Cheika warns of Castres threat
The former was the team that turned up at Thomond Park back in October with a virtual second-string side and yet came within two points of securing the greatest shock in the history of the tournament against the champions.
The latter famously conceded 13 tries and 92 points to Leinster in Dublin in the 2004-05 Heineken Cup when, like their opponents this weekend, their European ambitions had already been dealt an early, fatal blow.
Castres arrive in Dublin bottom of their Heineken Cup group and second from last in the Top 14. If they are still standing by May, liquidation could well follow relegation. Europe is the least of their concerns right now.
With that in mind, few expect the French side to field anything like a first-choice XV but Cheika is adamant neither he nor his players will lose focus ahead of Saturday.
“Either way we know they are the type of team, with the quality of players they have got, that can put it together.
“You watch the tapes and you can see that if you stay off them and don’t play well they can hurt you. I would be naïve, and I have got too much experience in the tournament, to even think like that and the players are the same. The intensity at training this week has been equal to, or more than, the first two (European) weeks.”
Never one to talk the talk before his side have walked the walk, the Australian was at pains to point out yesterday that the days of rolling over teams before half time are long gone.
Leinster’s supporters will click through the RDS turnstiles on Saturday expecting to be entertained but Cheika believes one of his chief tasks this week will be to manage expectations and preach against panic should the game still be in the melting pot late on.
“If you look at the recent international tours and the New Zealand team, every game they played was tight until about the 60th minute when they stepped up a gear. Professionalism is getting higher and one of the things teams can improve on the most is defence.”
Brian O’Driscoll is named in the squad despite concerns over a shoulder injury sustained in Saturday’s Magners League win over the Dragons but Felipe Contepomi’s hand injury has not healed in time and the Argentine is unavailable. With Isa Nacewa still out, that leaves Jonathan Sexton at 10 while David Holwell serves as understudy having just arrived in Dublin from New Zealand seven days ago.
WITH CJ van der Linde recovering from the illness that sidelined him against the Dragons last weekend, the only other concern is flanker Shane Jennings who, after sitting out training yesterday, is rated as 50-50. A final decision will be made on him tomorrow.
With a trip to Castres following next week, Leinster would appear to be well positioned to build on their first two games in Pool Two which delivered a rich return of two wins and two bonus points against Edinburgh and Wasps
Ideally, it would suit better to play Castres away first. Statistics suggest that most teams managing to do the double in these back-to-back meetings do so when the games are in that order but Cheika is happy to play the hand as it is dealt.
“There are a lot of hypotheses that people can use but if you keep winning you will make it. You have to be so disciplined to do it because you are dying to calculate and all that stuff. I have learned you just don’t. You play each game as a cup final, as a Test match, and if you do that for six games you are going to be well prepared because it is hard to do.”
LEINSTER SQUAD (v Castres Olympique): Forwards: C Healy, B Blaney, B Jackman, CJ van der Linde, S Wright, T Hogan, D Toner, M O’Kelly, R Elsom, C Jowitt, S Jennings, S O’Brien, J Heaslip, Stephen Keogh.
Backs: C Keane, C Whitaker, D Holwell, J Sexton, Simon Keogh, L Fitzgerald, B O’Driscoll, S Horgan, G Dempsey, R Kearney.
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