O’Connor keeps it simple: We have to be really good

Matt O’Connor’s words, not ours, but don’t invest too much in them.

What reads on paper like a gauntlet being thrown at the feet of Munster as they travel to Dublin for tomorrow’s RaboDirect Pro12 encounter was actually a statement delivered in a matter-of-fact, almost prosaic manner.

That said, the Leinster coach’s words will still be afforded greater significance than they merit because, like Rob Penney’s quip about Leinster being de facto Six Nations champions, they fit the required narrative for the occasion that’s in it: that this is personal.

O’Connor is an entertaining man to have in front of a microphone. He knows how to push buttons but he knows too how to take the edge off the sharper deliveries too. So it was when he was asked about Penney’s Six Nations observation.

“I think Paul O’Connell and Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony will be quite disappointed with that statement, if it was me,” he replied. “But it’s a bit of banter, isn’t it? It’s not a biggie. It’s not motivating us. We know that we have to be really, really good. That’s the bottom line.”

Penney has made other interesting, if less publicised, remarks in recent days. One of the most pertinent was his fear that Leinster’s sheer volume of Test-hardened players could prove highly significant at the Aviva Stadium.

It seems a reasonable point and one given added weight with O’Connor’s assertion that the beanpole Devin Toner returned to Leinster camp this week an inch or two taller on the back of a Test window in which he soared to new heights as a player.

It was put to the Australian at one point that maybe his players were too battle-hardened. A more coy coach would have grasped the opportunity and used it as a bulwark against Penney’s observation, but not O’Connor.

“They’ve been well managed through the Irish campaign and the week off last week has given them a real buzz. We found post-November — and after the Australia and All Black game in particular – playing in that intensity is an advantage.

“Now, to have a significant number of our blokes playing at that intensity is only positive for us. Hopefully, we’ll have got the balance of that right by managing our systems in detail so the boys should be in a pretty good place come Saturday night.”

The hope is that another of the pre-game’s subplots, the appointment of Alain Rolland as referee in place of the injured Pascal Gauzere, won’t retain its place among the chattering classes when all is said and done.

Both O’Connor and Penney gave the thumbs up to the idea of the former Leinster player stepping in and the Australian labelled the soon-to-be-retired official as the “the perfect guy” to take charge of the fixture regardless of his past loyalties.

Meanwhile, Jack McGrath has been rated as the most serious of the front row injury doubts hanging over Leinster as they prepare to name their team for tomorrow evening’s game at Lansdowne Road.

McGrath picked up a collar bone injury when replacing Cian Healy in the Stade de France for Ireland two weekends ago and his doubtful status is all the more worrying given the latter’s availability is equally doubtful.

Healy has been playing despite ankle problems all season and they required constant attention during the Six Nations. Reports yesterday all but ruled him out for the Munster game but O’Connor left the issue hanging as he tries to ensure everyone is fit for next week’s Heineken Cup trip to Toulon. Munster is undoubtedly big, but Toulon is the priority.

“He’s not too bad, he’s still a little bit sore post-Six Nations,” said O’Connor of Healy. “We’ll make an assessment on that closer to the game and we’ve got a little bit of focus for what’s happening next week. We understand how important this [Munster game] is, but we’ve got to have an eye on what’s happening next week as well.”

Leinster’s concerns on the tighthead side are almost as acute.

Marty Moore had to be taken off towards the end of the Zebre game at the RDS last Friday with what remains an unexplained injury and he had only been called on to replace Tadhg Furlong who went over on an ankle.

Mike Ross, always first among equals in terms of importance to his club and country, has seen his stock soar still further this week given all that and he may be required for what would be a rare 80-minute shift this week.

Mike Bent, ushered in as an emergency answer to the lack of tightheads two seasons ago, has been afforded time at loosehead in recent times but is likely to back up Ross if required, with Jack O’Connell set for game time on the far side.