Leinster don't lose often – last weekend’s defeat to the Lions was their third of the season – and it’s even rarer that they go down in such a manner.
The Lions ran in three tries in the opening 13 minutes, six in total, and Leinster didn’t get on the board until the 52nd minute.
Leo Cullen left a number of front-liners back in Dublin following Investec Champions Cup wins over Leicester and La Rochelle, while the game was also played at altitude at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
They are undoubtedly factors in the result that left Leinster, last BKT URC champions in 2021, just one point clear at the top of the table but they won’t be used as excuses, according to Michael Milne.
Leinster prop Michael Milne is looking to finish the campaign with a flourish after injury kept him sidelined early in the season. #RTERugby pic.twitter.com/aTE6iP28Yi
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) April 24, 2024
"We had good, tough meetings for all the players.
"The great thing is we can go again this week and try and right some wrongs.
"We are very lucky in that we’ve some of the world’s best coaches: Jacques Nienaber, Leo [Cullen], Goodie [Andrew Goodman], it’s very easy to pick up the mood.
"It’s not something we want to get used to and it’s not something I don't think we will get used to doing.
"I think the Lions are a very good team. I don’t think we underestimated them at all.
"They just got a really fast start and it’s so hard to claw the game back over here. Altitude played a bit of a part as well. It’s tough to move over here but it’s definitely not an excuse.
"They were well up for it and they took it to us physically. You can see from the collisions; they were winning everything."
Milne, who missed the start of the season with a shoulder injury, has appeared five times off the bench for Leinster since the start of March and scored three tries, including a brace against Cardiff.
He'll be hoping to add to that when Leinster name their team for Saturday's URC clash with Stormers, beaten by Ospreys last weekend, on Friday afternoon.
The 25-year-old Birr man (above) went on the Emerging Ireland tour in 2022 and at Leinster is understudy to Ireland looseheads Andrew Porter and Cian Healy, while Ed Byrne and Jack Boyle are also pushing for match-day squad places.
On his season so far, he said: "It started off tough, I missed most of the start of the season.
"In Leinster, there are so many good players, you are just looking at the sideline and thinking, 'Jesus’, and you are trying to get back fit and learn from the best and keep ticking along.
"I got an opportunity to play against Cardiff and that went well. Then you just try to keep playing well.
"The biggest thing for me is keep impressing and working on things that haven’t worked in the past.
"I’m really enjoying the season so far, especially coming over to South Africa, a bit of sun, bit of heat, I can’t complain, yeah, it’s great."
Fitness and form will dictate who makes Cullen’s panel for their upcoming Champions Cup semi-final against Northampton at Croke Park and, while not looking past Saturday’s meeting with the Stormers (6.05pm), Milne said a chance to run out a GAA HQ provides extra incentive.
"Well, I’m from Offaly so we don’t get there often," he says with a smile.
"The last time I was in Croke Park was watching the Under-20 footballers beat Roscommon [in 2021] so I’ll never forget it.
"It’s a huge incentive, not just because it’s Croke Park, it’s a Champions Cup semi-final. You really want to be involved. As a rugby player, that’s what you strive for.
"Especially Croke Park, as an Offaly man you look back at the days of Offaly of old. We can’t look past this weekend, first we go to war against Stormers but it’s definitely an incentive."
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