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Published 12:46 7 May 2022 BST
Updated 14:04 7 May 2022 BST
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"Look at the size of their squad, the number of internationals and the nature of their league. It is very different. "Compare that to where we are - the Premiership is a fierce competition and we operate under a salary cap, and that leaves you with a limited squad size. Sending one squad to South Africa and leaving one in Ireland is a different situation. It is one of the challenges we need to overcome. I'm not complaining about it, it's just a fact.'These guys have been at the top of European rugby for a long time and had a lot of success. They've got 30-odd internationals in their squad - the vast majority of the Ireland team that finished second in the Six Nations. It is quite an incredible team they have."
"What a great competition this is... the places we've been and the teams we've played," he said. "And we're growing from it. "A couple of weeks ago, we were out at Clermont and I said to the guys, 'Right, who has played at Stade Michelin before?' There were next to no hands. Right, okay. "A lot of this stuff is new. I asked, 'Who has played Leinster before?' And there's not many hands in the air! This is a new adventure we're on, and we're learning a lot from it."During his chat with the media, over Zoom, a couple of questions from reporters got short shrift. Asked by one Irish journalist if a Premiership or European Cup title would mean more [they won last season's Challenge Cup but are without a major trophy since 2013], Borthwick reared up.
"It's... that's an irrelevant question. My job is trying to prepare my team for this Saturday. We'll just try do as well as we can for that."Back to welcoming Leinster to what should be a hopping Welford Road, Borthwick said, "We get to see where we're at against the best team in Europe, if not the best club team in the world. It's everything we want. "We've come on loads this season but let's see how far we have come."
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