Leinster will give Connacht their due respect for interpro
Despite the two teams being world’s apart in the United Rugby Championship standings, Leinster assistant coach Andrew Goodman insisted due respect will be afforded to Connacht at the RDS on New Year’s Day (kick-off 7.35pm).
Whereas the Blues are currently sitting at the summit with 10 consecutive wins, Connacht – who fell agonisingly short to Ulster in Galway last Friday – are all of 11 places and 27 points behind their forthcoming opponents in the URC table. However, Leinster were also unbeaten in the 2020/21 Pro14 before losing out 35-24 to their western counterparts at the RDS in round 10 of that particular campaign.
While Goodman was back in his native New Zealand when that game took place on January 2, 2021, he admitted it has been used as a reference point in advance of Sunday’s tussle.
“That has been mentioned and even the confidence they [Connacht] will take off the back end of that performance against Ulster. They played some great footy in those last few passages of the game. They will look at that closely I’m sure and come in with a real intent to play,” Goodman explained at a media briefing in Leinster HQ on Wednesday.
Nonetheless, Leinster will be brimming with confidence ahead of their return to home soil, having overcome a 14-6 deficit and the sin-binning of Max Deegan on the way to getting the better of arch rivals Munster at Thomond Park on St Stephen’s Day.
This triumph was achieved without the services of Jonathan Sexton (who Goodman revealed is likely to feature against Connacht), Robbie Henshaw, Jamison Gibson-Park, James Ryan, Caelan Doris and Tadhg Furlong amongst others.
Although Furlong (ankle) will be assessed in the coming days before a final decision is made on his availability, Henshaw misses out on a reunion with his former side owing to a wrist injury that has already kept him sidelined for a number of weeks. Kildare man Jamie Osborne performed admirably at inside centre in the latter’s absence down in Limerick, however, and Goodman is thrilled with the progress being made by the versatile 21-year-old.
“You can see he’s just growing in confidence every time he gets the opportunity. Whether it’s on the wing, or midfield or full-back. He’s been strong with his carry to the line and he’s got his arms free a few times to keep the ball alive, which is big in the midfield,” Goodman added.