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Leinster coach O'Connor: 'Winning ugly, winning pretty, is irrelevant to us'

The Australian is intent on playing winning rugby, whatever the style.

LEINSTER COACH MATT O’Connor doesn’t care about aesthetics. Not this month anyway.

The Australian allowed himself a moment to look forward to what could potentially prove to be a season-defining series of games before he rings in the New Year.

Following the pivotal back-to-back encounters with Harlequins over the next 10 days, the seasonal inter-pros will bring Connacht to the RDS and Leinster to Thomond Park.

With the league growing more competitive owing to the addition of Champions Cup qualification, each contest promises to be a heated one.

General view of the Leinster pack Cathal Noonan / INPHO Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO

“It’s a huge month for us,” says O’Connor. “In the league we’re playing teams in and around us. There’s opportunities there for us to take points off teams in front of us and the pool will be decided over the next two weekends.

“That’s the focus this weekend at The Stoop, to make sure that we do everything we can to put ourselves in the best possible place.”

Though the groans that rumbled around the RDS during last weekend’s win over the Ospreys may well repeat in the Aviva, the style is of no concern to the head coach when pitted against the substance of points on the board.

“Nobody cares how you get out of your group. It’s about topping your group and the reality of that is making sure that you do enough to win the back-to-back games [then] you look at [round] five and six and you try to get out of the group.

“Winning ugly, winning pretty, is irrelevant to us. We’re intent on doing whatever it takes to get the result.”

O’Connor points out that the frustrating Pro12 win over the Ospreys is “not worth comparing” to this weekend’s trip to London owing to difference in playing personnel he will have available now that the November window is firmly shut.

While he wouldn’t be drawn on Luke Fitzgerald’s potential fitness, he did indicate that Rob Kearney has trained well and will be fit enough to start the Champions Cup fixture.

Matt O'Connor Cathal Noonan / INPHO Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO

As one international comes in to the back three, however, Fergus McFadden was ruled out for a further four to six weeks after undergoing surgery on a thumb injury.

Even so, the Australian is confident that his pragmatic approach will yield another victory.

“There’s no doubt that if we play close to our potential  then we’ll win the game.

“That’s been the message this week, making sure that we control all the things that go into a quality performance from us.

“If we deliver on those things, then it’s less about ‘Quins and the focus is ours.”

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32 Comments
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    Mute Jonny Coffey
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    Dec 4th 2014, 4:45 PM

    I really hope he backs this statement up with some winning rugby but sadly I’m not too optimistic. I think putting madigan to 10 would provide a burst of energy to the team which they badly need. Even if it didn’t work out it couldn’t be much worse than the tripe I’ve seen this season!

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    Mute Irish Underage Rugby
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    Dec 4th 2014, 5:21 PM

    Get him out.

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    Mute Beauden Carter
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    Dec 4th 2014, 5:41 PM

    What a joker. You don’t play attractive rugby to look stylish, you do it because it’s what works best and what gets you a result. Leinster need to be more process driven. MOC out!

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    Mute Billy Keenan
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    Dec 4th 2014, 6:04 PM

    Winning ugly implies a tough win, a hard win. I think people’s concern is if we’re winning ugly against an Ospreys side ,missing 19 players, at home what happens when we go to away to Harlequins, to Thomand Park. Will we get out of out pool, what happens when we get into the quarters., what happens on the wet nights in Ravenhill ? It’s not reassuring whatsoever and what’s worse is that our management sees not reason to play any other way.
    Injuries may decide it but Leinster need Madigan to start at 10.

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    Mute Barry Gormley
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    Dec 4th 2014, 7:49 PM

    Exactly. This ugly rugby produces results like the draw v treviso.

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    Mute Johnny Fitz
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    Dec 4th 2014, 4:57 PM

    Statements like that will hardly endear him to the Leinster faithful. It’s all well and good claiming results are more important than performances but considering the opposition in their group getting winning results in these games should be a given, it’s the quality of the performances that should worry him given the quality Leinster will meet later on….

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    Mute #COYBIB
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    Dec 4th 2014, 6:18 PM

    I don’t mind winning ugly as long as every once in a blue moon we’re reminded that we can actually play rugby. That’s what I miss…the rugby.

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    Mute alandel
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    Dec 4th 2014, 6:12 PM

    Oh dear, that really sounds like the philosophy of a man who’s sending out a team to play ugly.. Sigh!!

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    Mute Cian Walker
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    Dec 4th 2014, 5:19 PM

    He’ll look like some prat now come years end and no trophies.

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    Mute Eamonn Maloney
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    Dec 4th 2014, 10:14 PM

    O Connor has turned Leinster from the most exciting team in Europe to the most predictable.

