Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread II

totallegend

Richly deserved winner; I was in Toulouse that day and any semblance of dignity and self-control was lost when Hickie went over, it was epic. If any moment summed up the Leinster team of that era, that was it.

andrewdcs

Quint2010 wrote: »

On the stroke of six o clock the rain starts. Marvellous.:rolleyes:

I've asked the good people of the weather forum (snow obsessed lot like myself) so hopefully they can direct their weather modelling lasers at Exeter and Limerick.


Obv. as a Leinster fan, a wet one in Limerick would be very helpful in keeping scores down back west, which could help us out.

fitz

You sometimes forget how bloody fast Hickey was. Unreal.

Quint2010

andrewdcs wrote: »

I've asked the good people of the weather forum (snow obsessed lot like myself) so hopefully they can direct their weather modelling lasers at Exeter and Limerick.


Obv. as a Leinster fan, a wet one in Limerick would be very helpful in keeping scores down back west, which could help us out.

Any chance it might snow so heavily that the game is postponed until after say the Munster Metro match?..:D

.ak

ssaye wrote: »

OLSCRugby: Disco Den! RT @bluemagicrugby: Leinster's greatest try of the pro era, as voted for by the fans http://t.co/vYKmdO5P #LRBlueMagic

Hair raising try, end to end stuff, still gives me the goosebumps.

Although for sheer skill I would've had this... still to this day probably the best set piece try I've seen (although the Cardiff one would be right up there if it was against decent opposition)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVpt3sOJdxQ

Teferi

Jesus, I always forget just how quick Hickie was. So fast his hair couldn't keep up with him.

[Jackass]

totallegend wrote: »

Richly deserved winner; I was in Toulouse that day and any semblance of dignity and self-control was lost when Hickie went over, it was epic. If any moment summed up the Leinster team of that era, that was it.

Undoubtedly the most iconic try in Leinster folklore. As you say, sums up what Leinster are all about and the type of rugby the team aspires to play.

That was the game of the gelacticos. When you look back at the (arguably) greatest club back-line in the world at the time, Contepomi, Hickie, D'Arcy, O'Driscoll, Horgan and Dempsey....all in their prime....absolutely epic stuff.

molloyjh

[Jackass] wrote: »

Undoubtedly the most iconic try in Leinster folklore. As you say, sums up what Leinster are all about and the type of rugby the team aspires to play.

That was the game of the gelacticos. When you look back at the (arguably) greatest club back-line in the world at the time, Contepomi, Hickie, D'Arcy, O'Driscoll, Horgan and Dempsey....all in their prime....absolutely epic stuff.

Every try from that game brings a smile to the face. Horgan getting the commentators over excited for his and Gleeson putting the pressure on Freddie for Jowitts are fantastic as well.

ssaye

Exeters fullback Arscott is pretty quality but will face a different Leinster side esp backline so it will be good to see RK hopefully dominating him in the high ball area and keeping him pinned back. A lot of there attacks come through him and if we can keep turning them around, we have a chance.

Exeter have been very impressive this season but their past 4 games have been 3 losses and a draw.

I was confident before the away to Clermont and love a challenge. When you are favourites you can sometimes go into your shell and not perform. This is a backs to the wall, all or nothing 5 pointer knock out game, bring it on.

Tim Robbins

[Jackass] wrote: »

Undoubtedly the most iconic try in Leinster folklore. As you say, sums up what Leinster are all about and the type of rugby the team aspires to play.

That was the game of the gelacticos. When you look back at the (arguably) greatest club back-line in the world at the time, Contepomi, Hickie, D'Arcy, O'Driscoll, Horgan and Dempsey....all in their prime....absolutely epic stuff.

What I love about that try is the min before it when Toulouse are building up an attack. Some lovely off loading and clever high skill rugby and then BAM! Hickie comes.

Without that min before you can't appreciate the try. Because you feel that Toulouse are apart to cut Leinster open.

cuddlycavies

Any pub ideas for/in exeter on friday night?

ssaye

cuddlycavies wrote: »

Any pub ideas for/in exeter on friday night?

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/downloads/Exeter_OLSC_guide_blue_edition.pdf


Supporter HQ
Our HQ for the weekend will be the centrally located Walkabout Pub on Fore Street.
We will also be using this is as the drop-off and pick-up point for the OLSC Bristol
airport bus service.
Shaye and the team at the Walkabout welcome supporters across the weekend with
a range of discounts and offers to those wearing Leinster gear. These include 20%
off all food (served until 9pm daily) and just £2 for pints of Carling and Strongbow.
The Walkabout opens at 11am on Saturday and 12 noon on Sunday and is open
until late with a number of TV screens to show other Heineken Cup games over the
weekend. Free wifi is also available (you will need to sign up for the free sky-thecloud
service).

crisco10

Tim Robbins wrote: »

What I love about that try is the min before it when Toulouse are building up an attack. Some lovely off loading and clever high skill rugby and then BAM! Hickie comes.

