Schmidt challenges Leinster to score more
Wednesday, 25 August 2010 07:42
New Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has challenged his team to cross the tryline more often this season.
The Blues were beaten by the Ospreys in the Magners League Grand Final, but they finished second from bottom in the tryscoring stakes.
And although he expects a difficult year with Leinster's Ireland internationals - including star outside backs Brian O'Driscoll, Gordon D'Arcy, Luke Fitzgerald, Jonathan Sexton and Rob Kearney - set to miss portions of the season in preparation for Rugby World Cup 2011, Schmidt hopes his tweaks will improve Leinster's tryscoring capacity.
He said: 'This year is going to be a challenging year on a number of fronts and one of those is player welfare. It is in Irish rugby's interests that players are well managed. They have a massive challenge at the end of next year.
'When you have got a team that has been functioning pretty well you don't try to reinvent the team or reinvent anything. What you try and do is just help them go forward in the direction they are going.
'One of the things for Leinster is that they scored the second least tries in the Magners League last year. That's one thing that I would like them to be challenged on. They have got the ability to be exciting.
'With the quality of the player I think we are going to challenge ourselves to get over the line more often.'
Schmidt added that prop Stan Wright will have an operation on his ruptured Achilles tendon on Wednesday and is expected to be out for six months.
He said that Leinster were 'scouring the globe' for potential new props and may make a move once Wright's diagnosis is confirmed.
He also confirmed that Ireland defence coach Les Kiss would work with Leinster this season, with defence coach Kurt McQuilkin's departure leaving a gap in the coaching team.
