Munster Team Talk Thread - Beirne After Reading

thomond2006

Today is Christmas Eve. The people who may have been able to sort this issue out in time to green light the match may be not working.

Tomorrow is Christmas Day. Nobody is working.

This is almost certainly a case of bad timing.

bennyl10

Former Former Former wrote: »

There are numerous, perfectly innocent explanations.

It was never announced that anyone had tested positive BTW.

There was delay with the lab, which shouldn’t happen in a sport set up

And surely that delay isn’t sufficient to cancel the game
Especially now as there is zero issues

sydthebeat

Caranica wrote: »

https://www.leinsterrugby.ie/leinster-rugby-statement-regarding-postponed-munster-game/?FixGuid=20ML8585

Now they've no positive tests??? Something very odd going on?

There was never positive cases.

It was a situation where test results hadn't been processed.

Burkie1203

bennyl10 wrote: »

There was delay with the lab, which shouldn’t happen in a sport set up

And surely that delay isn’t sufficient to cancel the game
Especially now as there is zero issues

Its a third party company AFAIK. This happens. There is a third wave and a new strain of the virus. Its Xmas week.

They had to call it today.

lawrencesummers

There is a simple explanations to all this.










They a bunch of chickens.

Sabre0001

Knew it, running scared 😅

yerrahbah

Nice interview with Billy Holland

https://twitter.com/ExaminerSport/status/1342713763284230150

FrannoFan

bennyl10 wrote: »

There was delay with the lab, which shouldn’t happen in a sport set up

And surely that delay isn’t sufficient to cancel the game
Especially now as there is zero issues

In a pandemic

With National cases rising

Should prioritize sport team.......

thomond2006

The weather last night in Limerick would suggest the game was never going to be played anyway.

lawrencesummers

Looks like they missed a trick not postponing the game 24 hours.

Burkie1203

lawrencesummers wrote: »

Looks like they missed a trick not postponing the game 24 hours.

What if the same TV crew were responsible for the connacht v ulster game tonite as well?

Jump_In_Jack

lawrencesummers wrote: »

Looks like they missed a trick not postponing the game 24 hours.

Yes, or even tomorrow.
The Connacht match is late in the evening, so could have played it around now if they had kept it as a contingency plan pending the results coming back ok.
Maybe that is just a bit too flaky a look for the league organisers though, however sensible it seems considering no crowds would be affected, just the TV schedule.

The Lost Sheep

lawrencesummers wrote: »

Looks like they missed a trick not postponing the game 24 hours.

Lot of logistics and considering no crowds so no income

Burkie1203 wrote: »

What if the same TV crew were responsible for the connacht v ulster game tonite as well?

Not usually around this time of year

Jump_In_Jack wrote: »

Yes, or even tomorrow.
The Connacht match is late in the evening, so could have played it around now if they had kept it as a contingency plan pending the results coming back ok.
Maybe that is just a bit too flaky a look for the league organisers though, however sensible it seems considering no crowds would be affected, just the TV schedule.

Not going to rearrange game that soon. when game was called with covid and everything else the contingencies would have been very different. its not that easy to reschedule things even with no crowds at games.

yerrahbah

Squad update:

https://www.munsterrugby.ie/2020/12/29/squad-update-185/

There are no new injury concerns to report.

Peter O’Mahony will complete the final steps of the return to play protocols once he returns to squad training next week.

Ben Healy has stepped up his rehabilitation from the shoulder injury sustained against Harlequins in Round 1 of the Champions Cup and is taking part in non-contact training.

The team to face Ulster will be named on Friday.

Unavailable: Matt Gallagher (shoulder) RG Snyman (knee) Neil Cronin (knee) Joey Carbery (ankle) James Cronin (abdomen).


Of those who are injured, I can only see James Cronin being available anytime soon

I cant imagine Healy will play this weekend either, Ulster selection could be fully loaded after a lot of rotation for the Connacht game

thomond2006

With only one playoff spot in each conference, the focus will be firmly on the Connacht game.
Healy definitely won't be playing if he's only involved in non-contact training.