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    Mute Lord Banter
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    Dec 4th 2014, 6:34 PM

    Axel>MOC

    A monkey in a pair of shoes > MOC

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    Mute Gary
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    Dec 4th 2014, 7:49 PM

    Be quiet flash banter.

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    Mute Lord Banter
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    Dec 4th 2014, 9:14 PM

    Gary, I know that you see yourself as some Score vigilante, but I’m not Flash Gordon. I simply support the same team as that kn0b. Pipe down little man

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    Mute Mary hearney
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    Dec 4th 2014, 10:04 PM

    Have you peeled me spuds yet flash banter, you really funny person, lots of love, yours truly Mary Hearney

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    Mute Marc MacFhearchair
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    Dec 4th 2014, 11:20 PM

    You’re cut from the same cloth! You’re one the same… Pray!

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    Mute Marc MacFhearchair
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    Dec 4th 2014, 11:21 PM

    That should have read PRAT!

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    Mute bazhealy
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    Dec 5th 2014, 12:55 PM

    In fairness he’s not wrong MOC is a joke. Drag BOD out of the bt studios and make him do it. Zero experience but I’d love to see him have a go. At this point we need rid of that clown.

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    Mute Dave Fingleton
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    Dec 4th 2014, 7:15 PM

    What about losing ugly??

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    Mute Eamonn Mac Lughadha
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    Dec 4th 2014, 11:54 PM

    To me O Connor is a step backwards, yes the performance against Northqmpton last season made me think that after some settling-in time Leinster were back to business but we’ve seen since that no.

    He is more similar to Cheika than to Joe ,not just because of his nationality. The trouble is Joe didnt always have his internationals either and made guys like Macken, Cooney , harris-wright etc come up with the goods when the big names were away.

    Dave Kearney has probably played more for Schmidt since he moved to the Irish team than when he coaches Leinster.

    So now where we accepted an ugly win from Cheika , with Rocky E, Isa , BOD etc on the pitch its Joe who showed that even with them gone a top performance was possible. Maybe only in the second half , maybe only with 10 minutes to go but thing could and did click.

    With MOC you can bemoan the loss of those big names but previously their substitutes stepped up , now they’re not trusted to do so.

    Would like to see Girv plus maybe Jackman given a crack

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    Mute Rory Dempsey
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    Dec 5th 2014, 1:11 AM

    Making statements like this says to me he is limited and knows it. Leinster under Cheika and Schmidt played ugly rugby at times, but only when the opposition demanded. Leinster rugby used to be about attacking with intent and skill, hard and fast. Now it’s like O’Connor is forcing them to play slow premiership style rugby, high percentage crap that the players don’t look like they want to play. I’ll celebrate if they win the comp, but it won’t be as sweet as when we won playing lovely rugby.

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    Mute Oval Digest
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    Dec 4th 2014, 6:11 PM

    He’s 100% right.

    At this stage in the year, just like Schmidt’s teams (remember Bath, Glasgow, Montpellier, Scarlets) you don’t need to be playing good rugby. Grinding out wins away from home is never easy.

    A coaches job is to win.

    Let the ‘fans’ moan about entertaining rugby, I have no issue with a coach saying “We’re intent on doing whatever it takes to get the result.”

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    Mute Mark Lawlor
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    Dec 4th 2014, 10:09 PM

    smichdts leinster team played insanely attractive rugby but had the ability to adapt their game which was what they had to do in the heineken on certain away days like the ones stated above but in the return fixture they would get winning bonus points where as O’connor plays boring rugby but more importantly tactically inadequate rugby, its the same thing every match especially with gopperth at 10. not once under smicdhts reign was i nearly as bored as i was watching leinster play against ospreys last week which was mind numbingly boring. also its not as if they are winning ugly, were 5th in the pro 12 table which with the squad we have just isn’t acceptable, we are insanely lucky we have a relatively easy group in the champions cup, if we were swapped with ulster or munster theres not a hope we would get out of our group under O’connor.

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    Mute Oval Digest
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    Dec 4th 2014, 10:35 PM

    I think you’re missing my point a bit.

    I’m not saying I’m happy with how Leinster are playing at the minute. Now part of that is our coach, and part of it is borne of other factors (all of which you, and most ‘fans’ conveniently ignore).

    However, there’s nothing at all wrong with the comments above, in fact they’re exactly what you want to hear from your coach. In fact, there’s a good case to be made that playing ugly and winning at this time of the year is exactly what you want, and then to peak after the 6N.

    But no, of course anything our coach says has to be taken and shoehorned to fit a certain narrative.

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    Mute Oval Digest
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    Dec 4th 2014, 10:39 PM

    Just by way of making my point.

    The quote is “Winning ugly, winning pretty, is irrelevant to us. We’re intent on doing whatever it takes to get the result.”

