Leinster focused on avoiding Champions Cup knockout blow, says Robbie Henshaw
The Ireland centre says the Blues are 'ready for a punch in the face' against Leicester as he relishes rare game time in an injury-hit campaign
Leinster's Robbie Henshaw in action against Connacht in the round of 16 clash at the Aviva Stadium (Image: ©INPHO/James Crombie)
Robbie Henshaw claims that Leinster are ready to roll with the punches at Welford Road.
The Ireland centre insists that the Blues have learned the hard way that they must be ruthless against Premiership leaders Leicester Tigers with a place in the Champions Cup semis up for grabs.
And Henshaw predicts Leinster have the ammunition to do just that after the frontliners stayed at home over the past fortnight to focus on the Tigers while their colleagues played two URC games in South Africa.
"Absolutely, we're 100% able to do it," said Henshaw. "This will be tested this week.
"I've heard it from many a coach, you'll never play the perfect game. It's never perfect - you need to be ready for things to not go your way.
"Be ready for a punch in the face, that's what they say.
"So I think that's the beauty of these games, when things don't go right, you need to be able to respond and that will be a challenge this week.
"If we do get it right, it will go well for us - but if some things don't go right, we'll need to be ready to respond."
Four years on from their final triumph, the Blues have had Euro heartbreak against Saracens (twice) and La Rochelle to reflect on in the build-up to this massive last eight collision.
The narrative is that the Blues were out-muscled on all three occasions - in a quarter-final and final against Sarries, and last year's semi-final against La Rochelle.
But Henshaw concedes that Leo Cullen's men were also out-smarted, particularly against Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle last year.
And that can't happen again on Saturday.
"Yeah, you're definitely right there," said the Ireland centre. "I think the physical side is one thing.
"But looking back, at La Rochelle, we had our opportunities in the first half to get more points, to get more tries and we probably didn't take them.
"And I think these big games, these crunch games, knockout rugby, you need to really be on it and you need to take your opportunities and that's it, that's kind of the story of the game last year.
"We didn't take them and then they got their backs up just before half-time and got a bit of a roll on and that kind of cost us in the end.
"When we get our opportunities, we need to nail it."
Henshaw says that Leinster know their opponents "inside out" at this stage, and have had the legs "ran off us" by Stuart Lancaster in preparation for what's to come as the Tigers will come in battle-hardened by their Premiership schedule.
But he added: "We know them now and we respect them but now it's more flip the page to us and what we're going to bring.
"We just need to be across our work, and be ready to front up and hit them on the gain line."
Henshaw looked like a man on a mission against his former team Connacht in the last round in Europe.
No wonder - his appearances at the Sportsground and the Aviva Stadium were only his fifth and sixth for Leinster in a frustrating, injury-hit season after the highs of the previous campaign earned him a central role with the Lions in South Africa.
"I haven't played a whole lot," acknowledged the 28-year-old, who has also made two starts in five Test appearances this term.
"It has been an up and down one for me, kind of a stop-start.
"Definitely a bit of frustration, but I just have to stick to the process and trust that it will come good and have a strong finish to the season.
"That's what I've been looking forward to. Connacht was a funny one. We were up against it in Galway and that was a different experience for me, because I played there for so long and that was my first game back there.
"It was hostile and I felt the full heat of the Sportsground. There was that element of a bit of frustration from that game and definitely brought it through to the Aviva.
"We knew we had to do better than what we did in Galway. Thankfully, we did up it a few gears and that showed in our performance."
Connacht had also faced Leicester in Europe this year and put it up to the Premiership leaders home and away, and Henshaw admits there is encouragement to be taken from the westerners' display at Welford Road.
"Definitely," he said. "We've managed to have a good look at a lot of the games. There's good areas and good opportunities for us, for our attack.
"Connacht definitely exploited them with some of their starter plays and with some of their phase play stuff. We've had a good look and we know if we apply our game plan on them, we can cause them some trouble."
Coming into the business end of the season, Henshaw is flying fit.
"I'm feeling really fresh," he said. "That's what I'm saying to myself, it has been good.
"I can definitely attack this last block and really be fresh for the upcoming games. There's still a good few games to play. If we go on and do what we want to do. It's positive."
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