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

irishbucsfan

former total wrote: »

Looking ahead to this weekend, well, it can only get better. Unless Strauss, O'Brien and McCarthy are ruled out...

I dunno, we were so bad yesterday in nearly every facet of the game that part of it simply has to be down to trying to get the World Cup players re-introduced. The scrum, the lineout, the breakdown, the backline, the tackling, it was all poor - no way the players and coaches are that bad, they simply have to improve this weekend.

Hopefully we get a few guys back for Bath, I'm going to be optimistic about it.

Hard to disagree with that.

I wonder if our Pro 12 team from the first few weeks of this year would have done a better job yesterday?

I'm looking forward to the trip down anyway. Bath is a great oul spot.

Hopefully the rugby is useful!

scott1974

I was thinking something along those lines yesterday, basically Leo has been coaching a different set of players.
He was playing a certain way with the players he had, now he has a different set of players on the field yesterday.
One are I thought we might have had an advantage was our scrum and that was under lots of pressure, our scrum was what basically won our game against Bath last year in the Aviva... that needs to improve quite a lot...

molloyjh

It should also be mentioned that Girv was working largely with guys he'd been coaching the last few years as well, so there was a lot of familiarity there that isn't there with the internationals. I suppose all these things add up. They still shouldn't add up to that though.....

Noopti

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Hard to disagree with that.

I wonder if our Pro 12 team from the first few weeks of this year would have done a better job yesterday?

You would have to think so! Couldn't be much worse anyway.

I feel like leinster are already out. That was arguably the easiest fixture of our group.

former total

Deleted User wrote: »

I feel like leinster are already out. That was arguably the easiest fixture of our group.

Best case scenario is that winning both our away games in England, plus our remaining home games, is enough.

Lose this weekend in Bath and it's game over.

AbusesToilets

So much for the Champions Cup offering some relief from the WC hang over. Season hangs on thread already.

scott1974

I've spent the last two years hoping/expecting that we'd "click" and apart from the away game to Northampton and the Pro12 final two years ago it hasn't really happened.
It's a pity that we are straight into ERC games and the internationals don't have a few more Pro12 games to bed-in...
I'll be hoping more that expecting this weekend..

CatFromHue

Deleted User wrote: »

I feel like leinster are already out. That was arguably the easiest fixture of our group.

On paper it was but we were without RK, Nacewa, Fitzgerald, and Te'o. That's a vastly different backline if they're available. Then we lost McCarthy and SOB around half time too. Losing Strauss so early was a big blow too.

LostArt

Deleted User wrote: »

I feel like leinster are already out. That was arguably the easiest fixture of our group.

Realistically we probably are, though I think 17 points may have been enough for a best second placed spot last year. Still as fomer total said, lose to Bath and we're done.

awec

LostArt wrote: »

Realistically we probably are, though I think 17 points may have been enough for a best second placed spot last year. Still as fomer total said, lose to Bath and we're done.

17 points is very difficult for Leinster at this stage.

That means 4 wins and hope to pick up a bonus point in there somewhere (either TBP or LBP in the 5th game). I don't think this team is good enough to beat Bath twice, win away to Wasps and beat Toulon once.

Noopti

My only hope is that the desperation of the situation means we throw some caution to the wind and this somehow results in something more dynamic, unpredictable and dangerous (for the opposition).

However, to quote Gandalf
"There was never much hope. Just a fools hope"

vienne86

awec wrote: »

17 points is very difficult for Leinster at this stage.

That means 4 wins and hope to pick up a bonus point in there somewhere (either TBP or LBP in the 5th game). I don't think this team is good enough to beat Bath twice, win away to Wasps and beat Toulon once.

It's a big ask all right. I am hopeful for Saturday's game in Bath, but with the injury count I am not optimistic.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Next week will be an interesting match given that Bath didn't play this past weekend and Leinster are effectively trying to save their entire European season. If Te'o and Nacewa are back that's bound to help too.

Interesting also that Bath are apparently saying today that the cancelled match can't be rescheduled. No idea what that would do points wise to the pool?

awec

I wouldn't listen to anything that Bath have to say on the matter right now.

vienne86

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Next week will be an interesting match given that Bath didn't play this past weekend and Leinster are effectively trying to save their entire European season. If Te'o and Nacewa are back that's bound to help too.

Interesting also that Bath are apparently saying today that the cancelled match can't be rescheduled. No idea what that would do points wise to the pool?

