Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

GerM

CouchSmart wrote: »

Have to say I was slightly disappointed with McLaughlin. He didn't have much impact in the lineout which is something I reckon he's starting for and he seemed to be receiving the ball far too deep to make the gain line. Jennings looked really hungry when he came so there's definitely options in the backrow.

Would agree with nearly everything you said CS, except this. I thought McLaughlin was solid. He doesn't really hammer into contact and doesn't dominate the tackle as a man of his size should but I'll let him away with that as he rarely knocks on or makes a bad decision. His line out work wasn't notable but he was sent out there to do a job on Richie Gray and, for me, mission accomplished. People were talking up the Toner/Gray battle beforehand but that never really took place. McLaughlin was the one that tracked him up and down the line and I think Kellock was forced to call very little ball to Gray as a result. Also, at the restarts, where Gray is a real menace due to his pace and height, we put McLaughlin on his own standing in front of the jumping pod. I counted 3 times (I think) where he secured ball back to our side under pressure from Gray at restarts in the first half. Also, very high tackle count considering he was only on the field for about an hour.

All in all, a decent days work but nothing spectacular. He was sent out to do a job and he did it. I think the fact that he was notably tracking Gray at the set piece says a lot about the esteem that the coaching staff hold him in as a line out man. But it's great to have options. Ruddock and Jennings both came in and did well although the overall accuracy of our play had disintegrated at that point.

.ak

Good little LTV interview with Lukey. Nice to hear him talking about being humble etc., etc. Not something you would've previously associated with Fitzy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6ITba9p4uI

vinny chase

.ak wrote: »

Good little LTV interview with Lukey. Nice to hear him talking about being humble etc., etc. Not something you would've previously associated with Fitzy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6ITba9p4uI

I dunno if that's entirely fair. I've known him a long time, and I think you could say a few things about him, but I don't think he's ever played the big-headed bigshot role.

Even his reaction to his WC dropping I think illustrates this.

CatFromHue

Are they training in a field in the middle of some estate??

Kinger83

CatFromHue wrote: »

Are they training in a field in the middle of some estate??

I assume it's at their training grounds in Riverview, Clonskeagh. Not certain though..

copacetic

Looks like the public pitch at back of river view looking out onto beech hill ave.

Farold

copacetic wrote: »

Looks like the public pitch at back of river view looking out onto beech hill ave.

Is Beech hill the council estate that is situated in Donnybrook? I think you might be right, I know the UCD grounds extend all the way to that estate.

totallegend

CatFromHue wrote: »

Are they training in a field in the middle of some estate??

Yeah, it's a new innovation from Gibbes apparently, trying to shed their D4 rich-kids image; jumpers for goal-posts, training drills being called by an auld fella out walking his dog, Powerade and protein shakes replaced by TK Red lemonade and Monster Munch.

.ak

vinny chase wrote: »

I dunno if that's entirely fair. I've known him a long time, and I think you could say a few things about him, but I don't think he's ever played the big-headed bigshot role.

Even his reaction to his WC dropping I think illustrates this.

That's not what I meant. I've met him several times, same social circles etc etc. and at times (09) he definitely had an attitude that was clear to see when he was out n about. I'm sure that doesn't translate into his rugby mind you.

Met him a while ago there again and seemed completely different, more down to earth etc., etc.

Just my perception, but I've had a few people give me that opinion too.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Fitzy fan... Definitely one of my favorite players in blue and delighted to see him diversify his game and start hitting form again.

CouchSmart

GerM wrote: »

Would agree with nearly everything you said CS, except this. I thought McLaughlin was solid. He doesn't really hammer into contact and doesn't dominate the tackle as a man of his size should but I'll let him away with that as he rarely knocks on or makes a bad decision. His line out work wasn't notable but he was sent out there to do a job on Richie Gray and, for me, mission accomplished. People were talking up the Toner/Gray battle beforehand but that never really took place. McLaughlin was the one that tracked him up and down the line and I think Kellock was forced to call very little ball to Gray as a result. Also, at the restarts, where Gray is a real menace due to his pace and height, we put McLaughlin on his own standing in front of the jumping pod. I counted 3 times (I think) where he secured ball back to our side under pressure from Gray at restarts in the first half. Also, very high tackle count considering he was only on the field for about an hour.

