Booth: wounded Exiles never more dangerous

LONDON IRISH head coach Toby Booth has warned Leinster that his side are never more dangerous than when they are backed into a corner.

Sunday’s shocking collapse at the Scarlets – when Irish fell to an 31-22 defeat having been 12 points ahead with just 20 minutes to go – means the Guinness Premiership outfit need to beat the Heineken Cup champions at Twickenham on Saturday, while securing a bonus point for themselves and denying Michael Cheika’s men one of their own to make the last eight.

Yet Booth has told his team they must draw inspiration from their first game, when they won 12-9 in Dublin, if they are to send shock waves through European rugby by putting the holders in danger of elimination.

“We like it when our backs are against the wall, but for us to fulfil our potential as a team we need to go from being the happy underdog to expectant favourite,” said Booth.

“That is why we relish this opportunity. The first week of the Heineken Cup we went to the RDS and no-one gave us a chance, but we pulled it off.

“This week, no-one gives us a chance, and that seems like it could be a little bit of déjà-vu to me.

“Our two defeats to the Scarlets were completely our own fault, but we are a very honest group and now we need to show we can live with the pace in the big arenas.”

Yet despite Irish needing to go for broke, Booth has cautioned his players against going too gung-ho in a game that has been moved away from their usual home, the Madejski Stadium, due to a fixture clash with Reading FC, their landlords.

“We’ll try and win the game first then go from there,” explains Booth. “We chased the bonus point against the Scarlets without having won the match, and if you take the attitude that bonus points are everything then you will lose the game.

“The reality is that right now there is no pressure on Leinster . What we have to do is get the game out of sight first, and then make sure the pressure really is on them.”