Matt O’Connor: We need to dominate the setpieces

Things could certainly be better for Leinster.

Their league position could do with migrating north a few places. One win in six is too far south of the form we have come to expect from them and they might have done with having more of their Ireland boys back in situ before this week.

Not that it is all doom and gloom for Matt O’Connor.

Three times in the last four years, his teams have been drawn away from home in the European Cup quarter-finals. In 2011, his Leicester side pitched up at the Aviva — where the province faces Bath on Saturday — and fell short by a converted try.

Two years later, the Tigers fell by six to Toulon in France.

That latter dose was doubled 12 months ago when Bernard Laporte’s mega-rich superstars trundled over Leinster at the Stade Felix Mayol, so he is entitled to feel that home comforts have been earned this time.

“Definitely. When you sit down at the start of the European season you want to put yourself in a position to be at home in a quarter-final. With a hell of a lot of effort from the whole squad, we’ve achieved that.

“There is a huge opportunity for us there. You’re two games game from a final. It’s a golden opportunity for us, but you’ve got to earn it. We’re not going to be given anything by Bath.”

They, like Leinster, struggled in the absence of key internationals during the recent Six Nations, but there has been no hint of the English threat being underestimated this side of the Irish Sea.

George Ford has been killed with kindness and the threat imposed by his skills, the side’s pace and ability out wide and a pack that Leo Cullen rates as one of the best scrummaging units in Europe have all been highlighted.

Ultimately, though, the focus has been internal.

“We need to look after the ball,” said O’Connor. “We need to play in the right areas. The setpiece in Europe is a massive focal point. We have to make sure that we get dominance in those exchanges, so that we can play in the right areas. Jerome (Garces) referees to the team that has momentum.

“We’ll have to make sure that’s us.”

It was Garces’ penalising of Mike Ross in the scrum away to Harlequins in December that prompted O’Connor to drop the veteran tighthead from the matchday 23 for the last two pool games in January.

And it was the French referee who took charge when Ross anchored the Ireland scrum for the first 46 minutes against Scotland, which means Marty Moore and Tadhg Furlong surely have competition for their places.

“He is certainly in the thinking,” said O’Connor of Ross.

“I thought he was very good through the Six Nations. The scrum wasn’t a massive focal point in the first half while Rossy was on there against Scotland.”

Leinster’s loss to Toulon a year ago may also be of relevance tomorrow. The players have referenced that defeat ever since and, in particular, what they perceived to be their own individual faults on the day.

Win this and another probable crack at Toulon awaits.

“It gave lads experience of what happens when you’re not accurate,” said Jamie Heaslip of that day.

“At this stage, you are going up against sides that are bloody good. Like, Bath lost their first two games and still made the quarter-finals.

“That hasn’t been done before. You go up against Toulon and make the sort of mistakes we did, especially in that first half or fifty minutes, and they are going to score tries and Bath are not that dissimilar.

“We talked earlier about what’s it like to have experience at this level. It’s knowing that you’re coming up against. It’s borderline with international rugby. Competition just keeps getting better and better every year.

“It amazes me that it does and that margin for error on both sides of the ball is closing.

“Unfortunately, we have a very bitter taste in our mouth from last year, from knowing that if we’re not accurate we’re not going to score.”