Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread XII (The Byrne Supremacy)

Lsdrugbyfan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226411#Comment_118226411

Dunnes injured and spent the week with the barbarians, Sorokas injured.

Joe McCarthy has played one game since returning from injury and is 20.

RichieRich_89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226494#Comment_118226494

Dunne's only off with the Barbarians because Leinster weren't going to pick him anyway. Maybe they're trying to create the impression that there's a lack of options so the IRFU are more likely to sanction a signing.

What's wrong with being 20 at this level? It's not as if you'd be throwing him in against the Springboks or something.

Blue4u

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226493#Comment_118226493

That's a personal opinion and you are entitled to it. In the real World that won't happen.

If you have watched Leinster since Leo took over you would have seen when young players come in. Only the bad years with Matt was a time when leinster failed to integrate players but with 4 years now of Leo it should be clear now.

aloooof

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226397#Comment_118226397

"It is Ulster, who really are the second best team in the league over the past few seasons."

I'd dispute that, tbh. I don't think there's much between Ulster and Munster (certainly a lot closer than everyone to Leinster) but generally Munster have been the ones to get closer to Leinster.

Blue4u

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226947#Comment_118226947

It's just an opinion, the performances of Ulster over the last 2-3 years I feel are above Munster in the Pro14/URC. In Europe Munster have been better. As you say not a whole pile between them.

Jump_In_Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226079#Comment_118226079

Just remembered, Manu Samoa's tour (Georgia, Uruguay, Spain, Barbarians) was cancelled due to Covid restrictions last month.

The only players they could call on were from the Northern hemisphere. I think this game was important for Samoan players to get at least one match in this window.

On that basis I think allowing Ala'alatoa to represent Samoa (from the bench might have been part of the bargain?) to help ensure the fixture went ahead was a good gesture by the Leinster management team.

Had the originally planned tour gone ahead, I'd doubt he would have played the Barbarians match.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/452877/manu-samoa-cancel-end-of-season-tour#:~:text=Manu%20Samoa's%20end%20of%20season,of%20Covid%2D19%20travel%20restrictions.&text=Samoa%20indicated%20last%20month%20it,in%20New%20Zealand%20and%20Australia.

CMcsporty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226200#Comment_118226200

Not as refreshing as a Pina Colada

Poor Tadgh

Lsdrugbyfan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226735#Comment_118226735

A 20 year old who has played 1 game since April.

aloooof

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118227082#Comment_118227082

I don't think it's borne out by the stats or performances tho. Obviously in different conferences, but if you look at their finishes:

2020/21: Munster and Ulster finished tied with 64.

2019/20: Munster finished on 51 vs Ulster 44.

2018/19: Munster finished on 77 vs Ulster 63.

2017/18: Munster finished on 69 vs Ulster 62.

And if you consider Leinster the bar (and since it's the Leinster thread), Munster have gotten significantly closer over the last 4 seasons. If we exclude the Rainbow Cup, they've each only enjoyed 1 home win, in the 2018/19 season. Ulster won by 1 point, Munster by 9. But more telling is the deficit of the losses, in reverse-chronological order:

• Munster: 10, 3, 10, 2, 7, 15, 8, 1, 10, 6
• Ulster: 19, 12, 22, 18, 12, 4, 33, 31, 15

Over a decent sample, Munster have gotten within 1 score 5 times, and within 2 scores 9 times out of 10 games.

Ulster have gotten within 1 score once and within 2 scores three out of 9 games.

Luckycharm

When we play Ulster I am always reminded of this

Blue4u

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118227355#Comment_118227355

I guess you are a Munster fan. Anyway it's an opinion, if you think Munster are playing well in the Pro14 that's great. My opinion is Ulster over the last few seasons are the better team and also playing a lot better rugby.

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118228248#Comment_118228248

“Ulster play better rugby than Munster”, probably true from a neutral perspective. Take Leinster out of the equation though and Munster are less psychologically vulnerable than Ulster though. If you ask me who is more likely to win a knockout game or a semi final of the two. I’d say Munster everytime.

aloooof

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118228248#Comment_118228248

Correct, I’m a Munster fan. But irrespective, the stats I’ve laid out pretty plainly demonstrate Munster have been better than Ulster. Both over the course of the last 4 seasons, and directly against Leinster, who are the benchmark, in that time.

Who plays the better rugby, that’s an entirely separate question. (But Munster have been making improvements in that regards in the last season or so).

