Leinster welcome back Irish internationals Rob Kearney and Jack McGrath for Saturday's Pro14 game against Ulster at the RDS (kick-off: 5.15pm). Barry Daly will also be in contention for a place on the team having recovered from a knee injury.
Dave Kearney, who was a late withdrawal from the Munster match with an adductor strain, is being monitored in terms of the injury and won't play at the weekend. Leinster backs' coach Felipe Contepomi explained: "The only one that is not available this week is Dave Kearney. Barry (Daly) is back, Jack McGrath and Rob (Kearney) they are back, in training and fit for selection."
Leinster backs’ coach Felipe Contepomi explained: “The only one that is not available this week is Dave Kearney. Barry (Daly) is back, Jack McGrath and Rob (Kearney) they are back, in training and fit for selection.”
Rob Kearney picked up a dead leg in the Champions Cup victory over Bath at the Recreation Ground and missed the return game at the Aviva stadium. He was expected to be available for the Connacht match but having missed the two provincial derbies is expected to play in the third one.
McGrath had a minor hip procedure and missed the province’s last four matches while Daly hasn’t played since the Cardiff Blues match at the start of the season.
Contepomi admitted that Leinster needed to absorb the lessons from their defeat against Munster, discipline issues that produced lapses in both technique and temperament. “We have a lot to learn. We had a good game plan and for parts of the game we did it but also you know we had two yellow cards and one red card.
“It’s tough to play against 14 men, against a top quality team like Munster (in those circumstances) but we still had a chance to win the game. We need to learn (to have) a bit more composure, knowing that you are away from home.
“We have to learn also that there are key moments of the game that we need to be more precise. What really frustrates me is that in the technical part of the game that we haven’t been top notch (at crucial times).
“We lost a lineout seven metres from their in-goal when we were 16-10 (down); it was a crucial moment and then we lost the next lineout as well. Maybe that’s more frustrating than any other thing.
“I would say technical discipline, rather than discipline in terms of temperament. It gets to those big moments where you have to focus and the beauty of playing in a team sport is that it doesn’t depend on one single player, it depends on 15 and everyone has to do their own job. It comes to moments where if only one doesn’t do it right, it all falls down.
“I am not frustrated on the cards themselves; yes it didn’t help at all and our discipline wasn’t good enough because we were stuck in something that really harmed us. The frustration comes from the technical discipline where we weren’t good enough in key moments to execute correctly.”
Meanwhile Leinster wing James Lowe will face a disciplinary hearing following his sending off against Munster at Thomond Park last Saturday. The New Zealander received a straight red card for an incident that occurred in the 32nd minute of the match where referee Frank Murphy deemed the player to have committed an act of foul play against an opponent (No 14, Andrew Conway).
The referee showed the player a red card under Law 9.17 - A player must not tackle, charge, pull, push or grasp an opponent whose feet are off the ground. The player will face a Disciplinary Panel via video conference, the Panel will comprise of Roger Morris (Chair), Ray Wilton and Rhian Williams (all Wales).
