Heaslip ready to face Wasps hero Dallaglio

LEINSTER number eight Jamie Heaslip’s admiration for Wasps’ Lawrence Dallaglio is obvious, but that doesn’t extend to being in awe of the English rugby icon.

In just over 18 months, Heaslip is set to win his 50th provincial cap and will be involved in one of the biggest games of his career at High Wycombe on Saturday — facing up to a man who had a huge influence on his career.

Heaslip said last year’s Heineken Cup semi-final clash with Munster was the experience of a lifetime, but said this clash against London Wasps would rank alongside it.

Heaslip made clear his regard for former England skipper Dallaglio: “This is a huge personal challenge for me. I hope Lawrence is playing, that’s for sure, purely because all number eights have looked up him at some stage.

“He is a man who leads by example for the Lions, England and Wasps, he has done it all the time; he is capable of getting other guys up for games as well.

“He has a wealth of knowledge, knows what he wants from everyone and there’s no crap about him.”

Heaslip has another reason for wanting to do well: he is fed up with some of the less than kind comments that have been made about Leinster forwards.

He is tired of his colleagues being compared to the Wasps pack, and stressed that the Leinster backs could not operate without the forwards providing the service.

“We’re in the quarter final of the Heineken Cup and in a position to win the Magners League. That must suggest we’re doing something right.

He believes the Leinster pack has made great strides in the last 12 months. “It’s a much stronger unit now than it was last year.”

Part of that, he stated, is down to the arrival of Stephen Keogh from Munster. “He has made a difference just by the way he plays the game. He has come in very well from the start, set the standards from the beginning of the year and set the tone of the way he wanted to play; he’s a very hard, physical runner.