MAGNERS LEAGUE:JONATHAN SEXTON practised his routine under the watchful gaze of Leinster kicking coach Richie Murphy at Donnybrook yesterday.
The emphasis is likely to have been on the technique because anyone who questioned the young outhalf’s temperament got their answer at Croke Park: kicking that last penalty took guts. His success rate during the Six Nations Championship with the placed ball is way off what he would demand of himself but as Michael Cheika observed it shouldn’t camouflage the player’s development during the tournament.
“I think he’s (Sexton) been pretty good. I think there’s been a bit too much made of it all, really. Like, it’s a bit dramatic, all the reaction. I think the way he’s played in the championship has been some of the best attacking football, and defensive football I’ve seen from him: ever. I was really happy to see him play like that, because he could have stayed more conservative. I think his curve has been awesome this year and he’s going to add so much.”
Cheika pointed to the excellent job that Shaun Berne has done when deputising for Sexton but with the former nursing a knock to the Achilles tendon it is the Irish outhalf who might be handed the number 10 jersey for Saturday’s game against Connacht in what might prove to be a very young backline.
Brian O’Driscoll, Gordon D’Arcy and Shane Horgan are all injured so the Leinster coach – Berne’s fitness notwithstanding – could opt for a three -quarter line that includes Eoin O’Malley, Fergus McFadden and Andrew Conway, with Ireland Under 20 captain Rhys Ruddock making a strong play for the role of blindside flanker.
Cheika explained when referring to the underage internationals Conway and Ruddock: “I would say it’s pretty likely. We’ve had a good response from our younger players this year. It is part of the culture we’re trying to build – that they understand responsibility. Maybe that Dragons game way back when was good because players were exposed to the reality of senior football. And then maybe we put too many of them in that one game.
“But I’ve been happy with those guys. (Ian) Madigan showing physicality we haven’t seen from him before . . . and Conway, (Eoin) Sherriff and Ruddock. There could be a place for them somewhere in there. I’d like to keep that going till the end of the season, if I could, to mix it right.”
The coach has also noted the recent contribution of the 21-year- old O’Malley, now free from a hip injury that stole almost a year of his career. A talented underage international, who came through the Leinster schools, sub academy and academy structures before receiving a development contract and then last summer a full one, he’s just delighted to be playing. Recalling the frustration of the injury: “I had a bit of a strange hip problem that was just hard to diagnose; once it was diagnosed that was the end of it. I had a couple (of operations). More so it was just trying to find the problem than the actual injury itself. It was basically a bone sticking out into my hip joint so as it was moving it was wearing away, which was causing its own problems.
“It’s been a good couple of weeks. Obviously this time of the year is quite a big opportunity for young guys like me. It’s great to be going okay with them and getting the results is the main thing. Obviously it is difficult to get into the team; it is a big task all right. At the same time when you do get into the team there are so many senior lads around I suppose it makes the whole thing easier: obviously it has its ups and downs.”
Local derbies rarely need seasoning but Cheika explained that comments that Michael Bradley made in the wake of Connacht’s victory over Leinster last season may act as a spur.
“The coach came out and said they clearly target the Leinster fixtures as wins. So they obviously feel they can beat us. He said it out in public. He was obviously pretty happy with himself when they beat us down there and he came out and said it on the telly. So they obviously believe they can beat us. We have to react to that because that’s not how we want teams to approach us. We want them to be worried about us.
“But obviously Connacht are a team that feel they’ve got the wood on us – and they’ve got every reason to think like that because they always challenge us in the matches and they got the win on us last year. It’s going to be a big match for us, because our home fixtures now, with the run-in we’ve got, are becoming very important. This one is a very important match for us to settle our place within the top four.”
Bradley has yet to announce his squad but has a number of injury concerns ahead of the game with captain Johnny Muldoon (groin), Ray Ofisa (illness), Conor O’Loughlin (calf) and Niva Ta’auso (knee) all battling to be fit. Scrumhalf Frank Murphy is expected to return.
Leinster squad
L Cullen, J Fogarty, N Hines, T Hogan, B Jackman, S Jennings, Stephen Keogh, R McCormack, M O’Kelly, M Ross, R Ruddock, P Ryan, E Sheriff, R Strauss, D Toner, CJ van der Linde, S Wright, S Berne, A Conway, G Dempsey, C Keane, D Kearney, R Kearney, M Keating, Simon Keogh, I Madigan, F McFadden, I Nacewa, P O’Donohoe, E O’Malley, E Reddan, J Sexton.
