Connacht Rugby Thread - Part III - The Violence of the Lams

MarinersBlues

former total wrote: »

No Wolfhounds game this year either.

That is a godsend.
We would have an AWFUL lot of candidates for that.

Zzippy

wp_rathead wrote: »

Credit to Salmson on ConnachtClan

Something like this so:
O'Donnell/Loughney, Heffernan/JHW, Ah You
Dillane, Muldowney
SOB, Connolly, George
Blade, Carty
McSharry, Robb
Niyi, TOH, Parata
Subs Heff/JHW, O'Donnell/Loughney, Bealham, Qualter, Browne*, Porter/Marmion*, Ronaldson/Porter*, Healy


*We're in bother making up a squad if these aren't fit

Stan27

astonaidan wrote: »

Anyone feel that TOH has a chance to make the Ireland squad for the 6 nations

Best 15 in Ireland at the mo. Should be aiming to start

connachta

Robbo wrote: »

According to Linley McKenzie, only 23 of the European squad are fit. Of which only 9 are backs so O'Leary is being registered in place of Fox-Matamua.

Yeag highly logical as we predicted on the previous page.
I would even play O'Leary, he seems fit, scored a try last W-E, and rest Carty against poor Newcastle

connachta

wp_rathead wrote: »

Riiiiiiight..
So Qualter and Dillane second row? Yeah, Muldowney on the bench
Browne, George and Connolly back row..? Perfect
But James Connolly is our first choice 7 so do we rest him? Heenan back, only 3 games played for Connolly, no need to rest him
Dave Heffernan or SOB2.0 on bench as backrow cover? OK


If Poolman available could have tasty enough backline of:
09 Blade Can't wait to know how he does
10 Jack Would prefer O'Lerary/Ronaldson, Carty protected until McGinty is back
11 Niyi
12 Robb
13 Parata Yes, maybe McSharry though?
14 Danie
15 ??
I've no idea what to do about 15 - guess we'll have start TOH who I was hoping we could rest
Could have Parata 15 (think he's covered that underage) and McSharry at 13?? Nyi or Poolman as 15 to rest TOH?

It's getting messy though

I think Lam will pick as strong side as possible for home game and then patch together something for away game

Best news is Poolman and Brownie back, and Aki quite all-right!!!
What's the story with Api, his 3-month injury should be over....

connachta

Roux and Marshall out for 3 months, a lot of our hopes for pro 12 lie on the Dillane/Muldowney pairing, Browne to cover.
If one of them gets injured, it's a severe drop-off in quality with either Naoupu, Qualter or SOB 2.0 back to lock...Maybe Romaine too..

Padkir

wp_rathead wrote: »

I think Lam will pick as strong side as possible for home game and then patch together something for away game

I think so too and I'd agree with that approach. Beat Newcastle at home and even if you lose away with a 2nd string team you'd still have a good opportunity to qualify or even top the group.

Gives lads a much needed rest while still not throwing in the towel in the Challenge Cup.

Bit annoying to be travelling to Newcastle if this is the case though, but it's the right way to approach it in my opinion.

vienne86

connachta wrote: »

Roux and Marshall out for 3 months, a lot of our hopes for pro 12 lie on the Dillane/Muldowney pairing, Browne to cover.
If one of them gets injured, it's a severe drop-off in quality with either Naoupu, Qualter or SOB 2.0 back to lock...Maybe Romaine too..

Will Roux ever get a break? - he has been so unlucky with injuries.

errlloyd

vienne86 wrote: »

Will Roux ever get a break? - he has been so unlucky with injuries.

Marshall too to be fair. I'd say he's spent 75% of his professional contracted life injured.

Bazzo

I see mention of Rodney moving to Ulster has been brought up again in the media.

I heard nothing about this until Gordon D'Arcy mentioned it in his article a couple weeks ago, is there any substance to it? Should we be expecting (yet another)void at tight head next season?

wp_rathead

Bazzo wrote: »

I see mention of Rodney moving to Ulster has been brought up again in the media.

I heard nothing about this until Gordon D'Arcy mentioned it in his article a couple weeks ago, is there any substance to it? Should we be expecting (yet another)void at tight head next season?