Without that min before you can't appreciate the try. Because you feel that Toulouse are apart to cut Leinster open.

It's amazing attack from Toulouse, love the delayed pass to Nyanga after Dempsey's kick that sucks in 3 defenders. And if Horgan hadn't shot up, there was a 4-1 overlap outside him.

With the score at 26-21, that try was the knife edge score. Just imagine what might never have happened had Toulouse gone 28-26 up with that attack...

....Which makes Felipe's decision to run all the more audacious. After all that defending, away from home, I'm sure everyone was just like, "Get the ball off the field Felipe!!"

John_C

cuddlycavies wrote: »

Any pub ideas for/in exeter on friday night?

I'm not heading over myself but I was really tempted by the Exeter Beer Festival on the same weekend.

http://eedcamra.wix.com/exeter1#!/c1oz0

irishbucsfan

John_C wrote: »

I'm not heading over myself but I was really tempted by the Exeter Beer Festival on the same weekend.

http://eedcamra.wix.com/exeter1#!/c1oz0

Ah god. It's disgracefully enticing.

Tim Robbins

crisco10 wrote: »

It's amazing attack from Toulouse, love the delayed pass to Nyanga after Dempsey's kick that sucks in 3 defenders. And if Horgan hadn't shot up, there was a 4-1 overlap outside him.

With the score at 26-21, that try was the knife edge score. Just imagine what might never have happened had Toulouse gone 28-26 up with that attack...

....Which makes Felipe's decision to run all the more audacious. After all that defending, away from home, I'm sure everyone was just like, "Get the ball off the field Felipe!!"

There's some lovely hands from Clément Poitrenaud as well. He is almost is in touch and calmly redirects the ball back in field. You really think this team can play rugby - calmly working up an attack - and then BANG!

cuddlycavies

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Ah god. It's disgracefully enticing.

yep that sounds like my sort of friday evening

Zzippy

durkadurka wrote: »

Alright hands up who's slightly aroused by this.

I have to think about Joan burton for a bit just to calm me self down.

LMFAO! Snorted my tea... you owe me for a new keyboard!

cuddlycavies

Tim Robbins wrote: »

What I love about that try is the min before it when Toulouse are building up an attack. Some lovely off loading and clever high skill rugby and then BAM! Hickie comes.

Without that min before you can't appreciate the try. Because you feel that Toulouse are apart to cut Leinster open.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzW5KlXF5d8

Tim Robbins

cuddlycavies wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzW5KlXF5d8

Clément Poitrenaud goes back in at sec 46. They way he does it is so classey. He makes it look so effortless. Also, I love the way Contemponi follows the break up and is on hand even thou he is not needed. Hickie's immediate instinct is to break. He doesn't even spend 0.2 seconds thinking about it. The ball from the turnover isn't the fastest in the world but the Leinster attack get into shape before the Toulouse defense can realign. This is what rugby is all about . It is a battle for space. Get the space before your opponent.

All Toulouse are expecting is a kick to touch. 99/100 that's what the coach will tell you should have done. 99 / 100 that's what the 10 will do. Then just that one time on a sunny in day in France - BANG.

Love that try so much.

ironingbored

.ak wrote: »

I think the odds are against us, and realistically we shouldn't get a bonus point win. However, we shouldn't have turned the stoop into a second Dublin. We shouldn't have routed a European dominant Munster in Croke park after losing our first choice fly half. We shouldnt have out muscled english powerhouse leicester in the final like that. We shouldn't have been able to fightght back from a 22–6 half-time deficit in Cardiff after qualifying from the pool of death and meeting leciester and toulouse along the way. We shouldn't have been able to go on from that undefeated through an entire season and claim a third title in four seasons after a semi final in Bordeaux which was won by inches.

We shouldn't qualify from the pool stages after a rake of injuries, inconsistent team sheets and two tight fought defeats to Clermont in the pool stages.

We shouldn't, but if any team can, it's this Leinster team.

It's Heinken cup weekend, and anything can happen.

Excellent.

Have you emailed it to OLSC?

