Munster Team Talk Thread - New season title pending....

Neil3030 · 31-01-2023 10:31pm

What the heck does John Ryan have to do to get some medium-term stability on his life, ffs.

Cookiemunster · 31-01-2023 10:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184651#Comment_120184651

Ryan was offered a contract for the rest of the season by Munster, which he turned down to play in Super Rugby. Whatever about what happened with Wasps, the current situation is his own choice.

And seeing as he knows where he'll be playing next season, he has medium term stability.

Former Former Former · 31-01-2023 11:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184651#Comment_120184651

He'll be 35 when this new contract starts. He's doing OK tbh.

Lost Ormond · 31-01-2023 11:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184651#Comment_120184651

he turned down Munsters offer to take up the contract in New Zealand. He was unfortunate with what happened with wasps but anything else is on him and as he knows he has medium term stability as he has contracts until the end of 23/24 season

Neil3030 · 01-02-2023 12:17am

I'd be wary about pinning blame solely on Ryan. Do we know what the initial offer was that he turned down? This initial offer also would have been tabled before he put in some absolutely critical performances in more recent games. A two-year deal, taking him to the tail end of 36yo, surely warranted.

Jump_In_Jack · 01-02-2023 12:40am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120185155#Comment_120185155

What they’re offering now isn’t too much different to a two year deal, in that it won’t start for another 9 months or so (he’ll probably make more playing a season in New Zealand than half a season for Munster, plus a once off experience), then a year with Munster, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this deal was in part underwritten by the IRFU after consulting Andy Farrell, as it makes Ryan available for the World Cup, so it could be a good lucrative deal for Ryan, with potential to sign on again if he goes well.

Cookiemunster · 01-02-2023 12:45am

Either way he definitely has 'medium term stability in his life'.

01-02-2023 9:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120185252#Comment_120185252

Or at least as much as any 34 year old rugby player has.

Former Former Former · 01-02-2023 9:46am

I suppose this also makes him eligible for the RWC?

Not the worst emergency backup

01-02-2023 9:54am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120185755#Comment_120185755

If the tournament was starting now, I'd have him in the squad as the #3 option. He's an obviously better scrummager than Tom O'Toole, and I haven't seen much from O'Toole around the park to suggest there is a whole lot else to his game. He's probably the #3 THP at Ulster.

I know he's in the squad as a development style player like Joe McCarthy, but given the injury worries around Furlong, I think that's a gamble in that position.

shootermacg · 01-02-2023 5:04pm

Archer is fit again, so having JR head off to the SH for the remainder and come back after Archer retires is less expenditure overall.

lawrencesummers · 01-02-2023 5:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120187866#Comment_120187866

Less expenditure, more penalties.

Neil3030 · 01-02-2023 5:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120185252#Comment_120185252

By October of this year, he'll have spent the previous ~18 months or so living in

Ireland, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Ireland.

Stable if you're a bar-tailed godwit, perhaps. But a man with a young family, less so.

Cookiemunster · 01-02-2023 10:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188141#Comment_120188141

He's knows where he's going to be playing until summer 2024. That's stability for a 34 year old rugby player.

He turned down a Munster contract to go to New Zealand, even with his young family. It was his own decision.

I've no idea why you're trying to make something out of a situation which, since he rejoined Munster, is of his own making.

phog · 02-02-2023 10:37am

In the last block of games excluding our win over SA in PuC we have played 10 and won 7. Three of the wins were one score games, Ulster away being a last minute snatch and a one point win.

Over the course of the 10 games we scored 242 points and conceded 168 points with a PD of +74

We lost 3, Toulouse (x2) and Leinster all one score games. The PD of 3 the losses was -10 points and we outscored the opposition in tries scored in two of those games. I think had we played Toulouse in Thomond Park in the last round we could well have beaten them there and had we been a bit more careful with the ball in the game we played there we should have beaten them, iirc, we gifted them a try and a penalty.

