London Wasps' only meeting with Leinster in the Heineken Cup came two seasons ago when we won a bruising encounter convincingly in the quarter final stages at Adams Park.

In the months prior to that game Wasps had been blowing hot and cold, only securing qualification during the last round of pool matches. Few expected a successful Heineken Cup campaign that season. The key to Wasps win was raising the speed and intensity of the forwards after the break, as James Haskell and Eoin Reddan ran riot.

This time round, Wasps have had a similarly faltering start to the season. Having failed to secure a bonus point last weekend, we must combat Leinster's free-flowing backs and earn at least one point. Four points has to be the target, though, with back-to-back matches against a dangerous Edinburgh to come in December.

Ian McGeechan has been talking of the need for solidarity in the Lions camp for next summer's trip to South Africa. Several Wasps coaches, a player and technical staff from the vintage of 2004 look set to be pencilled for that sojourn. Wasps of the 2008 vintage would likewise do well to raise their level of cohesion to the level on show in Dublin in April, 2004.

With Danny Cipriani back as playmaker, and Josh Lewsey fulfilling the much missed Fraser Waters' role of coordinator of offensive defence, there are signs that Wasps are almost in the kind of shape to cause an away upset.

What of our opponents? They defeated Edinburgh 27-16 last weekend with a four try romp, something Wasps can't boast in recent years. A fit again Malcolm O’Kelly is the only change. Rocky Elsom beefs up the back-row alongside Shane Jennings and Jamie Heaslip. Prop CJ van der Linde fronts up an impressive tight unit. Leinster are not the mugs we saw at Adams Park 18 months ago.

As for the backs, Felipe Contepomi, Brian O’Driscoll, Shane Horgan and Girvan Dempsey have an impressive strike rate between them. 18,000 spectators are expected at the RDS. It looks like this should be a cracker.

Leinster ought to win. Wasps just might dog out an unexpected win, but it needs the likes of Haskell, Rees and Worsley to keep the tempo high...

Leinster: 15 Girvan Dempsey; 14 Shane Horgan, 13 Brian O’Driscoll, 12 Luke Fitzgerald, 11 Rob Kearney; 10 Felipe Contepomi, 9 Chris Whitaker; 1 Stan Wright, 2 Bernard Jackman, 3 CJ van der Linde, 4 Leo Cullen (Capt.), 5 Malcolm O’Kelly, 6 Rocky Elsom, 7 Shane Jennings, 8 Jamie Heaslip

Bench: 16 John Fogarty, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Devin Toner, 19 Stephen Keogh, 20 Chris Keane, 21 Jonathan Sexton, 22 Gary Brown

Wasps: 15 Jeremy Staunton; 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Josh Lewsey, 12 Riki Flutey, 11 Tom Voyce; 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Eoin Reddan; 1 Tim Payne, 2 Raphael Ibanez (Capt.), 3 Phil Vickery, 4 Simon Shaw, 5 Tom Palmer, 6 James Haskell, 7 Tom Rees, 8 Joe Worsley

Bench: 16 Rob Webber, 17 Pat Barnard, 18 Richard Birkett, 19 Serge Betsen, 20 Mark Robinson, 21 Mark Van Gisbergen, 22 John Hart

Kick-off: Saturday at 5.30pm (on Sky Sports 2)

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