Pete Wilkins says Connacht's ex-Leinster contingent have a chance to "make a big statement" in Friday’s BKT United Rugby Championship derby.
Peter Dooley, David Hawkshaw and Josh Murphy have all made impressive starts to their Connacht careers since moving west during the close season and they will come up against their former employers for the first time when the league leaders visit Galway, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
All three were involved in last weekend's win over Munster, along with former Leinster players Gavin Thornbury, Oisín Dowling, Jack Aungier, Tom Daly and Paul Boyle, as Connacht snapped their losing start to the season.
Wilkins admits the prospect of facing Leinster could bring some added spice to training this week.
"It probably does more so for them as individuals than it does for us [coaches]," the Connacht head coach told RTÉ Sport.
"We’ve got so much shared knowledge on the other provinces there’s probably not a competitive advantage of having former Leinster players there, but at the same time it’s a real chance for them to prove themselves and make a big statement about how their careers are progressing.
"It's massive for them but it’s making sure they channel it in the right direction as well."
Hawkshaw was one of the standout performers in the comeback win over Munster. Having started at out-half against the Vodacom Bulls in round three, the 23-year-old switched to inside centre and combined well with the returning Jack Carty.
"We were really impressed by Dave," said Wilkins. "Right from when he joined the group in pre-season, he settled in really well.
"He's a good bloke, really smart rugby intellect and a hard worker. In terms of integrating himself into a new group, he set himself up for success just with those qualities.
"We picked him at 12 [against Munster] partly because of that ability to have a second playmaker outside of Jack, but also because of what we're seeing from him.
"Although he played 10 against the Bulls he carried really well and generally has a knack for beating that first defender. That was a quality we thought we could certainly exploit by having him at 12 as well. I thought he did a great job for us."
Wilkins has reassumed responsibility for Connacht’s defence this season and was encouraged by the performance against Munster. Having shipped 102 points in three opening three games, the Westerners proved much harder to break down in Galway, missing just five tackles of 101 tackles in the 20-11 success.
"Any time we’ve won an interpro, regardless of the opposition, our defence has had to be good and effective," said Wilkins.
"Certainly in terms of the energy and physicality, that was right up there with any of our performances in recent times. I was really pleased with that.
"92% tackle success, that was a key part of it, but against good teams you can’t just make your tackles and wait for them to drop the ball. You’ve got to put them under some pressure with that line speed and collective intent.
"That was very good and probably the biggest difference compared to those first three games of the season. We didn’t have 10 or 15-minute periods where we conceded a bucketload of penalties, and conceded field position and possession on the back of that.
"There were a couple of back-to-back errors but it wasn’t the same kind of thing, where we were digging hole after hole for ourselves. That did make a difference. It just means you’re then defending on the front foot rather than the back foot thereafter."
Wilkins knows Connacht must play at their peak to upset a Leinster side who beat them four times last season.
Leo Cullen's side beat the Cell C Sharks in a high-scoring thriller at the RDS last Saturday and have scored 21 tries in their opening four games.
"It’s a big challenge," said Wilkins. "All aspects of your game need to be in good working order. Then you need to make sure you nullify their strengths at the same time.
"The great thing for us when we play Leinster is we’re well aware what those strengths are, whether that’s for them as a team and collective, or individual players who we as coaches and our players know really well, and the strengths and weaknesses of those guys.
"There’s no difficulty in getting the knowledge of what we need to do. It's making sure we get that sustained application of it.
"If you look at the way Leinster attack and defend, there’s a relentless effectiveness and accuracy about them, but at the same time they’re a team that wants to play possession and that means at some point they will concede turnovers.
"We’ve got to apply the right of pressure in order to get those turnovers and give ourselves opportunity to access the game.
"There’s a whole bunch of things that need to go well for you but it’s that sustained effort that we need to stay in the fight for. That’s as much a physical application as a mental one."
Follow the BKT United Rugby Championship across RTÉ radio, TV, RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app.
Watch Connacht v Leinster in the United Rugby Championship on Friday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra and follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app
