Leinster look to bounce back in battle with Warriors

THEORETICALLY, it’s not quite win or bust for Leinster’s Heineken Cup ambitions when they travel to face Glasgow Warriors this weekend.

But it might as well be.

For all his fighting talk, the odds of securing that coveted quarter-final berth are heavily stacked against coach Michael Cheika, last Saturday’s home defeat to Bath leaving them reeling.

Flights to Bath and Bourgoin await either side of Christmas, key personnel like Brian O’Driscoll and Denis Hickie remain frustrated onlookers and his line-out is gifting possession to opponents.

Beating one of their French or English opponents on enemy territory is a must. Defeating both on their travels, as they did last year by the skin of their teeth, would be akin to lightning striking twice, or even four times.

So, four points is a must in Hughenden. Five points would be better, of course, but Cheika is adamant that bonus points won’t be necessary. Four wins from six, he suggested yesterday, will buy Leinster that golden ticket.

“I don’t think five-pointers are essential. Anything is possible in the first round of results in the European Cup. Teams will get in with four wins, let alone five. They’ve done it before and they’ll do it again. I’m sure teams will do it with four again this year.

“It’s a mantra because it’s true, in rugby you can’t think about the score. You just concentrate on playing well. This Glasgow team isn’t a bad outfit. They tested us at Donnybrook (in the Celtic League) and they’ll definitely test us at home.”

Not forgetting too that it’s just over a month since Munster made the same journey and returned chastened by a 32-10 defeat. Glasgow, with their willingness to spread the ball wide, will be a different threat to the one posed by Bath’s forward bruisers in Dublin however, even if Cheika is more concerned with getting his own house in order than whatever the opposition might be up to.

“We are building a new structure. I know I’ve said it before and it sounds a bit clichéd, but we are building a new team. We’re building a new way of playing, a new style, a new feel. I always said there was going to be some pain in achieving our long-term goals, and that was painful.”

Last weekend again showed some familiar deficiencies, not just in the line-out but with discipline, decision-making and final execution.

The good news is that, after his belated reappearance as a replacement against Bath, Malcolm O’Kelly finally looks ready to start a game again.

A decision will be made today on the fitness of Will Green, who missed the opening defeat with a chest infection. He will have to train today to be included, while Eric Miller is absent.

LEINSTER squad:

Backs: B O’Meara, B O’Riordan, E Hickey, F Contepomi, J Hepworth, K Lewis, S Horgan, R Kearney, G D’Arcy, G Dempsey.

Forwards: R Corrigan, R McCormack, W Green, E Byrne, B Jackman, D Blaney, M O’Kelly, B Williams, B Gissing, D Dillon, C Jowitt, C Potts, K Gleeson, N Ronan, J Heaslip.