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Irish Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Matt Williams: Unless Leinster's defence wake up they will be left dreaming of what might have been
As a 17-year-old, fresh out of school, I told my dad I needed a car to be able to drive so I could find a job. Without looking up from his newspaper, he told me I had it all back the front. What I needed was a job to earn the money to buy a car, because borrowing his much loved automobile was not going to be an option for his teenage son. Not for the first or last time in his life, he was trying to teach me that I was focusing on the outcome and not on the process. I wanted a car, but I didn't want the process of earning the money to buy one. In life and rugby, the process delivers the outcome. If you get the process right then the outcome will look after itself. READ MORE Dreaming of lifting trophies is the easy part. The reality of achieving this is not glamorous. Winning championships is the outcome produced by players whose daily practices are at constant levels of excellence. In professional sport, it is known as 'The Grind'. Sustaining high standards in every area of preparation, across each minute of the week, produces the outcomes that makes winning on match day possible. As the US basketball coach Kevin Eastman says: 'Champions don't become champions on the court. They become recognised on the court. They become champions because of their daily routine and commitment to excellence. Players do not decide their future. They decide their habits and habits decide their future.' Good habits are produced when athletes get into the grind of repeating their best processes. Much of this has nothing to do with athletic talent. An attitude of commitment towards diet, hydration, recovery strategies, mental preparation, reviewing video, punctuality, politeness, maintaining high standards, accepting feedback – all powered by the mindset of being coachable and wanting to improve each day – have zero to do with sporting ability. Many players make it into professional sport even though they may possess a lowly 'B' in talent, but have a wonderful 'A' in possessing the right mindset. This type of athlete will grind away every day, laying another brick in the wall, constantly building towards success. The sporting world is full of talented athletes who failed because they lacked the required commitment to the arduous rigours of the daily process. As David Brockhoff, the late former Wallaby player and coach, so poetically put it: 'If you want to play in the symphony, you have to practice your scales.' This type of dedication requires a deep motivation. Leinster's Jordie Barrett tackles Kyle Steyn of Glasgow Warriors in last month's URC game. Photograph: Ben Brady/INPHO TE Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, wrote in his book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom: 'All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake the next day to find that it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dream with open eyes to make it possible.' It is Lawrence's daydreamers who make it. They nurture their motivation towards obsession, to do whatever it takes to win. These people make it to the top. It is no accident that in rugby, almost without exception, these athletes are great defenders. In rugby, defence requires huge amounts of fitness, combined with a burning passion to physically intimidate your opponent – a dash of technique but little talent. There is little doubt that defences win titles. With the United Rugby Championship (URC) once again proving to the rugby world its unique character with a semi-final in the southern and the northern hemispheres, it will be the areas of the game that require gut-busting effort and little talent that will determine who makes it to the final. In recent seasons across URC knockout stages, attacking talent and home ground advantage have not been the deciding factors. There would be few who would disagree that Leinster have been the most talented attacking team for many years. Despite topping the table six years in row, the men in blue have not been capable of winning the competition in the past five years. In the last two seasons alone, Munster and Glasgow have won their finals away from home in South Africa. So Leinster must completely disregard their recent thrashing of Glasgow in the quarter-final of the Champions Cup and remember the pain that Northampton inflicted in Dublin last month after having taken a beating the previous season. While taking nothing away from Northampton's exceptional attacking display, in that devastating semi-final defeat the Leinster defence lacked commitment, enthusiasm and energy creating a huge problem for Jacques Nienaber . Northampton Saints' Tommy Freeman scores his third try of the Champions Cup semi-final against Leinster in Dublin last month. Photograph: Billy Stickland/INPHO Against Northampton, Leinster made only 97 tackles, but missed 41. If they produce another set of defensive stats like that then elimination will be inevitable. Renowned for their creative attacking flare, it is paramount Leinster discover a deeper commitment to the physical processes of defence if they are to win this year's URC title. This is particularly important in the five minutes before half time and after half time, the crucial period of the game we know as the 'championship minutes' when any points scored swing the momentum of the contest. There is no doubt that the repeated knockout defeats in recent seasons have mentally damaged Leinster. They are human, and these heartbreaks have left a scar tissue. Leinster must desperately believe that in every match what has gone before is irrelevant. All that matters is the next 80 minutes. This is a double-edged sword for Leinster, who have dominated the URC regular seasons so convincingly. To win, they must focus on the physicality of their tackling and the cohesion within their defensive system. Areas that require bucketloads of effort but little talent. If they get their defensive processes right, their attack will look after itself. However, the Champions Cup semi-final proved that if they do not find a way to considerably lift their defensive performance then sadly they will face another crushing exit.
