Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread XI (The Finals Countdown)

ionadnapokot

Clegg wrote: »

Zebo wasn't good enough for Leinster in 2017. He certainly won't be good enough three years and three stone later.

Leinster and Ireland aren’t exactly stocked at FB or wing. I don’t know how out of shape he’s gotten but would it really be terrible to see him back in Ireland?

Keenan is a good player but my guess is that he will never make an excellent international.
Although If you read the piece on him at the weekend in the IT he could be the second coming of Christ.

Burkie1203

Clegg wrote: »

Zebo wasn't good enough for Leinster in 2017. He certainly won't be good enough three years and three stone later.

Well Ciaran Parker is only on a 3 month loan contract. With Aungier and Salanoa gone Leinster are a bit short there

Kevski

[Deleted User] wrote: »

What did he say?

He was asked on Instagram yesterday if he’d move to Leinster if Joe took over at Racing and Leinster was his only out.

He said he’d rather take retirement

Richie_Rich89

Is Scott Fardy on the wane or is he just taking longer to get up and running due to being an older player? Either way he'll be lucky to get selected ahead of Baird in the XXIII to take on Saracens based on performances since the restart. I think he'll be picked - because of the credit he has in the bank. But he needs a big one to repay the coaches' faith in him.

Interested Observer

Richie_Rich89 wrote: »

Is Scott Fardy on the wane or is he just taking longer to get up and running due to being an older player? Either way he'll be lucky to get selected ahead of Baird in the XXIII to take on Saracens based on performances since the restart. I think he'll be picked - because of the credit he has in the bank. But he needs a big one to repay the coaches' faith in him.

Well he's 36, you slow down eventually. I'm sure he'll be in the 23.

declanflynn

When are we getting a refund for Saturday's match tickets

salmocab

declanflynn wrote: »

When are we getting a refund for Saturday's match tickets

They were refunded months ago

Buer

thomond2006 wrote: »

Leinster will win comfortably. Ye can stop the cute hoor routine.

I'm not. Their pack will have:

Mako Vunipola, George, Koch, Itoje, Billy Vunipola....5 lads who were on the pitch in the RWC final 11 months ago.

Yes, Farrell is a big loss to them as he would be to any team. But Goode is a pretty solid back up 10. He has started 10 for them a significant amount there in the last year including a couple of European games last season. It's not far from a Sexton/Byrne type scenario.

Outside of them, we're probably looking at something like Barritt and Taylor in the centre with Maitland, Daly and Lewington in the back three.

Leinster are rightly favourites but this is far from a foregone conclusion. The empty stadium is going to dilute the impact of the game being played in Dublin. As others have said previously, Saracens have been preparing for this game for months. This is their sole focus and the kitchen sink is coming on Saturday.

Buer

ionadnapokot wrote: »

Leinster and Ireland aren’t exactly stocked at FB or wing. I don’t know how out of shape he’s gotten but would it really be terrible to see him back in Ireland?

Keenan is a good player but my guess is that he will never make an excellent international.
Although If you read the piece on him at the weekend in the IT he could be the second coming of Christ.

For next season, if you gave me a choice between a 25 year old Keenan who has looked comfortable in his first appearances in knock out rugby in the past fortnight or a 31 year old Zebo who looks like he has spent the last year in the boulangerie, had a couple of injury issues and his form has undoubtedly dropped, it would be a very simple choice.

There's not a hope that Leinster consider Zebo even for a moment. They have Lowe, Kearney, Kelleher, Larmour and Keenan for their back three. With the financial situation in Irish rugby, there's no way they're going to look to spend another €200k plus the food bill to bring Zebo in.

Buer

Buer wrote: »

plus the food bill

ionadnapokot

Buer wrote: »

For next season, if you gave me a choice between a 25 year old Keenan who has looked comfortable in his first appearances in knock out rugby in the past fortnight or a 31 year old Zebo who looks like he has spent the last year in the boulangerie, had a couple of injury issues and his form has undoubtedly dropped, it would be a very simple choice.

There's not a hope that Leinster consider Zebo even for a moment. They have Lowe, Kearney, Kelleher, Larmour and Keenan for their back three. With the financial situation in Irish rugby, there's no way they're going to look to spend another €200k plus the food bill to bring Zebo in.

If it was a Leinster only situation – I wouldn’t take him back.
But I’m not saying it would necessarily have to be Leinster.