Jump_In_Jack

thomond2006 wrote: »

Kevin O'Byrne 2022
Rhys Marshall 2021
Niall Scannell 2021

Diarmuid Barron Year 2
Eoghan Clarke Year 2

James Cronin 2021
Dave Kilcoyne 2023
Liam O'Connor 2022
Jeremy Loughman 2022

James French Year 2
Josh Wycherley Year 2

Stephen Archer 2022
Keynan Knox 2022
John Ryan 2022
Roman Salanoa 2022

Tadhg Beirne 2022
Billy Holland 2021
Jean Kleyn 2022
RG Snyman 2022
Fineen Wycherley 2021

Thomas Ahern Year 2
Paddy Kelly Year 1
Eoin O'Connor Year 1

Gavin Coombes 2021
Chris Cloete 2022
Tommy O'Donnell 2021
Jack O'Donoghue 2021
Peter O'Mahony 2021
Jack O'Sullivan 2023
CJ Stander 2021

Jack Daly Year 2
John Hodnett Year 1

Craig Casey 2021
Neil Cronin 2021
Nick McCarthy 2021
Conor Murray 2022

Jack Stafford Year 3

Joey Carbery 2022
JJ Hanrahan 2021

Jake Flannery Year 1
Ben Healy Year 2

Damian de Allende 2022
Chris Farrell 2022
Dan Goggin 2022
Alex McHenry 2021
Rory Scannell 2021

Sean French Year 2

Andrew Conway 2023
Liam Coombes 2021
Shane Daly 2021
Keith Earls 2021
Matt Gallagher 2022
Mike Haley 2021
Calvin Nash 2021
Darren Sweetnam 2021
Alex Wootton 2021

Alan Tynan Year 3
Jonathan Wren Year 2

Confirmed 2020/21 NIEs:
RG Snyman (capped), Damian de Allende (capped)

IN: Roman Salanoa (PR, Leinster), RG Snyman (LK, Honda Heat), Damian de Allende (CT, Panasonic Wild Knights), Matt Gallagher (FB, Saracens)
OUT: Brian Scott (PR, Retired), Ciaran Parker (PR, England/TBC), Sean O'Connor (SR, England/TBC), Darren O'Shea (SR, TBC), Arno Botha (BR, Blue Bulls), Conor Oliver (BR, Connacht), Tyler Bleyendaal (FH, Retired), Sammy Arnold (CT, Connacht)

Out of Contract:
Jack Stafford
Alan Tynan

Any update to the above on contracts since?

Fade Into You

https://twitter.com/Murray_Murphy/statu...633453310?s=19

The Lost Sheep

Jump_In_Jack wrote: »

Any update to the above on contracts since?

Did IRFU not say they werent going to be negotiating until later so there isnt any real update on any of those out of contract at end of this season.

Jump_In_Jack

The Lost Sheep wrote: »

Did IRFU not say they werent going to be negotiating until later so there isnt any real update on any of those out of contract at end of this season.

There were changes to academy etc though.

Edit:
Barron was promoted to senior squad, the rest all just went up another year in the academy.
Ben Murphy also joined and unless he is extended his loan should be expiring this week I think.

Also, new to the academy this season,
HK: Scott Buckley
N8: Alex Kendellen
OH: Jack Crowley

leakyboots

Coombes, Healy and Casey should be getting a nice bump you'd think. It's a shame Hodnett got injured, he looks the business too

thomond2006

Jump_In_Jack wrote: »

Any update to the above on contracts since?

That one isn't the most recent list I posted.

Here you go: https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=114564581&postcount=4755

As we've seen with the Cooney rumours there could be departures amongst players who are under contract for next season. The reported drop to 18 regular season games in the Pro16 from 2021-22 would also justify a smaller squad. Less cover is required with less/no games during international weekends.

Jump_In_Jack

thomond2006 wrote: »

That one isn't the most recent list I posted.

Here you go: https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=114564581&postcount=4755

As we've seen with the Cooney rumours there could be departures amongst players who are under contract for next season. The reported drop to 18 regular season games in the Pro16 from 2021-22 would also justify a smaller squad. Less cover is required with less/no games during international weekends.

For discussion’s sake,
Here’s a stab at what I think might be a good plan:

Hooker:
Scannell and Marshall - 2yrs
Barron - 1yr
Clarke - release

Loose-head Prop:
Cronin - 2yrs
Wycherley - 2yrs Senior development
Sign an academy loose-head prop

Tight-head Prop:
French - 2yrs Senior development
Sign an academy tight-head prop

Lock:
Holland - release
Wycherley - 2yrs
Ahern - 2yrs Senior development

Back Row:
Stander - Central contract til World Cup
O’Mahony - release, let him go to France
O’Donnell - release
Coombes - 3yrs
O’Donoghue - 2yrs
Daly - 1yr Senior development
Hodnett - 2yrs Senior development
Sign an academy back row

Scrum-half:
Casey - 3yrs
Cronin - 1yr
McCarthy - 1yr
Sign an academy scrum-half

Out-half:
Hanrahan - 2yrs
Healy - 3yrs

Centre:
Scannell - 1yr
McHenry - release
French - 1yr Senior development

Back 3:
Earls - 1yr
Daly - 2yr
Haley - 2yrs
Sweetnam - 2yrs
Coombes - 1yr
Nash - release
Wootton - release
Wren - 1yr Senior development
Sign an academy back

