Jamie Heaslip poised to feature for Leinster Rugby

Leinster’s game has started to gel, and at just the right time, in recent weeks but mixed messages continue to emanate from their UCD HQ over the availability or otherwise of Cian Healy and Sean O’Brien.

It’s only a few weeks since scrum coach Marco Caputo’s upbeat update was diluted by a clarification from the media department and there were more conflicting messages yesterday ahead of the weekend’s Champions Cup crunch against Wasps.

Skills coach Richie Murphy described both Healy and O’Brien as live possibilities this week, although the official line remains Matt O’Connor’s from earlier this month when he suggested neither were likely for European action this month.

Neither player is registered to feature in the Champions Cup as it stands, although Leinster have one spot still available and have until today at midday to fill it. Still, the likelihood is that we will see Healy and O’Brien in Ireland green again before Leinster blue.

Jamie Heaslip’s chances of playing on Saturday are being presented in a more straightforward manner. Taken off 50 minutes into last week’s defeat of Castres, the story goes that his AC joint will not interfere with ambitions of a starting berth.

Leinster travel to England knowing that a win secures them top spot and probably a home quarter-final berth with it while a losing bonus point could still see them squeeze through. A loss by more than seven points would probably mean curtains.

Elimination would be unfathomable in what was an easier pool than those presented to Munster or Ulster, even if the displays by Wasps are indicative of a club that has rediscovered its feet after a dip in fortunes that almost ended in extinction.

Eoin Reddan has looked on with interest. The Limerick man was there in the mid-noughties when league and European success was always the barometer and he has been taken aback at how Wasps have bounced back, as evidenced by the move from a cramped Adams Park to the Ricoh Arena.

“Their resurgence has been pretty amazing in some ways. They are fourth in the Premiership now. To have that level of turnover of players — within two years 13 of the 15 who had started in their last Premiership final win had left.

“That’s a pretty big turnover. To come back from that as quick as they have means they have scouted pretty well and they have got a lot of guys you wouldn’t have heard of before but who are now delivering big games.

“It’s not like they signed Bryan Habana, like. “They signed guys like (Ashley) Johnson and (Nathan) Hughes who all of a sudden are big players and that’s a good sign of a club. They obviously aren’t going to have to pay him big, big bucks and their environment helps that guy become a good player.”

Fortunes on the field had already begun to turn around before the move recently from High Wycombe to Coventry but that migration northwards has shattered the glass ceiling that was there even in the best of times. Reddan recalled yesterday how Wasps’ opponents used to sell out home games against them and how billboards of Wasps’ star-studded players would adorn away grounds. Adams Park, by way of contrast, would be awash with empty seats.

“They made a tough call but the numbers (at games) so far would suggest that it is going well. It’s moving in the right direction. Their rugby is very good as well. They are still being underestimated by everyone, which is surprising.”

Hard to see Reddan or Leinster will fall into that trap this week.