All in all, a decent days work but nothing spectacular. He was sent out to do a job and he did it. I think the fact that he was notably tracking Gray at the set piece says a lot about the esteem that the coaching staff hold him in as a line out man. But it's great to have options. Ruddock and Jennings both came in and did well although the overall accuracy of our play had disintegrated at that point.

Good points. I hadn't picked up on him tracking Gray at lineouts so perhaps I was being overly harsh. Glasgow still had a fairly easy ride in the lineout though, but obviously it's unfair to just single out McLaughlin for that.

Should be interesting to see what the starting backrow for the Bath games will be. Would love to see Jennings back in but with last Sunday being the 4th HEC game that Jennings has been left out whilst available, it looks like Schmidt and Gibbes have settled on McLaughlin at 6 for the HEC.

On a totally irrelevant note, and it's only something that I started to think about lately, is Jono Gibbes the biggest unsung hero in Irish rugby? How often over the last 3 or 4 years have we heard how great Cheika, McQuilkan, Schmidt, Feek are but very rarely, if ever, is there a mention of Gibbes. Not that the other guys mentioned don't deserve the praise they get but surely Gibbes deserves more. He has turned Leinster's pack into one of the most formidable in world rugby. We have a consistently solid set piece and very rarely are we out muscled. To me it's just criminal how little he's mentioned in the media and, not to be too critical because I'm including myself(:p), but even on here he very seldom gets a mention.

Thanks Jono.



*Patiently awaiting links to loads of articles and comments about how great he is.

CatFromHue

CouchSmart wrote: »

*Patiently awaiting links to loads of articles and comments about how great he is.

"Nobody in Rugby should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein." - Jono Gibbs of the Chiefs tells it like it isn't.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/our-experts/blogs/swollen-grill/1880414/Rugbys-most-smartest-people

:pac:

He is doing a great job though. I also think Mike Brewer and to a lesser extent Ollie La Roux left him with a very good starting point.

CouchSmart

Would love to see Sexton-Fitzgerald-O'Malley as the 10-12-13 combination for Saturday. Unlikely Sexton will start, although maybe they'll be looking to give Madigan a start the following week in the comfort of the RDS? Fitzgerald might get a break too, he's played all 10 games this season bar one though injury I think? I'd put Nacewa back to 15 and give Kearney Snr. a rest allowing Kearney Jnr. come onto the wing and Carr start along side him - assuming McFadden is still out.

Pack will see plenty of change I'd say. Cullen starting on the bench with perhaps Browne taking his spot in the XV. Probably going to see Ruddock and Auva'a starting too. Looking forward to seeing the team, it's always so hard to call!

geekington

Team to play Treviso is:

LEINSTER:

15: Luke Fitzgerald
14: Fergus McFadden
13: Eoin O'Malley
12: Gordon D'Arcy
11: Fionn Carr
10: Ian Madigan
9: Eoin Reddan

1: Cian Healy
2: Sean Cronin
3: Jamie Hagan
4: Damian Browne
5: Devin Toner
6: Rhys Ruddock
7: Shane Jennings CAPTAIN
8: Leo Auva'a

REPLACEMENTS:

16: Aaron Dundon
17: Jack McGrath
18: Nathan White
19: Kevin McLaughlin
20: Jamie Heaslip
21: Isaac Boss
22: Noel Reid
23: Brendan Macken

Very excited about that line up! Great to see Madigan get some game time as well as Carr with a strong team!

