Boost for Leinster as injuries clear ahead of Exeter trip
Reddan then took up the subject of the challenge the Irish province will face in Sandy Park. “There’s no such thing as piling on tries against Exeter. They’re an extremely competitive team. They’ll be looking to win this game. Even if we didn’t need a bonus point win and had our destiny in our own hands it would be very, very tough. We need to win the game first.
“They’re a very determined side. You can see the way they play they’re very much together, that comes through every week. It’s probably the characteristic that makes them toughest to play against. They might try a few things but they’ve an excellent coach in Rob Baxter. He’s a man who respects the basics very well.
Very committed
“I think at home it’s a massive game for them. They want to win (this) Heineken Cup match. They beat Llanelli there and did well against Clermont for a long time. They’d love to beat us this weekend, there’s no doubt about that.”
The Leinster squad sat through a video review yesterday morning of the match between the team at the RDS. Reddan explained: “They defended very well. We did create three or four opportunities in the first half when we maybe dropped the ball and threw one or two passes that we could have held onto maybe.
“In general you’d probably want to be making more than three or four opportunities to get a few tries. I think they defended very well. Obviously we’ll try to come up with a few things, we’ll need to carry well coming into contact because in defence they’re very strong and good in the tackle. We’ll definitely have our work cut out for us.”
Dave Kearney and long-term injury victim Mark Flanagan played in Leinster A’s British Irish Cup win at the weekend and will be available when the team play their final pool match away to Leeds on Saturday.
Williams ruled out for eight weeks
Ulster will be without their inspirational and in-form number eight Nick Williams for their final Heineken Cup pool match away to Castres on Saturday.
Williams, who scored his seventh try in 15 games in the win over Glasgow, suffered medial ligament damage to his left knee and is expected to be sidelined for up to eight weeks – it had been feared he might be out for six months. Paddy Jackson’s ankle injury is “responding well to physiotherapy treatment” while Craig Gilroy, who suffered a head injury, is “following the necessary return-to-play protocol”.
