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

AdamD

The thing that excites me most is his aggression in defence. We knew from u20s he had great pace and a line break in him, but hes put in some massive hits already which has surprised me.

typhoony

has an academy player ever played for Ireland?

Clegg

One thing I noticed about yesterday was the ability to find SoB in space, running not the ball rather than giving it to him static. Leinster made a decent not of yardage and got forward ball rather. It's a vast improvement over the Wasps game where he got the ball static and was hit on the gainline again and again. Wasps are better than Munster so there's that to take into consumer duration, but there's also been a shift in tactics. I think overall the team is in better shape than it was two months ago when the internationals returned.

former total

typhoony wrote: »

has an academy player ever played for Ireland?

Not that I can think of.

Bod and D'Arcy are the youngest in recent times but weren't actually in the academy.

Cian Kelleher played for Ireland against the Barbarians if that counts.

Dravokivich

Haha auto correct

P_1

Madigan to Bordeaux is seemingly a done deal

Interested Observer

typhoony wrote: »

has an academy player ever played for Ireland?

Historically, yeah for sure. BOD played for Ireland before he made his Leinster debut, though if we're getting technical I'm not sure if the same academy structure was in place in 1999.

Interested Observer

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/news/14419.php#.VoFJXFmjJxU

Official, Madigan gone to Bordeaux. All the best to him, I'm disappointed Leinster are losing him.

case885

Robbie henshaw must have been academy when he played against oz a few years back?

its_phil

case885 wrote: »

Robbie henshaw must have been academy when he played against oz a few years back?

He was in his second season with Connacht senior team. Never got to the acacdemy went straight to senior squad after school.

Interested Observer

case885 wrote: »

Robbie henshaw must have been academy when he played against oz a few years back?

Are you thinking of Rhys Ruddock, not Henshaw? You could be right, Ruddock was flown in from the U20 RWC that time.

LostArt

All the best to Madigan, I think it'll be a good move for him.

aimee1

http://www.the42.ie/ian-madigan-2-2521667-Dec2015/

sorry to see him go. hpe it works out for him and he returns to leinster one day as a better player

irishbucsfan

Madigan leaving is best for everyone. Time to turn to Marsh/Byrne now and give them appropriate time to develop. Marsh deserves more time with the seniors after the way he played earlier in the season.

former total

That's a big loss. A fine player and there's no way we'll get anyone as good to replace him.

Fair play to him, I hope it works out.

.ak

Any chance we'll sign a decent 10 as backup?

Interested Observer

.ak wrote: »

Any chance we'll sign a decent 10 as backup?

Slim to none I'd guess with Byrne and Marsh in the squad.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I'm one of the people who have been calling for Madigan to move from Leinster for some time now, particularly once Sexton was coming back. Kind of a shame to see him going to France rather than one of the other provinces. We saw last night that Munster are pretty hard up when it comes to 10s.
Best of luck to him though, hopefully they'll assign him the one position and he'll get regular game time, come back to Ireland in a few years a better player.


This departure, coupled with Te'o leaving makes me think the Henshaw move is a done deal. Madigan didn't play regularly at 12 but he was an option. What have Leinster got now? Ringrose, Reid and Fitzgerald if necessary although I still think he's a winger.

aimee1

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Kind of a shame to see him going to France rather than one of the other provinces. We saw last night that Munster are pretty hard up when it comes to 10s.

i dont necessarily think he is the obvious solution to munster's problems but the manner in which several munster fans have dismissed him as a potential signing was very odd in light of any of their current place kickers unable to split the sticks from 20 metres bang in front

irishbucsfan

aimee1 wrote: »

i dont necessarily think he is the obvious solution to munster's problems but the manner in which several munster fans have dismissed him as a potential signing was very odd in light of any of their current place kickers unable to split the sticks from 20 metres bang in front

I don't think he would be an answer for Munster either. They need a much more traditional structured standoff who can run a backline. They are better off looking elsewhere.

ktulu123

Gutted but not surprising and you can see his reasons for wanting to move. Hopefully he does a sexto and comes back in a couple years time. Time for Marsh & Byrne to step up now.

