Guinness PRO12: Matt O'Connor brushes off critics after watching Leinster defeat Ulster
Sunday 4 January 2015 16:27, UK
Leinster head coach Matt O'Connor insisted he is not bothered by his team's critics after watching his side ease to a 24-11 win over Ulster in the Guinness PRO12.
The win kept Leinster in touch with PRO12 pace-setters Ospreys as they rebounded from a disappointing 28-13 defeat to fierce rivals Munster last week.
The reigning champions have so far failed to reproduce the form this season which earned them the last two PRO12 titles, as injuries to key players such as Cian Healy, Sean O'Brien and Rob Kearney as well as the retirements of Brian O'Driscoll and Leo Cullen have taken their toll.
Despite the criticism his side has received this season, O'Connor insists he is happy with the team's progress and he is confident they will find their best form when it matters most.
"The criticism from outside the environment is largely irrelevant," O'Connor told Sky Sports.
"It is about making sure we keep on believing in what we are doing. Today showed that if we get it right – regardless of whom is on the field – we are a good side.
"We have had a pretty tough run injury-wise and there has been a lot of disruption through the international series in November.
"But we are getting blokes back slowly and we are starting to get the shape on the game that we want to have."
Leinster's hunger was questioned last week after they lost the physical battle against great rivals Munster but O’Connor was delighted with how his side responded against Ulster and he believes the display gives them a platform to build off.
"The attitude today was fantastic," O'Connor said. "We spoke a lot about what we didn't deliver at Munster last week and there were huge improvements as to what we delivered in that aspect.
"It is tough when you lose the class of players we have had out early in the season but the guys have fought hard and we have a few winnable fixtures coming up in the next month or so.
"It's all there for us to play for and the guys will take a lot of confidence out of today's performance and it is something for us to build on."
The only negative for Leinster on the day was a shoulder injury to captain Jamie Heaslip which forced the No 8 to come off just before the half-hour mark.
However O'Connor played down the severity of the injury when asked about it: "He took a bang on his AC but it shouldn't be significant."