Yes, Bath are saying that. It is difficult for the Aviva Premiership teams as their season had to start so late. I just can't see how this one will be resolved.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

awec wrote: »

I wouldn't listen to anything that Bath have to say on the matter right now.

It's a fair point though, they have a very busy schedule and even if they do manage to fit it in at some point it's not going to be ideal for either team. Leinster still obviously need to win most of their remaining pool games, I just wouldn't be writing off the European campaign completely.

.ak

Bath will have to suck it up or concede the game. There isn't any other alternative.

We'd field a team, for sure, and can't imagine anyone from the branch bitching this much about it either.

.ak

Also, I just remembered before the Scarlett's game I said we should be starting close as possible to our starting XV against Scarlett's, to give the firsts a proper run out and gel.

We didn't, and I think we saw the results of that decision yesterday afternoon.

irishbucsfan

.ak wrote: »

Bath will have to suck it up or concede the game. There isn't any other alternative.

We'd field a team, for sure, and can't imagine anyone from the branch bitching this much about it either.

Well there is an alternative. It's in the article.

Also we weren't prevented from starting our domestic season until October against our wishes. We'd have time to fulfill the fixture.

molloyjh

.ak wrote: »

Also, I just remembered before the Scarlett's game I said we should be starting close as possible to our starting XV against Scarlett's, to give the firsts a proper run out and gel.

We didn't, and I think we saw the results of that decision yesterday afternoon.

Ah come on ak, that wouldn't have been some sort of magic bullet. There were more issues yesterday than any one game would have fixed. Maybe 3 or 4 games might have. Maybe.

.ak

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Well there is an alternative. It's in the article.

Also we weren't prevented from starting our domestic season until October against our wishes. We'd have time to fulfill the fixture.

That's not an alternative, that's just grasping at straws to suit them.

If they won't field a team they should be made concede. Simple as that.

.ak

molloyjh wrote: »

Ah come on ak, that wouldn't have been some sort of magic bullet. There were more issues yesterday than any one game would have fixed. Maybe 3 or 4 games might have. Maybe.

I didn't say it would have been some magic bullet.

But we have a history of playing a league game the week before a cup game and using it as an opportunity to gel.

I said it before the game and I stand by it, we needed a run out for the first choices, we didn't, and I think it really showed. We looked like a team that hadn't played together in a long time. Considering how little game time the internationals have had under the current setup an extra start together would've made a significant difference imo

irishbucsfan

.ak wrote: »

That's not an alternative, that's just grasping at straws to suit them.

If they won't field a team they should be made concede. Simple as that.

You're making an assumption here that Toulon are willing to reschedule the fixture but Bath are not, based on no evidence. It could be that neither want to reschedule and they're more interested in using a DL-esque method.

EDIT: Mourad's suggestion is probably even more extreme by the way, I see: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/european-rugby/11998508/Toulon-vs-Bath-could-be-played-during-Six-Nations-and-France-and-England-must-release-players-says-Boudjellal.html

"Playing on Wednesday isn't possible," [Boudjellal] told French sports daily L'Equipe.

"I can only see one solution... It would mean that the (national team) coaches would have to accept not being able to call up international players of Bath or Toulon in order for us to be able to play the match during a matchday of the Six Nations."

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

^Would Toulon be effected at all by national players NOT being released?

Quint2010

.ak wrote: »

That's not an alternative, that's just grasping at straws to suit them.

If they won't field a team they should be made concede. Simple as that.

With a bonus point if possible...:D

CIARAN_BOYLE

.ak wrote: »

Bath will have to suck it up or concede the game. There isn't any other alternative.

We'd field a team, for sure, and can't imagine anyone from the branch bitching this much about it either.

Interestingly one of the hec rules that didnt carry forward into the new competition was that the home team was considered to have forfeited any game postponed and not played the same weekend.

phog

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Interestingly one of the hec rules that didnt carry forward into the new competition was that the home team was considered to have forfeited any game postponed and not played the same weekend.

Under the circumstances that rule couldn't really be implemented even if still in existence.

Also, it wasn't used when Edinburgh had to play a game behind closed doors on a Monday.

CIARAN_BOYLE

phog wrote: »

Under the circumstances that rule couldn't really be implemented even if still in existence.

Also, it wasn't used when Edinburgh had to play a game behind closed doors on a Monday.

Monday cohnted as same weekend though. I agree if that rule was still in existence it wouldnt be right to use it.