That 46-14 defeat at Tokyo Stadium was Joe Schmidt’s final game at the Irish helm and the St Michael’s College graduate subsequently found himself out of the reckoning under his successor Andy Farrell.

Simon Easterby is interim head coach of Ireland for the forthcoming Championship as Farrell focuses on his commitments with the British & Irish Lions, but even though Munster’s Craig Casey is currently sidelined through injury, the former flanker looked elsewhere for scrum-half options.

While acknowledging he wasn’t checking his emails for a potential recall, McGrath stressed he still holds an ambition of picking up a 20th Ireland cap at some point in the future.

“Honestly I wasn’t [checking emails]. I’d love to be available, but it’s been a few years now since I’ve been in the squad. It is difficult. I’m always hopeful and if there was ever a call, I’d love to take it.

“No, unfortunately it wasn’t this year. I just have to keep the head down, keep going and see what happens,” McGrath remarked at a Leinster media briefing on Monday.

Although he hasn’t received recent correspondence from either Farrell or Easterby about his absence from the squad, McGrath did reveal that the former had previously been in touch when he wasn’t named in his set-up for upcoming international windows.

“Probably not in the last year, but Faz has called me throughout the last few years. Telling me I’m not in the squad or things like that. So I have heard a little bit of communication, but not much now to be honest. It is what it is. I have to deal with it, but I have heard a little bit. It was more ‘yes you are in our thoughts’.

“He knows it’s a different phone call, telling you you’re not in the squad. He might say the odd thing here or there. Ask how you think you’re going or what you can improve, but it’s a quick phone call and it’s just saying ‘listen, you’re not going to be in the squad, you’re in our thoughts. Keep the head down and keep your phone on as well, because injuries happen pretty quickly’.”

Regardless of his status on the international front, McGrath remains a valuable asset for Leinster and he is set to make his 11th appearance of the current season when the eastern province take on Stormers in the United Rugby Championship at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 5pm).

Dan Sheehan and James Lowe are expected to feature against the South African side before heading off to Ireland’s pre-tournament training camp in Portugal, but head coach Leo Cullen is having to deal with the fact that 22 others from his set-up have linked up with the national squad to prepare for the Six Nations.

This means McGrath is likely to be one of the most experienced faces for Leinster this weekend against a Stormers side who currently lie nine places behind the pace-setting Blues in the URC standings.

“We’ve a younger group and we need to focus on ourselves. We understand what is coming our way. Similar defensive systems and you see how impressive they are with the ball. [Manie] Libbok is an unbelievably good footballer.

“They’re going to be ready for it, but it is a massive challenge,” McGrath added.

Yet while the majority of this contingent were due to assemble at the IRFU High Performance Centre on Monday in advance of travelling to a pre-tournament training camp in Portugal, it was always intended that Sheehan and James Lowe (subject to their successful returns from injury) wouldn’t link up with the Ireland squad until this Sunday.

Lowe has been troubled by a calf issue in recent weeks, but both he and Sheehan have now resumed full training and are in line for a competitive comeback when Leinster take on the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

“It will be great to see Dan back. It’s never a good time to have an injury and the seriousness of Dan’s injury as well. I know he’s been fighting to get back as quickly as possible and when the team is going well, it spurs you on a little bit more I suppose,” McBryde remarked at a Leinster media briefing in UCD on Monday.

“There is a lot to play for so it will be great to get him back up and running and we’ll see how long it takes. Some players will slot back in the group, other players take a little bit more time, but at least he’s having an opportunity to stay with us and get some more time under his belt.”

Although he is currently in his native land after being recalled to the French squad for the first time since 2019, it was also confirmed yesterday that Rabah Slimani is due back in Dublin later this week and will be available for Saturday’s clash with the Stormers.

When you consider Sheehan will be joining seven other Leinster front-rows when he does eventually link up with the Ireland squad in Portugal, the versatile Slimani could prove to be a valuable asset in the Aviva this weekend.

“He can cover the whole front-row, but to have someone of Rabah’s quality, I really do think it’s one of the best places to nurture front-row talent. He wants players to improve.

“He’s struck up a good relationship with Jack Boyle for instance and that’s just from training against each other. Rabah has been fantastic and I’m so chuffed he’s been given an opportunity to get back in the French camp.”

Meanwhile, away from the field of play, the past few days saw Leinster Rugby taking the decision to turn off comments for some of their posts on X (formerly known as Twitter). This was due to the nature of some of the remarks that have been directed at both coaches and players within their set-up.

At the end of his media session, McBryde was asked what advice he might have for players when it comes to dealing with the downsides of social media in the modern age.