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Exclusive: TMNT Co-Creator Kevin Eastman Reflects on 40 Years of Turtle Power
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Back before the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became a household name, it started off as a dark and gritty comic for Mirage from co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. More news: Exclusive: 'TMNT' Spinoff Series 'Casey Jones' Set for Release This Fall Eastman has been a beloved comic creator for decades on end, and he sat down with Newsweek to discuss the creation, history, and longevity of the turtles — and he divulged some new updates on the current massive hit, "The Last Ronin." Initially, Eastman and Laird were messing around with one another regarding the creation of the animal equivalent of Bruce Lee, a world-renowned martial artist. Lee, known for his speed and skills in martial arts, was transformed into a ninja turtle. "And so I thought to myself, if Bruce Lee was an animal, what would be the stupidest animal, mammal, creature, reptile, and so fast-moving martial artist, slow-moving turtle. It just made me laugh out loud." Though the idea of a turtle being a martial artist began with a laugh, Eastman and Laird would lean on their comic fandom to turn the one turtle into four. "And then we said, well, if one, why not a group of them, maybe four? Like the Fantastic Four or X Men kind of thing. So I penciled a sketch all four turtles, each with different weapons, and I put this comic bookie Ninja Turtles logo above them, and when Pete did the inking on it, he added a Teenage Mutant to the title. And we just laughed out loud, and it was something we said, 'enough rejection letters.' "Besides, we really love this idea. We're going to keep this one for ourselves, and let's just come up with a story that tells how the turtles got to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And that was in 1984, and the first issue came out in May of 1984." A cover of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. A cover of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. IDW The comic was meant to be a one-shot, or singular issue, but the impact of the first issue was undeniable. Eastman borrowed money from his uncle to fund the first issue, and a 3,000-copy run would soon sell out. "We borrowed money from my uncle Quentin. We put together a little business proposal. It was around $1,200 if I recall. All correctly, and that was enough to print 3,000 copies. We thought that we would have most of those 3000 copies for many years to come. It was a one-shot. So, you know, again, we did it, the creation of it and the writing of it was written for ourselves, because we really didn't think it would sell that well. But it sold out pretty quickly, and to our surprise and my uncle ... he was actually going to get paid back." The popularity of the comic would turn into a 6,000-copy run, and eventually, the comic world was begging for the second issue. Eastman and Laird would continue their original run, but the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would turn into a global sensation shortly thereafter. Though the turtles would come out as a comic that showcased a far darker outlook, Eastman and Lair licensed out the turtles to Playmate Toys, leading to the original cartoon series being released in 1987, a series of video games, and the ever-popular original live-action films. Headshot of Kevin Eastman with the cover for the 1990s TMNT movie. Headshot of Kevin Eastman with the cover for the 1990s TMNT movie. IDW Despite the fact that the turtles were turned into more of the pizza-eating and radical variation that many fans grew up with and loved, Eastman reveals that he and Laird still had creative control over how the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were conveyed. "We were lucky, you know. I mentioned Jack Kirby, who was a big hero of Peter and I and the nature of the business that he grew up in, working for Marvel in DC. It was commonplace for the corporation that you worked for owned all the rights to your characters and anything you created was owned by them. So we were well aware, even around the time that Peter and I started, there was a lot of challenges to industry professionals trying to get Kirby more credit for his rights ownership profits from the characters he created. So we knew how lucky we were that we created something we owned fully." Eastman would eventually sell his share of the turtles to Laird, who in turn sold the rights to Viacom. Despite not having creative control any longer, Eastman has remained a creative voice for the franchise, including in the most recent movie, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem." "My