LEINSTER’S IN-FORM back row, Rhys Ruddock is ready for a battle royale in Castres this Sunday.
The blindside has been able to enjoy a first half of the season almost free from injury and head coach Matt O’Connor has been able to select the Ireland international in 13 of his side’s 16 games.
As a result, Ruddock has thrived, approaching the peak of his powers and playing a major part in sustaining the reigning champions’ push into second place in the league.
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However, the round four home defeat to Northampton remains a large ugly blot on their work so far and it is a result which may force the three-time winners into the second tier of quarter-finalists. Ruddock admits there is still of tinge of angry frustration one month on from the Aviva Stadium debacle
“There’s been a bit of time to try and put things right, but any time after a big loss like that there’s going to be a bit of that [annoyance] left in the system. It can only be a good thing, really. I think the attitude has been good since that loss and guys have been trying to put it right. So hopefully that sort of mentality continues.”
One noticeable element that has decreased is Leinster’s try-count. In the four games since running riot in with a half dozen in Franklin’s Gardens, Leinster have managed to dot down just two.
Crossing the whitewash is not essential to winning games, but it doesn’t half help, and Ruddock is hoping that the extra build-up day this week can help the pool 1 leaders build some fluency in attack.
“Last weekend we were happy with aspects of our game, but we probably struggled to do a bit with the ball,” said the blindside. ”It’s definitely an aspect of the game we’ll be looking to work on this week. I suppose with an eight-day turnaround there’s plenty of time to put things in place and hopefully you’ll see a bit of improvement with what we do with the ball and breaking teams down.”
Scalp
Inspired by the sought-after Rory Kockott, Castres are riding high in the Top 14. Prolonging their European season is still a real possibility too, and with this fixture coming a whole fortnight before their second-versus-third clash away to Stade Francais, they have some wiggle room to go all out in search of a scalp to please the home crowd.
“You know what you’re getting with a lot of these big French sides. They’re a different team at home. It’s a massive challenge going away and playing them in a big Heineken Cup game like that.”
He added: “Having seen them on TV, once [the crowd] get behind them, they definitely live off that. So hopefully what we do on the pitch can minimise that.”
In-form blindside Ruddock ready for battle with 'different team' in Castres
LEINSTER’S IN-FORM back row, Rhys Ruddock is ready for a battle royale in Castres this Sunday.
The blindside has been able to enjoy a first half of the season almost free from injury and head coach Matt O’Connor has been able to select the Ireland international in 13 of his side’s 16 games.
As a result, Ruddock has thrived, approaching the peak of his powers and playing a major part in sustaining the reigning champions’ push into second place in the league.
However, the round four home defeat to Northampton remains a large ugly blot on their work so far and it is a result which may force the three-time winners into the second tier of quarter-finalists. Ruddock admits there is still of tinge of angry frustration one month on from the Aviva Stadium debacle
One noticeable element that has decreased is Leinster’s try-count. In the four games since running riot in with a half dozen in Franklin’s Gardens, Leinster have managed to dot down just two.
Crossing the whitewash is not essential to winning games, but it doesn’t half help, and Ruddock is hoping that the extra build-up day this week can help the pool 1 leaders build some fluency in attack.
“Last weekend we were happy with aspects of our game, but we probably struggled to do a bit with the ball,” said the blindside. ”It’s definitely an aspect of the game we’ll be looking to work on this week. I suppose with an eight-day turnaround there’s plenty of time to put things in place and hopefully you’ll see a bit of improvement with what we do with the ball and breaking teams down.”
Scalp
Inspired by the sought-after Rory Kockott, Castres are riding high in the Top 14. Prolonging their European season is still a real possibility too, and with this fixture coming a whole fortnight before their second-versus-third clash away to Stade Francais, they have some wiggle room to go all out in search of a scalp to please the home crowd.
“You know what you’re getting with a lot of these big French sides. They’re a different team at home. It’s a massive challenge going away and playing them in a big Heineken Cup game like that.”
He added: “Having seen them on TV, once [the crowd] get behind them, they definitely live off that. So hopefully what we do on the pitch can minimise that.”
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Blindside Castres European Rugby Champions Cup Leinster on the six Pool 1 Rhys Ruddock round 5