Hi °C | Lo °C In a week that has seen Irish rugby dominated by talk about coaches, Leinster's man in charge Michael Cheika was putting more immediate concerns to the fore - beating Ulster at the RDS on Boxing Day.
Cheika's future is itself far from certain, particularly after last Saturday's defeat to Edinburgh virtually extinguished Leinster's Heineken Cup campaign.
It seems a new deal has been drawn up by the Leinster Branch, but whether he or indeed the Branch want to go through with it now is another matter.
The key factor may lie in whether Leinster push on from their position as leaders of the Magners League and become champions.
Cheika's side currently lead the table by a point from Cardiff having played one game more.
And if they are serious about becoming champions, the visit of the bottom-placed side to the RDS on Wednesday is simply a must-win proposition.
Consequently, despite Leinster's past indifference to the Celtic tournament, Cheika says that motivation will not be a problem.
"It was like a morgue afterwards and for the next couple of days," said Cheika.
"You can't hide from it; you've got to go through the video and analyse what we did technically wrong and where we were mentally on the day.
"So the mood is bad, but, in saying that, it's a football club and we've got to play every week and we're still very motivated.
"There may have been a culture here before that the Heineken Cup is everything, and it is very important, but we've still got a lot to do this season so motivation is not hard to find at all."
Cheika will have to do without the services of Shane Horgan however as the Ireland wing is ruled out with a rib injury that is likely to keep him out of action for a couple of weeks.
Moreover, on the evidene of the defeat at Murrayfield, it seems Cheika needs to sort out a few mental issues.
"Obviously, we've had a few problems up there in Murrayfield but you can't blame it on the grass or the empty stadium," he added.
"I don't think it's a psychological theme. In rugby, both teams come out wanting to win. No player comes out saying 'I'm demotivated for this game' but it's about putting that onto the paddock week-in, week-out."
Ulster can take heart from the fact that Leinster and Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll looks well off his game and he admitted an ankle injury has been causing him problems.
"The games are coming thick and fast and I need to reassess," said O'Driscoll.
"I don't fancy playing a season with a niggly injury and it's something that can always play on your mind. I'm not making excuses for myself but maybe that's a reason I haven't been hitting any real form this year.
"Rest would probably be the ideal solution but with the Ulster game and the two European games in January there mightn't be too much of a chance of that."
As for the prospect of facing an Ulster side backed into a corner and with nothing to lose, O'Driscoll was wary, having seen his side throw away a comfortable lead to draw 16-16 at Ravenhill in October.
"I don't know about Ulster being rock bottom; they have issues for themselves but it's going to be the same as any other inter-rovincial match; it's going to be very difficult for us," said O'Driscoll.
"Inter-pros are always hard-fought affairs, irrespective of the form the teams are in, so I don't envisage any type of cricket scoreline; it will be a close, tight affair."
Ulster will name their squad today, with caretaker coach Steve Williams unlikely to make many changes.
LEINSTER: J Gomez, C Healy, O le Roux, B Blaney, B Jackman, S Knoop, S Wright, L Cullen, C Jowitt, M O'Kelly, K Gleeson, S Jennings, S Keogh, J Heaslip, C Keane, C Willis, G Easterby, F Contepomi, J Sexton, C Warner, G D'Arcy, B O'Driscoll, G Brown, L Fitzgerald, R Kearney, G Dempsey.
