The Leinster World Cup campaign is still an ongoing topic, even though their Irish players won’t return to competitive action for a few weeks.
Meanwhile, they are feeling the effects of the Rugby World Cup, where New Zealand and South Africa will contest the final.
Assistant coach Andrew Goodman has returned to Dublin after his time with the Samoan squad. The Samoan team, which trained in the Pacific, made an impression by playing a competitive match against Ireland in Bayonne and had a mixed performance in Pool D.
They comfortably defeated Chile but suffered a nine-point loss to Argentina, a six-point defeat to Japan, and a frustrating one-point loss to England.
Goodman expressed their ambition to be the best Samoan team ever, and despite a strong start, a couple of underwhelming performances in the middle of the tournament cost them a place in the knockout stage.
He cherished the entire experience, from the preparations in Samoa to bringing his family to France, and the lessons learned in the high-pressure World Cup environment. However, he is considering spending more time at home with his young family, suggesting this may be the end of his involvement with Samoa.
Leinster will benefit from Goodman’s return, but they are still missing key personnel as the URC season begins. Goodman has a personal interest in New Zealand’s quest for a fourth title, as his roots are in New Zealand, and he has a history with the All Blacks.
Goodman’s journey to Leinster started when he received a call from Joe Schmidt in 2012, which he describes as a life-changing opportunity. He is grateful for the chance to become a full-time professional player and learn from Schmidt.
Even now, he incorporates some of Schmidt’s coaching principles, and he acknowledges Schmidt’s positive impact on the All Blacks.
Goodman was torn during the World Cup, as he was disappointed that Andy Farrell’s Ireland team didn’t advance further, even though it was the All Blacks that sent them home.
He also mentioned that his son showed keen interest whenever Ireland’s captain, Johnny Sexton, had the ball. With Sexton’s retirement, there are still 17 Ireland players who will return to Leinster soon.
The disappointment of this World Cup will likely affect Leinster, given their previous losses in the Champions Cup and URC knockout games.
Goodman stressed the importance of addressing the mental aspect, taking a break from the game, and having open conversations about their recent disappointments.
They need to focus on performing well each week and concentrate on the details to rebuild their confidence and bring back the smiles to their faces.
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