Leinster’s gaze turns towards IRFU as Toulon kick more sand in blue faces.
Leo Cullen and Isa Nacewa were both in agreement as they wallowed in a fourth successive Champions Cup defeat and a chastening exit from Europe.
Leinster’s coach and captain tried to accentuate the positives but frequently returned to a similar theme – Send help now!
For 60 minutes, the Irish province traded blows with the European champions. In the final 20, however, Toulon sent on the likes of Mamuka Gorgodze, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Tom Taylor and Xavier Chiocci.
Leinster had Cian Healy and Marty Moore to call on but they also had Tom Denton and debutant scrum-half Nick McCarthy. Post-match, Cullen said:
“It’s very different to what it was like five or six years ago… It’s playing by slightly different rules. We have to reassess and have a look at what we can do. [Toulon] have been the dominant force.
“They are allowed sign 16 foreigners. We are trying to bring young players through… They bring in in experienced overseas players… When you add that into the mix, it is tough to play against… It is getting more and more difficult to compete.”
Asked if Leinster could do with the likes of a Nathan Hines or a Rocky Elsom, the Leinster coach remarked, “We need a few!”
“There was no Toulon in the early days [of Europe]. They were coming up the Pro D2. They have so much firepower. Even in France, they are tough to deal with.”
Leinster have the least to complain about of all the Irish provinces. They are stacked with internationals. Nonetheless, their squad is reliant on their overworked Irish stars and, with rugby seasons now last over 10 months, it can’t go on forever.
Nacewa looked like someone had reversed over his prize surfboard.
He reflected that the French and English sides have ‘a lot of class players joining from the Southern Hemisphere’.
Asked for a possible solution, he reflected the thoughts of his coach. “That’s well above my pay grade. I can’t even think about that stuff,” he said.
The ball is in the IRFU’s court.
The national team need a player pool but is there much point of dipping into a pool of beaten men for the tough Test windows ahead?
