Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

wixfjord

Is there actually anything to be said about his attitude, or is it all from that incident with the guard that I believe nothing came of?

[Jackass]

Really a shame RE JHW. I think the guy did very well and there must be more behind the scenes than we know, to drop behind Dundon and Sexton as well as the Strauss and the arrival of Cronin.

Has done well whenever I've seen him and is one that got away from his potential at Leinster.

Best of luck to him anyway, and would like to think the door is always open if he makes enough progress and we're in the market for a hooker in the future.

CatFromHue

Can anyone remember when Dundon joined the squad last season as I think JHW has always been behind him since he joined.

WeeBushy

CatFromHue wrote: »

Can anyone remember when Dundon joined the squad last season as I think JHW has always been behind him since he joined.

It was about 2/3 of the way through the season afair.

molloyjh

totallegend wrote: »

O'Brien likely to return, Reddan a doubt with illness:
http://irishexaminer.ie/sport/rugby/obrien-looks-set-to-face-munster-172535.html

Reddan missing out wouldn't be a disaster, Boss looked sharp against Edinburgh, but it would have been good to give as many people as possible some game time before the HC.

That's not good news at all. With Reddan out we better hope nothing happens to Boss. There's no way Cooney could come into this one really.

GerM wrote: »

Rumour that JHW has signed for Bristol on LF. All the best, if true. Quite the step down for him but he should get regular game time there and he's young. Bristol are top of the Championship currently so it's feasible that he could be starting in a Premiership side this time next year.

The guy seems to have the skills and I know Jackman really rated him. Hopefully he can get what he needs out of Bristol and push on from where he is.

irishbucsfan

Boss started the last time we beat them, but I am very worried about Cooneys ability to come into the game. Hopefully Reddan will be fit enough for the bench or Cooney will improve drastically if he's needed.

.ak

That might be good for JHW to get some game time, but for a purely selfish point of view I can't say I'm happy about the move if it's true - if he starts playing well in England I fear he'll become another one of those 'out of sight, out of mind' players....

bamboozle

CatFromHue wrote: »

Can anyone remember when Dundon joined the squad last season as I think JHW has always been behind him since he joined.

He joined when Tom Sexton (Lansdowne & irish U20 from prev season) got injured leaving Leinster with only Strauss & JHW fit, Fogarty had retired at start of last season so Leinster were hard up for hookers as it was.

Dundon's been a class act at AIL level for Clontarf.

JHW will come good, he just needs game time, when he's played for Tarf this season he's been forcing him game a bit too much.

durkadurka

Bod available to play apparently.

Quint2010

durkadurka wrote: »

Bod available to play apparently.

If BOD wants to play he will. End of.

PhatPiggins

GerM wrote: »

Rumour that JHW has signed for Bristol on LF. All the best, if true. Quite the step down for him but he should get regular game time there and he's young. Bristol are top of the Championship currently so it's feasible that he could be starting in a Premiership side this time next year.

Do you think? He only seemed to make the Leinster squads due to spates of injuries. I think he's either too small and/or crap.

ongarite

45,000 tickets sold for the Munster game so far.
Should make for a cracking atmosphere.

.ak

thomond2006 wrote: »

Looks like the Aviva will be close to a sellout, 41,500 tickets sold. A lot f €20 tickets left which might get snapped up.

2 more sleeps and we're at 45k... Including the next two days and people turning up at the stadium we could be very close to a sell out indeed....

Hope all the ST holders turn up...

tolosenc

PhatPiggins wrote: »

Do you think? He only seemed to make the Leinster squads due to spates of injuries. I think he's either too small and/or crap.

I think the comment was that Leinster->Bristol is a step down. Which it is.

The kid has got talent, and is built like Richardt Strauss. He apparently has attitude issues which haven't helped him solidify his place in the team. I'd have been happier to see him go to France and be whipped into shape. But if he can get himself sorted he has all the potential.

PhatPiggins

tolosenc wrote: »

I think the comment was that Leinster->Bristol is a step down. Which it is.

The kid has got talent, and is built like Richardt Strauss. He apparently has attitude issues which haven't helped him solidify his place in the team. I'd have been happier to see him go to France and be whipped into shape. But if he can get himself sorted he has all the potential.

Its a step down if he's a Leinster regular but he wouldn't be within an asses roar of the Leinster team this year. But fair play to him for taking the plunge far too many of the Leinster never quite going to make it players refuse to move to other teams.

My all be it limited knowledge of JHW from seeing him play for Leinster, good lineout thrower, but not great in the scrums, fast around the park and looks like a good carrier but only in space. Got creamed any time I saw him carry it into contact.

WeeBushy

Leinster team announced:

Leo Cullen leads a Leinster team which includes 13 Ireland internationals for the visit of Munster including Wexford centre Gordon D'Arcy who is one of five players in total - including the back-row trio of Jamie Heaslip, Shane Jennings and Sean O'Brien as well as prop Cian Healy - to make their seasonal debuts for the province after their involvement in the Rugby World Cup. Isaac Boss again partners Jonathan Sexton at half back, with D'Arcy linking up with Fergus McFadden at centre, with Isa Nacewa returning to the wing after being rested last week.
Up front, Healy joins Richardt Strauss and Mike Ross in the front row with skipper Cullen starting at second row alongside Devin Toner. Brian O'Driscoll, after further testing, has been given an extra week to recover from the 'stinger' he suffered during the World Cup.