    Does anyone commenting here remember the last time we played in the Stoop? How we ‘did whatever it took to get the result’ with a side studded with test talent?

    We won 6-5, defended for most of the game, won ugly and it was one of the most pivotal, satisfying and ‘ugly’ games I’ve ever seen.

    Jaysus some Leinster fans have short memories.

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    Mute Rob Kiersey
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    Dec 4th 2014, 11:37 PM

    Let’s not forget this coach has achieved very little with a European & Rabo Direct winning team he adopted. Yes he won the league last year just about helped mainly by the fact it was Drico’s swan song but he stamped his inferior bland Leicester Tigers philosophy early on in his reign and has continued to infect us with ineffective non inventive rugby ever since. He is entitled to use the winning ugly comment but as has been mentioned above he has not a lot to back this up with. We will win nothing this year and he will fade off into the sunset my hope is that Leinster Rugby foresaw this and have already started on his replacement because if they wait, what with the World Cup looming a lot of big names will still be contracted and we may miss the boat. We need a coach with a reputation to repair the damage that’s been done.

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    Mute Noggy
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    Dec 5th 2014, 7:49 AM

    Yes oval we do remember but that was not the norm. In that season and the previous ones before them Leinster mixed their styles and played some great attacking games and then when needed kept it tight or kicked more. This is not a one off and bar one game last season this limited game plan is all MOC can offer. And the worse thing it doesn’t suit Leinster and have been poor this season under this plan but MOC can’t change it as I fear he has no other ideas. He is no Cheiks, Joe or Williams who were all great past coaches and made a difference to Leinster.

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    Mute Alan Mulcahy
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    Dec 5th 2014, 9:57 PM

    That Cheika team could play the right game, appropriate to the conditions, to beat the opposition and won a beautiful grunt game with an incredible defence.
    The evidence to date under MOC is that Leinster are predictable, 1 dimensional & easy to defend against (with an inferior outhalf chosen above an international class outhalf).
    I hope I am wrong but I have low expectations this year even though I can see a clearly talented squad.
    Alan.

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    Mute Gavin Doyle
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    Dec 5th 2014, 5:08 AM

    Sometimes a can of cider can taste just as sweet as the finest champagne.

    The coach in his first year led us to a Pro12 League Title and a B&I Cup. Elimination in the Heineken was at the hands of the eventual champions, away from home. Most teams would kill for such a record in year one under new management.

    By all means, if the results go southwards in the next two weeks, feel free to vent your spleen. But till then shut up with the whinging about the lack of pretty rugby and get behind the team!

    There is a difference between being an armchair spectator and a die-hard supporter. Now is the time to back the coach, get to the matches and shout yourselves hoarse. Allez les Bleus!

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    Mute damian
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    Dec 6th 2014, 11:40 PM

    I think the fans have been backing the team. Sometimes you had to call a spade a spade. MOC isn’t good enough for Leinster. Toulon were always going to beat Leinster last year. The writing was on the wall this time 12 months ago in Lansdowne Road when Northampton came to town and tore Leinster a new one when they learned how to defeat the one dimensional rubbish that MOC serves up. No plan B = No trophies.

    Have Leinster/MOC learned anything or progressed in 12 months? You’d have to say No. No way whatsoever.

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    Mute Andrew Potts
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    Dec 5th 2014, 8:04 AM

    A coach for a ten man game plan and performed badly at that. Poor Jimmy no wonder his form is off with instructions to boot the ball up the field. Leinster might be good enough to get to the Pro 12 play offs but even if they get out of this pool they will be undone because the better teams will handle that game plan easily enough.
    Long ball MOC has taken a team that everyone feared in Europe and giving them the mentality of trying to pick up an away win. The decision not to go for the try at the end against Spreys shows the lack of intelligent ambition that has infected this side. It’s the little things that give you away.
    I would be quite happy for Dempsey to take over at this stage.

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    Mute David Murtagh
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    Dec 4th 2014, 11:58 PM

    He’s a good coach, but he’s doing my head in with Gopperth at 10. Madigan will have that extra burst of pace, that more precise kick-so he should be 10.
    But a positive I must admit is seeing Ed Byrne being thrown into the mix at hooker, bringing in the younger guys and they are performing. So onwards and upwards from here

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    Mute Donal Treacy
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    Dec 5th 2014, 9:17 AM

    Don’t forget in Schmidts final year with Leinster they failed to progress beyond the pool stages in Heineken Cup. They have lost Sexton, Nacewa and ODriscoll who were the spine of that backline. Last season O’Connor delivered a Pro12 trophy. Leinsters injury crisis this season has been staggering at times and results have suffered. I would be highly surprised if they are not in Heineken Cup knockouts and Pro12 playoffs minimum by years end.

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