Leinster coach Jacques Nienaber believes the province’s new strategy to the lineout contributed to the errors committed against Clermont last Saturday.
In a lackluster effort, Leinster defeated the French team 15-7 at the Aviva Stadium, with the lineout being chastised for its flaws.
In what has been a problem for Leinster and Ireland in recent weeks, Nienaber claims Leinster was seeking to speed up its lineout play, with new set-piece rules slated to take effect in 2025.
Starting January 1st, there will be a 30-second shot clock for scrum and lineout settings. Referees will also play on during a lineout if the ball is not thrown straight but the lineout is uncontested.
As Leinster prepares for the alterations, Nienaber admitted that this contributed to mistakes over the weekend as they prepare to face Connacht on Saturday.
“Beginning January 1st, there will be some subtle law changes, like limiting the ball out of play time during lineouts and requiring scrums to be completed within 30 seconds.
“We tried something fresh and different in our lineouts, which we believe will benefit us in the future. Hiccups are unavoidable when trying new things, as you can see there were a few.
“We wanted to test it out in a large game to see if it works and, of course, receive responses. It is critical that we iron that out and work exceedingly hard on it.
With changes on the horizon, Nienabar believes it is critical that Leinster adapt in a major game against a great team like Clermont.
“It wasn’t something we’d been attempting in training sessions for a few weeks. On the training pitch, there are no consequences for mistakes, making it simple to perform.It was an excellent learning experience. You want to see if it will function against quality opponents and where they will find weaknesses in what you are attempting to execute.
“It is now up to us as a group to find solutions to fix that gap.”
Leinster’s defence has been strong in the last two weeks, with two wins in their first two European games and only 19 points conceded against Bristol and Clermont.
However, the South African is more concerned with achieving the proper balance in all parts of Leinster’s game.
“It’s no good if we excel in one area. It is attempting to strike a balance between defense, kicking, and offense.
“We are quite pleased with our effort and performance, but I do not believe we were as excellent as we could have been against Clermont. The Bristol performance was fantastic; I don’t think the Clermont performance was up to that level.
“Yes, we only conceded seven ponts, and one might look at that and say it was brilliant, but I think if you cut deeper into it we weren’t as good as we could have been.”
Leave a Reply