Reddan wary of French threat

MANY a stat has been trotted out to highlight Leinster’s run of exemplary form but most notable is the fact that, with the Six Nations looming, their Irish internationals have yet to taste defeat on provincial duty this season.

Their place in the knockout stages of Europe is already assured with the round six home tie against Montpellier to come on Saturday and they will say adieu to their internationals yet again next week from their perch atop the RaboDirect Pro12 league.

And yet caveats linger.

For all their momentum – 15 games unbeaten now – they have yet to be tested against the crème de la crème which the Heineken Cup has to offer. Montpellier and Bath are floundering mid-table domestically while Glasgow are very much a work in progress.

Nitpicking? Perhaps, but such are the standards by which we have come to judge this Leinster team and both players and coaches are in agreement that their form has been good but not as good as it could be.

“When you play against a team in the Heineken Cup it’s always tough,” said Eoin Reddan who was among the 30 names included in Declan Kidney’s 2012 Six Nations squad yesterday. “It’s tough,” he said.

“You play the team you have (to face). I agree, we haven’t played many of the top teams in Europe this year, whereas last year we were playing the top team in France and Saracens, who were going well in the Premiership.

“So it was different from that point of view but I still think we’ll be under no illusions this weekend or in whatever games we end up playing in the next few months.”

Saturday’s clash with Montpellier in Dublin is far from academic. Home advantage come April demands another success for the champions whose experiences in this season’s competition demonstrate just how vital a venue can be.

Irrepressible on home soil against Bath and Glasgow late last year, Joe Schmidt’s side has had to scrap for every one of the 10 points claimed on the road courtesy of a draw in France and narrow victories at The Rec and Firhill.

The accepted wisdom in American football is that home advantage is worth at least three points but that would be a conservative estimate of the RDS’ worth to Leinster or, for that matter, Thomond Park’s to Munster or Ravenhill’s to Ulster.

That said, away fixtures in the last eight are by no means an invitation towards the exit. Leinster and Munster have both claimed the Heineken Cup after away quarter-final victories.

“At that stage of the competition you’re going to be playing against very good teams no matter what happens and how you perform in the Heineken is what counts,” Reddan reasoned. “Players will be back from the Six Nations at that stage. It’s a long way off and it would be a bit needless talking about it too much. There’s a lot of experience here and everyone would know the importance of a home quarter-final. We won away to Harlequins (in 2009) but it’s very important and with the kind of competitive squad we have, everyone wants to put in a big performance this week.”

Anything other than a comfortable Leinster win would be a major shock given the fact Fabien Galthie’s side has only the consolation prize of an Amlin Challenge place to play for. One suspects they may travel to the Irish capital with their minds drifting towards tomorrow week when they will seek to maintain their burgeoning momentum in the Top 14 when Stade Francais pitch up at the Stade Tyves de Manoir.

Said Reddan: “We got the side they sent through for the programme which I know doesn’t mean much but they’re a very strong team based on that … We have to win the game.”