Balls.ie (ya I know) is saying that Rodney might be going Ulster and Martin Moore or Ross coming to Sportsground.. Moore is a great player but I'd rather he move North and we keep Ah You - absolute fan (and personal) favourite

Bazzo

wp_rathead wrote: »

Balls.ie (ya I know) is saying that Rodney might be going Ulster and Martin Moore or Ross coming to Sportsground.. Moore is a great player but I'd rather he move North and we keep Ah You - absolute fan (and personal) favourite

Yep I'd be in complete agreement. My order of preference there would be Ah You>Moore>Ross

Rodney has his weaknesses but I think he's become a bit of a fan favourite in Connacht. I think moving Ross to Connacht as a "fair trade" for losing Ah You is a bit of a farce tbh.

Zzippy

We'd be mad to take Ross. I'd far rather Moore - I'd take him over Rodney tbh. I know we all love Rodney but I think Moore has far more potential. We'd get at most a year out of Ross and be paying him to sit on the bench behind Nathan, would be much better to develop a young player who'll be available long term.

typhoony

just been listening to the latest craggy island podcast and they spent a long time talking about which players would be available, hard to listen to and the music in background adds to the downbeat nature of the podcast

its_phil

Bazzo wrote: »

I see mention of Rodney moving to Ulster has been brought up again in the media.

I heard nothing about this until Gordon D'Arcy mentioned it in his article a couple weeks ago, is there any substance to it? Should we be expecting (yet another)void at tight head next season?

Independent in a whole state of the nation transfer special

connachta

Marty Moore to Connacht would be the greatest thing happening.

Robbo

Big Rod to Ulster will never happen. The nearest Supermacs to the Insulation Dome is Dundonald.

flouncer

Former New Zealand rugby union international Mils Muliaina has told of his seven-month ordeal after being wrongly accused of groping a woman at a Cardiff nightclub. A judge heard the decision to prosecute the World Cup winner was “outrageous” and his legal team said the mistaken identity case should never have come to court.

thomond2006

flouncer wrote: »

A judge heard the decision to prosecute the World Cup winner was “outrageous” and his legal team said the mistaken identity case should never have come to court.

If this is the case then I feel terrible for the guy. He's had his name/integrity dragged through the mud.

(I assume we're OK to give thoughts now given the legal proceedings are finished?)

wp_rathead

flouncer wrote: »

Former New Zealand rugby union international Mils Muliaina has told of his seven-month ordeal after being wrongly accused of groping a woman at a Cardiff nightclub. A judge heard the decision to prosecute the World Cup winner was “outrageous” and his legal team said the mistaken identity case should never have come to court.

Is there a source Flouncer?

b.gud

wp_rathead wrote: »

Is there a source Flouncer?

Not sure about the source for this specific quote but it was widely reported about a month ago that the case was dropped. A lot of the Connacht guys were retweeting it when it was announced

wp_rathead

Oh yes I heard that alright a few months back that it got thrown out of court - just Flouncer said Mils has been speaking about it but can't find anything online..

ClanofLams

It was an absolutely ridiculous method of arrest - you would think he was on the FBI's most wanted list!

b.gud

wp_rathead wrote: »

Oh yes I heard that alright a few months back that it got thrown out of court - just Flouncer said Mils has been speaking about it but can't find anything online..

Same haven't seen anything in the places where I normally get news

b.gud

https://twitter.com/Inphosports/status/674186743864758272

wp_rathead

One of the biggest mistakes of my life..
..choosing to go to Saracens away instead of Toulouse away..

connachta

wp_rathead wrote: »

One of the biggest mistakes of my life..
..choosing to go to Saracens away instead of Toulouse away..

What a moment it was. Clarke was there, sad he's retired when we need him now

Zzippy

wp_rathead wrote: »

One of the biggest mistakes of my life..
..choosing to go to Saracens away instead of Toulouse away..

Same here! :mad:

b.gud

connachta wrote: »

What a moment it was. Clarke was there, sad he's retired when we need him now

I was actually thinking about this recently, and Clarke retiring may have been a blessing in disguise. Before I go any further let me say that it was a huge shame that Clarke had to retire and it's not nice to see any player, especially one with such talent, retire prematurely.

Now why I think it was a blessing in disguise, if Clarke was still here I don't think we would have been able to sign Bundee. I just don't think we would have had the financial resources to do it. Maybe we wouldn't have signed Mils but I just fet the feeling that if Clarke had stayed Bundee never would have arrived. In the long run I think Bundee will be more valuable to Connacht

flouncer

wp_rathead wrote: »

Is there a source Flouncer?