Im looking at FB in Ireland primarily and additional wingers
Zebo is a good barometer to use to highlight the lack of quality depth we have.
1. Larmour is still learning
2. Conway is our best FB - playing on the wing
3. Kearney is past it at international level
4. Daly isn’t at that level
5. Keenan is about the same as Daly
6. Lowry is electric but he’s not Kolbe

Stockdale at FB is an experiment I hope is killed.
However unfit Zebo is I’d still say he would be a good addition to the provinces and cover for Larmour & Conway over the next 2-3 years.

edit
Addison. Forgot about him! But for good reason. Always injured - worse than Fitzgerald.

Buer

Zebo would be a good addition as cover for the next 2-3 years if the circumstances are right. With that in mind will he:

- Take less than €200k (I assume this would be less than half his current salary)? Even at that, I don't think the IRFU would be eager to pay him what they are probably paying Daly and Keenan combined.
- Settle for a back up role given his age and performance levels?

I would start all of the players you've mentioned above ahead of Zebo. The upside of investing in them outweighs Zebo's return.

His performances have been well down on what they were even in his first season at Racing. He's a passenger defensively and his once excellent try scoring record has completely evaporated (one try last season). I would imagine there's a good reason they're considering moving on from him.

Niallof9

Buer wrote: »

For next season, if you gave me a choice between a 25 year old Keenan who has looked comfortable in his first appearances in knock out rugby in the past fortnight or a 31 year old Zebo who looks like he has spent the last year in the boulangerie, had a couple of injury issues and his form has undoubtedly dropped, it would be a very simple choice.

There's not a hope that Leinster consider Zebo even for a moment. They have Lowe, Kearney, Kelleher, Larmour and Keenan for their back three. With the financial situation in Irish rugby, there's no way they're going to look to spend another €200k plus the food bill to bring Zebo in.

Unreal how much hate Zebo gets. I find it distasteful and strange to be honest. He'll never go to Leinster but to imply Keenan is the better player is just nonsense. For me its part of why Irish rugby above provincial has turned a bit ****, we love to knock players who do something different either in size, or temperament or whatever. We much prefer the steady eddies and that's turned out so well at times. I often wonder would some of the old brigade make it these days with these standards.

Anyway he's not going to Leinster and yeah he wouldn't fit into the culture they've built. But he's one of the most talented/skillful back three players Ireland has produced for a while. He's fat, not as fast as made out and seems to be out of step with the monotone, monosyllabic, robotic culture of Irish rugby, but the day there's no place for a player like that in the game is the day its over. We are seeing similar now with Larmour and it feels like he's losing a bit of zip and focusing on the mundane.

aloooof

Buer wrote: »

The upside of investing in them outweighs Zebo's return.

Interesting choice of phrasing.

thomond2006

Buer wrote: »

I'm not. Their pack will have:

Mako Vunipola, George, Koch, Itoje, Billy Vunipola....5 lads who were on the pitch in the RWC final 11 months ago.

Yes, Farrell is a big loss to them as he would be to any team. But Goode is a pretty solid back up 10. He has started 10 for them a significant amount there in the last year including a couple of European games last season. It's not far from a Sexton/Byrne type scenario.

Outside of them, we're probably looking at something like Barritt and Taylor in the centre with Maitland, Daly and Lewington in the back three.

Leinster are rightly favourites but this is far from a foregone conclusion. The empty stadium is going to dilute the impact of the game being played in Dublin. As others have said previously, Saracens have been preparing for this game for months. This is their sole focus and the kitchen sink is coming on Saturday.

Their starting team is still excellent but looking at the potential respective benches the difference is a chasm. Saracens have been excellent at incorporating lesser players into their system but the value of a Cronin, Porter, Fardy or VDF off the bench is massive. I can see Leinster winning the last 20 minutes by more than a score and therefore win the game comfortably.

ionadnapokot

I havent seen any of him in the Top 14. So i really dont know how bad he has gotten.
Does he still play regular? & does he get injured much?

He would have definitely have to take a hit financially. But given the choice of playing for Ireland again he might give it a go for 2 years.

Im all for developing the younger guys but i really dont think we have potential young international caliber FB's coming through over the next 3 years.

Any potential starlets in the Leinster Academy?

Paul Smeenus

ionadnapokot wrote: »

I havent seen any of him in the Top 14. So i really dont know how bad he has gotten.
Does he still play regular? & does he get injured much?

He would have definitely have to take a hit financially. But given the choice of playing for Ireland again he might give it a go for 2 years.

Im all for developing the younger guys but i really dont think we have potential young international caliber FB's coming through over the next 3 years.

Any potential starlets in the Leinster Academy?

