RHYS RUDDOCK HAS primarily played his rugby either side of the scrum but after Saturday’s man-of-the-match performance at number eight, he is ready to fill Jamie Heaslip’s boots if called upon this weekend.
With Leinster’s medical staff closely monitoring the fitness of Jack Conan ahead of Saturday’s Champions Cup quarter-final against Wasps, Ruddock offers Leo Cullen another option in that position.
Conan is struggling with a calf injury which kept him out of the weekend’s Guinness Pro12 win over Cardiff Blues, with Ruddock deputising at the back of the scrum in his absence.
The 26-year-old was outstanding all afternoon, particularly with ball in hand as he carried explosively, and the 13-time capped Irish international deservedly collected the glassware afterwards.
“It was nice to get the accolade. It something I’m not that familiar with. I don’t get that many of them,” Ruddock joked in the post-match press conference.
“I knew it was a big game for me. But, everyone is in the same boat. It is very tight. I would have known anyway, from how well everyone has been playing this year, that I am certainly not guaranteed selection this weekend.
“It is probably one of the main things that’s driven us this year, how well some of the young guys have done stepping up. The competition for places is probably the best I’ve seen it.”
Certainly Leinster are blessed with a wealth of talent in the back row, in particular, with Sean O’Brien and Josh van der Flier now returning from international duty and injury respectively to strengthen resources further.
Ruddock’s selection at eight against Cardiff could give an insight into Cullen’s thinking, with the head coach weighing up his options ahead of the biggest test of Leinster’s season.
“Hopefully, it means they would consider me there,” Ruddock added after playing at number eight for just the second time this season.
“I’m capable of playing there, probably haven’t had much exposure there in the past. It was good to get a run out at eight.”
Whoever starts for Leinster at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon will come up against an in-form and formidable Wasps side, who are arguably playing some of the best rugby in Europe at the moment.
The back-row battle will be fascinating, and potentially defining, with the likes of James Haskell, Nathan Hughes and Alex Rieder bringing dynamism and huge physicality to Dai Young’s side.
Leinster are all too aware of the damage the Premiership leaders can cause when given the space, with the eastern province suffering two chastening defeats to Wasps last year.
“The fact that we played them last year and came unstuck and found it so challenging,” Ruddock continued. “Despite the names, we have the respect for them as a team on the back of last year.
“We will certainly be on our toes from watching them and playing against them. We have experienced how tough it was. We know what to expect.
“In terms of the individuals, you don’t know exactly what back row they will go with. Whoever they pick, they will challenge us.
“But we feel like we’re a different team this year. We are wary of what they offer and how difficult a challenge it is going to be.
“I’m sure having a look back at that [the 51-10 defeat at the Ricoh Arena] reminding ourselves of it will be no harm. Learning from those defeats and those tough moments is often what drives you.
“I’m sure, as a group, we’ll have a look back and re-open those wounds to drive us on. It was such a heavy defeat and we knew we weren’t in a good place in that we weren’t going to get through.”
Sitting top of the Pro12 and back in the European knock-out stages, Ruddock added that these are exciting times for the club and there is a real positivity in the squad: “It’s a really exciting place to be, last year we weren’t in this position so everyone is in a really good place.
“It will be even better now once we get a couple of the guys who have had a bit of time off back. It will be a really competitive environment, there will be guys missing out so there’s going to be disappointment in terms of selection.
“We feel we have a realistic chance in both competitions and that’s where we want to be. Mostly that’s exciting and we know we need to be better than Saturday if we’re to stand a chance this week.”
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