Leinster face hell of a battle against Wasps in Coventry

Since rescuing Wasps from the knacker’s yard 18 months ago, Derek Richardson has sent them to Coventry and increased support from 5,000 to almost 30,000 virtually overnight

How ironic, therefore, that Leinster’s position as the last Irish province standing in the Champions’ Cup should depend on their surviving Saturday’s confrontation in the West Midlands with an English club owned by an insurance broker from Dublin.

The occasion will confirm Wasps’ transformation from skid row to the Pied Pipers of the club game, from their cramped base at the end of an industrial estate in High Wycombe to Coventry’s 21st century Ricoh Arena.