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

aimee1

RichieRich89 wrote: »

O'Driscoll had the instincts of a great passer. Occasionally the execution was off but he had all the skills and the understanding to choose the right kind of pass at the right time.

Henshaw is a good but not remarkable passer, and Te'o doesn't have much of a passing game to speak of. A Henshaw, Te'o partnership would be one dimensional and ultimately less potent than a balanced partnership containing Ringrose at 13 and one of the aforementioned others at 12

maybe Henshaw is being nudged east because Teo is heading back to RL

Would prefer to keep Teo and let Henshaw head south to munster

former total

Henshaw isn't being nudged east

NufcNavan

Any chance the Toulon game will be moved to the RDS now?

Journeyman_1

NufcNavan wrote: »

Any chance the Toulon game will be moved to the RDS now?

I'd say no chance tbh.

salmocab

NufcNavan wrote: »

Any chance the Toulon game will be moved to the RDS now?

No

NufcNavan

Can't see much of a crowd at it.

awec

As far as I know Leinster have an obligation to play a certain number of games in Landsdowne every season.

salmocab

Plenty of people use it as a christmas get together and will already have tickets bought, won't be a sell out but will still have a big crowd.

salmocab

awec wrote: »

As far as I know Leinster have an obligation to play a certain number of games in Landsdowne every season.

not sure on that I know they have an obligation to the RDS so can only move 2 regular season games, so generally its Munster and the christmas pool game.

vienne86

There is very little attraction in the Toulon match now.......some people would have been hoping to see Paul O'Connell in a Toulon shirt too. It could be bleak enough in the Aviva, but I think Leinster are obliged to hold the match there.

sydthebeat

NufcNavan wrote: »

Can't see much of a crowd at it.

id be hugely surprised if it isnt at least 80% full

its been offered to leinster clubs under the "one province" ticketing initiative

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/tickets/one_province_ticketing_initiative.php

and judging by ticketba$tards map its about 1/2 sold already

edit: from what ive been told previously, leinster need their (usually 2) aviva games to be fairly well sold out AND at least a euro quarter final to break even each year

Exclamation Marc

NufcNavan wrote: »

Any chance the Toulon game will be moved to the RDS now?

Nope not a chance. Early bird season tickets were sold on the basis that there was an upgrade to premium level for the December Aviva game which have obviously been allocated at this stage. So there's no way they'd ditch it and why would they? All it would do is highlight how fickle some fans are.

CatFromHue

Toulon have

Clermont (a)
Agen(h)
Us (h)
Us (a)
Toulouse (a)

I'm optimistic anyway. They've their hands full in the Top14, we showed alot of good things against Bath and we ran Toulon very close last season.

.ak

awec wrote: »

As far as I know Leinster have an obligation to play a certain number of games in Landsdowne every season.

No, the obligation is with the rds. But because of the extra two games the Italians brought to the league it allows us to play two extra in the aviva... Which means more money.

.ak

For those of you unsure about henshaw at Leinster let me just leave this here.

10. Sexton
11. Fitzgerald
12. Henshaw
13. T'eo
14. Isa
15. Rob Kearney

Yes please sir, I'll have some of that.

Where's this idea that henshaw and T'eo aren't good passers? They're brilliant passers. They may not have nuances of really great distributors but you don't get to play centre at this level without being excellent passers.

Unless your name is basteraud and you weigh more than most prop forwards.

molloyjh

vienne86 wrote: »

There is very little attraction in the Toulon match now.......some people would have been hoping to see Paul O'Connell in a Toulon shirt too. It could be bleak enough in the Aviva, but I think Leinster are obliged to hold the match there.

Beat them in Toulon and that will change pretty quickly. And we need to do that to have any hope. On the evidence of the weekend just gone it might not be the mission impossible that some might think.

molloyjh

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I said it recently but we could see almost no Munster players in the starting 15 come the 6N. It's a bit of a shambles down south given the conveyor belt of great forwards they used to produce.

