Easterby: No issue with our discipline

LEINSTER team manager Guy Easterby has defended the European champions’ discipline in the wake of criticism arising from their display at the breakdown during Sunday’s Heineken Cup win in Bath.

One match report in the English media claimed the Irish province, and Sean O’Brien in particular, had been allowed to get away with “blue murder” by referee Jerome Garces who was accused of turning a blind eye.

Not so, said Easterby yesterday.

“Leinster, if you look at the records yellow cards-wise and discipline-wise, we’re right up there and its something that Joe (Schmidt) and the coaches are very, very keen on, that we’re not an ill-disciplined side.

“We have to manage the game as best we can but it’s not our intention ... we want to win the breakdown but certainly we’re not going out to slow down ball illegally.”

Ian McGeechan wasn’t openly critical of Leinster in the wake of the 18-13 defeat at The Rec but he did speak about the visitors’ “experience” in ensuring slow ball for the opposition and there were thinly veiled suggestions he felt much stronger on the issue. Easterby found the timing of such remarks interesting given the sides meet again this Saturday.

“Certainly in these back-to-back fixtures it’s a very easy game to play, to be getting stuff out in the press that you want the referee to notice, especially when the games are in such close proximity. You’re picking up stuff. We’ll have been a bit disappointed that we felt we had some ball slowed down at the weekend so if that’s me putting it out there then so be it. But back-to-back games highlight it more because the games are so close and people are trying to influence things.”

Leinster’s display at the breakdown in Bath was one of the areas which scrum-half Eoin Reddan suggested could do with improving this Saturday at the Aviva Stadium.

“If I’m honest, we weren’t over the moon,” said the number nine, “which is no disrespect to Bath because we had one or two opportunities that we just didn’t take and we kind of felt lucky to come away with the win in the end.”