position as being kind of the OG, you know, the co-creator, Nickelodeon, who's always been really wonderful, very kind. And they, because they don't have to bring me in on anything, but they always reach out and ask my opinion. Or, you know, like I did a voice as I was a good human and 'Mutant Mayhem,' or I've done voices in the cartoon show I worked on, you know, different aspects of different productions. But with that, it was something that Seth and Jeff and Evan and everybody at Point Grey and that whole team had a very specific vision. And it was one of those that had they invited me, and I would have been happy to join him, but they had a vision that they wanted to tell, and I could not be more happy and more proud." Eastman did not bow out of creating new and exciting stories for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In fact, he became a chief writer when IDW Publishing launched a new turtles comic series in 2011. Inks done by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles writer and co-creator Kevin Eastman. Inks done by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles writer and co-creator Kevin Eastman. IDW The monthly-released comic began in August 2011 and has been running ever since. However, IDW chose to relaunch the series in July 2024, with Jason Aaron taking over as the chief writer. Eastman worked with Tom Waltz while at IDW, and they paired together to revive and work on a story back in the 1980s that was initially developed by Eastman and Laird. The idea was about what the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would look like if all but one perished. That idea would be transformed into the massive hit, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin." "The Last Ronin" follows the tragic fall of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, save for one, Michaelangelo. Michelangelo is distraught over the loss of his brothers and seeks revenge against Oroku Hiroto, the grandson of the infamous Shredder. Cover art for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, drawn by Kevin Eastman. Cover art for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, drawn by Kevin Eastman. IDW "It's an idea that Peter and I wrote way back in 1987, set 30 years in the future. And it was 31 years later that Tom waltz and I, when I dug out the original script and materials that Pete and I developed for that in 1987 and adapted into The Last Ronin. We just felt like this is kind of our love poem to all things, you know, dark night, the edginess, the darkness, and some important things leaning, you know, quite heavily on the original Mirage series in this kind of universe of its own." Eastman referred to the reception as "mind-blowing," which has certainly been the case. "The Last Ronin" led to a prequel called "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - Lost Years," which follows Michelangelo and his quest for answers after the death of his brothers, and the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution," which follows a brand-new set of turtles. Cover art for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II Re-Evolution, drawn by Kevin Eastman. Cover art for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II Re-Evolution, drawn by Kevin Eastman. IDW "The Last Ronin" universe is also expanding into a video game, and Eastman revealed that there will be a third sequel for the comics as well. "We are working on a part three. So we feel like, just funny that when I'm looking at your posters behind you, get the 'Empire Strikes Back.' And so we feel like, you know, 'Last Ronin, the first one is kind of 'A New Hope.' 'Re-Evolution' is 'Empire Strikes Back,' and so three is going to be our best shot at, you know, 'Return of the Jedi' kind of concept. So, we're excited to dig into that this year." Eastman also revealed that the third "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin" series is set to start in 2026. "So 2026, is what we're looking at. And so we're all working. We're kind of rolled off series two, almost right into series three. So we're excited." Since creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1984, the characters and stories have gone on to inspire and entertain fans for over 40 years. What has surprised Eastman through 40 years of writing and drawing, what was initially a joke? "That there are still stories to tell, sincerely." To listen to the entire, watch the video above. Eastman goes into depth on the history of the turtles and their many iterations, the original comic, how "The Last Ronin" was developed, the sequels, and what creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has meant to him for 40 years. For more on comics, head to Newsweek Comics.