Well you'd imagine Murray would. POM would but for injury. Earls probably should be there or thereabouts. Ryan should be on the bench. Zebo may have a case for the 23 shirt. But to provide just 5 to the 23 (at best) with only 2 certain starters is a pretty poor return. Ulster would be about the same (Best, Hendo, Henry, Payne & Trimble with Jackson an outside chance). Throw in Henshaw as the sole Connacht representative and that means that 12 or more of the 23 are Leinster players. And then there's the squad guys. That can't keep happening. It simply won't work for Irish rugby as a whole long term. And yet many cant understand why Munster were prevented from signing Moore!?

aimee1

molloyjh wrote: »

And yet many cant understand why Munster were prevented from signing Moore!?

IRFU have obviously decided Casey needs to be given the big games to develop. I said as much on the munster thread but the attitude is the hookers there would learn from Moore much like Thorn/Toner etc but Toner played alongside Thorn whereas Moore cant play alongside the like of Casey.

I reckon Henshaw will leave Connacht and will end up at leinster but for the sake of rugby here as a whole the IRFU need to try and get him to stay put or move south IMO

case885

There's only guirado, giteau, michalak, O Connor, Mitchell, nonu to come back for them also they're a different animal when they're at home, it will take a monumental effort to beat them there.

molloyjh

case885 wrote: »

There's only guirado, giteau, michalak, O Connor, Mitchell, nonu to come back for them also they're a different animal when they're at home, it will take a monumental effort to beat them there.

No doubt, but they also need to get new guys like Nonu up to speed. And that's not always easy regardless of the players quality. We can but hope that Cooper is at 10 again. And failing that Freddie. It's a long shot and a big ask. But it is not impossible.

Journeyman_1

case885 wrote: »

There's only guirado, giteau, michalak, O Connor, Mitchell, nonu to come back for them also they're a different animal when they're at home, it will take a monumental effort to beat them there.

Slightly OT:

It's better for Leinster if Nonu isn't available for the double header obviously, but I'd love a chance to get to see him play live again and it should be unlikely that we play Toulon in the group stages again next year!

At the same time, imagine playing a team that has Gorgodze, Vermuelen, Armitage, Nonu and Bastereaud to all crash it up? That's actually an insane amount of raw power!

aimee1

Fm104 saying bristol want madigan and are willing to pay mad money to get him

stephen_n

500k a year! Is there something we don't see in Madigan?

molloyjh

stephen_n wrote: »

500k a year! Is there something we don't see in Madigan?

To be honest he'd probably rip it up at that level. Not sure how he'd fare in the AP though.

former total

stephen_n wrote: »

500k a year! Is there something we don't see in Madigan?

The opposite I'd say; he is hyper analysed to the point that every mistake gets blown up to epic proportions, reading this board you'd think Madigan was junior B grade.

500k sounds insane though. Report in the Indo with no source? I shall remain skeptical.

errlloyd

Bristol really is where players go to die these days.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/guinness-pro12/bristol-to-target-ian-madigan-with-500000ayear-offer-34228063.html

If that's the case, he'd be a fool not to go. €500k p/a to play first choice #10. Leinster can't offer anything close on either of those fronts. He's also got Ryanair flights to Dublin for the Ireland camps! :pac:

errlloyd

errlloyd wrote: »

Bristol really is where players go to die these days.

Nah, they got all the prep work done and then forgot to qualify for the Premiership!

There's plenty of money there, so that if/when they do make the leap, they'll be spending to stay there.

stephen_n

former total wrote: »

The opposite I'd say; he is hyper analysed to the point that every mistake gets blown up to epic proportions, reading this board you'd think Madigan was junior B grade.

500k sounds insane though. Report in the Indo with no source? I shall remain skeptical.

I don't think he's as good as some would make out, or as bad as many would, but as a 10, has a lot of major flaws. I would imagine plenty of clubs would love to sign him but not for that money. Is the Bindo the original source?

ArmchairQB

molloyjh wrote: »

To be honest he'd probably rip it up at that level. Not sure how he'd fare in the AP though.

Pretty sure they are interested in getting him in anticipation (yet again) of qualifying for the AP