Contepomi expecting ‘difficult’ Scots test

EDINBURGH may have lost two of their three games thus far this season, but Felipe Contepomi has warned that the Scots will pose a serious challenge to Leinster tomorrow evening.

After the Dragons struggled so badly at the RDS last weekend, Edinburgh will be expected to pose much more of a threat to the hosts.

Richard Cockerill’s side enjoyed a decent season last year, but they are yet to hit their stride in the new campaign, which Leinster will be very mindful of.

Leo Cullen knows the Edinburgh boss well from the pair’s time at Leicester and, like Contepomi, he is not underestimating the potential banana skin.

“Definitely they are a very, very difficult team to beat even though they have only won one game from three,” Contepomi (above) said.

“Two they have lost by one, two, three points and lastminute scores.

“They are definitely a very tough team and the key is to try to impose our style of rugby in being physical up front and trying to get dynamism and speed of game and release the backs when we can.

“Always, we need to be very accurate because they have a good set-piece, they have a good defensive structure.

“They play really well with ball in hand. They are a very interesting team to analyse.”

Last week’s man of the match Jamison Gibson-Park came in for plenty of praise after his two tries helped Leinster to a facile win over Bernard Jackman’s men.

And Contepomi, who has been working closely with the New Zealand born scrumhalf, believes that there is still plenty more to come from Gibson-Park.

“He is a good player – normally, I don’t like speaking about specific players,” the Argentinian maintained.

“Definitely, he has got traits from the southern hemisphere or New Zealand rugby. He is settling into the northern hemisphere, Irish, more physical rugby.

“If he can get sorted out in terms of trying to get that structure, but not losing the instructive part of his game.

“He is a really good player. It is interesting working with the other scrum-halves.

“He knows he has to improve in many things and he’s working hard to get there every day.”

Having settled back into the Leinster set-up as backs coach, Contepomi added that he felt comfortable in the environment.

“You are always trying to keep being creative and with the style or rugby we’ve got and with the players we’ve got, the rivals we are playing, the competitions we are playing, how to recreate it.

“From each game to each game we try not to change too much. We try to get better and add some things.

“It’s about trying to empower this team. It’s very successful but it still has very young players. We think they are the final product but they are not. They still have a lot to go and learn.”