Schmidt Shifts Focus To Glasgow Game

Following Saturday’s 16-16 draw in Montpellier, aside from the usual bumps and bruises the Leinster management reported no major injury concerns.

Head coach Joe Schmidt is hopeful that prop Cian Healy will also be available for selection after missing the round 1 tie.

Sean O’Brien retired from the Pool 3 opener, midway through the second half, with a cut above his eye but he returned and finished the game which saw Heineken Cup newcomer Sean Cronin touch down for his maiden try in Leinster colours.

The Leinster ‘A’ side’s bonus point 32-18 victory over Esher in the opening round of the British & Irish Cup came at a cost, however, with skipper Dominic Ryan suffering an ankle injury.

The young back rower will be scanned and see a specialist in the next 24 hours to determine the extent of any damage.

Ticket sales for Sunday’s showdown with Glasgow Warriors have passed the 16,800 mark. They are available to purchase through www.leinsterrugby.ie and from the Leinster Rugby Store (Donnybrook), Spar (Donnybrook) as well as Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.

Commenting on the province’s return to Heineken Cup action, Schmidt said: “It was a bittersweet mood in the dressing room after (the draw with Montpellier) because we feel as though we had opportunities to win the game, but we weren’t as clinical as we needed to be.

“Credit to Montpellier who displayed real aggression throughout the game and competed for everything. They were a real handful at the breakdown and scrambled very well in defence.

“They’re a good side who are likely to have a big say in the pool alongside Glasgow and Bath who were impressive on Sunday afternoon.”

Giving his opinion on the Warriors, he added: “Glasgow are a vastly improved side who have now won five games in-a-row and we know that we’ll have our work cut out.

“We know them well and they’ll travel to the RDS with confidence having defeated us here earlier this season in the PRO12.

“They’ll take great heart from their rousing late victory over Bath where they displayed great heart to fight back and get the win.

“They have a lot of international experience within their ranks and have certainly benefited from the return of their World Cup players like Richie Gray, Alistair Kellock and Graeme Morrison.

“They also have a strong back row unit and with Rob Dewey and Troy Nathan they would have a fair bit of insight regarding Leinster from their spells with Ulster and Connacht respectively.

“There is always a threat whenever you face teams from your own league because of the familiarity between each other, so we’re expecting another big challenge.

“But with another bumper crowd expected at the RDS on Sunday lunchtime it is a game that we’re all hugely excited about and we know that our supporters will again play a major role.”