Press Pass: Chrystie on Leinster

• 1 Nov 2023
• News

Get the latest from Skills and Assistant Attack Coach Rob Chrystie as he spoke to media ahead of Saturday’s BKT United Rugby Championship fixture away to Leinster on Saturday 4 November (kick-off 3.05pm) – live on Viaplay.

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On the return of Duhan van der Merwe and Pierre Schoeman

“We’ll see where we end up – the team has not been announced yet.

“They’ve added loads to training. They’ve come back in and they look really keen to get going, which is excellent to see, and they’ve definitely added to the group.”

On the possibility of selection and Van der Merwe and Schoeman being involved

“We challenged the guys who were not away at the World Cup – we said: ‘we’ve got to make it tough for these guys when they come back, create competition for places and drive the standards’ – and they’ve definitely done that.

“As a result of getting over the line, it has created competition for places. But we know where we’re at. We’ve got a lot to work on.”

On Ben Healy’s start at the club

“Ben has been excellent. He definitely knows his rugby. You can tell he studies the game. He’s added loads to the group.

“He’s got good balance with being vocal as well. I think he’s done it in a really good way, and ultimately if you want to step in and drive the bus you’ve got to perform – and I think he’s performed pretty well so far. He’s done well.”

On Matt Currie’s promising start to the season

“Yeah, Matt has done well. He’s definitely set the standards pretty high in that midfield, in a competitive area.

“He’s got huge potential and hopefully can really kick on this year. Last year was a little bit of a stop-start season for him.

“He’s also been playing a little bit at 12 and he’s more used to playing at 13. So he’s shown his versatility as well.”

On his new role as Skills and Assistant Attack Coach

“It’s lovely. It’s been really good. I moved up the road from Melrose and the Southern Knights and it’s been really good for me to watch and learn off different people – I was in an environment there for a good 10 to 12 years.

“I learned a lot from Mike Blair. But the coaching group here is really strong with now Sean coming in. I’m learning a lot from it, and to be fair to Sean he has given me a lot of responsibility, which I’m relishing and enjoying.”

On Sean Everitt’s stats-based approach to the game

“What we’ve worked on is a game model that’s based on what we believe will work for the group, first and foremost. Yes, we can look at stats, but you’ve got to look at what we’ve got here as well.

“We’ve based our game model on the group around some statistics, but at the end of the day they’re playing rugby. From my point of view they’ve still got freedom to play what they see, and that’s really important.”

On Emiliano Boffelli’s eventual return to the club

“We’ll see when Boff gets back. He’s had a tough shift at the World Cup and he definitely deserves a little bit of a break.

“But he’s keen to get back in amongst it as well. We’ve got a big run of games coming up and it is going to take everybody to be involved.

“When we get these guys all back together training the standards are going to get higher and higher, which is exactly what we want.”