Consistent: Isa Nacewa

Brian Liebenberg: Back after a long injury lay-off

Enjoying it: Felipe Contepomi

THEY say an Irishman’s best friend is his mammy. Leinster’s Auckland-born Isa Nacewa mightn’t have heard of the expression before his arrival two summers ago, but it’s one that he might certainly adhere to.

Last November the Nacewa family were graced by the birth of twin girls – Mia Rose and Ellie Milika – to outside-back Isa and his wife Simone, and visits by his mother-in-law, and now his mother, have certainly helped the transition from the simple life to the occasionally chaotic but wonderful world of family life.

Such is the joy that his daughters have brought him in just six short months that he couldn’t envisage life without them.

And if the amiable 27- year-old’s form this year is anything to go by, the stability and happiness they have provided, both professionally and privately, has enhanced the already high esteem in which Nacewa is held.

“I am loving life in Leinster and it is great that we’re approaching the final weekend of the calendar with a league title to play for,” he revealed earlier this week as the squad’s preparations for the Magners League Grand Final began.

“Motivation is never a question when you pull on the blue shirt. Take into account that we were playing against our biggest rivals in the semifinals of a knockout competition in front of a home crowd and you couldn’t ask for greater motivation than that.

“I was proud of the team’s performance because we stood tall defensively against Munster. Whenever you approach a team like them with the amount of talent that they have across the park, the important aspect is the physicality that you bring and there wasn’t that much of a margin between the two sides.”

Take the victory over Munster last weekend, when he readily flung his frame into larger bodies, taking hits and, importantly, making them at key moments.

Though he carved his reputation last year as a largely offensive weapon, his defence this year – allied to a 100pc kicking ratio in the recent bonus point victory over Edinburgh – strengthened the already held view that he is one of the most talented players to ever grace these shores.

Typically, he disregards any individual plaudits. With the all-round capabilities that the Ospreys will bring to the table in next weekend’s final, Nacewa knows that the familiarity of the two sides honed over several years of tense, close contests will demand an improved level of performance if they are to regain the Magners League title which the province lifted two years ago.

With some familiar faces set to descend on The RDS, Nacewa predicts a high-class fixture of international standard.

“I would know the likes of Marty Holah, Jerry Collins and Filo (Tiatia), having played them back in New Zealand and over here in recent years. They seem to be getting better and better and it will be a special game for Filo, especially, because it will be his last competitive game, so I’m sure they’ll come out (with) all guns blazing to send him off on a winning note.

“The Ospreys have international players right across their team. Obviously someone like Tommy (Bowe) has been in outstanding form for them all season and with players like Shane Williams, Dan Biggar, James Hook and Lee Byrne in such good form, we will have to play at a really high level to get the win.

“At this stage of the season it isn’t as much about the physical work that you get through because players in every team might be carrying niggles and minor knocks. It’s as much about how you prepare mentally.”

One of the drawbacks about plying your trade on the other side of the world is the inevitable occasional homesickness that creeps in. Nacewa has enjoyed spending time with his mother Barbara over the past few weeks and she will be returning home to Auckland on Sunday.

“It has been great having Mum around, and she has been a big help to Simone and I with the girls. “I didn’t come from a big rugby household. It’s just my three sisters, my brother and I, and none of them were into rugby before I started playing, but they have always been hugely supportive of me right throughout my career.

“From time to time it can be difficult living away from home, but once the season is over we’re heading home with the girls. Back to a New Zealand winter! Last summer we travelled around Europe, which was really good, but it’ll be nice to get home and spend a bit of time with our family.”

At tonight’s End of Season Leinster Awards Ball in the Burlington Hotel, representatives from every aspect of the game will celebrate another outstanding year for the province at all levels.

Nacewa regrets with a chuckle the timing, acknowledging that, like last year, the awards are being held a week before a major final.

Ask him who his candidate is for the major gong, he has no hesitation in suggesting Jamie Heaslip, or ‘Rocky’ as he is known by his teammates because of his outstanding form.