The likes of Sean Cronin, Kevin McLaughlin, Eoin Reddan and Rhys Ruddock are included on the Leinster replacements bench for the game which is already set to be played in front of over 46,000 supporters and counting, making it the third largest attendance in league history.

LEINSTER:
15: Rob Kearney
14: Isa Nacewa
13: Fergus McFadden
12: Gordon D'Arcy
11: Luke Fitzgerald
10: Jonathan Sexton
9: Isaac Boss
1: Cian Healy
2: Richardt Strauss
3: Mike Ross
4: Leo Cullen CAPTAIN
5: Devin Toner
6: Sean O'Brien
7: Shane Jennings
8: Jamie Heaslip
REPLACEMENTS:
16: Sean Cronin
17: Heinke van der Merwe
18: Jamie Hagan
19: Kevin McLaughlin
20: Rhys Ruddock
21: Eoin Reddan
22: Ian Madigan
23: Eoin O'Malley
REFEREE: Pascal Gauzere (FFR), ASSISTANT REFEREES: David Wilkinson, Simon McDowell (both IRFU), 4th OFFICIAL: John Montayne (Leinster Rugby Referees), 5th OFFICIAL: Tom Tuohy (Leinster Rugby Referees), TMO: Marshall Kilgore (IRFU)

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/matchcentre/8783.php

totallegend

Team announced!

LEINSTER:
15: Rob Kearney
14: Isa Nacewa
13: Fergus McFadden
12: Gordon D'Arcy
11: Luke Fitzgerald
10: Jonathan Sexton
9: Isaac Boss
1: Cian Healy
2: Richardt Strauss
3: Mike Ross
4: Leo Cullen CAPTAIN
5: Devin Toner
6: Sean O'Brien
7: Shane Jennings
8: Jamie Heaslip
REPLACEMENTS:
16: Sean Cronin
17: Heinke van der Merwe
18: Jamie Hagan
19: Kevin McLaughlin
20: Rhys Ruddock
21: Eoin Reddan
22: Ian Madigan
23: Eoin O'Malley

wixfjord

No BOD eh.

Talking points:
Boss starts
RK full back
Locky covers SR on the bench
Ferg as a 13

WeeBushy

Also Ruddock over Ryan on the bench.

wixfjord

WeeBushy wrote: »

Also Ruddock over Ryan on the bench.

Yes, missed that, I'm a little peeved at that, but horses for courses I suppose.

totallegend

Hmmm, a few too many seasonal debuts for my liking, notably the entire back row. Have to say I'm disappointed that Ryan misses out completely, thought he has been good so far this year.
Interesting that Kev is picked ahead of Sykes, maybe they don't expect to get 80 minutes out of the back-rowers and want as much cover as possible.
Would liked to have seen Luke at centre but once BOD was ruled out that was not going to happen, a partnership of McFadden and Fitz would be a bit radical for this match.

wixfjord

Munster:

Munster. J Murphy; D Howlett, W Chambers, L Mafi, K Earls; R O'Gara, C Murray; W du Preez, D Varley, BJ Botha; D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell capt; D Ryan, N Ronan, D Leamy. Replacements. D Fogarty, M Horan, J Hayes, P O'Mahony, J Coughlan, T O'Leary, I Keatley, D Barnes.

justsomebloke

totallegend wrote: »

Hmmm, a few too many seasonal debuts for my liking

better now then next week though.

wixfjord

That back row and centre partnership is there for the taking imo.


No second row cover on the bench for either side.

Burgo

totallegend wrote: »

Hmmm, a few too many seasonal debuts for my liking, notably the entire back row. Have to say I'm disappointed that Ryan misses out completely, thought he has been good so far this year.
Interesting that Kev is picked ahead of Sykes, maybe they don't expect to get 80 minutes out of the back-rowers and want as much cover as possible.
Would liked to have seen Luke at centre but once BOD was ruled out that was not going to happen, a partnership of McFadden and Fitz would be a bit radical for this match.

Fitz and McFadden would have been an interesting one to see for sure, guess we'll have to wait a while to see. A little surprised Rob is starting, thought after last weeks poor showing Isa would be the FB tomorrow.

CIARAN_BOYLE

Burgo wrote: »

Fitz and McFadden would have been an interesting one to see for sure, guess we'll have to wait a while to see. A little surprised Rob is starting, thought after last weeks poor showing Isa would be the FB tomorrow.

and who would you have played at 14?? Carr has been poor all season, Rob Kearney is worse on the wing and D Kearney was also poor last week. Play McFadden at 14 and EOM at 13 maybe with Rob on the bench?

justsomebloke

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

and who would you have played at 14?? Carr has been poor all season, Rob Kearney is worse on the wing and D Kearney was also poor last week. Play McFadden at 14 and EOM at 13 maybe with Rob on the bench?

sure when berquist comes back from injury we could always give sexton a go at 12

irishbucsfan

Niall Ronan v. Shane Jennings

Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Very interesting that Locky is on the bench. Maybe this will be the season we see him switch to the row more permanently.

Can't wait for this game now.

LeeroyJones

Any word as to whether or not Sykes picked up an injury over the week or has McLaughlin just taken his place on the bench?
I feel if Locky has any future at Leinster it will have to be at second-row.

wixfjord

That backrow battle if mouthwatering for me tbh.

Only place I think we're a little light is 9 (presuming Redders is ill) and second row, but Varley and Strauss may even that out.