Girvan Dempsey: Leinster in control of destiny

Top of the league, two games to go and with a near fully fit squad: everything is falling into place for Leinster as the Guinness Pro12 season comes to a close, but Girvan Dempsey knows that it takes just one slip for their position to be badly compromised.

With Connacht and Glasgow both meeting Italian opposition on Friday night, Leinster will almost certainly find themselves relegated to third in the table by the time they kick off against Ulster in Belfast on Saturday afternoon.

Lose that and securing a vital home semi-final is a taller order.

“That’s it, you look to the game on Saturday and that’s why it’s so big,” said the backs coach. “The permutations that could come about in that final game between Connacht and Glasgow in Galway is massive and could impact on the whole shake-up of the league.

“So we know this Saturday against Ulster is huge and we know we have to perform and get a result because you look at that group and obviously Ulster are six points back from Glasgow, and even then Scarlets are on their heels.

“So it’s a great place for us to be, to be in control of that with Ulster away and then Treviso at home. You look further down the table and you’ve even got Ospreys looking for a Champions Cup spot, but it’s a good spot for us that we’re in control of it and going to Belfast in a good place.”

All the better for the imminent return of Sean O’Brien who is back in training and in the mix for a run at the Kingspan Stadium if he can prove his readiness to the medics. O’Brien hasn’t played rugby since limping off against France in Paris in mid-February.

Jonathan Sexton is also reported as being fit to play having been rested for the last outing, against Edinburgh, due to a collection of bumps and bruises. He will have had a full month of R&R behind him by the time he participates in Belfast.

Marty Moore is also back in contention having returned from long-term injury for Lansdowne in the Ulster Bank League a fortnight ago while his fellow prop Peter Dooley has shaken off a hamstring strain to put his hand up, too.