L vs cardiff

uberwolf

just announced, no great surprises from last week press conference an hour or two ago avail here

just two changes in the replacements

jonno

Solid team again. Should see a win (+bonus point) but Cardiff will be up for it after their vistory against Biarritz.

uberwolf

have my tickets. Anyone else heading along to this?

kmart6

Brutal display by Leinster,Cardiff looked like they were going to score every time the got inside the Leinster '22.

Barly got the win.Were'nt clinical enough when they got to the line,to many droped ball's

Have to win the last match now

Cal

It was a great result considering the way Leinster played !! Some (but very few) good phases of play but for some reason they lost their ability to handle the ball when the Cardiff line was in sight. The Ohhhhh's and Ahhhhhhh's and grunts of frustration around Landsdowne Road were all too frequent.

Mind you the atmosphere was great and the rain held off. At the end of the day a win is a win. But a bonus point would have been nice.

Roll on the 31st and the return match with Biarritz Olympique. It shouldn't be a problem if they play like they can and did on the last hammering they gave them.

Cal.

jonno

A big problem for Leinster was and is that there is no out half that can kick for territory. Leek isn't up to it although he is a good running out half. The same with Warner although he can kick when he wants to.

As for the game tonight I thought some Leinster's play in the first half was brilliant but they were leaking at the back and so lost their advantage. They tightened up in the second half but after the shaky moments in the first half I always thought Cardiff would sneak a try. Again in the second half Leinster looked very dangerous going forward with Big Vic, Byrne, O'Kelly, D'Arcy and Burke looking very good. Miller was good while he was on and O Meara continued his form from the spot. Although the handling will have to be sorted out. It's not like them to be spilling so much ball and had they not tonight I would say that they would have had an easy win with a bonus point.

Anyway, the next round is a certainty now. Would like to see Sale do a job on Biarritz on Sunday, otherwise we have to win against them to ensure a home match in the next round.

uberwolf

Originally posted by Cal67

Mind you the atmosphere was great

do you really think so? I've never sone the ireland match thing there, yet. But i'm convinced I've experienced better atmospheres at SC finals. Nice touch handing out flags, i think it worked, but it'll take a while to transfer the donnybrook mentality out.

Cal

do you really think so? I've never sone the ireland match thing there, yet. But i'm convinced I've experienced better atmospheres at SC finals. Nice touch handing out flags, i think it worked, but it'll take a while to transfer the donnybrook mentality out.

Agreed with the Donnybrook mentality thing, we're still along way from that level of athmosphere. And the athmosphere was nothing compared to a national team match (except mabey against Itlaly) But We did it as a family outing and the facepainting and flags were a nice touch and the game gave lots of reason for raised voices. Mabey I should have qualified my statement by saying it was a great family athmosphere.:D

Cal

uberwolf

yeah the kids seemed to be having a good time, which is verypositive. other than the school kids section refusing to shut up during place kicks. for either side. If I got my hands on them...


...I'd ask them to be quiet

GreenHell

Aww leinster won and there was me hoping ye'd lose and have to travel down the road for a quarter final in thomond. I'd pay big money to have seen that. Oh well.

Leinster under performed, Cardiff well its always niece to see a welsh team perform.

SAXA

Nice atmosphere ..... Its not meant to be nice !!! It's meant to be hostile frightening uplifting encouraging hellish and most of all a fortress. Not ..eh... nice. Go to a Game in TP or Ravenhill and see what is expected of home support. The crowd should be the 16th man and the team an extension of the crowd. For 80 mins the away team should pray for their lives and wish for the safety of the dressing rooms. After the match you can be ....nice

Trojan

Hmmm, were you guys at a different game? The atmosphere was terrible! That game would have put me off rugby for life if I was a new fan. As I said to many Munster and fellow Connacht supporters, "Glad I'm a neutral". This was rugby at its most diabolically boring and unentertaining for years - it was on a par with the 6-all draw with Scotland years ago, possibly worse.

The Leinster spin-doctors have worked their magic up to now, but I don't see them getting past the next round, sadly.

Al.

uberwolf

thats closer to what i thought. Poor enuff rugby(5 day turnaround) but I felt embarrased cheering and shouting, which should be imposs, just that dead. I reckon its more down to teh crowd adjusting, not really having a leader. SCT always had cheerleaders (not birds) something like that might encourage crowd, lads there with drums or whatever, encouraging crowd. Oughtn't be nessacary, but it might be