Dismiss Leinster At Your Peril Warns Williams

Leinster coach Matt Williams has sounded a warning to the cup holders ahead of his side’s challenge at Welford Road next Saturday. ” I think you dismiss this Leinster side at your peril.” declared the man recently appointed Ireland A coach. Williams brings his Leinster side right into the Tigers den for next Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter final against the defending champions. ” We understand the enormity of the task, Leicester are a wonderful side with great talent but we will go there with spirits high and plenty of confidence.” That confidence stems from a marvellous run of success that included winning the inaugural Celtic League and only ended in Toulouse in the final Pool game. On that particular day Toulouse would have beaten any side, and Leinster arrived following a gruelling schedule caused by the postponement of their game against Newcastle.

Williams also points to Leinster’s record against Leicester and in England. ” We did win there a few seasons back – albeit against a weakened Leicester side – and we have won at Northampton too. What’s more we proved ourselves capable of turning games around when we did just that against Munster recently.

The bad old days when Leinster crumpled in the face of pressure are now gone and credit to Williams for his role in that. Leicester, good side that they are, are not invincible – Llanelli have shown that. They’ve lost two games on the trot and Leinster are probably one of the sides they would have preferred to have avoided. Leinster go into the match as underdogs – a role they’ll relish – and in this ‘divil take the hindmost’ type of contest they can pull one over the Tigers.