Jimmy Gopperth reflects on his two seasons with Leinster and his teammates pay tribute to the man himself.
Ahead of the Guinness PRO12 Round 22 game against Edinburgh, Leinster TV caught up with Jimmy Gopperth on Across the Laighin to talk to him about his time at Leinster, what he’ll miss most, and his team-mates tell us how they would describe the Kiwi out-half.
Speaking about the decision to join Leinster on Across the Laighin, Gopperth said: “When I got the opportunity to come here I knew it was going to be a good experience with Leinster being such a big club.”
Looking back on the highlights from his two seasons with Leinster, Gopperth settles on the PRO12 Grand Final in the RDS as being a particularly sweet moment.
“To come through and win the PRO12 the way we did, it was such a great feeling, and to play with some legends of the game through that year. A great day, a packed out RDS – there’s nothing better.”
And it will be that packed RDS and the “fantastic” Leinster support which Gopperth says he will miss most of all.
“The one thing I’ll miss will be the fans here. The support has been absolutely fantastic, they are definitely the true heart of the club. They support you thick or thin, win or lose. That gets us up for games.
“Playing Toulon in the semi-final, it was an amazing atmosphere. It was just such a pleasure and it was so uplifting to see so many blue flags and so many Leinster supporters in Marseille. When 100 minutes are up on the clock and you’re blowing, you just need that extra support and it was absolutely brilliant. The one thing I’ll probably miss is the fans here. The support is absolutely fantastic.”
Jimmy Gopperth – Key Leinster Stats
58 appearances
350 points (7th highest all-time)
6 tries
124 successful kicks at goal (6th highest all-time)
Watch the full interview with Jimmy Gopperth on episode seven of Across the Laighin.