This is where I picked it up

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/oct/19/former-all-black-mils-muliaina-cleared-sexual-assault

Sorry I'm way behind the times. I hadn't heard that he had been cleared and hadn't noticed any information to that effect on the connacht thread. So its recent news to me but obviously old news to many

connachta

In the Indo

"Wide-men Healy and O'Halloran must be in the frame for inclusion in Joe Schmidt's preliminary Six Nations squad, while second-row is fast becoming a major area of concern for the Ireland coach as the international season approaches, and Muldowney surely deserves consideration. "

El_Duderino 09

Hi all. I'm living near Newcastle and I'd love to go to the Connacht v Falcons match on Sunday week. Before I book the tickets I wanted to know which stand the away fans going to be in?

Cheers

wp_rathead

Alot bought tickets to the South Stand Terrace

b.gud

Connacht confirmed that Shane O'Leary has been added to the challenge cup squad instead of Nepia

El_Duderino 09

wp_rathead wrote:

Alot bought tickets to the South Stand Terrace

Cheers for that. I'll book the tickets tonight. Can't wait!

wp_rathead

Final Year Academy players James Connolly, Shane Delahunt and Rory Parata signed Senior Contracts..

b.gud

wp_rathead wrote: »

Final Year Academy players James Connolly, Shane Delahunt and Rory Parata signed Senior Contracts..

Great to see more quality players coming through the academy. Delahunt is particularly impressive, didn't he start last year in the sub academy? He really took his chance when injuries to senior players came about

connemara man

wp_rathead wrote: »

Final Year Academy players James Connolly, Shane Delahunt and Rory Parata signed Senior Contracts..

Great to see
1 that we're developing players for the senior squad right across the pitch.
2 that the players are of a standard that when they are on the pitch the dip in quality isn't huge.

Shane really has grabbed his opportunity. James Connolly is a revelation IMO. And Parata doesn't look out of place on the pitch

ClanofLams

wp_rathead wrote: »

Final Year Academy players James Connolly, Shane Delahunt and Rory Parata signed Senior Contracts..

Some welcome good news. Any idea how long their contracts are? I think typical academy grads start off with 1 year deals but think all three are definitely worth two years at a minimum.

MarinersBlues

Looks like one year for all of them

http://www.connachtrugby.ie/academy-trio-graduate-to-senior-squad/#ConnachtNews

flouncer

wp_rathead wrote: »

Final Year Academy players James Connolly, Shane Delahunt and Rory Parata signed Senior Contracts..

Heard the news on the radio earlier. Its great news. All have huge careers AT CONNACHT and are highly deserving of their contracts

flouncer

Team for Friday at a guess.
Toh (he has only played 3 consecutive games so he should be ready to go)
Parata
Robb (he was nervous against Cardiff but will improve with game time)
Mcsharry
Healy
Jack
Blade (anytime I have seen him his play is really blistering impressive)
Loughney
Delahunt
White
Dillane
Muldowney
Muldoon
Connelly
Sean O'Brien

This is based on muldoon and loughney being available. So here comes the positivity :-). With so many players injured I love the idea of our new 3 contract players getting more chances. They have been fantastic to date. If they keep it up the injury list may become the second choice list:-).

Out of interest I didn't notice any issue with darragh during the game versus Cardiff. At what point of the game did the injury occur?

wp_rathead

flouncer wrote: »

Team for Friday at a guess.
Toh (he has only played 3 consecutive games so he should be ready to go)
Parata
Robb (he was nervous against Cardiff but will improve with game time)
Mcsharry
Healy
Jack
Blade (anytime I have seen him his play is really blistering impressive)
Loughney
Delahunt
White
Dillane
Muldowney
Muldoon
Connelly
Sean O'Brien

This is based on muldoon and loughney being available. So here comes the positivity :-). With so many players injured I love the idea of our new 3 contract players getting more chances. They have been fantastic to date. If they keep it up the injury list may become the second choice list:-).

Out of interest I didn't notice any issue with darragh during the game versus Cardiff. At what point of the game did the injury occur?

Hmm I'd go with something like :

15 TOH (c)
14 Niyi
13 Parata
12 Robb
11 Healy
10 Carty
09 Blade
08 Naoupu
07 Connolly
06 O'Brien
05 Browne
04 Dillane
03 Ah You
02 Delahunt
01 ???