Nacewa believes that as the final hurdle approaches, the acclaim in which the departing coaches and players are held ensures that the larger squad are determined to give them the fitting send off that they deserve.

“It’s always a sad time when players and coaches move on, but that’s part and parcel of the game and just a part of life. Michael (Cheika) brought me to Leinster and I will forever be indebted to him for giving me the chance to play here. He has been a huge influence on my career.

“With Joe (Schmidt) coming in, who’s another coach with a young and enthusiastic mind for the game, it’s an exciting time for Leinster, but those are thoughts for the future.

“We all want to send off all of those great servants to the game in Leinster on a high. Right now it’s all about the Ospreys. We have great respect for them and they fully deserve to be in the final because they have been consistent for most of the season. They beat a strong Glasgow side in the semi finals and, with a trophy at stake, it will be our toughest test yet.”

The future couldn’t be further from Nacewa’s mind right now for he knows that the toughest test is imminent. In a sense, the time is now.

- Peter Breen

We are a great little nation at buying into extremes. At any given moment, we are either the very best or the very worst with little room to operate anywhere in between.

Last Saturday at the RDS, Munster were beaten more convincingly than the 16-6 scoreline suggests. Leinster were outstanding in completing a fourth competitive victory in a row over their great rivals.

That the balance of power has shifted is beyond dispute. Aside from winning, the fact that they held Munster try-less in each of those four games will have pleased Michael Cheika, his players and backroom staff no end. And, irrespective of the outcome in the final against the Ospreys, Cheika will leave some legacy before departing for France.

The best any coach can do with a squad is to leave it in better nick than he found it. Cheika has not alone done that but, in his time in charge, he has inculcated a winning culture built on a dog-tough mental and physical edge. They have assumed the Munster mantle but that does not by any means equal the end of the southern province as a European and Celtic League power ... Far from it.

They lost a match (and with it a title) but losing two semi-finals does not make for a system in decline. The structures are too good for that. So bígí cúramach when writing the obituaries. A Munster team with Jerry Flannery, Paul O'Connell, Denis Leamy and David Wallace in situ is a very different competitive animal entirely. If I did have one wish for change, however, it would be to see Munster handle constructive and objective comment with much greater dignity.

Blinded

In blazing the trail for Irish rugby, some within the organisation have become blinded by that success. They do the province no favours by believing them to be immune from informed analysis. Put simply, Munster don't do criticism well. By contrast, Leinster have taken all the 'ladyboy' jibes etc and channeled that criticism into the area of only meaningful response -- on-field performance.

On Saturday, they were magnificent. I don't think it's stretching it to suggest they won almost every battle. Pick a combined side in the aftermath and there might be some room for discussion on the wing (Lifeimi Mafi), perhaps one centre (Keith Earls) and, as ever, outside-half. Beyond that, Leinster dominated. The platform was laid up front but the Leinster back row, particularly Shane Jennings and Jamie Heaslip, were immense.

I suspect Wallace will work his way back Down Under but don't rule out a Kevin McLaughlin/Jennings/Heaslip back row lining out in at least one of the June matches. Heaslip took the individual gong by a mile but was joined in the leadership stakes by Jennings and the ultra-consistent Brian O'Driscoll. Leadership is about deeds not words but, most of all, it is about visibility when momentum is flowing the other way.

Heaslip's barnstorming second-half runs -- stretching Earls to the limit and almost poleaxing the brave Ronan O'Gara -- made for the icing but the real leadership is the hard yards and momentum gained in defence allied to the tackle count and groundhog turnovers at the breakdown. Here Heaslip was sublime. He is without doubt the Irish skipper in waiting and already in my view the most complete No 8 forward to wear green.

Whenever asked over the years to select my best ever Irish back row, it tripped off the tongue -- John O'Driscoll, Fergus Slattery and Willie Duggan. The chemistry and balance between the three was so good. But when a player comes along with the athleticism of Ken Goodall, the intellect of Anthony Foley, the dynamism of Victor Costello but, most of all, the Lion-heart bravery in adversity of Duggan, then the call in the middle of the all-time Irish back row becomes a no-brainer. There is an honesty and maturity to Heaslip's game that makes him a certain future Irish captain.

