Schmidt hopes old foes will help Blues feel more like old selves

Leinster and Munster may be coming off the back of humbling defeats last weekend but Joe Schmidt believes form — or the lack of it — will account for little when the rivals clash at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Never before in 18 seasons of professional rugby have these two provinces collided having both lost their preceding matches. The closest they came was in October of 1998 when Leinster were defeated by Stade Francais and Munster drew with Neath. Those two games were played away from home in the nascent Heineken Cup and both Schmidt and his counterpart Rob Penney will be hoping the faces of familiar foes will inspire their sides ahead of the European campaign after respective losses to Connacht and Ospreys.

“No matter what the preparations of the two teams coming into a fixture like this or no matter what the previous results this game gets people stirred and motivated and concentrated and that’s what we need this week,” said Schmidt.