Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread X: [****]

Podge_irl

Deleted User wrote: »

I didn’t mention drop goal I mentioned 3 points.

What 3 points? The entire conversation was in relation to whether they should have gone for the drop goal. Which absolutely no team would have deliberately done. There was no easy 3 points on offer.

Podge_irl

Clegg wrote: »

All said in hindsight now, but Fardy really should've started.

Yeah he came on surprisingly late I thought. Though possibly they were concerned that the backrow sub had already come on early.

Podge_irl

Podge_irl wrote: »

Deleted User wrote: »

I didn’t mention drop goal I mentioned 3 points.

What 3 points? The entire conversation was in relation to whether they should have gone for the drop goal. Which absolutely no team would have deliberately done. There was no easy 3 points on offer.

Please reread my last post. It is quite clear what I am discussing.

Podge_irl

antietam1 wrote: »

The lineout just before the intercept try I really thought Leinster were going to drive it and go for a dg.

Podge_irl wrote: »

Considering they were on 3 tries that would have been an odd call.

Deleted User wrote: »

Not at all and in the end we lost by ONE point when we could have won by TWO. See the difference. We came home with one point instead of four in the end. That’s why you take your easy points first and then chase the big ones.

It would have been an odd call to go for a drop goal. That is all I was saying. I have no idea where you are going with this. If there was a penalty call to make that would have been different.

Former Former

Clegg wrote: »

All said in hindsight now, but Fardy really should've started.

Ahead of Toner or ahead of Ruddock? I'm not sure I'd have dropped either for him tbh.

For whatever reason, Fardy isn't the same force he was last season and certainly the Leinster coaches don't seem too bothered about playing him.

Specifically yesterday, we were winning when he came on and I'm not sure that he did a whole lot during his time on the pitch.

Buer

Burkie1203 wrote: »

Ulster could beat Racing at Ravenhill
Sarries only potential loss is at Lyon

Munster are racking up big injury list.

Whilst I could see Racing being below par on the road, I think their trip to Leicester is our best hope. Leicester are capable of putting in a good showing at home and have the quality in their team to beat an out of sorts Racing. Ulster will need everything to go right for them if Racing show up. They're capable of doing it but I'm not sure it will happen. They're just a ruthless side when they've got an opportunity even if they've been half interested before that.

I'm not as concerned about Munster. We could conceivably overtake them based without them losing a match. They're only a point ahead of us at this point. Saracens are home and hosed in their pool though, I reckon.

thomond2006

Former Former wrote: »

Ahead of Toner or ahead of Ruddock? I'm not sure I'd have dropped either for him tbh.

For whatever reason, Fardy isn't the same force he was last season and certainly the Leinster coaches don't seem too bothered about playing him.

Specifically yesterday, we were winning when he came on and I'm not sure that he did a whole lot during his time on the pitch.

He turns 35 in July so it could simply be age.

Stout Warrior

Clegg wrote: »

All said in hindsight now, but Fardy really should've started.

At the expense of whom? Ryan had a good game and Toner was our go to man when the lineout was getting targeted. Actually he could have started at 6 but I thought Rhys had a quiet game. Probably would have been hard for any 6 given the intensity Toulouse brought up front.

Exclamation Marc

https://twitter.com/Murray_Kinsella/status/1054309960413257728?s=19

Hopefully nothing serious for VDF.

Buer

I think at this point, Fardy could even be a little undercooked. He has about 100 minutes of rugby in the past month. At his age, I'd imagine there's a fine balance between overplaying him and keeping him ticking over. I don't think he can come into a game of the pace and intensity that we saw yesterday and hit the ground running.

prawnsambo

Podge_irl wrote: »

Yeah he came on surprisingly late I thought. Though possibly they were concerned that the backrow sub had already come on early.

Very good point. I was concerned with how long SOB had been on when the plan was presumably to give him 30 or so minutes.

Interested Observer

Exclamation Marc wrote: »

https://twitter.com/Murray_Kinsella/status/1054309960413257728?s=19

Hopefully nothing serious for VDF.

Good, responsible action taken there.

P.Walnuts

Think we missed Leavy to be honest, we never looked like poaching their ball ( Porter with the only turnover?) it gave them the confidence to run down the clock towards the end.

Conan was pick of our forwards, Ryan was Ryan of course.

No intercept and the mood would be very different one imagines, fine margins. Maybe a reality check could be a blessing

.ak

Buer wrote: »

I think at this point, Fardy could even be a little undercooked. He has about 100 minutes of rugby in the past month. At his age, I'd imagine there's a fine balance between overplaying him and keeping him ticking over. I don't think he can come into a game of the pace and intensity that we saw yesterday and hit the ground running.

Just me or did he looked gassed after a few phases? Could be cuz of his age he's being managed back into fitness after some deserved downtime over the summer.

Clegg

Benneton away is a good fixture to bounce back from after the Toulouse defeat. They're a decent side and will require Leinster to be fully tuned in if they want to win.

swiwi_

Buer wrote: »

The knock on impact of this result is that, if Leinster go on to win their remaining games, a home semi final is now out of our own control. I don't see Racing or Saracens losing any of their remaining games. We may even struggle to get ahead of Munster given their toughest game is behind them and Castres' interest could well be diminished by the time Munster go there.

