Sports Digest: Ulster No Match for Powerful Leinster leading team to a third Heineken Cup win

Kidney waits, Taylor qualifies and sports shorts

Brian O’Driscoll wants to claim a New Zealand scalp after helping Leinster to a third Heineken Cup win in four years.

The Ireland captain was back to his best just a week after knee surgery as Leinster hammered Ulster 42-12 in the All-Ireland final.

There was never any doubt that Leo Cullen would lift the European Cup at Twickenham last Saturday as Leinster’s inventiveness proved too much for Ulster.

Now O’Driscoll wants to build on this success with club and country.

“Having two provinces in the Heineken Cup final is great,” said O’Driscoll. “And we have to use that confidence and channel it in the best possible way for the tour down in New Zealand.

“We have one more game to focus on with Leinster in the Rabo 12 finals and then we will be in camp and switched on to the job of travelling down there and hopefully getting our first win against New Zealand.”

O’Driscoll also paid tribute to Leinster coach Joe Schmidt after the game. “We are encouraged to play -- that is a philosophy of Joe’s,” he said.

“He wants us to go out, express ourselves and play a good brand of running rugby. It has been a good fit since he’s been here. That is the way the lads want to play.”

Now 33, O’Driscoll is in no mood to take things easier. “Medals and trophies drive me on,” he said.

“It is about being selfish and wanting more now. The pleasure of being involved in this group is knowing how hungry they are, and we will go out to defend the title next season as we did this year.

“The feeling in the dressing room was one of elation, but it was different from the other two cup final wins because it was not so tense in the last 10 minutes.”

Now the Ireland skipper wants Leinster to surpass Toulouse as the greatest team in European rugby history.

He said, “When we won the Heineken Cup for the first time we talked about laying down a legacy and doing something for us to be remembered by.

“We are going some way to doing that and moving in the right direction, but I know this team is hungry for more success.

“It is enjoyable day in day out going into work because you know you are going to be pushed by the guy next to you. We play for each other and that showed out there.

“I only came in for the knockout stages,” he said. “But the hard graft was done in the pool stages by people like Eoin O’Malley, who is sitting at home having had a cruciate ligament operation on Friday.

“This medal will be part his and all the other guys who have played this season.”

Ireland hooker Rory Best wants Ulster to bounce back from their Heineken Cup final disappointment against Leinster.

“It was heartbreaking watching Leinster lift the trophy but that is what you learn from,” said Best.

“You have to watch that and that has to drive you for next year. Defeats like this and watching Leinster lift the trophy has to be in our minds now for the next 12 months.”
 
Kidney Waits

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Nster.com