No hiding place for Leinster

The point of no return, backs to the wall, facing an end to their season if they lose, away from home and coming off a potentially damaging psychological home draw with Edinburgh Reivers. In times past you wouldn't have given Leinster a prayer - especially without prized winger Denis Hickie - for the type of win-or-bust, pool decider which takes place in Biarritz this Saturday evening, but there are some encouraging straws in the wind.

While Matt Williams concedes that Biarritz are a much better side than they looked at Donnybrook when beaten 35-9 in the first meeting, especially at home, and that the French Cup holders probably underestimated his team first time around, by the same token Leinster were caught in a bad rut but on a good night. And, with Biarritz in mind, there's been a comforting pattern there.

"We'd come off a terrible patch, losing to Ulster, Connacht and Edinburgh, so it was our lowest point of the year, and again the sort of team we are which is learning a culture of winning, we had nowhere else to run if we didn't perform. Like at Northampton, where if we didn't perform we were finished. And we're a good side like that, that when there's a line painted behind us we can't step back over it. And that's the case again this weekend."

On foot of their win in Welford Road against an admittedly under-strength Leicester at the same point last season, Williams identified travail on their travels as a primary area to improve upon, hence the pre-season trip to Wales and England. He and captain Liam Toland can also point to wins in Northampton and Musgrave Park (albeit a friendly) as further cures for Leinster's away day sickness.

"They're massive psychological boosts," added Toland. "Maybe at the start of the season if we had to aim for a win in Biarritz we might be a little under-confident but after everything we've come through we can approach the game with a lot of confidence in that we won't be conceding a 10-point start just because we're playing in France. I think that day is over."

Comparisons are odious and particularly so for Leinster when compared to Munster of late. "Munster have a culture of winning for a number of seasons, their senior players have been there for a long time and they have a number of set combinations in a set team," said Williams. "Our combinations are only coming together this year so we're developing that culture of winning," he added, pointing out that if Leinster had been offered the chance of qualifying by winning in their final pool game in Biarritz, they'd have taken that. "Leinster have done well this season."

"Full credit to them, I thought Munster played inspirational rugby, so none of my comments are meant to diminish Munster's performance, but I do think you've got to compare apples and apples. We're a team that's growing and will be a better side next year. And I will point out that we didn't lose the game and we haven't lost a game since October. We played (last year's) European finalists in four straight games and didn't lose one of them, so while I agree we should have finished that side (Edinburgh Reivers) off, I thought they played magnificent rugby and we did hang in there."

"I think there's a slant out there, `Oh, it's the D4 thing, they walked away from it'. Some of the defence in that game was absolutely fantastic. In the second half we had 20 per cent of the ball, at the 20minute mark we'd only held the ball for 30 seconds, so that means we tackled for over 17 minutes and that takes some courage.

"I really don't think we give the Leinster team the praise they deserve. We made some tactically incorrect decisions in the last five minutes, missing touch and undoubtedly kicked too much, yes. But the only thing that gets you there is experience."