O’Loughlin steps up to make light of injury list

Most would struggle with Leinster’s absentees, but Blues making no excuses

Rory O'Loughlin

Ruaidhri O'Connor Twitter

April 07 2021 02:30 AM

For most other teams it would be a full-blown crisis, but the strength of Leinster’s squad means they can go into the biggest game of the season without a slew of important players and nobody bats an eyelid.

Within the squad, they’re just getting on with it. The coaches have barely mentioned it. It’s not being seen as a factor in the province’s bid to dethrone Exeter Chiefs this week.

Officially, Leinster have 13 players out injured. Three of them – Garry Ringrose, James Ryan, Caelan Doris are nailed-on starters, a couple of others like Will Connors, Jamison Gibson-Park (who hasn’t been fully ruled out), Max Deegan and Dan Leavy would be in the 23 and there are pinch-points in the centre and the back-row where Leo Cullen is probably one injury away from a problem.

Certainly, Ringrose will be missed, but for the next man in this is an opportunity and Rory O’Loughlin is ready to step in and step up.

When you consider the three O’Briens – Conor, Jimmy and Tommy – are all also sidelined, there’s a real lack of depth at centre as Ciarán Frawley comes back from a shoulder problem.

Rory O'Loughlin of Leinster (right) in action against Chris Farrell of Munster during the Guinness PRO14 Final. Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

O’Loughlin is the next man in. Sure, he threw a couple of poor passes against Munster, but he’ll be better for the experience and after two years of his own struggles with injuries, the 27-year-old is determined to take his opportunity.

“I had a bad run of injuries in the last two seasons and to be able to play seven games in a row now, it’s been a while since I’ve had that, and now being fit going into these games and with Garry being unlucky in picking up that injury, it has given me an opportunity to play in big knockout games and they’re the games that you want to play in,” he said.

“They’re the games that kind of define careers and get you into the big moments and enjoyable days.

“So, I have really enjoyed it and that was again more disappointment about the (Toulon) game not going ahead at the weekend, I was really looking forward to playing in a game of that magnitude, and that’s why this weekend I’m really, really looking forward to getting into such a big game.”

Between a shoulder problem and the Covid-19 shutdown, O’Loughlin effectively lost a year of his career.

Starting the final was a big deal.

“That was probably the biggest game I’d started in a year or two,” he said. “I was quite nervous going into it because I’d played a number of PRO14 games before but not knockout games against Munster with so much on the line.

“I was happy with how I played, in defence in particular, I thought myself and Robbie (Henshaw) worked quite well together.

“There were a few opportunities in attack that looking back in the reviews I’m kicking myself over. Hopefully, this weekend, both sides of the ball, I can put in a decent performance.

The cancellation of the Toulon game meant Leinster could sit back and watch Exeter Chiefs in action against Lyon as they overcame a slow start to blow the French side away.

O’Loughlin got an up-close view of them when the sides met in the 2018 tournament and is impressed by the English side.

“The way they took control back of the game and built pressure and built scores, and then kicked on to win quite comfortably shows how they have grown as a group since we played them last,” he said. “I was 24th man for those two games, they stick in the memory as the intensity of European rugby and how it really took 80 minutes in both games to get the victory.

“They showed why they are European champions and English champions with how controlled they are in attack, especially when they got into the opposition 22.

“You really can’t give them those opportunities. For us this weekend, discipline is going to be so crucial. Lyon gave away a few cheap penalties and the ball was kicked into the corner and once they get that maul going and they get into the pick and goes, it’s very hard to stop them, and they are so clinical in that area.”

Leinster’s walking wounded

Back three/centre (5): Garry Ringrose (ankle), Jimmy O’Brien (hamstring), Conor O’Brien (knee), Adam Byrne (quad), Tommy O’Brien (ankle);
Scrum-half (2): Jamison Gibson-Park (hamstring), Rowan Osborne (hand)
Second-row (2): James Ryan (concussion), Jack Dunne (ankle)
Back-row (5): Scott Penny (hand), Caelan Doris (concussion), Max Deegan (knee), Will Connors (knee), Dan Leavy (knee)