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To play or not to play? Whereas Leinster ultimately sat out the last 16 weekend, Exeter welcomed back their internationals and all their other front-liners who had been rested the week before, blowing off the cobwebs against Lyon to win with plenty to spare.
Rob Baxter reckons they’ll be ten per cent better when hosting Leinster in the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals at Sandy Park next Saturday (kick-off 5.30pm) and, on balance, look better primed as a result.
“Always it is better to play,” said Leinster backs coach Felipe Contepomi yesterday as they began their preparations for the quarter-final.
“In hindsight it would have been great for us to go out and compete against Toulon because Toulon is a great team and for us we were well prepped, we were ready to go. It would have given us another week of game-time cohesion for some of the guys who have been in the Irish camp for so long.
“We have 20 guys in the Irish camp, so it’s not that it’s one or two guys coming back and stepping in. We have half of the team or more in that Irish camp for eight weeks, so we need to get them into Leinster mode and the best way is by playing games.
“So definitely I would love to have played but it is what it is. It’s out of our control and we have to get on with it and deal with it, and just try to get that cohesion in training.”
Although Leinster have effectively only played two matches to reach the quarter-finals, Contepomi dismissed any notion that this would diminish the achievement were Leinster to go all the way.
“You’re playing against the best teams in Europe and it’s the situation. You have to get on with it and sometimes the hardest part is adapting, and we’ve been having to adapt all the time. You are preparing for one game and suddenly you don’t play. You’re frustrated and you’ve put in all the effort and then you have to turn the page.
He cited the example of Sale.
“They are in a quarter-final and I think they lost two games.
“Would that not be merited if they go all the way and win it? They will be good winners. They still have to go to La Rochelle now and then whoever gets to the semi-final will be a huge game and whoever gets to the final, it will be an even bigger game.
“We are talking about the best eight teams in Europe now. That’s the reality and it wouldn’t be far off. You can start chucking in a few other names but there wouldn’t be that many other teams out of the best eight in Europe that they are now.”
Biggest challenge
Besides which, it’s worth noting that Bordeaux/Begles and Racing are the only two quarter-finalists who have actually won three matches on the pitch.
While this week will be challenging for Leinster to achieve their desired cohesion through training, the quality of their coaching staff as well as players makes it more feasible.
As for Contepomi, players describe him as surprisingly calm (certainly in comparison to his playing days), excellent on detail, innovative when it comes to strike plays and add that he works very well with Stuart Lancaster on Leinster’s attacking game.
Looking ahead to the quarter-final, which will be refereed by Mathieu Reynal, the former Pumas playmaker admitted: “The challenge is it can’t get bigger, going to play the champions in their backyard. It’s the biggest challenge you can have and especially Exeter, not only the European champions, but the Premiership champions and the team which has been building up to what they are for the last five years.
“They have a very, very effective recipe in terms of getting to the 22,” added Contepomi, noting how the Chiefs then have the highest conversion rate from turning visits into the opposition 22 into points.
“The one thing is you’d like to try and not give them any access to the 22 but you know that’s part of their game so we also have to understand that we have to be very effective in defence. If they get into our 22 it’s a massive defensive challenge for us. But hopefully we can get the ball and play some Leinster rugby as well.”
No doubt Baxter will be describing Leinster in similar ways this week.
“Did we copy them or them us?” said Contepomi with a smile. “I’m joking. For me, Exeter is one of those teams that you always scout. They’re a joy to watch and one of those teams you watch for trends and things you can get better at.
“It’s not that we copied, we have our own style. It’s not exactly the same as Exeter. Sometimes we go into the 22, we sense where we can get on top of other teams.
“Definitely, when we get into the last metres of the pitch we want to be effective and get as many points as possible and we try to work ourselves, but the way we do it is different to them in the details.
“I would like to have the success rate they have in the 22; any coach would love to have that in their team. But we’re pretty good at that. It isn’t that we copied them but it’s the way we feel, both teams, that we can do damage on the rivals.”