“Don’t go in it. If you want to look for s**t, you’ll find it. So why go looking for it? It’s easy for me because I wasn’t brought up in that environment. You know it’s there, but why go looking for it?” McBryde said.

Already guaranteed to have a home game in the Champions Cup Round of 16, Leinster have now given themselves every chance of remaining on Irish soil for the quarter-final and semi-final stages of this season’s competition – should they progress that far.

The final standings of the 16 teams that are set to compete in the knockout rounds of the Champions Cup will officially be determined on Sunday evening, but Cullen is pleased Leinster have done almost everything within their power to create a smooth passage back to a fourth consecutive European final.

“They were four very tough games. Bristol, the cohesion that they have versus our guys that had been playing in all four [international] tests [in the Autumn Nations Series]. Credit to the lads, the way they’ve gone about their work. Short turnaround into Clermont, very sticky team. They’re just a bloody tough nut to crack,” Cullen remarked in a post-match press conference at the Aviva on Saturday.

“Then you go away to La Rochelle. ROG, he has a, I’d say, strong dislike for Leinster. To put it mildly! Guys came through that well and again another six-day turnaround against Bath, who are riding high at the top of the Premiership and playing with a lot of confidence.

“Listen, to get four wins is great and we’ll see where we sit at the end of it. We’ve tried to do our bit anyway, which was battle away for every single point that is available. Maybe we didn’t get them all, but we’ve gone pretty close, which is good.”

For Saturday night’s game, Cullen found himself up against a familiar coaching adversary in the shape of Bath supremo Johann van Graan. Head coach of Leinster’s arch rivals Munster from 2017 to 2022, the South African had the Somerset-based outfit well prepared for his return to these shores and they stormed into a 14-0 lead with just under eight minutes gone in the contest.

Leinster eventually turned the screw, but it wasn’t until the 60th minute dismissal of Bath prop Beno Obano that the hosts opened up a significant lead over their cross-channel counterparts.

Despite not being selected to start the game, Leinster lock RG Snyman made his presence felt by grabbing a brace of tries off the bench. Along with Jordie Barrett and Rabah Slimani, the Springbok is a new addition to the Leinster set-up this season and van Graan – who signed Snyman went he was in charge of Munster back in 2020 – believes this triumvirate could provide them with the edge they need to go a step further in Europe at the end of the current campaign.

“In my view Leinster is, in terms of their pipeline, the best in world rugby. If you just think about it, 23 players going to the Six Nations from this team and if you add some of the best players in the world [they are formidable],” van Graan explained in his own post-match press conference.

“Slimani, he hasn’t played I think for the French in five and a half years and all of a sudden he’s back in the French picture. Do I need to say anything more about RG and then Jordie Barrett is one of the best in the world.

“They are a phenomenal team. They’ve played in the last three Champions Cup finals, they’re unbeaten in the URC. They definitely can win it.”

Already at the Pool Two summit following earlier wins over Bristol Bears, Clermont and La Rochelle, Leinster were hoping for a maximum return from their final round clash with the English Premiership leaders – in order to give themselves the highest possible ranking moving into the knockout phase of the European Champions Cup.

This initially appeared to be in doubt when five-pointers from Alfie Barbeary and Tom De Glanville propelled Bath into an early 14-0 lead and while Leinster eventually swung the pendulum in their favour, De Glanville’s second try of the game ensured the Somerset-based outfit were back in the ascendancy at the interval.

Yet after RG Snyman and Garry Ringrose touched down either side of Bath loosehead prop Beno Obano being dismissed for a second yellow card offence on the hour mark, Cullen’s men turned on the style to ultimately finish the pool stages seven points clear of both La Rochelle and Benetton.

“You’re going to get tested by Bath. They’re scoring an average of 40 points a game, they’re a proper attacking team with tons of experience. They’ve a good mix between some power strike runners and they’ve got some very good ball players as well,” Cullen remarked after Saturday’s game.

“It’s probably pleasing how we adapted after that first 10-minute period. I know there’s that period just before half-time where they score as well, but generally during the second half I think we managed to play the game in the right end of the field. Control possession and get the balance probably better with our own attack.”

With former Munster head coach Johann van Graan in charge of Bath, there was always likely to be considerable intrigue to this fixture. Add in the fact that former Leinster stars Ross Molony and Quinn Roux were included in a pack that also featured ex-Ulster hooker Niall Annett, then this had all the makings of a compelling battle.

The visitors certainly made their intentions known from the word go as a Barbeary try with just over 60 seconds on the clock was followed by a clinical seventh-minute effort from De Glanville. Influential fly-half Finn Russell converted both of these scores in confident fashion, but Bath’s 14-point cushion proved to be short-lived.

