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Rhys Ruddock has warned Leinster to pay no attention to Castres Olympique Top 14 form when the two sides clash at Stade Pierre Antoine. - 24/10/2014 22:28
Rhys Ruddock has warned Leinster to pay no attention to Castres Olympique Top 14 form when the two sides clash at Stade Pierre Antoine.
The Irish province kicked off their Pool 2 campaign with victory over Wasps in Dublin last weekend. The three-time European champions now face a Castres side who lost their opener at Harlequins, and who have struggled to hit top form in the French domestic championship.
But last season's beaten Top 14 finalists have won all three games at home this season, which means Ruddock knows just how tough a task lies and that s repeat of the slow start against Wasps, where Leinster trailed 20-8 before winning 25-20, is not an option.
“From watching our away game there last year, I don't think we can afford to have as slow a start against them away from home,” he said. “Although they've had a fairly slow start in the Top-14 this year, they're winning their home games.
“I think we need to have a quick start and hopefully not make the same mistakes we made at the weekend with just letting them in for tries when we had the pressure on them. We need a similar sort of intensity but maybe cut out the few mistakes.
“Although they've had a fairly slow start in the Top 14 this year, they're winning their home games, which you'd always expect from a team like them.
“It's going to be a big challenge. The lads had to dig really, really deep to get over the line last year in the away game and drag themselves out of a big hole.”
Leinster are boosted by the return of Ireland and British & Irish Lions winger Luke Fitzgerald, who has not started a game for the province since March. Castres, meanwhile, have been unsettled by the confirmation of fly-half Remi Tales move to replace Jonathan Sexton at Racing Metro.
The move has led Castres boss Matthias Rolland to strip him of the captaincy, with Uruguayan Rodrigo Capo Ortega taking over.
Rolland said: “This is a transition that we will make calmly, but it is true that it is difficult to accept that your captain is a player who is leaving.”
Tales added: “I am at a crossroads in my career. I asked to finish my career at Castres. But the desire and the opportunity to discover other things was stronger.”
Match Facts
- Leinster have won three of the four games contested between these sides in Europe.
- Leinster have lost three of their last five against French opposition after being unbeaten in their previous six before that.
- This game will be Leinster Rugby’s 130th in the tournament – they have won 87 of the previous 129.
- Castres have won just one of the last 11 against Irish sides, although that one win came against Leinster in 2008.
- Gordon D’Arcy could make his 100th appearance in the top tier of European rugby this weekend.
Leinster battled back to claim a 21-16 victory at Castre to give Gordon Darcy a dream 100th European appearance. - 26/10/2014 14:50
Leinster battled back to claim a 21-16 victory at Castre to give Gordon Darcy a dream 100th European appearance.
Ian Madigan kicked all eight penalties for the three time European champions as they took a firm grip on Pool Two. Saimone Taumoepeau gave Leinster a nightmare start with a drive over try, but Leinster’s European pedigree shone through as they battled for every point.
Castre sent a powerful statement to the three-time European kings after five minutes. Tales sent a pressurising kick downfield that Ian Madigan could only run out of play under pressure from Max Evans.
Richie Gray rose highest to claim the five-metre throw in and the pack decimated their Irish counterparts to rumble over the line, and Taumoepeau was on hand to fall on the ball.
Geoffrey Palis converted but Leinster were soon on the scoreboard. They came marching back into French territory after a knock-on had halted their attacking efforts and Castre were penalised for not rolling away.
Ian Madigan landed the three points to settle early nerves. And he was at it again after 25 minutes, this time from all of 47 metres to claw his side back into within one point of their Pool Two rivals.
The Irish side made their 73 percent territory statistic count before the break as they took the lead with Madigan’s third strike.
The inside centre was on hand to land the three points after the Top 14 strugglers had gone off their feet at a ruck for a 9-7 half-time lead.
Leinster did not start the second-half in the same vein as they crumpled at scrum-time, giving Palis an easy penalty to hit the front.
And things got worse for the Matt O’Connors men. Their ill-discipline began to dismantle their French assault as Palis struck another two penalties to put Leinster seven points behind.
But Madigan got back-on-track after two missed kicks to claw his side back to within a try of the lead. He landed another moments later to close the gap to one point, and when Piula Faasalele took Heaslip high, Madigan had the chance to snatch the four points. And he delivered.
He put the gloss on the victory with another last ditch strike for a 21-16 win.
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