Can we take this to the build up thread and weaponise the rhetoric a bit please Folks.

Exclamation Marc

Would any long-term Boardsie like two tickets to this evenings game? Am unable to make it so they're free to a good home. Grandstand seats near 22.

Thrashssacre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118231842#Comment_118231842

I was gonna buy two at the box office if there still available I'll take them.

Exclamation Marc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118232634#Comment_118232634

Will send a pm now.

Blue4u

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118231842#Comment_118231842

It's cold outside alright :-)

Thrashssacre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118232685#Comment_118232685

Perfect, just replied there.

hold my beer

I have an adult and two kids tickets in Grandstand if anyone wants. Not going to make it in as not feeling the best.

Edit: it's 2 adult and 1 child

Dave_The_Sheep

I too have two tickets for the unreserved south stand free to a good home, as my mate and I can't go due to needing to get tested. Drop me your email address if interested. Know it's late notice.

Clegg

Posted this on the match thread about Leinster looking very unprepared for Ulster. The forwards lost a lot of collisions, the lineout was poor and I can't remember the last time the ruck was so sloppy. We never properly resourced it and Ulster won a lot of turnovers as a result.

We saw some glimpses of good play from the backs. It's clear that we want to play a high tempo game with offloading to keep continuity and keep the defence backpedalling. But that only works when the forwards are doing their job.

We really need JGP back something fierce. For a few seasons he was neck and neck with McGrath, but I think over the last 18 months he has surpassed him by a fair margin. Also, if we're serious about Harry Byrne being the future, he needs more game time. He was incredibly rusty tonight, but his brother was just as bad really and doesn't have that excuse.

On the positive side, Frawley looks like a baller. Another good performance. Connors made a positive contribution too. Great seeing him back after missing so much time through injury.

stephen_n

Moloney was probably the only forward who could come out of that game with his head held high. Everyone else was miles off the pace,

Jimmy O’Brien and Frawley both looked very lively in attack. No half backs would look good behind a pack that badly beaten in every facet of the game.

TRC10

Harry Byrne was poor tonight.

He looked like he was going for the big play all the time. Perhaps he felt he needed to change the game. The lad just needs to focus on the basics first and play what's in front of him. He's more talented than his brother but Ross appears to have a better temperament.

Maybe he was rusty. He has only played about 50 minutes in total this season after all. Having a run of games is very important for a 10. Hopefully he'll start next week v Connacht.

Frawley/Henshaw is Leinster's most balanced, most effective centre pairing. I'd stick with them for Europe.

Clegg

I wonder if the new URC format will hinder Leinster going forward? One of Leinsters great strengths was keeping continuity in playing style despite the Test players being rotated in and out during the windows.

In years past, the younger guys and fringe internationals got a lot of game time with a mix and match of regular test players at the start of the season. That stood well to them when the test players left for Ireland duty.

But this time around, as there were no Europeans fixtures before the AIs, a lot more test players than normal played the opening fixtures as warm ups for them. And there were no league fixtures played during the AI window. This left a lot of our players coming into this game colder than they should have been.

degsie

Fair play to the wee ulstermen tonight, well deserved victory. Leinster looked rusty in comparison.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118233825#Comment_118233825

I said exactly this as well in the match thread

The lack of game time for fringe players equals more pressure to be impactful during those precious minutes.

Especially this season where a lot of them are playing for Leinster contract renewals

Blue4u

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118233825#Comment_118233825

The new format is a bit of a disaster for the large squad Leinster have as too many players are not getting game time. In the Pro14 the internationals meant they could get serious game times into the reserve players and then slowly integrate back in the internationals. If they got loads of injuries in the internationals that wasn't a big hit because they had quality backup.

The decision is now do they reduce the squad size because of less games but then if they lose a load of players for internationals they won't have backup.

Either they work with IRFU and push a load of players into the AIL's or they create a A's tournament during that window.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118228635#Comment_118228635

I still think Ulster are the second best side in the URC 😂

Former Former Former

I think we might be overreacting.

Like, it was our first game in five weeks, a lot of guys hadn't played any rugby in six weeks or more, a few more had been away in Ireland camp.

(I know all that applies to Ulster too).

Most importantly, Ulster are a very good team. We will occasionally lose to good teams.

We're still top of the league. We have a legion of players to come back.

Be grand.

scott1974

I presume we will get a good chunk of players back for the Connacht game and also as Europe is the following week..