AFTER WATCHING HIS side come through their sternest challenge of the season yet, Leo Cullen is expecting another testing encounter when his Leinster team travel to Connacht this weekend. 

Leinster kept their winning start to the season intact by overcoming the Sharks 54-34 at the RDS on Saturday, but saw Jordan Larmour, Ryan Baird, Luke McGrath and Rhys Ruddock all forced off, while Jack Conan dropped out of the starting team shortly before kick-off.

Next up it’s a Friday night interpro in Galway.

The two sides met four times last season – twice in both the URC and Champions Cup – and on three occasions Leinster blew the western province out of the water, thumping Connacht 47-19 [home] and 45-8 [away] in the league and cruising to a 56-20 win at the Aviva Stadium in the second leg of their round of 16 European tie.

But the game on Cullen’s mind this week is the first leg of that European clash back in April, where Connacht pushed Leinster hard as Cullen’s team secured a five-point win.

“I think that’s probably the template that both teams will look at,” said Cullen.

“From them, like it’s how did they get those opportunities in the game and for us, it’s dealing with that pressure I think that teams deliver, particularly when they play at home and when they get into a bit of a flow in attack and defence.

“So definitely their tails were up that day. It was hard to compare because obviously in the league game [in March], Tom Daly got sent off so early in the game so even though the first half was pretty chaotic, I thought, once we got a grip on the game in the second half, the score blew out to a certain degree.

But the European games are the ones you look at because it’s a huge, high intensity game and because of the start they’ve had [this season], they had lost three games and were under pressure because it’s so tight in the league, particularly with the South African teams picking up away wins and it’s hard winning away from home, so that’s why we know it’s going to be bloody hard this weekend.

“So we’re focused on preparing well and we’ll have a few changes to freshen things up for sure, but some of that is because our hands have been forced as well.

“But we’ve just got to deal with it. With the Emerging Ireland stuff as well, everyone is squeezed with it, resource wise, and we’ve just got to get on with it and prepare as well as we can.”

Yesterday Leinster trained on the artificial turf at Donnybrook’s Energia Park in a bid to prepare themselves for The Sportsground’s newly-laid pitch, where they’ll face a Connacht team fresh from picking up their first win of the season.

“They’d a very tough start, if you think they were away for their first three games, in South Africa for two of them, up in Belfast, whatever different players [missing], [Jack] Carty, he makes a big difference coming back, he’s very much the focal point, he makes the team tick so we need to put real pressure on him.

Cullen keeps watch during a Leinster training session on Monday. Tom Maher / INPHO Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO

“I know he missed his few kicks but in terms of how he ran the game [against Munster], I thought he runs it pretty well. And they were pretty dominant in lots of parts of the game, weren’t they? I thought set-piece was good, lineout defence was good, the scrum pressure they put on both sides, attack and defence.

“They did well even for that maul [try], brave throw right to the tail so the nuts and bolts of their game looked good. They have the benefit of being away in South Africa, even though they lose the two games, the cohesion that you build is quite important in that time together.

New pitch, a feeling of something new and wanting to go out and represent, again the Leinster factor again. There’s a few other guys, Josh Murphy, Peter Dooley, David Hawkshaw, Adam [Byrne] has obviously left as well but hasn’t featured. The three lads will bring a certain level of IP and understanding of what we’re trying to do and that always creates a different and dangerous dynamic.

“It’s a short week, we’ve a few banged up bodies, we’ll see how they come through and another derby game. It’s exciting to look forward isn’t it? A great atmosphere down there it looked like for the Munster game. So more of the same, it doesn’t make it easy, though, as a place to go.”

Cullen will be forced to make changes to his team, with Baird, McGrath and Ruddock all removed for head injury assessments during the Sharks game. All three are now following the return to play protocols and will miss the Connacht game.

Also unavailable is Larmour, who limped out in the first half with a foot injury that will likely rule him out of Ireland’s November internationals.

“I’d say he’s going to be gone for a few weeks,” Cullen said. “We’ll clarify that exactly over the next couple of days but I’d imagine he’ll be gone for sixish weeks I’d suggest.

“He’s unlucky. That’s unfortunately the name of the game at times.”

Meanwhile, Cullen added that Sean O’Brien’s involvement with AIL side Naas RFC won’t impact his weekend duties with Leinster. Last week the former Leinster and Ireland flanker signed for Naas after seeing his application to play for home club Tullow denied.

“That’s all ok. It’s gradual bits of exposure I think is the point, without a specific match day role as such,” Cullen said.

O’Brien returned to the province over the summer as contact skills coach and has been seated in the Leinster coaching box during some of their opening fixtures – something his predecessor, Denis Leamy, never did.  

“It’s ever-evolving that role for sure, but we’re keen to push Seanie on as a coach. 

“He’s a great voice in the group and because of his strong connection to the club over a long period of time, it’s easier for him just to slot back in.”  

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