Leinster’s Jacques Nienaber focuses on province’s winning mentality despite close call

Senior Coach Jacques Nienaber: 'I always think when you play in a semi-final and your opposition is of that calibre they are always going to come back.' Photograph: Ben Brady/Inphoeven, uneven performance. On the one hand, the team needs to improve in many areas, and on the other Northampton are a fabulous side. On the one hand, Northampton are a team that can score freely against the best but on the other hand, Leinster won the match.

“No, you just have to win it and again that comes down to Saints. The bottom line is you must get over the line. You must do everything in your power to win. I mean, nobody buried them. Has any team buried them?” aks Nienaber. “My thought during the whole game was listen, ‘we need to win this game’. That’s the thing about semis and that’s what makes semi-finals such a difficult game. Just ‘we need to get a win’ and I never thought it would be easy. Even at 50 minutes, I didn’t think it was easy.

A dejected Alex Coles of Northhampton Saints as Caelan Doris of Leinster celebrates. Photograph: James Crombie/Northampton “I always think when you play in a semi-final and your opposition is of that calibre they are always going to come back,” says Nienaber. “Things that would have been risky at the start of the game aren’t quite the risk anymore because you are now at such a stage you are willing to risk more and more and more.

For now, Leinster will take the win and think about Ospreys next weekend. There was muted celebration after the match, just the players among themselves in their environment. There was no going out, no partying. Leo Cullen also hinted at the post-match press conference that they would be fielding stronger sides in the United Rugby Championship and have a match-hardened side meeting the French.

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