Northampton discovered that being at the top of the Premiership is the equivalent of being at base camp when it comes to reaching the summit of European club rugby.
The Saints were beaten 43-16 at home by the 2018 winners Leinster, who soaked up pressure and were clinical in attack as they maintained their 100% record in the group. The game was even in terms of territory and possession but after Ahsee Tuala’s early try Northampton became increasingly desperate and were betrayed by basic mistakes.
“It was a step up from the Premiership,” said Northampton’s England flanker Lewis Ludlam. “It was always going to be given the number of international players in their team. We did not deal with their physicality well enough and if you give a team like that an inch, they are going to take a mile.
“I do not think it was a reality check as much as evidence of what happens when you do not turn up. We were inaccurate and failed to turn possession into points by giving the ball away. A team like Leinster will always make you pay for that.”
Northampton have an immediate chance for retribution on Saturday when they face Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in the return game. Six years ago they won there the week after being thrashed 40-7 at Franklin’s Gardens to Leinster, the final game in Europe for Leo Cullen, then a second-row and now the province’s director of rugby.
“You have to be careful with these fixtures,” said Cullen. “Normally you play a match and then think about the next team. The head-to-head fixtures in Europe are unique and one thing I have learned is that it does not always transfer to the next week. Northampton were very clever in 2013 and we are taking nothing for granted.”
Northampton’s director of rugby, Chris Boyd, is considering making changes to his team with the following rounds of the Premiership in mind. The international forwards Owen Franks and Courtney Lawes, missing on Saturday, will again be absent, along with the second‑row Dave Ribbans.
“It will be tough, but we back ourselves against anyone on our day,” said Ludlam. “We know where we are at as a team and where we want to be. Losing to Leinster was not the end of the world. It was not an awful performance. It was just not quite good enough.”
