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Stuart Lancaster knows Leinster Rugby better than most and he knows how hard it is to beat them.
But that is exactly what he will aim to do as he leads it Connacht Rugby, he says, will be an “incredible opportunity” in Galway this weekend.
Ex England The head coach spent seven years working with the players at Leinster, helping them win four league titles and the Champions Cup.
He is now in charge of Connacht and is looking for his first win against his former players after two defeats during his first season with the west Ireland province.
“It’s a massive game for a whole host of reasons, not just the league table, nothing else matters,” he said.
“But obviously this is our first interpro and we’re really looking forward to it.
“We played Leinster twice last year and they beat us twice and they were very good both times.
“We know they’re a real benchmark. So it’s a game we’re really excited about and we know we’re going to have to be at our best because they managed to beat us comfortably at the Aviva and then, even on an emotional night here opening Dexcom, they did the job as well.
“They didn’t play all the internationals, but they still managed to have composure, experience and quality to beat us in the last 20 minutes.
“Obviously, I know them all very well there. A huge amount of respect comes from my journey to Leinster.”
“I have the utmost respect for the coaching staff and the players, so this is a big week. It will be a great opportunity.”
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Connacht’s winless run against Leinster dates back to well before Lancaster’s arrival last year.
They haven’t beaten the Dublin side since January 2021, enduring a 13-game losing streak.
On the chances of ending that barren spell on Friday night, Lancaster said: “It’s winnable, but we also respect the quality of the opposition we’re playing against.
“The challenge for us is to close the gap between us and them and make sure we do our best.
“I think we’ve made a lot of progress since the last game with Leinster. We’ve gone on an eight-game winning streak, we’re into the play-offs and the Champions Cup. We’ve had a good start in the Champions Cup.”
“So I think we’re doing well now, but Leinster is always the benchmark for everything.”
Connacht will indeed go into the big Irish derby in high spirits after their performances over the past few weeks.
They won a notable 45-36 victory Saracens in Investec Champions Cup and then beats Zebras Parma 48-27 in BKT URC for the weekend.
That’s 15 tries in their last two matches.
Reflecting on the bonus point win over Zebre, Lancaster said: “I thought we played some amazing rugby at times.
“Obviously, as a defense and attack coach, I was a bit disappointed with some of the attempts we conceded.
“The Zebras deserve it, to be fair. They kept it up the whole game. They attack well and they caught us a couple of times. They kept it up the whole game.
“Overall, you never get everything perfect in 80 minutes, but I think we hit a lot of really good markers.
“We also integrated a lot of players who hadn’t played in a while. There were a lot of changes from the previous week, so I was still delighted with how we played.”
“If you’d told me at the start of the day we’d get close to 50, I’d have taken it. We’ve scored some good tries.”
Connacht had more to celebrate this past week with eight of their players included in the Ireland squad for the Nations Championship.
“It shows the progress we’ve made and the development we’ve made,” Lancaster said.
“The boys that are in the Ireland camp, I hope they do well, I hope they get a chance and do Connacht proud.”
