MAGNERS LEAGUE:JOE SCHMIDT was surrounded by familiar faces as the Ireland international contingent that wasn't part of the match squad for the victory over the Dragons returned for yesterday's pitch session at UCD ahead of Leinster's Magners League game against Munster at Thomond Park on Saturday.
Gordon D’Arcy, Cian Healy, Seán O’Brien, Brian O’Driscoll, Mike Ross and Eoin Reddan – the latter a late withdrawal from the game in Wales – will all return for the trip to Limerick while Shane Horgan stands to win his 200th cap for the province.
Flanker Shane Jennings, on the cusp of returning from a knee injury, is the only potential absentee.
Schmidt admitted: “Shane Jennings didn’t train today. We’re hopeful he’ll be back on the field tomorrow. That would be a fairly tight turnaround for Jenno so we’re just going to wait and see on him. He’s got a bit of a knee niggle. It’s coming right but it’s that stage of the season where you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t: push him too hard and you might lose him for another three weeks.”
The Leinster coach will savour his first direct experience of the Irish provincial sibling rivalry but he is no stranger to Thomond Park, having been there a couple of times with Clermont Auvergne during Heineken Cup campaigns. Defeat has been the New Zealander’s staple diet to date, a statistic he’s keen to change.
“The last time we (Clermont) went we ran them pretty close. I was a bit disappointed on the day. Paul O’Connell got five good ones in and Jamie Cudmore got five good ones in. But Jamie didn’t know when to stop. He was a bit of a glutton for punishment and went for a few more. He got the red (card).”
O’Connell might reasonably argue it was the Canadian who threw the first flurry of punches as he turned to the touch judge, waiting for an intervention before responding in kind.
Schmidt continued: “It’s certainly a pressure cooker atmosphere but I think it’s something our players are pretty keen to respond to and I know they won there last year, albeit by a point. It was kind of, one of those tries that didn’t come out of the set-piece guide books.
“It was a lucky bounce for us, a bad bounce for them and you get over the line. There’s not much between these two teams and it does come down to a bit of luck, just a little bit of timing and effort on the day.”
There is little doubt both teams couldn’t ask for a more rigorous physical and mental examination of their current well-being as they embrace European assignments the weekend after next; the one rider being that there are no injuries arising from Saturday’s contest.
Schmidt agreed: “I don’t think there’s going to be any hesitation on the physical side of things. That’s great preparation, as long as you don’t get too many guys knocked around – particularly for us, because it’s a six-day turnaround. We won’t want to risk guys unduly with the quarter-final coming up the following week.
“When they (Munster) came out of the Heineken Cup, I thought they were going well. It was one game away in Toulon that didn’t go too well for them, but I think they’ve got a pretty astute coaching staff and I know they’ve got some quality players.
“Paul O’Connell back for them is a massive boon. I think he really lifts the whole level of expectation and confidence within that group. And I think across the park, defensively they’re very difficult to break down.
“They’re very, very good at slowing ruck ball down so it’s very difficult to play a high tempo games against them. They know that’s probably what we’d like to do, so they will probably stick to their strengths and blunt ours.
“It’s not often they’re (Munster) matched physically, especially not at home, and that’s why you’ve got to go there with the desire to do that. And there’s got to be a fair bit of it, because they are big, angry, red men!”
The Leinster coach offered his thoughts behind the capture of Natal Sharks secondrow Steven Sykes and outhalf Matt Berquist of the Canterbury Crusaders, who will arrive in the summer. Despite making a couple of match-day squads with the Springboks, Sykes was never capped and the 26-year-old could be Irish qualified within three years.
“He’s probably the ideal signing for Ireland at the moment. The lock stocks are probably starting to get to a good mature level but once they’re past that it will be good to have some new blood coming in. In three years’ time, he’ll be a 29-year-old top-of-the-pile sort of character; so he adds not just to Leinster but to Ireland.
“We feel (Berquist) will add a little bit of experience. We’ve had some really good progress from Ian Madigan and Ian McKinley this year and I think Shaun Berne has been a big part of that. He’s really helped them out, and I think Matt Berquist can play a similar role, possibly with a few more starts.”
Schmidt will confirm the Leinster team to take on Munster at lunch time on Friday.
