Schmidt wary of Edinburgh threat

Leinster head coach Joe Schmidt is expecting a difficult test when his side run out in Murrayfield on Friday to take on an Edinburgh team struggling to find form.

The blues ended a three game losing streak when they overcame Connacht 17-0 at the RDS on Saturday.

That result leaves Leinster in fifth place in the RaboDirect PRO12 table but with just three points between them and the Scarlets in the second place, the defending European champions are right in the mix for a semi-final place.

Schmidt was relieved to get back to winning way and he admitted he was impressed by the performance of an inexperienced Leinster team against Connacht.

"I was pleased with the effort from what was a relatively young and inexperienced group of players” he said.

“We defended well playing into the strong breeze in the first half as Connacht put a lot of pressure on us.

“It was a great confidence boost to get seven points just before the interval and we put together some positive phases in the last quarter of the game to build a bit of a buffer on the scoreboard.

"Despite the cold wind, the crowd helped spur the players on as always and it was great to be back at the RDS with the really positive support we receive there.

"With other teams in the top half winning we didn't lose any ground at least, so we're still just outside the play off qualification spots.

“It means we've still got plenty of work to do but at least we're close enough to be in the scramble for the semi-finals.”

Edinburgh have failed to push on from last season’s successful campaign which saw them become the first Scottish side to reach a Heineken Cup semi-final.

Michael Bradley’s men have lost all four of their European games this season and currently sit ninth in the PRO 12 table.

Their last home game saw them fall to Scottish rivals Glasgow but Schmidt is quick to praise Bradley’s work at Edinburgh and he expects a backlash on Friday night.

"We know from experience how difficult it is to win over in Edinburgh.

“A lot of our players have played under Michael (Bradley) at different levels for Connacht, the Wolfhounds or with the Ireland senior squad when he took interim charge a few years back - and all speak highly of him.

"Edinburgh will be keen to get back to winning ways after their narrow defeats to Glasgow over the Christmas period and they showed real character to come back and almost snatch the win last weekend after Glasgow got away to a flying start.”

Leinster pulled off a league double over the Scottish outfit last season and came out on top by a scoreline of 22-16 when the teams met at the RDS in September but Schmidt insists there is never much between the two sides.

"Games between ourselves and Edinburgh are always tight affairs.

“We narrowly beat them earlier in the campaign in the RDS and it was nip-and-tuck last season over in Murrayfield when we managed to come out on the right side of a contest that see-sawed right up until the finish.”

The New Zealander knows their results this season fail to reflect the quality within the Edinburgh ranks and he is wary of the threat posed by the likes of winger Tim Visser.

"They have a big abrasive set of forwards and proven international performers throughout.

“With a player like Tim Visser in their ranks, who is racing clear at the top of the try-scoring charts again this year, we can't afford any defensive lapses.

“Greig Laidlaw controls the game for them at either scrum-half or outhalf and they have a number of very effective ball carriers led by the likes of Dave Denton and Netani Talei.”