After he was released by Hugo Keenan and Jordie Barrett in the 10th and 16th minutes respectively, eventual player of the match Robbie Henshaw crossed the opposition whitewash on both occasions. While Sam Prendergast was only able to convert one of the bonus strikes that followed Henshaw’s brace, the sin-binning of Obano for a high tackle on Jamison Gibson-Park directly preceded a Jack Conan try on 37 minutes.

Yet just when Leinster were seemingly coming to grips with the Bath challenge, their five-point buffer was wiped out when a superb Ollie Lawrence pass released De Glanville for another try on the right-hand side.

An outstanding Russell conversion left Bath 21-19 to the good at the break and this slender lead remained intact until replacement Leinster lock Snyman stretched over the line for a bonus point try on 53 minutes.

Caelan Doris was one of several Irish internationals to be introduced from the bench and with Obano picking up a second yellow for a scrum infringement, a fresh and rejuvenated Leinster side created substantial daylight inside the final-quarter with additional tries from Ringrose, Gibson-Park and Snyman.

Originally brought to these shores when van Graan was in charge of Munster in 2020, Snyman has made a massive impact since joining the Reds’ arch rivals for the 2024/25 season and his team-mate Henshaw believes his opening try on Saturday epitomised the kind of player Leinster have at their disposal.

“He’s unbelievable. The pace he took the ball on the line for his first try, I wouldn’t like to be tackling him at that [pace] from that range. Obviously his arms are an asset to him, the length of his reach as well to get him over. You can’t defend him in ones, even twos, you have to send three men into him,” Henshaw acknowledged.

“That’s probably a bonus for us because he’s able to get the ball away when there are three men around him and that opens up space for us outside him. You just have to let him do his thing and then work off him. He’s class, a class act.”

LEINSTER: H Keenan (J O’Brien 74); G Ringrose, R Henshaw, J Barrett, J Osborne; S Prendergast (R Byrne 62), J Gibson-Park (L McGrath 35-40 & 72); A Porter (C Healy 72), R Kelleher (G McCarthy 62), R Slimani (T Clarkson 62); J McCarthy, J Ryan (R Snyman 45); M Deegan (C Doris 45), J van der Flier, J Conan.

BATH: T De Glanville; J Cokanasiga, O Lawrence, M Ojomoh (O Bailey 64), R McConnochie (J Bayliss 66); F Russell (O Bailey 15-27), B Spencer (L Schreuder 74); B Obano, N Annett (T Dunn 55), W Stuart (T Du Toit 49); Q Roux (C Ewels 51 (R Molony 64-74)), R Molony (F Van Wyk 63); T Hill, M Reid (R McConnochie 74), A Barbeary (F Van Wyk 35-45 & J Coetzee 62).

Referee: L Ramos (France).

Already assured of a home draw in the competition’s Round of 16, Leo Cullen’s men were hoping for maximum points from this fourth round fixture to give themselves the highest possible ranking heading into the knockout rounds.

This potentially looked to be in danger when their cross-channel opponents raced into a 14-point advantage during the early exchanges, but a subsequent seven-try haul (including braces from Robbie Henshaw and RG Snyman) eventually propelled Leinster towards a fourth consecutive European win in the current campaign.

The Aviva wasn’t the happiest of stomping grounds for Bath supremo Johann van Graan during his time as Munster head coach, but his current charges enjoyed a sensational start to the action at the Lansdowne Road venue.

There was just over 60 seconds gone on the clock when No 8 Alfie Barbeary dived over the whitewash for a stunning deadlock breaker and the English Premiership leaders were in for a second try on seven minutes as Tom De Glanville crossed over on the right-flank in fine style.

Yet while a second successful conversion from mercurial Scottish out-half Finn Russell left a shellshocked Leinster 14-0 adrift, they responded with a scoring blitz of their own in what proved to be an engrossing opening quarter at Irish Rugby HQ.

One of 23 Leinster players to be named in Simon Easterby’s 36-man Ireland squad for the forthcoming Six Nations, Henshaw underlined his enduring quality by grabbing a brace of tries off intricate attacks in the 10th and 16th minutes of an increasingly engrossing showdown.

The fact Sam Prendergast only converted one of the two bonus strikes that followed these scores meant Bath – who had former Blues players Quinn Roux and Ross Molony in their second row – remained in the ascendancy, but Leinster eventually swung the pendulum in their favour.

