Chop king Will Connors aims to carry his way into Champions Cup final
"To shift out for the last game was obviously tough," said the Leinster back row
Leinster's chop king says that some carry on can win him his place back for the Champions Cup final against Toulouse.
Will Connors has only started two games in Europe this season - starring in both wins over La Rochelle.
The back row's chop tackling ability allowed him to ceaselessly stop the French team's big ball carriers at source.
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But Connors was omitted from the squad that beat Northampton in last Saturday's semi-final, with Leo Cullen insisting he was "very unlucky" to miss out.
"Yeah, it’s difficult," said Connors. "I kind of fitted that La Rochelle game to an extent and then to shift out for the last game was obviously tough."
The Kildare man perceives a feeling out there that his big strength is in that defensive aspect.
Even if that is over-egging the pudding, he knows that he must show Cullen and his backroom team that there is more to his game.
"It’s only when I sit down here and have these conversations (with media)...all I’m being asked is chop tackling," laughed Connors.
"I’ve grown to see the perception around me as a player is around the defensive area, around the chop tackling.
"The coaches have been good in terms of giving me confidence with carrying and all that. I do back myself as a carrier.
"Everyone has areas they need to keep working on and that is one I need to keep pushing."
Connors claims that he didn't go banging on the coaches doors after he missed the Croke Park semi-final, acknowledging there were tight calls to be made on such a big week.
"You don’t want to be pushing too hard at it," he said. "I was under the impression to push harder on the carrying, get that working going forward.
"It’s something I’ve been working on this year and it’s come to fruition in a few games. It’s something I keep driving and trying to get better at."
In his own position, Josh van der Flier swivelled mid-career to become a hugely effective ball carrier.
Connors will continue to work on it in training, but added: "It’s a funny one, a lot of it is just being in the right place at the right time.
"You could be on that inside runner the whole time and you may never get the ball, but then in another game, you end up being the main ball-carrier, taking on 10-15 carries.
"And you’re like, ‘Jaysus I wouldn’t mind being that inside man for a minute’.
"But that’s sometimes just how games pan out. And it’s being able to get that right."
Connors is likely to start against Ospreys at the RDS on Saturday night, as Leinster look to regain lost ground in the URC after two defeats in South Africa.
The 28-year-old wants to use the opportunity to put his name on the pot for the final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
If Leinster go back to the 6-2 bench split they used against La Rochelle but not last weekend, it would definitely help his cause.
"Nobody’s place on the team is ever cemented down and that’s the beauty of this squad," Connors said.
"We have within each position so much strength in depth, everyone is pushing each other and there are no guarantees any week.
"That’s why in the next two weeks of the URC, it’s important that you take every chance you get and put your best foot forward. Everyone wants to be on that plane to London.
"In the meantime, we need to put ourselves in a strong position because we want to get those home games in the URC (playoffs)."
But Connors did make sure to talk to Cullen about his future before recently signing a new deal.
"The reality is you need to have those conversations and it is important to have them," he said.
"When it comes to it, you need to figure out where you fit in the plan going forward, because it is so competitive.
"If there was a plan for you not to be playing in the future, it would be madness to stay on.
"But through the conversations I had with him and (the other coaches), it just felt like it was the right fit to give it another crack and keep going forward.
"I’m delighted to have signed on. Because hopefully with what is coming down the tracks in the future, and you’re going to work with your best mates every day, it’s a joy."
The nine-times capped Connors added: "When these decisions come around, you do have to kind of see what else is around. I was keeping an eye out.
"But when Leinster came and eventually offered me something, it was something that I jumped at to be honest.
"It’s an unusual one with Leinster. When you’re growing up playing for this club, watching them the whole way through, there’s always that identity - it needs to be something where you really, really want to move.
"When you're amongst your best mates, when you’re playing, it’s a tough place to leave, especially when we’re going as well as we’re going.
"There was obviously a bit of deliberation, there was nothing in front of me for a while.
"And I was just, with injury and stuff, I had to get a few games under my belt. But once it came through, I was fairly happy to commit to it."
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