Curious to see how Auva'a gets on with a very big pack in front of him!

vinny chase

geekington wrote: »

Team to play Treviso is:

LEINSTER:

15: Luke Fitzgerald
14: Fergus McFadden
13: Eoin O'Malley
12: Gordon D'Arcy
11: Fionn Carr
10: Ian Madigan
9: Eoin Reddan

1: Cian Healy
2: Sean Cronin
3: Jamie Hagan
4: Damian Browne
5: Devin Toner
6: Rhys Ruddock
7: Shane Jennings CAPTAIN
8: Leo Auva'a

REPLACEMENTS:

16: Aaron Dundon
17: Jack McGrath
18: Nathan White
19: Kevin McLaughlin
20: Jamie Heaslip
21: Isaac Boss
22: Noel Reid
23: Brendan Macken

Very excited about that line up! Great to see Madigan get some game time as well as Carr with a strong team!

Curious to see how Auva'a gets on with a very big pack in front of him!

It was inevitable that Madigan would start at ten. Interesting to see O'Malley at thirteen with Fergus on the wing, but don't like seeing Luke shuffled around again, to full back this time. We already have Rob Kearney and Isa for FB, and lads like Andrew Conway coming up. Would have liked to have seen him at twelve for this one, with d'Arcy rested. Good to see Hagan back in the side; hope he performs.

thomond2006

Schmidt is backing O'Malley clearly.

GerM

Decent BT side named. Leinster will have to be at the races here to get something. Clear indication that Schmidt likes what he saw last week and wants to see it again. Happy to see McFadden in the 14 jersey where he's most effective for me. Hope he's not put out at EOM getting the centre berth but he's in the team and that's the main thing. Blow to someone like Dave Kearney not to make the 23 for a game like this. Hope Macken gets on though and gets some time. He has a lot of potential but needs to be rounded out in terms of his skillset.

Luke at 15 again. Time to put some demons to bed hopefully. Surprised they rested Nacewa as he was rested only a couple of weeks ago in Edinburgh.

Burgo

GerM wrote: »

Decent BT side named. Leinster will have to be at the races here to get something. Clear indication that Schmidt likes what he saw last week and wants to see it again. Happy to see McFadden in the 14 jersey where he's most effective for me. Hope he's not put out at EOM getting the centre berth but he's in the team and that's the main thing. Blow to someone like Dave Kearney not to make the 23 for a game like this. Hope Macken gets on though and gets some time. He has a lot of potential but needs to be rounded out in terms of his skillset.

Luke at 15 again. Time to put some demons to bed hopefully. Surprised they rested Nacewa as he was rested only a couple of weeks ago in Edinburgh.

Yeah would have liked to see lukey at 12 and see how he gets on with EOM outside him. Thought now would be a good time to test that partnership.

Hype710

Interesting side. I wouldn't be too disappointed with a LBP, Treviso are very tough to beat at home as Ospreys found out and we're resting several frontliners. Big chance for McFadden, Hagan and Ruddock to make a claim. If Ruddock gets ahead of KML this year I can see him staying, especially as Jennings is no longer 'untouchable'. Reid on the bench signifies he is probably in line for a full contract as 3rd choice 10 next year, as Berquist is only on a one year deal. A guy on LF said he spotted a bit of Felipe in him!

irishbucsfan

There's noone else in that team who can cover 15 really. Madigan can do it but he's far from the standard there. Perhaps Carr can play there again if something happens to Luke.

I like that Madigan gets to play with Reddan. That will be great for him. A game away in Italy with a second string pack will test his game management... he'll have very little possession to work with I'd imagine.

Good to see Hagan ahead of White. I wonder how long he'll last, might answer questions about his fitness. I hope he puts in a great all-round shift.

Browne and Toner will be a great 2nd row partnership I think. I was impressed by what Browne brought against Montpellier and Toner will surely take over the lineout duties.

Most of all though, I hope McFadden is good on the wing and O'Malley is good at 13. That's where I want those guys to end up, so I'm really hoping a few solid performances there from them will keep them there.

CatFromHue

Treviso have only made 3 changes from last weeks draw against the Ospreys.

15 Luke McLean, 14 Benjamin De Jager, 13 Tommaso Benvenuti, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Brendan Williams, 10 Kristopher Burton, 9 Tobias Botes.
8 Robert Barbieri, 7 Alessandro Zanni, 6 Paul Derbyshire, 5 Valerio Bernabò, 4 Antonio Pavanello (captain), 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 2 Enrico Ceccato, 1 Michele Rizzo.

