A veteran of the ill-fated World Cup campaign of four years ago, Denis Leamy talks to JOE about learning the lessons of ’07, back row competition and the brilliance of the Tipperary hurlers.
Four years on from the debacle in France, the Irish rugby public are beginning to get giddy about the prospects of our lads in the sport’s showpiece event this September.
The Six Nations was a bit of a mixed bag, but there were enough glimpses of potential, particularly in the final game against overall winners England, to suggest that Ireland might surprise a few people in New Zealand.
Denis Leamy knows all too well the dangers of placing too much pressure on the shoulders of the squad, having been an integral part of the much-hyped squad that looked so heavy-legged and flat before going out at the group stage in France four years ago.
Recovered fully from a catalogue of serious injuries in recent seasons, Leamy showed up well for province and country this season, and is raring to go as the preparation for the World Cup moves up a gear.
JOE caught up with Denis in Maynooth earlier this week for a chat about pre-season training so far, learning the lessons of four years ago, intense competition for a back row berth and, of course, the scintillating performance of his native Tipperary in the Munster hurling final last weekend.
JOE: First things first Denis, being from Tipp, did you get to see the Munster hurling final on Sunday?
Denis Leamy: I was at it, yeah and Jesus, I think they were awesome on the day. They really blew Waterford away and you would almost feel sorry for Waterford coming up against a side that was in such top form.
JOE: You’re in the middle of preparation for the World Cup at the moment. How does the build-up compare to four years ago?
DL: It’s a little bit different in that we have six weeks pre-season before we go into games and the games are being used as part of the pre-season this time, whereas the last time, we had ten weeks pre-season before we played a game.
I think we kind of lost control of it last time…the word went out that we might even sneak a win. People picked that up and ran with it and that’s dangerous talk heading into a World Cup.
We have six weeks to get ourselves right physically and after that, it’s all about getting battle-hardened with the warm-up games. Last time around, we probably went out a bit undercooked from a rugby side of things, whereas we were in great shape physically; we were pushing big weights and stuff like that.
I think the games will do us good because games in the World Cup are played with such intensity and it can be difficult in terms of looking to find form without them, which happened before the last World Cup.
JOE: Is there a need to rein in expectations for this World Cup after what happened four years ago?
DL: I think we kind of lost control of it last time. Going out there, we were looking to do as well as possible and the word went out that we might even sneak a win. People picked that up and ran with it and that’s dangerous talk heading into a World Cup.
This time around, we’re going to take it game by game and almost focus on it like you would a Heineken Cup group. If we can get the right results and get out of our group, then we can start looking at where we might finish overall.
JOE: Playing in the back row as you do, you must be aware of the massive competition for places in what is probably the most competitive area in the Ireland squad.
DL: Definitely. I think it’s been like that throughout my career. There are so much quality players competing for the back row that it can be difficult to stay there and maintain form.
It’s just about putting pressure on myself, looking to play good rugby when the games start and hopefully that will be enough to get on the plane.
JOE: Given all that went on with Munster this season and the talk of decline, it must have been satisfying to end the season on such a high.
DL: I think players are aware of what’s really going on and people from the outside can often jump to conclusions and they are not always accurate. At Munster, we were confident we were heading in the right direction.
We knew that there were a lot of good young players around and you’re starting to see the emergence of those young players and there are probably seven or eight other players that you’ll see being introduced next season.
The future is bright and there are a lot of young players coming through, but some of the old stagers are still there and we’re all looking forward to the new season and having a good crack at it.
JOE: The Super Rugby Final was on at the weekend. Were you impressed with what you saw and worried about what to expect from Australia at the World Cup?
DL: I watched the last 20 minutes of the final, alright. I haven’t seen a lot of Super Rugby this season, but I have seen a lot of the Queensland Reds. You’d have to say their two half backs are outstanding; they create so much.
Genia scored a magnificent try out of nothing in the final and then you have Quade Cooper. He’s the sort of guy who’s a match winner, can make something out of nothing and can pull some superb moves out of the hat, so yeah, they definitely have some exciting players and I can’t wait to come up against them, and hopefully beat them.
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