Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread VI: End of the MOC [Revenge of the STH]

Mahatma Geansai

Ouch. Very tough group and no coach sorted for next season yet as MOC jumped ship. Added to that, up to 20 Leinster players will be away with Ireland for the RWC. Its going to be a difficult season.

WinnyThePoo

Mahatma Geansai wrote: »

Ouch. Very tough group and no coach sorted for next season yet as MOC jumped ship. Added to that, up to 20 Leinster players will be away with Ireland for the RWC. Its going to be a difficult season.

Thanks for stopping by.

Buer

Mahatma Geansai wrote: »

Ouch. Very tough group and no coach sorted for next season yet as MOC jumped ship. Added to that, up to 20 Leinster players will be away with Ireland for the RWC. Its going to be a difficult season.

Any time 4 of the best 8 teams in Europe wind up in a pool together, it's going to be tough.

If you want to be the best, you've to beat the best.

.ak

WinnyThePoo wrote: »

Thanks for stopping by.

And this ads what to conversation?

Great trips available for anyone who's got money left after RWC tickets though!

ktulu123

Gotta do it the hard way. Ballsdeep Leinster!

Looking forward to the Bath & Toulon trips now!

vienne86

ktulu123 wrote: »

Gotta do it the hard way. Ballsdeep Leinster!

Looking forward to the Bath & Toulon trips now!

Enjoyed my trip to the Ricoh in January!

ktulu123

vienne86 wrote: »

Enjoyed my trip to the Ricoh in January!

It was fine, I just love Bath & Toulon as towns, Coventry not so much

ktulu123

ktulu123 wrote: »

It was fine, I just love Bath & Toulon as towns, Coventry not so much

We stayed in Leamington Spa and drove up on match day. Much better craic.

Toulon is tough to get to though, not really as accessible.

Fireball07

It's a tough group without doubt, but you still have no idea how Leinster will line out next season in terms of coaching setup and will have Sexton back. Toulon are very very good but they aren't invincible. And Bath/Wasps are both beatable, but also capable of taking a scalp... well Bath moreso.

Bridge93

To add to that group, if we do somehow get out as winners the reality is we will not have a home quarter final either.

Heroditas

If Leinster can do one single thing right this season, could they ensure that the Bath game is the Christmas back-to-back fixture? There's fewer better places to go for a rugby match than Bath, let alone just before Christmas.

vienne86

Deleted User wrote: »

We stayed in Leamington Spa and drove up on match day. Much better craic.

Toulon is tough to get to though, not really as accessible.

Yep, I was hoping for somewhere easier in France. Toulon in Winter....I don't think I fancy that journey. Bath and Coventry wold be OK though.

Nightmare bloody pool though.

2smiggy

well Munster did get Clermont and Saracens last year, ( putting 3 of the previous years semi finalists in the same group)

I'd hardy describe Wasps and Bath in the top eight in all of Europe. It's a tough group, but now as bad as people are making it out to be.

ssaye2

Looks like Ruddock has done his arm again so im reading feck it

anyone confirm?

blackdog1

Worst possible group bath are the coming team in England and will have it in for us. Toulon with Poc and wasps have jimmy Gopperth so that should be intresting too. Gonna be some srious tough games and can only see 1 team come out of our group.

On a side note bath is a supporters dream to visit...great place

stephen_n

Fireball07 wrote: »

It's a tough group without doubt, but you still have no idea how Leinster will line out next season in terms of coaching setup and will have Sexton back. Toulon are very very good but they aren't invincible. And Bath/Wasps are both beatable, but also capable of taking a scalp... well Bath moreso.

Sexton realistically will not have played a game for Leinster before the first pool game, it's hard to quantify the effect he will have long term but that's real hail Mary stuff as far as the early group stages go.

salmocab

Any chance we might get 2 Landsdowne road matches out of the group and play munster in the RDS this season? Might depend on dates and who the back to back is against.

Larbre34

One thing is certain, Toulon will not be affected by World Cup absences. Playing them back to back in December might give us half a chance. If we have to play them at home in November first up, we will be on the backfoot immediately.

Two pool games in Lansdowne might be a good shout. The way Munster is hemorrhaging support, we could probably play them in the phone box outside Kiely's and have enough capacity.

scott1974

I would nearly prefer to play Toulon in the RDS rather than the Aviva... I just think there is no atmosphere in the Aviva for those Christmas games.

salmocab

scott1974 wrote: »

I would nearly prefer to play Toulon in the RDS rather than the Aviva... I just think there is no atmosphere in the Aviva for those Christmas games.

But great atmosphere in the pubs around the city, which is really why we all go to the rugby.

total former

Larbre34 wrote: »

One thing is certain, Toulon will not be affected by World Cup absences. Playing them back to back in December might give us half a chance. If we have to play them at home in November first up, we will be on the backfoot immediately.

Giteau, Mitchell, Cooper, Tillous-Borde, Habana, Nonu, Vermeulen, O'Connell, Fernandez-Lobbe, Bastareaud, JM Hernandez, Juan Smith, Guirado, Chiocci, Gorgodze could all be involved. Maybe even Freddie Michalak...

Edit: forgot Halfpenny, and Chilachava

scott1974

salmocab wrote: »

But great atmosphere in the pubs around the city, which is really why we all go to the rugby.

I'd rather a full RDS than a Half empty Aviva... not too fussed on the atmosphere in the pubs..

sydneybound

scott1974 wrote: »

I'd rather a full RDS than a Half empty Aviva... not too fussed on the atmosphere in the pubs..

It would do better than half empty.. they would get over 40,000 for this fixture. Sell O'Connell's last game in the Aviva a bit more and if Leinster get back to winning ways and you could be touching 50,000.

scott1974

sydneybound wrote: »

It would do better than half empty.. they would get over 40,000 for this fixture. Sell O'Connell's last game in the Aviva a bit more and if Leinster get back to winning ways and you could be touching 50,000.

"Half Empty" is an exaggeration but I think it will depend on how the season is going until then.. I hope I'm wrong as I've had some great memories from those games.

Swiwi.

F me. I didn't think things could get any worse but could be looking at MOC leading the Reds to the Super Rugby playoffs while his Leinster successor crashes out in European pool play and Gopperth goes well for Wasps at the RDS...

Oh, and Munster with 4 try BPs from Treviso.

My advice: go on the piss...

Swiwi.

Swiwi. wrote: »

F me. I didn't think things could get any worse but could be looking at MOC leading the Reds to the Super Rugby playoffs while his Leinster successor crashes out in European pool play and Gopperth goes well for Wasps at the RDS...

Oh, and Munster with 4 try BPs from Treviso.

My advice: go on the piss...

I missed the first bit, but I like the end.

molloyjh

ssaye2 wrote: »

Looks like Ruddock has done his arm again so im reading feck it

anyone confirm?

Ah balls. This day is not getting any better. Saw he went off injured but didn't hear anything further.

jm08

Larbre34 wrote: »

Two pool games in Lansdowne might be a good shout. The way Munster is hemorrhaging support, we could probably play them in the phone box outside Kiely's and have enough capacity.

Munster attendances are up 6.5% this year.

BoardsMember

molloyjh wrote: »

Ah balls. This day is not getting any better. Saw he went off injured but didn't hear anything further.

That's terrible news, gutted for him, and for us.