Leinster’s James Ryan looking forward to ‘proper’ French test at Clermont
Leinster rugby player James Ryan discusses the upcoming Champions Cup match against Clermont at the Stade Marcel-Michelin. He emphasizes the physical challenge of playing in a hostile French environment.
Why it matters
The Champions Cup is a premier European rugby tournament, and player insights provide context for the tactical and psychological demands of elite competition.
The proper French cauldrons don’t faze James Ryan .
Although Leinster lost at La Rochelle’s Stade Marcel-Deflandre in a Champions Cup semi-final, they also won a pool game there and Ryan describes it as “very cool” and a “proper rugby ground”. He has a similar regard for the Stade Jean-Dauger, where Leinster beat Bayonne in January.
Saturday will be his first visit to the Stade Marcel-Michelin, one of French rugby’s most celebrated venues, as Leinster open their Champions Cup pool campaign against Clermont.
Ryan knows exactly what to expect. “The Top 14 is such a strong league, isn’t it? The way they get the whole town and the community behind it is very cool,” he said.
“I’ve never played them away. That’s funny, because when I was growing up I felt like Leinster were always playing Clermont away, in that 2011 and 2012 kind of era.
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