News article – Style E 6136

…Michael Cheika…

Leinster fell to London Irish last week and coach Michael Cheika knows his side will need a solid imporvement if they are to win their Magners League opener against Edinburgh.

Tries from recent signing Stephen Keogh and former Blackrock College schoolboy Luke Fitzgerald book-ended a 25-10 defeat by the Exiles last Friday night at Donnybrook. The game, played over three 30-minute periods, had both positives and negatives for Cheika.

He told the province’s website: “We played really good footy in the first 25 minutes which was pleasing but then we lost a bit of our technique. I wasn’t too dissatisfied to be honest because we’ve got to be realistic as to where we are at the moment in terms of intensity.

“We need to work hard to attain the levels that we reached last year and that’s what we’re about.”

While the Australian singled out the lineout and defence as areas for improvement, he admitted that getting to “play a good number of players” – 27 in total – was particularly pleasing.

With victory against Edinburgh at Murrayfield on Friday week the ideal way to bounce back, Cheika added: “Now we need to put our heads down and focus on the Edinburgh match.

“You try to have a look at everyone in these kind of games, so we’ll look to get our heads right for our first games in the Magners League in Edinburgh because that’s going to be a tough game up there.”

Try scorer Fitzgerald, who only turns 19 next month, is one of a small band of young players that have bolstered Leinster’s ranks for the season ahead, and Cheika said: “Luke (Fitzgerald) is going to get a lot of experience out of playing with the team at the moment. And if he takes his opportunities then he’ll get more time – like all the players.

“He’s in the frame for selection for the first game, so we’ll just have to see how everyone comes up in the next few days.

“Hopefully we’ll have a full squad to choose from for that game.”