Highlights of the Ospreys game are below. Awful try from Treviso from the lineout and that should have been a red not a yellow card for the tackle on Shane Williams. Pretty harsh to say the least penalty against Treviso at the death too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu-iC0kew54

irishbucsfan

Burgo wrote: »

Yeah would have liked to see lukey at 12 and see how he gets on with EOM outside him. Thought now would be a good time to test that partnership.

That partnership has been tested this season a few times. I think the coaches know that it's an option now.

Question: Does the player management system extend to players who are not on central contracts? Because if it doesn't then D'Arcy is not subject to it any more is he?

irishbucsfan

CatFromHue wrote: »

Highlights of the Ospreys game are below. Awful try from Treviso from the lineout and that should have been a red not a yellow card for the tackle on Shane Williams.

I don't think it ever would be a red card. He controlled him all the way to the ground, which is a key difference to the red card tackle in the WC. It wasn't a spear, and he wasn't released, so I don't think it's a red card.

I have that game recorded, I might take a look at it. Looks like some of the defense, particularly out wide, was quite poor. Hopefully McFadden and Carr can take advantage of that.

molloyjh

I've been saying for a while how this is such an exciting time to be a Leinster fan and I think this squad really proves it. Schmidt is really building a side where there is genuine competition for places. It's great to see. The only slight issue being Fitzy at FB. With Isa having been rested a couple of weeks ago I'm not sure why he's not there. Fitzy has played every game this season iirc so would need the rest more than Isa. But I learned last week (thanks to GerM for setting me on the straight and narrow) that Schmidts decisions should not and must not be questioned. :cool:

ambid

irishbucsfan wrote: »

...Question: Does the player management system extend to players who are not on central contracts? Because if it doesn't then D'Arcy is not subject to it any more is he?

On Newsltalk last Wednesday, Thornley said the details of the player management programme are being kept much more confidential than in previous years. However I assume all players in the extended squad are subject to it as Leinster is a branch of the IRFU so I assume they need to defer to the union regardless of player contract type.

CatFromHue

How is Darcy not on a central contract? He's been the first choice 12 for Ireland since just after coming back from breaking his arm in 2009.

ongarite

Tickets on sale now for the Connaght game on New Year's Day.

Anyone been to the Sportsground before or since the upgrade?
What's is the best stand/terrace to pick?

Cheers

ambid

ongarite wrote: »

Tickets on sale now for the Connaght game on New Year's Day.

Anyone been to the Sportsground before or since the upgrade?
What's is the best stand/terrace to pick?

Cheers

I was there before the upgrade in the Clan Terrace, across from the main stand. I got there about 20 minutes before kick off so was at the front of the terrace about 5 metres from the goalline. The facilities weren't great to be honest - no elevation so at pitch level, the dog track between the crowd and the action, and no big screen to catch up on the stuff you miss. The atmosphere was pretty good though.

I'm hoping the upgrade will make it a lot better this year, and the Clan terrace looks much better from what I've seen on TV. But I've splashed out the extra fiver on an unreserved seat in the stand.

tolosenc

CatFromHue wrote: »

Highlights of the Ospreys game are below. Awful try from Treviso from the lineout and that should have been a red not a yellow card for the tackle on Shane Williams. Pretty harsh to say the least penalty against Treviso at the death too.

Yellow was the correct call, IMO.

But that was never in a million years a penalty at the end. The ref even changed his mind as to what it was for! Initially he signalled "off the feet", but a few seconds later he signalled "holding on". I don't think there was either.

durkadurka

I recommend you listen to Leo cullen's interview on newstalk today. Good interview, particularly the detail on how he discovered one of his balls out of his sack....remember that game?

Morf

durkadurka wrote: »

I recommend you listen to Leo cullen's interview on newstalk today. Good interview, particularly the detail on how he discovered one of his balls out of his sack....remember that game?

What time was it aired at?