Concerned Cheika wants to get back to basics

HARD taskmaster or rugby idealist? On Saturday, shorn of several of their frontline players, Leinster still managed a bonus-point win at Donnybrook, leaping to second place in the Magners League (overnight at least), yet manager Michael Cheika was far from happy.

“I’m about performance, and we played poorly. I don’t want to be too hard, but the players know we’ve got to perform better in the basics of the game.”

Cheika had every reason to be concerned. Leinster were 50 points a better side than the Dragons’, who, save a few standout performances — the powerful Nathan Brew on the wing and abrasive US international Paul Emerick in the centre — were way off the pace.