Kearney laments what might have been as Toulon vulnerability exposed
by Daire Walsh
Having also returned from the south of France on the back of a defeat to reigning champions Toulon at the beginning of April, there are plenty in the Leinster camp who are able to empathise with Munster following their heart-wrenching reversal in Marseille on Sunday.
Blues winger Dave Kearney kept a watchful eye on the performance of Rob Penney’s side against the richly-assembled Top 14 leaders, and felt they were unfortunate not to be rewarded for their heroic display.
“They were pretty impressive. I wasn’t really sure how the game was going to go, but they fronted up pretty well,” Kearney said yesterday.
“They were unfortunate not to come away with the win. Obviously Toulon are a quality side. They showed that in glimpses yesterday.”
However, by acknowledging how well prepared the Red Army were for their second consecutive European semi-final against French opposition, Kearney is reminded that Leinster didn’t do themselves in their own meeting with Bernard Laporte’s men.
“From watching that, we kind of realised how poor we were on the day. We obviously didn’t play to our potential against Toulon. The scoreline [29-14] reflected that. I suppose we’ll learn from that, and we’ll kick on for the rest of the season.”
While the pain still lingers from this quarter-final exit, there is a clear desire within the squad to focus on the remaining games in this season’s RaboDirect Pro12. Ulster in a newly-refurbished Ravenhill this Friday is the next port of call for the competition holders, and it presents Kearney with an opportunity to pit his wits against a formidable back-three.
“Obviously Trimby [Andrew Trimble] has had a really good season this year. Probably one of his best. Likewise Tommy [Bowe] and [Jared] Payne.
“It’s funny, that’s the way it goes. A lot of guys you are playing with for a couple of months, you end up playing against. But it’s a good opportunity for me to come and play against the best in the country.”
For Ulster, this is the first of two interprovincial clashes in the coming weeks as they aim to grab one of four play-off places, and Leinster coach Richie Murphy expects a massive challenge from their northern counterparts. The former out-half is adamant, however, that Leinster are concentrating on accumulating enough points to secure top spot in the final table, and an all-important home semi-final.
“It’s their [Ulster’s] home game, it’s the opening of their new stadium. I think I heard [Johann] Muller talking during the week about how they have two cup finals to play. Realistically, they probably need five points to make sure that they’re in the play-offs,” stated Murphy.
“It’s a tough situation to be in, but we’re not going to concentrate on them. We need probably six points to make sure we finish on top spot, and we won’t be looking for six. We’ll be looking for two wins.”