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Leinster have the resolve to recover

Leinster must take their lumps after last Sunday's Heineken European Cup semi-final defeat at Lansdowne Road, the flak following…

Thu Apr 27 2006 - 01:00

Leinster must take their lumps after last Sunday's Heineken European Cup semi-final defeat at Lansdowne Road, the flak following their eclipse by Munster hardly a surprise. John O'Sullivan reports

A measure of their collective character and the resolve within the squad will be gleaned following their Celtic League clash with the Neath-Swansea Ospreys at the same venue on Saturday.

They've no intention of wallowing in regret, in some respects grateful for the chance to banish the Munster game and to reclaim their lead - Ulster were awarded four points as they have a free weekend - in the Celtic League.

Leinster team manager Paul McNaughton offered an insight into the squad's current mindset and railed against some of the allegations made in the wake of Sunday's match. "Everybody is extremely disappointed. We never got going and lost to a Munster side that played better on the day.

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"The players gave everything physically and I'd reject the suggestion that the players ran out the gate or didn't turn up. We never managed to launch our game and Munster deserve credit for that."

Both McNaughton and chief executive Mick Dawson point out that 12 months ago, following the defeat to Leicester in the European Cup quarter-finals, Leinster had no coach and their prospects didn't exactly appear chipper.

Since then they have employed an excellent coaching team headed by Michael Cheika, reached the semi-final of the same tournament and have the opportunity to go back top of the Celtic League at the weekend. It's hardly slim pickings but in no way should it mitigate the disappointment of the Munster defeat. Some scars should remain livid.

Already the process of recruitment and decision making for next season is well advanced. Trevor Hogan was officially confirmed as a Leinster player yesterday, joining Australian scrumhalf Chris Whitaker and Stephen Keogh as new recruits.

Christian Warner, Reggie Corrigan and Cameron Jowitt have all signed one-year contracts while Bryce Williams heads for Bourgoin, Brendan Burke is joining Worcester and James Norton is retiring from the professional end of the sport.

Jonathan Sexton, Devin Toner and former Gonzaga, Leinster and Ireland Schools number eight Kevin McLaughlin have been awarded development contracts. Three or four more contracts of a similar ilk are likely to be handed out this week with Stephen Grissing and Ross McCarron thought to be included.

Blackrock College schoolboy Luke Fitzgerald will join the Leinster academy where he's likely to encounter Belvedere College and Ireland under-19 prop Cian Healy and another Blackrock schoolboy, the Russian-born Vasya Artemiev. By early next week eight or nine first year academy places should be filled.

Cheika's more immediate concern, however, will be this weekend's game against the Ospreys.

He has named a 25-man squad that includes Sexton for the Ospreys match while there are further changes up front. Bernard Jackman is included with David Blaney dropping out of the squad.

Williams and Jowitt (back) are injured so both Adam Byrnes and Ben Gissing have been recalled. Leinster's coach expects a tough game. "The squad are obviously disappointed (after last weekend) but you can sense a feeling of resolve there also which is encouraging. We've got to make sure that we take something from the game and push on for the rest of the season. We need to front up when we don't perform well," said Cheika.

LEINSTER SQUAD (v Ospreys): W Green, R Corrigan, R McCormack, E Byrne, B Jackman, B Blaney, M O'Kelly, A Byrnes, B Gissing, C Jowitt, N Ronan, K Gleeson, J Heaslip, E Miller, G Easterby, B O'Riordan, F Contepomi, J Sexton, G Dempsey, B O'Driscoll, K Lewis, S Horgan, D Hickie, G D'Arcy, R Kearney.

MUNSTER SQUAD (v Borders): C Cullen; M Mullins, T Halstead, P Devlin, A Horgan, I Dowling, J Manning, R O'Gara, F Murphy, M Prendergast, F Pucciariello, J Hayes, F Roche, E McGovern, D Fogarty, J Flannery, D O'Callaghan, M O'Driscoll, T Hogan, J O'Sullivan, D Wallace, S Keogh, A Foley, M Prendergast, F Murphy, R O'Gara, J Mannery, I Dowling, A Horgan, P Devlin, T Halstead, M Mullins, C Cullen.