If ever a game defined his readiness to lead, this was it. In his team's times of crisis, it was the Leinster No 8 who controlled things with Jennings and O'Driscoll pretty close behind. Mention, too, of Rob Kearney. Uncertainty over full-back selection -- shared with Girvan Dempsey and Isa Nacewa -- has hindered his progress since last summer's Lions tour but signs are of another leader in the making.

As with the Flower of Scotland, the Munster army has been sent home to think again. Of that you can be sure they will. It is NOT the end of an era but a moment of transition.

And I for one do not believe the signing of Jean de Villiers has been a hit. His route-one style, while creating some important tries, has hindered the Munster backline development more than it helped. However, Mafi and Earls have much to offer as a potent midfield force.

Indeed, on the subject of innovation, I doubt you will see a finer creative try than that engineered by Gordon D'Arcy, Jonathan Sexton and O'Driscoll (by way of subtle obstruction) for Saturday's match-defining score. Alan Gaffney take a bow. All told, it made for one of the games of the season.

• Word has reached us that the Westmeath town of Moate will field its first adult rugby team next season. Since its formation six years ago, Midland Warriors RFC has tapped into rugby's growing popularity by fielding underage teams. Now the first batch of young Brian O'Driscoll wannabes are coming to adulthood, and the club will compete in Leinster J3 for the 2010/11 season under head coach Jude Lennon. Interested parties can contact Graham Ross (087-9290196), John Seery (086-1016042), Hugh Flynn (086-2522313) or midlandwarriorsrfc@gmail.com.

- Tony Ward

Irish Independent

Kearney: Only try at the RDS

Leinster set up a Magners League Grand Final showdown with the Ospreys thanks to a 16-6 victory over Munster at the RDS.

Rob Kearney scored the only try of the contest, while the fit-again Jonathan Sexton kicked 11 points for the regular season table-toppers.

Munster did their best to try and maintain their grip on the title, Ronan O'Gara kicking all their points through a first-half penalty and a drop goal straight after the break.

However the reigning champions couldn't prevent themselves from slipping to a fourth straight loss to their fierce rivals.

Blistering spell

In the end Leinster ran out winners thanks to a blistering 15-minute spell that saw them score 13 points, including Kearney's try.

The opening 40 minutes had finished at three apiece that also saw the home side briefly reduced to 14 men when Shane Horgan was sin-binned.

Having seen Sexton, who was making his return from a broken jaw, miss an early penalty, the Ireland winger was yellow carded for a tackle on an airborne Niall Ronan.

Despite the numerical deficit, Leinster still managed to take the lead in the 18th minute when Sexton punished Tomas O'Leary for straying offside.

Paul Warwick had a drop goal hit the crossbar, before Munster got off the mark in the 29th minute through the boot of stand-in skipper O'Gara, who was filling in as captain for the injured Paul O'Connell.

It took just ten seconds of the second half for the visitors to forge ahead, O'Gara accepting a quick pass from Ronan to knock over a drop goal for an all-too-brief advantage.

But from then on Leinster simply stepped up a level. Led by the superb Jamie Heaslip, they seized control to give themselves a comfortable cushion.

Slick move

A slick back-line move led to Kearney making the breakthrough in the 44th minute, Sexton adding the conversion having set up his full-back with a perfectly-timed pass.

The number 10 added a terrific conversion for a 10-6 scoreline and the margin was extended further when Marcus Horan had a penalty reversed against him for punching and Sexton landed the resulting kick.

O'Gara missed a penalty before his half-back partner O'Leary was fortunate to avoid a yellow card in the 56th minute for a high shot on Cian Healy which prevented a certain try for the Leinster prop.

Sexton slotted over the resulting penalty and from then on relied on their tireless efforts in defence and dominant scrum to keep their opponents at bay.

Leinster's reward is home advantage in the final against the Ospreys on May 29 - a match that could see coach Michael Cheika get a title-winning send-off before he heads to Stade Francais next season.