THEY'RE ALL POTENTIAL STARLETS IN THE LEINSTER ACADEMY

sydthebeat

ionadnapokot wrote: »

I havent seen any of him in the Top 14. So i really dont know how bad he has gotten.
Does he still play regular? & does he get injured much?

He would have definitely have to take a hit financially. But given the choice of playing for Ireland again he might give it a go for 2 years.

Im all for developing the younger guys but i really dont think we have potential young international caliber FB's coming through over the next 3 years.

Any potential starlets in the Leinster Academy?

plagued by injury, questionable fitness

only 6 starts last season and no tries.

Niallof9

ionadnapokot wrote: »

I havent seen any of him in the Top 14. So i really dont know how bad he has gotten.
Does he still play regular? & does he get injured much?

He would have definitely have to take a hit financially. But given the choice of playing for Ireland again he might give it a go for 2 years.

Im all for developing the younger guys but i really dont think we have potential young international caliber FB's coming through over the next 3 years.

Any potential starlets in the Leinster Academy?

Despite whats been said his stats for the past few seasons bar this year as age probably catches up, they compared favorably with somebody like Larmour except for his tackling which was never great. He like many players suffer from the real madrid style of pro 14 teams wanting new shiny things.

Anyway he'll go to Munster. The 2018 season his numbers were something any current Irish player could only dream of. 16 tries in 26 games, hundreds of metres gained, yet all he got was abuse.

Buer

Niallof9 wrote: »

He'll never go to Leinster but to imply Keenan is the better player is just nonsense.

I never did that; you just chose to infer it to suit your opinion.

Buer

Paul Smeenus wrote: »

THEY'RE ALL POTENTIAL STARLETS IN THE LEINSTER ACADEMY

How dare you omit the sub-academy.

ionadnapokot

sydthebeat wrote: »

plagued by injury, questionable fitness

only 6 starts last season and no tries.

Thats not good.
Definitely makes me rethink.
Last thing Ireland need is another injury plagued player getting a hefty salary from the coffers for little return.

It really is a shame whats happening to Addison & Carbery.

aloooof

Clegg wrote: »

Zebo wasn't good enough for Leinster in 2017. He certainly won't be good enough three years and three stone later.

I get the dislike Zebo attracts, but I think some people let that cloud their view of him.

In his last season with Ireland (2016/17) he played all but 6 minutes in the 6 Nations. He also started both games against NZ. (Meanwhile, Leinster had Zane Kirchener)

Whether he's good enough now is an entirely different question, admittedly.

Niallof9

ionadnapokot wrote: »

Thats not good.
Definitely makes me rethink.
Last thing Ireland need is another injury plagued player getting a hefty salary from the coffers for little return.

It really is a shame whats happening to Addison & Carbery.

Its a little bit disingenuous. He's played 40 matches since 2018. Similar or more than many frontline Irish players. He's having a mare with injury like many pro players do. He is a little bit of wasted potential but its amazing how Schmidt's attitude towards him and other things have skewed people's perception of him. I mean he played and scored in Chicago. Yet people would prefer Hugo Keenan.

Anyway he'll never go to Leinster. LEinster fans dislike him, Munster fans wouldn't forgive him and i'd say he dislikes Leinster himself.

Leinster don't need another wing or fullback.

crisco10

Just trying to figure out viewing options for this saturday..

Has anybody used BT's monthly pass thing in Ireland?

It seems to be available, but it's priced in sterling. Last think I want is to sign up, and be geo blocked when I sit down on Saturday!

RedRaider0

Back talking about leinster... sounds like Furlong will make the bench this weekend.

Buer

RedRaider0 wrote: »

Back talking about leinster... sounds like Furlong will make the bench this weekend.

That would be a big boost if true. Porter has been brilliant over recent weeks but the 1-2 punch of having them both in the 23 would add another dimension to our team.

Can't help but feel bad for Bent who has been excellent in his normal understated manner. He has been an important player over the past month and one of only a few to feature in every game.

Synode

crisco10 wrote: »

Just trying to figure out viewing options for this saturday..

Has anybody used BT's monthly pass thing in Ireland?

It seems to be available, but it's priced in sterling. Last think I want is to sign up, and be geo blocked when I sit down on Saturday!

I don't think that works in Ireland (it didn't last time I looked about 18 months ag0). Think you have to get NowTV with the Sports Extra pass.

molloyjh

Kevski wrote: »

He was asked on Instagram yesterday if he’d move to Leinster if Joe took over at Racing and Leinster was his only out.

He said he’d rather take retirement

So would we.

RedRaider0

Will McFadden or Rob K play for Leinster again?