Leinster are mad as hell and they are not going to take it any more.
Matt O’Connor and Jamie Heaslip are almost through with their media commitments. Just another natter to Sky Sports before the game and they are done.
The Blues want to do their talking on the field and are keeping schtum as much as possible until Sunday.
Coach and captain met the press this morning, out at Leinster HQ, before the team departs, later today, for the south of France.
O’Connor confirmed that Kane Douglas’ season is, most likely, over after ongoing injury issues failed to clear up. He added that it is “unlikely” that Shane Jennings, concussed against Dragons last week, would feature at Stade Velodrome, against Toulon.
Jamie Heaslip was up next and delivered a nice, headline-inducing sound-bite before defending O’Connor from the brickbats and consternation outside Camp Leinster.
Leinster’s Jamie Heaslip on Toulon: “It’s exciting, going over against a team of superstars… the Real Madrid of Rugby. It’s a challenge.”
— Cillian O Conchuir (@killeroc) April 16, 2015
Heaslip commented, ‘Speaking from personal experience, people have called for my contract to be ripped up in the past… I’d take absolutely no notice of it. Matt has the full support of the squad. We’ve done some great things over the last two seasons.
‘As players, we have been pretty disappointed with how we have played in some games. Especially last week. That is not the standarad as a gropu of players we set for ourselves, but aside from that I’m not listening.’
Leinster have won a league under O’Connor, last season, but fans have yet to witness anything too great this time around.
Beat ‘Real Madrid’ in France this Sunday and we might agree with Heaslip’s ‘great things’ declaration.