Then away rest TOH (Parata to fb and McSharry 13), Carty (O'Leary to replace him) and Healy (you'd hope Poolman be back by then to get a run before Ulster)

flouncer

wp_rathead wrote: »

Hmm I'd go with something like :

15 TOH (c)
14 Niyi
13 Parata
12 Robb
11 Healy
10 Carty
09 Blade
08 Naoupu
07 Connolly
06 O'Brien
05 Browne
04 Dillane
03 Ah You
02 Delahunt
01 ???

Then away rest TOH (Parata to fb and McSharry 13), Carty (O'Leary to replace him) and Healy (you'd hope Poolman be back by then to get a run before Ulster)

Yep the 01 is becoming an issue. Otherwise do I disagree. Yep (its in my nature :-)). Muldowney or muldoon has to be there. And its purely a leadership issue and not a talent issue. I have no issue with toh being captain but if you remember back to the Munster penalty try, it was muldowney who pulled toh and many others off the ref.

So I do think toh has a leadership role in the back line but he still has nuggets to learn. If I was a youngster with that decision I would be infuriated. Muldowney pulled everybody into check. I hope toh learnt from that experience.

That said there is always two captains, one who runs the pack and one who runs the back line. And in your team suggestion there is no pack captain. Hence my problem.

Bazzo

Browne and Naoupu are both more than experienced enough to lead the pack. Not to mention Loughney if he's fit.

I hav a feeling we'll be seeing Bealham at loosehead though. Or maybe even Conan O'Donnell?

flouncer

Bazzo wrote: »

Browne and Naoupu are both more than experienced enough to lead the pack. Not to mention Loughney if he's fit.

I hav a feeling we'll be seeing Bealham at loosehead though. Or maybe even Conan O'Donnell?

Would love to see Conan. I disagree about Browne and George. Neither have led in the past. Its not a simple matter of a step-up. They are second choice players. They simply don't walk into that position of respect. In truth george is a last gasp selection at the best of times and Browne is behind muldowney, Marshall, roux, and dillane these days.

So I don't get that viewpoint. Neither are captains!

Bazzo

flouncer wrote: »

Would love to see Conan. I disagree about Browne and George. Neither have led in the past. Its not a simple matter of a step-up. They are second choice players. They simply don't walk into that position of respect. In truth george is a last gasp selection at the best of times and Browne is behind muldowney, Marshall, roux, and dillane these days.

So I don't get that viewpoint. Neither are captains!

They're not captaining the team just leading the pack. They have both been around long enough to know what they're about. Naoupu might be falling out of favour a bit but that speaks more to the quality of our younger players coming through, it's not long since he was first choice. Same for Browne.

Leo Cullen rode the pine for a couple of years at Leinster and still captained the team when he was playing, you don't have to be the best player on the pitch to be a leader.

wp_rathead

Well Muldowney was made captain when Mul went off so that's why he was only one talking to ref in Thomond

If White plays he is a capable captain (he has done in the past)

Browne has been brilliant this season when fit, I'd rest Muldowney and Muldoon for Ulster. Qualter is also an option in second row or at 8

flouncer

wp_rathead wrote: »

Well Muldowney was made captain when Mul went off so that's why he was only one talking to ref in Thomond

If White plays he is a capable captain (he has done in the past)

Browne has been brilliant this season when fit, I'd rest Muldowney and Muldoon for Ulster. Qualter is also an option in second row or at 8

Now I agree with the white suggestion. It is just my opinion but I don't see players (in particular george) leading the pack. And it simply comes down to the fact that he is most unlikely to start in most games. So I don't get how he can lead. I agree with Browne. Anyways toh out injured in training today so it will be interesting to see how the team lines out.

flouncer

Bazzo wrote: »

They're not captaining the team just leading the pack. They have both been around long enough to know what they're about. Naoupu might be falling out of favour a bit but that speaks more to the quality of our younger players coming through, it's not long since he was first choice. Same for Browne.

Leo Cullen rode the pine for a couple of years at Leinster and still captained the team when he was playing, you don't have to be the best player on the pitch to be a leader.

I don't disagree with that viewpoint whatsoever. I just question that the one of the final senior choices available deserves the respect of a bunch of kids who are on fire.