Leinster won't be happy winning ugly this weekend, even if the Sharks can smell "blood in the water".
The BKT URC holders began the defence of their title with back-to-back defeats in South Africa, losing 35-0 to the Stormers and 39-31 to the Bulls last Saturday.
It’s the first time since 2003 that Leinster have started their season with consecutive losses and are now playing catch-up with just one point and second from bottom of the table.
Chief among the concerns were the defensive lapses that led to the concession of 10 tries and how easily some of the scores were coughed up.
Ireland winger James Lowe was among the players who remained in Dublin but he, alongside other British and Irish Lions tourists including Jamie Osborne, will come back into the mix for Saturday’s Aviva Stadium clash against the Sharks (5.30pm).
"We normally only lose a couple in the regular season so to get them out of the way first isn’t good now, is it," the 33-year-old told RTÉ Sport.
"Obviously the boys are just back in the building after a very disappointing couple of weeks.
"I think there’s a few [international] boys coming back into the mix and going forward hopefully we can help them out, we’ll give them a cuddle for a couple of days and after that it’s business as usual.
"There will be a fair few more South Africans lining up, there’s a bit of blood in the water.
"Hopefully we can turn it around and put in a performance at home that we are really happy with and it can set us right for the rest of this competition."
Asked about the damage done to the reputation of the team’s defence and if opponents will see it as a weak point, he said: "Don’t worry about that going forward, we’ll be fine.
"That first game was incredibly disappointing against a very good Stormers team.
"It’s tough to go over there, we came up against two very good sides and at the end of the day it’s a physical game and if you don’t turn up for it, that can happen to you.
"I think it was a massive step up in that Bulls game, fair play, we were in it right until the end.
"The most disappointing thing was probably the ease of how the tries came, the ease of how we conceded points.
"There’s still a lot of growth in that area and once we get back to how we defend, I think teams are really going to struggle and hopefully we can take a step in the right direction this weekend."
The Sharks lost their opening game to Glasgow and drew 17-17 at Dragons on the weekend.
Lowe (above), who has 67 tries in 92 Leinster appearances stressed that 'winning ugly’ won’t be good enough.
"No, no. We need a performance," he said. "I think everyone expects that. I don’t think anyone expected us to come back from South Africa with one point.
"I don’t think anyone expected us to concede 35 and not score any points in that first game. A performance is always what you’re chasing but a few things need to change. Hopefully come this weekend we can do that."
Lowe was last in action as he helped the Andy Farrell’s Lions to a series win over Australia.
The New Zealand-born back started the first two Tests and was left out of the third. "Faz dropped me," he said laughing.
"Seems like a while ago now, but it was an awesome experience, something that I’ll have on the resume going forward, something I'm really proud of, so was my family," he said.
"To be able to achieve that was awesome and [I’m ready] to come back in frisky and fresh to be able to hit the ground running."
It was Ireland and Leinster full-back Hugo Keenan, who scored the winning try in the second Test and Lowe was delighted for his good friend, who is currently out injured with a groin issue.
"He’s one of the slowest men in world rugby in terms of a 15," he laughed, "but Hugo’s got one of the biggest engines.
"He’ll stick in gear four and just go all day so fair play.
"A little bit of footwork, that one’s actually never worked on anyone so no, he was there when we needed him and we enjoyed ourselves after."
Few fancied an out-of-sorts Wallabies outfit, under former Ireland boss Joe Schmidt, to be as competitive as they were.
Keenan's winning try came with the last play of the game, while the hosts ran out 22-12 winners in the third Test.
"Yeah, they're an excellent side," said Lowe, whose Ireland team face the Australians in Dublin on 15 November.
"It's funny, from a fan perspective, everyone thought it was going to be a whitewash. Lions tours are hard, man.
"And then what do you play? It's five Super Rugby teams before you actually get to a Test match. It's a bit attritional.
"There's always things that go on within the environment, people getting sick, people getting injured, people coming in, people leaving.
"It's not easy to go anywhere and win.
"The form that Australia had going into that series wasn't a reflection of how they performed against us.
"Even that Test match on the weekend in Perth [against the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship] they were there or thereabouts.
"Going into half-time, it was [17-9] or something, then all of a sudden a couple of quick tries from New Zealand, and flips it.
"Just moments like that, but they're a good team and come this November Test series I'm sure they're going to be even better."