Paul Weller

A good article about Danny Barnes
https://www.balls.ie/amp/rugby/danny-barnes-best-of-2020-457979

thomond2006

Jump_In_Jack wrote: »

For discussion’s sake,
Here’s a stab at what I think might be a good plan:

It's tough to predict. I would say it's likely that there will be less in the squad next year, not just due to Covid but also with three less regular season games in the Pro16. I think it's unlikely that we'll have four players in one field position where none of them are in the international period.

leakyboots

I wouldn't be letting POM go anywhere, talisman and at the top of his game. Ditto CJ, two of our top level players who have more to give.

McCarthy I'd let go, he's offered very little that an academy scrum half wouldn't. Maybe there's noone there - others more in tune with who's coming through (or not) from AIL might know more but he strikes me as blocking development now.

Nash and Sweetnam are funny cases. Nash has done nothing wrong but at the same time hasn't put his hand up à la Coombes. You could say the same for L/ Coombes on wing - they haven't had significant gametime to know really where they're at. Shows how cutthroat things are, they really need to make the most of limited opportunities in the quieter parts of the season.

Sweetnam went from knocking on the door of Ireland to being injured and now one in a slew of outside backs that are coming through. He's 28 in May all of a sudden, been extremely unlucky with injury but you'd be tempted to start looking for the future. I'd pitch him at the same level as Dave Kearney, can do a job in Pro 14 level. So look at the squad and see do we need that reliability in that position.

Agree with the rest of the list, I think we've good quality coming through, let's back them.

leakyboots

Just on POM/CJ/TOD/Billy Holland - we've always had in our squad an older pack leader who has seen it all and is there as general squad leader who might no longer be international selection but has that class on nights away in Glasgow or wherever that it's needed with youngsters around them. I'm thinking Gaillimh, DOC in his later years, Micko and Billy Holland recently.

It's generally been a second row in the last twenty years but I can see the above (and POM in particular) fulfilling that role in the future.

yerrahbah

Hard to predict this weekends team, but I'll go on the assumption that we will be going full strength vs Connacht next week and so it will be a rotated squad this week

Loughman, Scannell, Ryan, Wycherley, Holland, JO'D, Cloete, O'Sullivan, Casey, JJ, Sweetnam, Scannell, Goggin, Nash, Daly


Killer, Marshall, Knox, Beirne, TO'D, McCarthy, Crowley, DDA

Jump_In_Jack

thomond2006 wrote: »

It's tough to predict. I would say it's likely that there will be less in the squad next year, not just due to Covid but also with three less regular season games in the Pro16. I think it's unlikely that we'll have four players in one field position where none of them are in the international period.

Has there been an announcement on a format for next season?
I thought we were still a bit in the dark about what was being planned.

I think we may actually need to add a couple of extra players to the senior squads.
With 14 teams we played 21 rounds and 3 rounds of playoffs so with 16 teams I could see it being increased by one round to 22 rounds with 3 rounds of playoffs without much fuss from the Unions (expecting 6 teams to qualify for playoffs the same as before with the Pro14).

I'd expect it will follow a similar conference setup as the the Rainbow Cup (8 teams, split across all the countries 2SA, 2Ir, 2Wa, 1Sc, 1It) but with Home AND Away conference matches, and only just a single match against each of the 8 teams in the other conference, dropping the extra Interpros as they have been this season, that'd be 7 Home & 7 Away matches in conference, and 4 Home and 4 Away matches against the teams in the other conference.

I think having the extra round of matches would be good for the league as it should generate more money for the clubs through gate receipts and TV revenue, and slightly increase the squad size.

thomond2006

No announcement but an 18 game regular season is widely expected: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/fewer-fixtures-more-money-amid-19530174.

We don't need more games. The biggest issue with the league is the shadow squad games over international windows. It's great for the diehards like ourselves to see young players, but it's not going to entice a big audience. Having extra matches isn't necessarily a positive. What you want is less games that are more meaningful.

The Top14 and Premiership can manage games over the international windows due to the spread of the English and French internationals amongst its clubs. The majority of Pro14 clubs on the other hand get decimated.

lawrencesummers

I would like to see a return of something akin to the B&I cup.
With the SA sides it probably wouldn’t work but Is it possible to have an A team for each league team and mirror the senior fixture?

The marginal / fringe / academy / squad players are not getting enough consistent game time outside of a few interpros every year.