Cronin turns his focus to Castres

Matt O’Connor was talking about 18 points being good enough to escape the bearpit that is Pool One just before this game.

He may find himself halfway there come the same time next Saturday evening.

Castres, who visit the RDS on Saturday, may be French champions but their away record in the Top 14 this season is lamentable, with five trips and five defeats, and their European pedigree is not exactly the proudest.

Leinster rattled up a 33-3 win the last time the French side showed up in Dublin, in 2008, and O’Connor’s side turn towards round two off the back of a win in Wales that pleased for the performance as much as the result.

“They say if you lose any game at home in the Heineken Cup, it is effectively curtains so we know we have to be really focused,” said Sean Cronin. “They managed to beat Northampton, didn’t they, so I am sure they will come to the RDS full of confidence.”

But that away record, Sean?

“All French teams are unpredictable. They got their win at home. They have it all to play for so that won’t be in our mindset at all. We have to go out, do our job and get the win and then that will be the first block of the Heineken over.”

No-one in blue made more ground than hooker Cronin on the night and a fair amount of those yards were clocked while thundering through two defenders before off-loading for O’Brien to score.

Of 17 lineouts, only one went astray and Cronin was part of a front row and a pack that outdid an Ospreys eight, half of whom toured with the British and Irish Lions. Not a bad evening’s work, all told.

“It’s a big step up from last week. There was an improvement there. The Heineken Cup is every game as it comes and we have achieved our objective which was to come over here and get a result, a win, and we’re after getting that.”

Cronin was typical too in the fact that he was performing against the backdrop of an absent colleague, and of greater public profile than himself, after Richardt Strauss’ discovery that he requires treatment for a heart condition.

All over the pitch, Leinster players were filling the vacuums left by players who had departed during the summer or absent through injury or illness and Cronin agreed it was a significant win.

“There was a lot of talk in the press about lads who were missing and we had an opportunity go to Munster last week and put in a performance with the lads who were on board and we didn’t do that. We got a bit bullied down there so we had to reevaluate. We know we have the lads in the club to go and get results and we stood up.”