After loosehead prop Beno Obano was sin-binned for a high tackle on Jamison Gibson-Park (who was temporarily withdrawn for a head injury assessment), Jack Conan powered over for a converted try on 37 minutes.

Although this looked set to leave Leinster in the driving seat at the break, Russell’s outstanding touchline conversion in the wake of De Glanville’s second try at the end of a breakaway move ensured Bath brought a 21-19 cushion into the interval.

The introduction of Caelan Doris and Snyman as a double replacement just six minutes after the resumption was a clear indication of the battle Leinster found themselves in, but these changes ultimately paid off for the home team.

At the end of an elongated attack, the returning Gibson-Park picked out Snyman close to the Bath whitewash and the South African international stretched impressively over the line to secure a try bonus for the eastern province.

The dismissal of Obano for a second yellow card offence on the hour mark took the sting out of the Bath challenge and Leinster made the very most of their numerical supremacy in the final-quarter.

After Ringrose and Gibson-Park added their names to the scoresheet with five-pointers in the 61st and 68th minutes respectively, a second try from Snyman in the closing moments helped Leinster to finish 26 points clear of their English rivals.

Scorers for Leinster

Tries: R Henshaw 2, RG Snyman 2, J Conan, G Ringrose, J Gibson-Park.

Cons: S Prendergast 4, R Byrne 2.

Scorers for Bath

Tries: T De Glanville 2, A Barbeary.

Cons: F Russell 3.

LEINSTER: H Keenan (J O’Brien 74); G Ringrose, R Henshaw, J Barrett, J Osborne; S Prendergast (R Byrne 62), J Gibson-Park (L McGrath 35-40 & 72); A Porter (C Healy 72), R Kelleher (G McCarthy 62), R Slimani (T Clarkson 62); J McCarthy, J Ryan (R Snyman 45); M Deegan (C Doris 45), J van der Flier, J Conan.

BATH: T De Glanville; J Cokanasiga, O Lawrence, M Ojomoh (O Bailey 64), R McConnochie (J Bayliss 66); F Russell (O Bailey 15-27), B Spencer (L Schreuder 74); B Obano, N Annett (T Dunn 55), W Stuart (T Du Toit 49); Q Roux (C Ewels 51 (R Molony 64-74)), R Molony (F Van Wyk 63); T Hill, M Reid (R McConnochie 74), A Barbeary (F Van Wyk 35-45 & J Coetzee 62).

Referee: L Ramos (France).

Having been part of the same St Michael’s College team that reached the Leinster Schools Senior Cup final in 2013, Ryan knows Molony better than most in the Blues set-up. Given how recently he was a member of their squad, he acknowledges Leo Cullen’s men will need to be wary of the intel the 30-year-old might provide to a squad that are coached by ex-Munster supremo Johann van Graan.

“He’s going well. It’ll obviously be between himself, Charlie Ewels [who is named on the bench] and Quinn Roux. The three of them. By all accounts he’s loving it over there, he’s really enjoying it. He’s someone who has an understanding of what we do here, in terms of lineouts and so on. We have to be conscious of that,” Ryan remarked ahead of being named in the Leinster team to face Bath.

Heading into today’s final round game at Irish Rugby HQ, Leinster are already assured of a home draw in the Champions Cup Round of 16 as a result of consecutive victories against Bristol Bears, Clermont and La Rochelle. The eastern province were forced to dig deep before claiming a 16-14 win away to the latter last Sunday and, from Ryan’s perspective, their clash with Bath is all about backing up what they did in that compelling battle with Ronan O’Gara’s side.

“We had a six-day turnaround after Bristol when we played Clermont. We were a little bit off, we felt, in that performance. We had a good win at the weekend, but again, it’s a six-day turnaround and we have to make sure that we get our mindset right for the week to perform on Saturday.

“That’s the thing about rugby. It goes well for you at the weekend, but Monday comes around very quickly and all of a sudden you’re thinking about who you have next.”

 While they do have a home game to look forward to in the next phase of Europe, a Leinster team stacked with players who are set to feature in this year’s Six Nations Championship won’t be short on motivation this weekend. As well as wanting to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions this season, the Blues will be looking for another win to give them the highest possible ranking heading into the Champions Cup knockout rounds.

This could lead them to getting home and home-country advantage at the quarter-final and semi-final stages respectively – if they get that far – but even though they are aware of what could be on offer, Ryan stressed the Leinster players aren’t too fixated on what today’s result could mean in a wider context.

“If you start looking at the permutations, points and so on, you can get sidetracked a little bit as players. For us, it’s just making sure we focus on our performance this weekend and get the win. Let the management worry a little bit about all the permutations and so on,” Ryan added.