugby Podcast
Is the gap widening between Leinster and the other provinces?
Munster defence coach Denis Leamy recently described Leinster as ‘brilliantly boring’ due to their current style of play. After watching the weekend’s festive interpro where Leo Cullen’s side secured a dominant 28-7 win, it’s hard to disagree. As South African World Cup-winning coach Jacques Nienaber spends more and more time working with the province, a clear plan focusing on set-piece dominance, power up front and a strong kicking game is starting to emerge.
But are Leinster now too brilliantly boring? The power game is good enough to beat injury-hit sides such as Munster, but can they also show the required flashes of creativity to beat better teams? Gordon D’Arcy joins Nathan Johns to pick through Leinster’s current development, as well as the issues which prevent sides like Munster form keeping pace with their provincial rivals.
We also chat through Ulster’s shock win over Connacht. Have they turned a corner, or did they simply come up with a one-off game plan which cannot be replicated in the coming weeks?
Gordon also tells us about the difficulties of being a player over the Christmas period, while he compares the differing, but no less complex challenges of running through Munster defences to keeping children asleep for Santa.
Produced by John Casey.
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