Always one of the most highly anticipated contests, it is Connacht v Leinster on Saturday night when Leo Cullen’s side, traditionally packed with internationals, arrives in Galway for the third seasonal interprovincial clash which takes place at Dexcom Stadium (7.35pm ).
Currently top of URC table with full points from every fixture, Leinster, understandably, are favourites. It is a squad packed to the gills with quality and experience – not least with calibre players such as Tadhg Furlong, Caelan Doris, Max Deegan, James Lowe, Andrew Porter, RG Snyman, Ciaran Frawley, Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan, and many more.
While some key players will be missing, it does not detract from the depth of quality Leinster have within their ranks, which ensures Connacht need to be firing to face this challenge.
However, Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins has confidence in his players, who have delivered two wins from four to date, and sit in fifth place on the URC table with 13 points – Leinster are on top with 20. And although the home side has failed to bag a win against Leinster for several seasons, Wilkins believes sometimes it is more about performance.
“Every game feels like a must-win, particularly an interpro, and that’s home and away,” he says, “In the context of our season, I don’t think it’s a must-win, but I think the nature of our performance is incredibly important, based on the previous Leinster visits to Dexcom, based on the progress we want to make, and based on the quality of the opposition.
“There’s a lot to play for, and our performances here at home are a source of incredible importance for this group, even more so this season as we try to push on. It’s a massive game for lots of reasons.”
Wilkins is making progress with a collection of bonus points – “whether that’s for finishing within range of the opposition or scoring tries, and any game against Leinster, you need to score a good chunk of points to get a result”.
Therefore, he says, Connacht must defend and attack in equal measure.
“We’ve got to fire some shots. It can’t be a game that we’re afraid to lose. It can’t be a mindset where we’re trying to contain the opposition. We have to be really positive. We have to be on the front foot in everything we do, and that’s attack, defence and set peace.”
A good start is always essential against a Leinster side that always lays down an early marker.
“I think recognising how important the early periods, particularly the first quarter gains are for Leinster. I think the first quarter is going to be massive in terms of the foothold they and we can get in the game, but also how we can get the crowd engaged, and the energy that comes from that.
“If we start well, then that will make for a really exciting second half and a really exciting back quarter. We’ve shown that we’ve got the belief to be competitive at the back-end of games, we just got to make sure we’ve got the accuracy to go with it.”
However, Connacht will certainly need to look at last weekend’s 32-27 loss to Ulster, who were able to stymie Connacht’s attack for long periods. And in a long season, Wilkins says Connacht need to play a certain way to get enough wins to be competitive at the end of the season.
“I think with the type of players we’ve got and the type of resources we’ve got, we need to be positive and we need to be brave.”
Last season Connacht lost to Leinster in a tight 22-24 fixture in Dexcom, while suffering a 33-7 defeat in Dublin.
Meanwhile former Connacht star Robbie Henshaw is available for Leinster, having returned to training last week after a minor injury, while Ryan Baird, Jordan Larmour and Lee Barron face assessments later in the week to determine their availability. Not available are Rónan Kelleher (ankle surgery ), Jack Conan (hamstring ), Joe McCarthy (hamstring ), while there are no further updates on Dan Sheehan, John McKee, Paddy McCarthy, Jimmy O’Brien and Tommy O’Brien.
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