England legend slams ‘arrogant’ Leinster and Jordie Barrett decision after Northampton left them ‘shellshocked’
Ben Youngs criticises Leinster mindset and performance against Northampton
England legend Ben Youngs believes that Leinster came into their Investec Champions Cup semi-final with Northampton with an air of “arrogance” and it cost them dear.
Speaking on For The Love Of Rugby, which he co-hosts with Leicester Tigers team-mate Dan Cole, Youngs did not hold back on the Leinster performance and attitude.
Youngs thinks Leo Cullen’s men were “rattled” by Northampton‘s fast start to the Champions Cup clash and a large reason for that was they didn’t “respect” the Saints.
“Absolutely rattled”
“I think they were rattled, mate. I think they were absolutely rattled and Saints came out and they played and they brought intensity and what they brought was far beyond what Leinster expected,” he said.
“I don’t think they gave them credit. I don’t think they respected them enough. I think there was an air of arrogance about it.”
Selection has been a major talking point following Leinster’s shock defeat as Jordie Barrett and Andrew Porter were benched and these calls baffled the ex-England star.
“When you’re putting guys like Andrew Porter on the bench and no disrespect to Cian Healy – wonderful servant, been amazing – but Andrew Porter’s the best loosehead in Ireland, facts, and he’s on the bench for a European semi-final,” he said.
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“You’ve then got Jordie Barrett that you brought over from New Zealand, kept hold of him since the autumn. You’ve brought him on the base of one thing. He’s going to win Europe, something that they haven’t been able to do since 2017/18 season. That’s why you’re getting him and you’re benching him.”
He added: “Like you’ve got RG Snyman, one of the best second-rows. Like, OK, he’s starting. But why are you not starting those other guys? I just looked at it and I just thought they looked shocked at what Saints brought to them.”
Youngs then doubled down on his criticism of Leinster’s mindset for the semi-final in Dublin and believes the Irish province did not expect Northampton to be so devastating.
Chasing the game
“Coley, you’re right, for all their incredible players and talent, they weren’t as oiled and as prolific as we’ve seen them before,” he continued.
“Like you said, about the blitz Coley about uncharacteristic errors. You know, even Gibson-Park was a little bit off, and that becomes infectious.
“But I think it comes from the mindset, like honestly they just did not expect that level of performance from Northampton and it totally shellshocked them and then they’re chasing the game that they never thought they’d never have to chase.”
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