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/newsroom/10863.php

wicklowwonder

Cold water poured on the Sexton transfer by the Racing Metro president! Could be good news for Leinster. (You need to translate from French, I use Chrome to automatically translate)

http://www.rugby365.fr/infos-clubs/racing-metro-92/racing-lorenzetti-n-y-croit-pas-pour-sexton-964903.shtml

totallegend

wicklowwonder wrote: »

Cold water poured on the Sexton transfer by the Racing Metro president! Could be good news for Leinster. (You need to translate from French, I use Chrome to automatically translate)

http://www.rugby365.fr/infos-clubs/racing-metro-92/racing-lorenzetti-n-y-croit-pas-pour-sexton-964903.shtml

Jesus, he's not pulling his punches anyway...

The Irish are the Irish... they're very attached to their own region. They often use the tactic of inflating and using other clubs, especially French, that are known for paying well to better negotiate their own contracts. If I can help Sexton to negotiate a better contract, then why not? The chances of Sexton coming to France are minimal, and even less to Racing.

He also says Dan Carter won't be coming to Europe.

Kinger83

wicklowwonder wrote: »

Cold water poured on the Sexton transfer by the Racing Metro president! Could be good news for Leinster. (You need to translate from French, I use Chrome to automatically translate)

http://www.rugby365.fr/infos-clubs/racing-metro-92/racing-lorenzetti-n-y-croit-pas-pour-sexton-964903.shtml

So from the, admittedly poor, translation that Chrome gave. I gather that he sees the chances of Sexton leaving Ireland as tiny and he's happy to help Sexton get a better contract with the IRFU.

Well.. what a nice lad!

[Jackass]

To be honest, when Stade and Clermont both walked away saying he was more or less blowing smoke up their ass to get a better contract, it was very unlikely he was going anywhere. My only worry was that Racing would start as a ploy, but once he met with them a few times and got offered insane money, it could become a real consideration...

Hopefully Sexton will sign up with the IRFU without too much fuss, this is a pretty embarrassing backfire for him and his agent, and hopefully these games of chicken between players and the IRFU can become a thing of the past.

.ak

Well, he's ruined his chances of getting a better contract now by giving that interview.

awec

Ball back firmly in the IRFU's hand.

phog

totallegend wrote: »

Jesus, he's not pulling his punches anyway...

The Irish are the Irish... they're very attached to their own region. They often use the tactic of inflating and using other clubs, especially French, that are known for paying well to better negotiate their own contracts. If I can help Sexton to negotiate a better contract, then why not? The chances of Sexton coming to France are minimal, and even less to Racing.

Great news for Leinster, not so good financially for Sexton, the IRFU must be delighted but Sexton's agent must be fuming.

wicklowwonder

phog wrote: »

Great news for Leinster, not so good financially for Sexton, the IRFU must be delighted but Sexton's agent must be fuming.

Who is Sexton's agent? Is it Fintan Drury, not sure if Sexton moved to BOD's agency? If it is that is Luke Fitz and Sexton, two of Drury's biggest clients who have lost out big time in recent negotiations with the IRFU.

durkadurka

Players are going to have to give up this bullsh1t.

Either sh1t or get off the pot.

danthefan

durkadurka wrote: »

Players are going to have to give up this bullsh1t.

Either sh1t or get off the pot.

They're going to have to stop trying to get the best deal possible for themselves? Hardly.

durkadurka

danthefan wrote: »

They're going to have to stop trying to get the best deal possible for themselves? Hardly.

But it's been exposed for the codology that it is. Of one of them actually left it might make the IRFU think again.

phog

durkadurka wrote: »

Players are going to have to give up this bullsh1t.

Either sh1t or get off the pot.

Why, they're surely entitled to go for the most money they can get from the IRFU, they have a short enough playing life.

I also think that the IRFU should take a stance with a player and say, "oh sorry mate, we cant match that and we're withdrawing our offer but we'd still like to use you for International games". That may put the cat amongst the pigeons.

danthefan

durkadurka wrote: »

But it's been exposed for the codology that it is. Of one of them actually left it might make the IRFU think again.

1. The comments from the Racing president are hardly new information, everyone, including the IRFU, know about this tactic. It's been around for years.
2. The IRFU have done everything humanly possible since the beginning of professionalism to keep the top Irish players in the country. Incompetent as they seem to be at times, they're not going to reverse this policy in some fit of pique.

I've always said I've no problem with players earning as much as they can in their careers. Many times on this board I've taken issue with the label of "mercenary" when it's clearly being used in a pejorative sense. It's no different now with Sexton. He should be trying to maximise his earnings.

durkadurka

The problem is if the boy keeps crying wolf....

danthefan

durkadurka wrote: »

The problem is if the boy keeps crying wolf....

