Wasps scrum-half Eoin Reddan is homing in on an away win against Leinster in the Heineken Cup on Saturday.
Irish scrum-half eyes RDS success
Wasps scrum-half Eoin Reddan is homing in on an away win against Leinster in the Heineken Cup on Saturday.
Reddan, who came close to joining Leinster in the summer, now faces the Magners League champions in this weekend's Pool Two clash.
And although the Irish international admitted his performance will be under close inspection in his native country, the 27-year-old is only concerned with the team result.
"I am going back to my homeland and, yes, I will be judged," Reddan told the
Irish Times.
"This is an important stage to perform on, but the game is more important than any individual because so much is riding on this one match.
"It's huge for both teams in this tournament. I am not saying we would be out of things if we lost but it's a massive opportunity to push on and put the pressure on Leinster for the rest of the pool matches."
The Castres win in the opening round of Heineken Cup fixtures came as a respite for Wasps after their poor start to their domestic campaign, but Reddan knows Saturday's game will be a tougher encounter.
Challenge
"Leinster are an entirely different challenge because they are on fire at the moment and a great side," he said.
"The Castres game was a 'must win' and I couldn't wait for it to come along because I knew it would get everyone together. We are professionals and a proud bunch of guys and we are not happy with just raising our game for big ones like the Heineken Cup.
"That is something we are building towards after a shaky start and now the intensity is going to up again for Leinster."
Reddan, who will be looking to add to his 12 caps in the upcoming internationals against Canada, New Zealand and Argentina, insists playing for Wasps will not hamper his Ireland chances.
"I have never had a problem with Ireland in terms of playing my rugby in England because I believe that if I am playing well then I will be picked," he said.
"I am very careful not to put up any barriers because you only need to lose your head once and say you are not being selected for this or that reason and then you are a goner.
"You cannot worry about what you cannot control - the only aim is to play as well as possible and let things develop."