It was tough block of games for us with so many injuries to our second row players and here's hoping for the next block we see RGS coming back to full health.

nerd69 · 02-02-2023 1:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120185155#Comment_120185155

Why be wary of the offer given but not wary of him chosing to experience super rugby before retiring?

He spent a decade playing with his home club thats a more stable career than most. Hes dead right to travel professionally while he can

Jump_In_Jack · 04-02-2023 9:57am

Just looking ahead in this spread out block of 3 home games, it’s noteworthy that we’re playing 3 former champions, Ospreys, Scarlets and Glasgow.

Looking at their recent form the three of them have all been playing winning rugby recently, so these will be proper tests of our squad.

I think luckily the Ospreys will be short quite a few, but Scarlets won’t be missing as many, and Glasgow have a few foreign players to keep them going.

It’ll be fascinating to see how these rounds go.

The postponed match today and the two postponed matches in three weeks time will bring all the results in line, so all teams will have 14 matches played going into round 15.

With 4 matches left and the table up to date it will be really interesting to see how it will all shake out.

I must have a look then at the remaining fixtures and see what the likely 1-8 seeds will be for the playoffs, right now it’s too difficult to call, but probably Munster will finish 7th and face Stormers away is my guess. But a few wins and a few results going our way elsewhere it could open up going into the tour to SA.

Cookiemunster · 04-02-2023 10:34am

How is it probable that Munster will finish 7th? Stormers and Sharks play each other twice. All the SA sides come North the week before the HCC last 16 so will likely send second strings. Ulster go to Glasgow and then SA on a 6N weekend. Glasgow also go to SA on a 6N weekend and have to come to TP. All these teams are going to drop points.

With the next three games, Munster will have close to a full team for those games. We'll more than likely get Kilcoyne, Coombes, Casey and Crowley back from the Ireland camp for these games and we'll also be getting Healy back from Scotland.

I fully expect 14 points from these three games and to travel to SA with a close to full strength squad. Top 4 is tough, but it's very achievable.

aloooof · 04-02-2023 10:37am

Another trip to SA for a QF would be a bit of a nightmare. We’re already heading over for the European Round of 16, back home for Scarlets, then 2 more weeks over there.

Cookiemunster · 04-02-2023 12:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200279#Comment_120200279

If we beat Sharks and Bulls beat Toulouse we'd play them in Thomond.

irelandrover · 04-02-2023 12:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200265#Comment_120200265

We might not be getting Casey back now if JGP is indeed injured

Jump_In_Jack · 04-02-2023 3:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200265#Comment_120200265

That result today changes things for sure, it’ll take a few more rounds yet before it’ll become clear.

sprucemoose · 06-02-2023 6:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200279#Comment_120200279

as great as it is to have the stronger SA teams in the competitions, this sort of thing makes me question the longevity of having them in the URC and euro comps

Jump_In_Jack · 06-02-2023 11:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200279#Comment_120200279

We play Scarlets before the European match.

We’ll either have a down week if lose, or else Toulouse away or Bulls at home if we win.

Then back to SA.

07-02-2023 10:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120208725#Comment_120208725

There's a lot of travel and if timing is bad it can be a real headache but hard not to see it as worth it.

Will Greenwood did an interview after the England loss and said they should be much better as the Premiership is the best league in the World. I thought it was blind exceptionalism, England aren't great because neither is the Prem.

The South African teams has made the URC likely the number one league in club rugby.

TRC10 · 07-02-2023 9:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120210448#Comment_120210448

Will Greenwood did an interview after the England loss and said they should be much better as the Premiership is the best league in the World.

Was this the Sky Sports interview? Because if it was, he didn't say that. He essentially said that because the Premier League in football is the best league in the world, English fans can sometimes be guilty of assuming that the Premiership is the rugby equivalent, when thats not necessarily the case. Here's the interview.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_ULfjxwCn4