Leo Cullen and Jamie Heaslip were in contrasting moods at yesterday's Leinster press conference, attended by GAVIN CUMMISKEY
LEO CULLEN is admittedly nervous about tomorrow while Jamie Heaslip is so calm his only complaint was the lack of sandwiches at the Leinster press conference.
Two contrasting views from hugely important leaders of this history-chasing pack but the overall message remains the same: they can’t wait for all the talking to cease so they can go to war.
Cullen’s mature perspective on this do-or-die European final in Cardiff is interesting considering he has battled for oxygen against the Northampton Saints on several occasions in the claustrophobic midlands derby environment during his emboldening sojourn at Leicester Tiger from 2005 to 2007.
“Probably not, no,” was Cullen’s response when it was presumed he is more relaxed than this juncture two years ago. “I think when you get to this stage of the season you get a real air of excitement. The season can be a bit of a slog here at times throughout the year and when it comes to this stage of the season you just get excited about the challenge.
“But certainly I’m nervous. I’m nervous today and I’ve been nervous all week, I’ve been nervous for all these games lately, to be honest.
“I dunno, as you get older I think you get more nervous. Maybe you realise you won’t be around for too many more. But yeah, I get very excited about these games and I’m as nervous this year as I have any other year. It’ll be the third time I’m involved in a Heineken Cup final – lost one (’07 for Leicester against Wasps) and won one – so yeah, I’ve been on both sides of the fence.”
Heaslip, as is the Lions number eight’s way, views all the pre-game hoopla from a carefree perspective. “No, I’m actually alright. I’m just looking forward to it, to be honest.”
Whether it be Loftus Versfeld or a spot of tag rugby on the back pitch of Naas RFC, the 27-year-old adopts the same tunnel vision.
“It doesn’t make a difference who we’re playing, to be honest,” Heaslip shrugged. “I’ll go about it the same way I do every other week, every other game, so it really makes no odds.”
Northampton, on initial inspection, seem a vastly inferior side to Leinster with unknown faces sprinkled throughout their squad, plenty of whom fall below international standard.
But Cullen’s greater exposure to this opposition allows him to see them for what they really are. With hundreds of decent players to choose from – below the world-class quintet of Ben Foden, Chris Ashton, Dylan Hartley, Courtney Lawes and the lame Tom Wood – their astute head coach Jim Mallinder seems to have recruited and promoted from the academy based as much on character as talent.
“Mallinder knows the young England guys, perhaps better than anybody else, and he seems to have handpicked a lot of guys who have come in and done a real good job. They have built the club up again since they were relegated (in 2007).
“They have the base there with the ground and the supporters. They have always had their off-field stuff but they have got their on-field stuff now and they are a real force in England. There are a few clubs run along sustainable models and Northampton are one of them.”
However, anyone sitting through England’s Six Nations championship-winning campaign (the Dublin outing aside, of course) can’t but be impressed by the impact Wood made on the blindside flank to more than compensate for injured captain Lewis Moody.
The Premiership player of the season, Wood has failed to recover from a hairline leg fracture and as the Tigers proved in last weekend’s English semi-final the Saints lineout is poorer for it.
But not at the tail, as Cullen explains. “Courtney Lawes has been controlling the back of the lineout for them, mainly defensively – Wood usually does a lot of his damage at the front of the lineout – and Calum Clarke has come in and done a pretty good job.
“Tom Wood is obviously a quality player. Yeah, he is a real loss for them but then you have Christian Day and Lawes too. They are good, athletic secondrows. It will be a bit of a handful for us at the weekend.”
For all Cullen’s cautious words and nervousness, you wouldn’t have guessed it yesterday from his demeanour.
“Obviously we talked about keeping cool heads this week. It’s a little bit easier to get a little carried away with the occasion. I think it’s important for us to know our jobs well, and know our game plan well, and concentrate on what we want to do.
“Obviously we didn’t have the ideal start against Toulouse and we know that at a neutral venue we probably won’t be able to afford to start as badly as we did that day.”
A FINAL decision on whether to play the Heineken Cup final with the roof open or closed will be made this afternoon prior to the captain’s run at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. The ERC will decide on the matter.
As it stands the roof is likely to be closed as it has been for all of the previous finals held in the Welsh capital.
