Matt O’Connor: Bath clash will define our season

Leinster head coach Matt O’Connor has refuted the idea that this Saturday’s Rugby Champions Cup quarter-final against Bath at the Aviva Stadium is an encounter that will define his time in charge of the province — but agrees that it is the biggest game of the the province’s season.

“Ah, certainly no,” he said yesterday. “It certainly defines the season because it’s knockout rugby and you lose you are out of the competition. We’ve worked hard through the pool stages and now it’s about taking that opportunity.”

The Australian is over halfway into a three-year term with the three-time European champions and, despite retaining the Pro12 title last season, has come under fire for his side’s performances and results so far.

Currently sitting fifth and one slot outside the play-off places in the Pro12, Leinster approach the weekend on the back of a poor run of form domestically with just one win, three draws and a pair of losses from their last half-dozen games. O’Connor hasn’t been helped this season by a lengthy injury list or the loss of so many internationals to Ireland duty during the November Test window and, to an even greater extent, the recent Six Nations.

Still, seven of Joe Schmidt’s key men return to action this week for the continental must-win affair with another six Irish internationals having been reintegrated into the club’s systems for last week’s draw with Glasgow at the RDS.

Scrum-half Eoin Reddan has satisfied all the necessary return-to-play protocols after taking a blow to the head last Friday against the Scottish side and is thus available to play a part.

Flanker Rhys Ruddock and lock Kane Douglas are the only potential starters whom O’Connor will have to make do without: Ruddock is recovering from an arm break while the Australian is out due to hamstring and back issues.