I think we need to win 3 of our final 4 games with bonus points. It's not impossible but it's a tall order. As it stands, I think I expect Saracens and Racing to both finish on 27 points. If we progress that far and face either of those sides in their home country in a semi final, it's going to be very difficult to win.

First and foremost, Leinster need to get the show back on the road though and actually secure the pool. If Toulouse are still in the mix by round 5 (and they almost certainly will be given Wasps are all but eliminated already) a win in Dublin will see them top the pool.

Is there not the small matter of a quarter-final first?

I keep reading about "home semi-final"...

errlloyd

swiwi_ wrote: »

Is there not the small matter of a quarter-final first?

I keep reading about "home semi-final"...

If there was no way to influence a semi final, talking about it would be pointless. But there is, finishing as a top two seed is worth talking about and planning for. We won the tournament last year. That's the standard.

At this point we have enough data as fans to discuss outcomes in the semi. Not yet the quarter. It'll get talked about more in later rounds.

irishbucsfan

swiwi_ wrote: »

Is there not the small matter of a quarter-final first?

I keep reading about "home semi-final"...

We have no idea who we would play in any quarter final. However we do know that we could give ourselves a good chance of playing a semi-final at home by finishing in the top 2 seeds

vienne86

irishbucsfan wrote: »

We have no idea who we would play in any quarter final. However we do know that we could give ourselves a good chance of playing a semi-final at home by finishing in the top 2 seeds

And we don't want to finish as seeds 3 or 4, because no matter what happens, 3 and 4 never get a home semi.

troyzer

Clegg wrote: »

Benneton away is a good fixture to bounce back from after the Toulouse defeat. They're a decent side and will require Leinster to be fully tuned in if they want to win.

Yeah but realistically who's going to make the trip? Most of the squad will be in Carton house.

Bridge93

Yeah think I’d rather have a crack at munster or Monty/Newcastle/Edinburgh away in a quarter and turn the semi around then home quarter with away semi

Thermoman12

Team predictions for Saturday?

troyzer

Thermoman12 wrote: »

Team predictions for Saturday?

You can't really say anything until we see the injuries and the Ireland squad.

Here is my ridiculously wrong prediction:

McCarthy, Reid, Byrne, ROL, Tomane, McFadden, D. Kearney.

Byrne, Tracy, Bent, Fardy, Kearney, Leavy, Deegan, Doris.

Dooley, Byrne, Abdaladze, Nagle, Murphy, O'Sullivan, Frawley, Daly.

troyzer

troyzer wrote: »

Thermoman12 wrote: »

Team predictions for Saturday?

You can't really say anything until we see the injuries and the Ireland squad.

Here is my ridiculously wrong prediction:

McCarthy, Reid, Byrne, ROL, Tomane, McFadden, D. Kearney.

Byrne, Tracy, Bent, Fardy, Kearney, Leavy, Deegan, Doris.

Dooley, Byrne, Abdaladze, Nagle, Murphy, O'Sullivan, Frawley, Daly.

You can move a few of those backs around. ROL at outside centre actually.

troyzer

troyzer wrote: »

troyzer wrote: »

Thermoman12 wrote: »

Team predictions for Saturday?

You can't really say anything until we see the injuries and the Ireland squad.

Here is my ridiculously wrong prediction:

McCarthy, Reid, Byrne, ROL, Tomane, McFadden, D. Kearney.

Byrne, Tracy, Bent, Fardy, Kearney, Leavy, Deegan, Doris.

Dooley, Byrne, Abdaladze, Nagle, Murphy, O'Sullivan, Frawley, Daly.

You can move a few of those backs around. ROL at outside centre actually.

Completely forgot about JGP...

I'd be shocked if even half of that was right.

Kevski

troyzer wrote: »

You can't really say anything until we see the injuries and the Ireland squad.

Here is my ridiculously wrong prediction:

McCarthy, Reid, Byrne, ROL, Tomane, McFadden, D. Kearney.

Byrne, Tracy, Bent, Fardy, Kearney, Leavy, Deegan, Doris.

Dooley, Byrne, Abdaladze, Nagle, Murphy, O'Sullivan, Frawley, Daly.

I’d expect the team to be pretty close to that, pending fitness of Leavy and JGP.

Thermoman12

troyzer wrote: »

Completely forgot about JGP...

I'd be shocked if even half of that was right.

Is JGP still injured?

troyzer

Thermoman12 wrote: »

troyzer wrote: »

Completely forgot about JGP...

I'd be shocked if even half of that was right.

Is JGP still injured?

Nope.

stephen_n

Moloney ahead of Nagle and Ferg will probably be in Carton house if fit.

FrannoFan

troyzer wrote: »

You can't really say anything until we see the injuries and the Ireland squad.

Here is my ridiculously wrong prediction:

McCarthy, Reid, Byrne, ROL, Tomane, McFadden, D. Kearney.

Byrne, Tracy, Bent, Fardy, Kearney, Leavy, Deegan, Doris.

Dooley, Byrne, Abdaladze, Nagle, Murphy, O'Sullivan, Frawley, Daly.

Could have SOB available too