Leinster head coach Matt O'Connor insists that Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt had no influence on Ian Madigan's recent run of games at out-half.

Responding to a question about the run of games that the Ireland international has had at 10 of late and whether Schmidt has had a say, O'Connor replied: "He doesn't have a say in our environment."

Speaking at today's pre-match press conference ahead of the Castres clash in the Champions Cup, O'Connor refused to be drawn on who he would start at out-half on Saturday, with Ian Madigan and Jimmy Gopperth both vying for the shirt.

"Because of circumstance, Mads got a couple of games at 10 because we needed him to play there," said O'Connor.

"He hadn't played there because of circumstance and because of the injuries we've had in the midfield. He didn't get the opportunities we would have liked earlier in the season. So we need to cover all bases and there was a little bit of a spin onto Ireland and giving Ian an opportunity to push his claims over Christmas."