Connacht tasked with breaching mean Leinster defence

Cracking the miserly Jacques Nienaber defence will be the big challenge for Connacht as they welcome league leaders Leinster to Galway (7.35pm).

Under the expert tutelage of the man who guided South Africa to World Cup glory last year, Leinster have conceded just three tries in their last three matches, two of which came in last weekend's 26-12 win over Munster.

So Connacht coach Pete Wilkins is well aware of the task facing his troops as they take on the table toppers, who have racked up maximum points so far this season.

"There is such a clear identity to their defensive structure and intent, so it's about being good enough to deal with it," said the Englishman, whose side lost 32-27 to Ulster last Saturday.

"It requires calm heads and a lot of accuracy to get either through it or around it. It's a brilliant challenge for us."

Outlining Nienaber’s impact, Leinster captain Caelan Doris (above, r) said: "Our defence has been a good area of growth.

"There’s a clarity and understanding with Jacques’s plan, so that’s been good. He’s brought an extra level of aggression and the mindset of wanting to suffocate teams and using our defence as a weapon to get the ball back.

"He’s a great fella to have around. He’s very energetic, enthusiastic, he enjoys a pint and he’s just good for the environment in general."

Against Munster, Leinster missed 27 tackles but attack coach Tyler Bleyendaal (below) was keen to point out that the net result of the rush is positive.

He told RTÉ Sport: "The understanding for us is that if you are getting far enough up the field with a bit of linespeed, you're gonna miss tackles 'cos you are trying to be aggressive with that linespeed but the end result, the reality is that often the opposition haven’t made the