ThisRegard

Sexton only said recently that if he was to do it again that he'd have left the move to France until the end of his career.

Gaygooner

Sham he didn't come to munster

Pudsy33

Madigan and Te'o are two of my favourite players Disgusted, but I understand why both of them are moving on. Thank god for that new SOB contract.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

aimee1 wrote: »

i dont necessarily think he is the obvious solution to munster's problems but the manner in which several munster fans have dismissed him as a potential signing was very odd in light of any of their current place kickers unable to split the sticks from 20 metres bang in front

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I don't think he would be an answer for Munster either. They need a much more traditional structured standoff who can run a backline. They are better off looking elsewhere.

I know he's not the best 10 in Ireland but looking at Munster's current options and even looking ahead, bar bringing in someone from abroad, Madigan was probably the best option available to them. I know who I'd rather see in the red 10 shirt if I was a Munster fan.

Leaving the fan reaction aside we obviously don't know what went on behind the scenes or if there was even any effort to keep him in Ireland. It just seems a shame to see a decent Irish player go abroad. I wonder what this will mean for his Irish career? I know Sexton and Bowe were still playing for Ireland while abroad but Madigan isn't anywhere near the same importance as those guys are/were. Also Jackson's been having a really good post WC season at Ulster. I guess we won't find out until Autumn 2016.

former total

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I don't think he would be an answer for Munster either. They need a much more traditional structured standoff who can run a backline. They are better off looking elsewhere.

They can't look elsewhere. They have Keatley and Bleyendaal contracted for next season plus Scannell and Holland. I'd be very surprised if they're allowed to recruit a foreigner.

swiwi_

.ak wrote: »

Any chance we'll sign a decent 10 as backup?

I can think of no reason (other than cash) that a NZ 10 would want to sit on the bench behind Sexton. It would be a lose-lose: either you sit on the bench as a "decent 10", and twiddle your thumbs, or you start ahead of Sexton and get zero love from Leinster fans.

I suppose if you were a decidely average 10 you might be happy to cash up.

Surely rather than signing an overseas 10/from another province 10, this is the chance for the younger Leinster lads to start the process of making the step up?

swiwi_

swiwi_ wrote: »

I can think of no reason (other than cash) that a NZ 10 would want to sit on the bench behind Sexton. It would be a lose-lose: either you sit on the bench as a "decent 10", and twiddle your thumbs, or you start ahead of Sexton and get zero love from Leinster fans.

I suppose if you were a decidely average 10 you might be happy to cash up.

Surely rather than signing an overseas 10/from another province 10, this is the chance for the younger Leinster lads to start the process of making the step up?

A good 10 would likely start more pro12 games than Sexton would be a reasonable margin. Euro games fair enough.

vienne86

Nice move for Madigan. Hope it goes well for him.

swiwi_

Deleted User wrote: »

A good 10 would likely start more pro12 games than Sexton would be a reasonable margin. Euro games fair enough.

Maybe you're right Venjur. Personally, as a Kiwi, I'd have zero interest in seeing a repeat of the Gopperth saga, where a decent-enough, but not amazing 10, is fairly despised because Marsh and/or Byrne don't get any game time. If it's a better quality 10 (Barrett, Cruden etc) than Sexton in theory shouldn't be guaranteed to start in Europe given this season's form, which would also not be at all popular. Can't see it being in Leinster's long-term interest anyway to not promote Marsh/Byrne when Sexton is unavailable.

I wish Madigan good luck in Bordeaux - a quick squizz at their team reveals Saili, Braid, Hickey as Kiwis I recognise, not to mention Kepu and AAC. I will be interested to see how he gets on, away from home territory and the natural support he got in Leinster from being a local lad from a traditional rugby school, he'll have to stand on his own 2 feet, and it could be the making of him. Bordeaux have certainly got themselves a world class goalkicker. Hopefully Leinster can send him off with style with a Pro 12 title, which judging by what I saw in the weekend is decidedly possible.

If it makes anyone feel any better, my home team lost not 1, not 2, but 3 quality flyhalves at the end of 2015 (Carter, Slade, Taylor).