After getting a roasting at the set-piece last Sunday, Leinster head-coach Matt O’Connor has challenged his pack to right a few wrongs tomorrow at the Aviva.
Harlequins enjoyed plenty of success it the scrum, particularly in the opening half, at The Stoop, with O’Connor singling their captain Joe Marler out for particular praise at this afternoon’s press conference.
The Quins scrum, which had been destroyed in their two previous outings without Marler, won some important first half penalties off Mike Ross, which the Leinster boss feels had a big impact on the game.
“We struggled with that aspect of it. We have to make sure we get a platform there, and we get parity on their put-in and on our ball, because it makes a huge difference in the momentum if the game, especially early on, so that’s been a big focus for the forwards this week.
“Marler, who hadn’t played the last two weeks, was the key to them. I thought he was exceptional against the Aussies in the last game in November with England, and he was very good, not only in the scrum, but his leadership and his presence on the ball, his carry, all those things you want from your leader, he delivered on those.
“We’ve got to make sure we nullify his threat at the scrum, and hopefully that has a flow-on effect to the rest of his game,” he said.
Whether legally or illegally, the Quins pack got the rub of the green at the set-piece, and with another French referee – this time Romain Poite – set to take charge of the pair this weekend, O’Connor says his side need to be more in tune with the habits of the man in the middle.
“That’s how they referee the game. Whoever gets dominant in the scrum gets away with a little more than they would usually, and that’s the way the game is played in France, and we’re fully aware of that.”
While O’Connor is all too wary of the threats in the scrum, he admits rolling the dice on selecting Luke Fitzgerald at outside centre.
An calf injury to Gordon D’Arcy has forced O’Connor’s hand with Fitzgerald stepping into the relative unknown of 13, but he’s confident Fitzgerald’s natural rugby ability will make it a gamble that pays off.
“Luke’s played a lot of rugby there as a kid. He’s trained there really well this week, and it’s a little bit sight-unseen, but we’ll know a little bit more after the weekend.
“D’Arce strained his calf in the second half last week. It’s nothing significant but it’s one of those one or two weeks that means he’s unavailable, so it gives us the opportunity to look at Luke there which is brilliant.
“He’s incredibly dangerous with the ball. He’s physical, he understands, he’s played a hell of a lot of top class rugby so he knows the dynamics.
“He’s going to be a little bit rusty, he hasn’t played a lot of rugby there in the last bit, so we’re going to be making sure the guys in and around that are doing their bits and pieces so it’s that little bit easier for him.”
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