What's the problem exactly?

awec

danthefan wrote: »

What's the problem exactly?

That there's only so many times the IRFU will fall for this "I'm leaving" crap and players should save themselves the embarrassment.

duckysauce

danthefan wrote: »

What's the problem exactly?

irfu will stop biting with the wrong player

awec

Sexton is now in no stronger a position to negotiate than he was a month ago, I think that's the point. All that has changed since then is he and his agent have been made to look the fool.

It's bound to be annoying for the other clubs that get their names thrown around in the media too. Imagine you were playing out-half for Clermont and you were reading in the paper that they're trying to replace you.

Podge_irl

I'd really rather pay taxes to the Irish govt given I got my schooling here and spent all my formative years here. However, I can get a better paying and more interesting job in England so I'm likely going to move back there. I have friends who applied for new jobs elsewhere and when offered a better salary informed their current employers, who proceeded to occasionally match that deal and occasionally let them go.

Its really no different here except more in the public eye. Yes, playing for Leinster should be something kids dream of and aim for but when the game went professional part of the deal was accepting that players would now be viewing playing for Leinster/Munster/whoever as jobs with everything that brings. It would be plain stupid for a young guy not to maximise his earnings from a relatively short career.

Podge_irl

awec wrote: »

Sexton is now in no stronger a position to negotiate than he was a month ago

No weaker either.

If I was told hopping on a plane to Paris a couple times might get me an extra €100,000 a year I'd do it.

danthefan

awec wrote: »

Sexton is now in no stronger a position to negotiate than he was a month ago, I think that's the point. All that has changed since then is he and his agent have been made to look the fool.

It's bound to be annoying for the other clubs that get their names thrown around in the media too. Imagine you were playing out-half for Clermont and you were reading in the paper that they're trying to replace you.

Not sure how you're figuring that. They met with the Racing president twice. If it turns out he's not leaving it's because he's chosen not to leave.

As for Clermont, they signed Skrela while James was still there so not sure you've much of a point there.

Fireball07

I do reckon that Sexton deserves whatever the top wage is, as he is arguably our most important player.


Don't know if he deserves more than that though. Obviously he's going to want to get the best deal for himself.

awec

I wonder how many more players are going to try this and how long it will be before the IRFU publicly call their bluff.

What happens then?

Going to have to start being more imaginative!

Podge_irl

awec wrote: »

I wonder how many more players are going to try this and how long it will be before the IRFU publicly call their bluff.

I guess it depends who it is. Sexton is probably the top player in Ireland and he knows that. I doubt we'll see Ross try something similar as there is a decent chance they would let him go.

Hagz

Podge_irl wrote: »

I doubt we'll see Ross try something similar as there is a decent chance they would let him go.

Ross might be on a higher wage.

Podge_irl

Hagz wrote: »

Ross might be on a higher wage.

I think a lot of people are on a higher wage. From the murmurings going around Sexton isn't on that much at the moment (no doubt partly thanks to his "battle" with ROG) so that explains his maneuverings even more.

awec

Can someone explain the contract thing to me anyway, I don't know much about it at all, I've never really cared in the past.

Central contracts etc, what's the deal there? Presumably central contract is a player paid directly by the IRFU and that's for ireland internationals? Presumably there's a limit to the number of central contracts per position?

Are the IRFU involved in non-central contract negotiations?

P_1

awec wrote: »

Can someone explain the contract thing to me anyway, I don't know much about it at all, I've never really cared in the past.

Central contracts etc, what's the deal there? Presumably central contract is a player paid directly by the IRFU and that's paid for ireland internationals? Presumably there's a limit to the number of central contracts per position?

Are the IRFU involved in non-central contract negotiations?

I think that the IRFU pay the wages for those on central contracts, i.e Leinster don't pay Sexton, the IRFU does.

Leinster/Munster/Ulster/Connacht would handle the non central contracts.

Of course there's nothing stopping some rich enterprising Leinster fan from paying Sexton a decent wedge to stay in Dublin

awec

P_1 wrote: »

I think that the IRFU pay the wages for those on central contracts, i.e Leinster don't pay Sexton, the IRFU does.

Leinster/Munster/Ulster/Connacht would handle the non central contracts.

Of course there's nothing stopping some rich enterprising Leinster fan from paying Sexton a decent wedge to stay in Dublin

Yea, but is there say a limit of 2 central contracts for out-halves? So Sexton has one and O'Gara the other?

Is there varying degree of central contract (i.e. first choice players, young players etc ?).

Can a player have a central contract and then have that topped up by his province?