Keith Wood says Leinster will have to vastly improve come the semi-finals of the Champions Cup after their last-8 victory over Bath this afternoon.
Keith, Liam Toland and Gavin Duffy joined Dave and Ger for Off The Ball's live coverage at the Aviva Stadium today and after the match the 2001 world player-of-the-year looked forward to a game against either favourites Toulon or Wasps, who play tomorrow.
"They know they need to be an awful lot sharper in a couple of weeks' time," Keith said. "They'll be very, very happy with the fact that they got out of dodge.
"It’s hard when you're criticising. It was good enough to get through today, but only just.
"Leinster looked to play to win the game. They didn't try to take a risk ... they spent no time in Bath's 22.
Keith added: "I would say the one word that sticks for me is 'energy'. In defence and attack I thought Leinster were low in energy. Which players stood out for Leinster? But they won."
To borrow a US term, Pre-game show underway on @offtheball with @gergilroy @LiamToland7 @gavduffy15 and Keith Wood pic.twitter.com/TJJHxdr89C
— David McIntyre (@DaveMcIntyreNT) April 4, 2015
Gavin was on the touchline for the game and said that "the whole Leinster bench were off their feet" at the final whistle while "the Bath lads looked devastated".
"There was precious little skill from Leinster," said Liam. "They'll have to up their game against Toulon.
"You get a sense that Leinster have lost about as many players as they can afford to lose.
"From a positive point of view, they made the scrum part of their armoury."
Liam also thinks Matt O'Connor should play his first-choice XV against Dragons next weekend. "That team needs to play again," he said. "No amount of training can replicate the match."
He added: "I don't think they can go toe-to-toe with Toulon. That will probably force Leinster's hand a bit and force them to go wider."
Ian Madigan kicks a penalty against Bath (Inpho)
