MATT O’CONNOR SAYS he is relishing his first inter-provincial derby against Munster on Saturday evening.
Leinster travel to Thomond Park in the fifth round of the RaboDirect Pro12 in a clash that will serve as the perfect warm-up for the Heineken Cup the following weekend. O’Connor says the game gives his side a chance to test themselves at a high level before taking on the Ospreys a week later.
“It’s the perfect curtain raiser to Heineken Cup rugby. The rivalry that exists between the provinces is incredibly strong and our guys speak very passionately about going down there and playing in one of the great rugby arenas.
“At the end of Saturday, we’ll know where we sit. We’ll know there’s certain things we need to work on and fix before Ospreys and there’ll be other elements we’re pretty happy with. So as far as a bench mark, it’ll be a pretty good indicator.”
Leinster come into the game looking for their third successive victory against Munster in Thomond Park meaning there is a huge amount on the line for the home side. Not that this rivalry needed any more heat. O’Connor says he has always had a keen interest in the clashes between the two provinces.
“They’re on the TV and they’re one of the great rugby spectacles. I’ve watched those as a rugby man with interest. The intensity and the pride that’s on the line with both groups is a pleasure to behold.”
While O’Connor acknowledges that Munster v Leinster is always a special battle, he claims to have seen similar encounters during his three years with the Leicester Tigers in the English Premiership.
“I don’t know if you’ve had the pleasure to watch a couple of Leicester v Saints games, but they’re pretty explosive affairs in recent times. Hopefully, there’s not as much bloodshed as that but I wouldn’t be surprised if there is.”
Leinster come into Saturday’s game off the back of a strong 34-20 win over the Cardiff Blues, and the Australian was happy with the impact made by returning Lions Jamie Heaslip and Brian O’Driscoll.
“Yeah definitely. We made a lot of changes to the team and didn’t get the result at Glasgow. I think it was 11 changes last week. Everyone’s had the opportunity to get some rugby and we can pick from a lot stronger panel this week.”
There will be another boost this weekend with Sean O’Brien coming back into contention for a starting spot. The Tullow native will definitely be involved in some capacity.
“Yeah Seany will be in the mix for sure this week. He’ll play some part in the game and he’s trained very well. He’s certainly very keen to get back involved.”
As for the talking point of Leinster’s season so far, O’Connor says that the Munster game won’t necessarily be the deciding factor in which of Ian Madigan and Jimmy Gopperth starts the Heineken Cup campaign at out-half.
“No not at all, it’ll be horses for courses. It’ll be who puts their name on the shirt and who we think will get the best result for the team on that given day. It’s a good opportunity and it’s certainly of Heineken Cup intensity at Thomond, so that will give us some indications but that won’t be the definitive rule.”
