Debt to injury limits Leinster

It is difficult to escape the feeling that Leinster have penned their own misfortune in recent weeks and that today's damage limitation exercise in beautiful Bordeaux boasts a personnel policy that should have been pursued on their last trip to France.

Injuries have revealed cracks, mentally and physically, that have cost the province an interprovincial championship, the probability of playing in the European Cup next year and maybe this season's quarter-final aspirations.

Eight changes for today's clash illustrates the carnage that has bedevilled coach Mike Ruddock. Hind sight highlights the folly of fielding a full-strength Leinster team for the trip to Stade Francais, a match where victory was nothing more than a faint possibility.

Instead of resting key personnel and blooding players, Leinster suffered the double whammy of defeat and widespread injury problems. It would mark a turning point in the season. Denuded of standout performers like Victor Costello, Trevor Brennan and Brian Carey, the province now must win one of their last two matches, but victory today is a pipedream. Begles-Bordeaux demonstrated in their 48-10 thrashing of Llanelli in their last match that they are far more potent combination on French soil.

Ruddock has opted for experience rather than addressing patently weak areas. Alan McGowan has been place-kicking brilliantly but in his primary duties at outhalf he has struggled in a couple of the key matches, as has Derek Hegarty. Richie Murphy proved a short-lived alternative but what may have been more productive was to examine Trinity's Mark McHugh.

A competent place-kicker, strong tackler and shrewd distributor, it would have been interesting to ascertain whether he could have provided greater variety in the use of possession. Leinster's tendency to fall down in basic tasks - securing their own line-out ball, re-starts and broken play defence - has proved central to two defeats this season.

A game plan orientated towards defence, as pronounced as Leinster's is, ought not to save them. Instead they risk learning very little from this match other than confirming that a couple of selection issues remain unresolved. The team has not progressed further in terms of style or personnel.

In mitigation, even at full strength Leinster would be hard pushed to smuggle a victory and therefore expectation must be tempered with realism. Kurt McQuilkin's resurrection as a representative centre will strengthen the defence but it is in possession that Leinster may appear at their most vulnerable.

The onus is therefore on McGowan and O'Mahony, Shane Byrne and Gabriel Fulcher to provide direction, inspiration and an honesty that may not bring victory, but could restore belief.