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

Thrashssacre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118998889#Comment_118998889

Enjoy the final in the Aviva!

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118998889#Comment_118998889

A 7 point win against our 3rds/academy. If that’s the best the saffers have to offer. No wonder you’re crying. Only a slight improvement on the Welsh really.

ersatz

Frawley has had some season. I’d say he is definitely in the frame for 10/12 on the NZ tour. Hopefully bigger things to come from him. Some of his kicking today was really good.

Dubinusa

How did Deeny play?

boetstark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118998942#Comment_118998942

Really funny eh. Tell me again who are the world Champions 🏆

Clegg

Two losing bonus points from the tour is a good result. A lot of younger forwards received some much needed gametime and generally coped well against much bigger packs.

Soroka and Penney were the standout young forwards for me. Ruddock was incredible impressive and led from the front. Jack Dunne too. Shame he's leaving. Ditto Josh Murphy. They stood up to the physicality of the massive South African packs.

From the backs I think Frawley, Osborne and TOB stood out. Osborne is really growing into the 13 jersey. Looks a very dangerous runner and is very good at making a metre or two through half gaps. TOB is an impressive athlete with a lot of pace. Much like Soroka, he has a great attitude and is ultra competitive. Reminds me a lot of McFadden, but might be a better footballer. Frawley is just brilliant. Crossfield kicks to set up trys last week and was unflappable against a huge Stormers pack this week. He really stepped up as a leader.

Bogwoppit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118999359#Comment_118999359

Definitely not the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls or the Lions. Leinster don’t play in the World Cup either.

pickarooney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118998822#Comment_118998822

Leinster are not going to lose their last games by 8 points. There was still a chance of a draw in SA.

boetstark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118999422#Comment_118999422

Arrogance doesn't suit Irish rugby boet 🙂

Bogwoppit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118999460#Comment_118999460

We’re just happy we finally have teams who can compete with our 2nd/3rd team in the league.

Clegg

Tonights results means Leinster will finish top of the table regardless of the results of the final weekend of fixtures.

Also, if I've read the URC table right then Leinster will play the loser of Edinburgh/Glasgow in the QF.

boetstark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118999469#Comment_118999469

I think it was only a few years back that Munster regularly humiliated your 1st , 2nd , 3rd teams whatever 🤣

jacothelad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118999460#Comment_118999460

Not when you have cornered the market.

bluedex

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118999557#Comment_118999557

Try not to be an arsehole. Its not a good look for your fellow supporters.

TRC10

Cian Prendergast and Alex Soroka are the same person and you can't convince me otherwise

Serbian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118999557#Comment_118999557

It’s been 20 years since Munster regularly beat Leinster. Around the same time New Zealand beat South Africa eight times in a row if that helps.

realhorrorshow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118999517#Comment_118999517

It'll be either the Scarlets or Ospreys no? As the loser of Edinburgh-Glasgow will not qualify, as one Welsh team must.

Edit: Please ignore me, I was getting confused with European qualification.

Yeah_Right

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118998817#Comment_118998817

Nah they leave that to cry baby fans on the internet. Seriously, can Irish fans not watch a game without bitching about the ref? You almost make SA fans look sane. Almost 😆

Dubinusa

That was a decent run out for so many young players. Good players and well coached.

molloyjh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119000027#Comment_119000027

I thought by and large the ref was grand yesterday. Although he did warn Stormers twice about repeated infringements leading to a card and then never followed through. He warned Leinster once and followed through then. That’s just annoying to watch. Otherwise he made a few errors like all human beings do. Nothing major.

Quite how the TMO didn’t call his attention to Roos throwing punches just before one of their tries though I don’t know. It was pretty clear and came after he’d shoved Harry Byrnes face into the ground for being able to get a kick away under pressure. There wasn’t much in the Byrne incident alone, but they were on a warning then so should have been a team yellow. And the punches definitely should have been a card.

I think some of the incidents in SA prior to this week have probably set a few minds. Jonkers as TMO was beyond bad last week and I was gobsmacked at some of his involvements. The Stormers-Ulster game was another example of a big call going, incorrectly, the way of the home team. In the case of the former, Jonkers was due to be TMO yesterday and was stood down. And in the latter the league came out to acknowledge the call was wrong. I think that shows that there were clear issues in at least both of those games with the officiating. It probably led to a good deal of confirmation bias yesterday.

molloyjh

I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy about a loss as I was yesterday. That was a very positive 2 weeks from the young lads and the presence of mind to take the LBP knowing what it meant was superb. That’s what I want Leinster to be. That clinical.

I think we all expected 2 thumpings in those games. And while we were never really in the hunt to win the game yesterday we were somewhat unlucky not to beat Sharks. Guys like Deeny, Dunne, Soroka, Osbourne and Russell all showed that they deserve to be in the mix next season. And but for injury, McCarthy could have been out there doing the same too.

The attitude and application was by and large very good. The hunger and the fight cliche applied yesterday in spades. Was it 3 tries we denied them through sheer hard work and determination? That’s a tour that this squad will take a huge amount from, not just the fact that it secured top spot. And kudos to Leo and Lancaster etc for how they went about it all. I can only imagine what the Sharks and Stormers players must be thinking after that. They struggled against our C team. What does that say about their chances against our A team!?

I hope the lads are proud of what they did even in losing. And I hope the positives are being strongly reinforced by the coaches.

Soroka's post match interview is a thing of beauty

realhorrorshow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119000738#Comment_119000738

Absolutely brilliant. I love the fact that he is so outwardly emotive on the pitch, a bit of a rarity in Irish rugby. I think he will go on to be a real cult hero in Leinster, and potentially Ireland.

Yeah_Right

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119000686#Comment_119000686

Have to admit I missed the punches. I was a wee bit inebriated when I watched the match after getting home from dinner. So that's my excuse 😆

As you say, the ref made some mistakes like all refs do. Junker as a TMO is a concern. He is like a throwback to the bad old days when teams would tour RSA and have to contend with the opposition and local refs. I get why people question decisions, I do it, but I hate it when fans just leap to the ref being biased and the 16th man. Its childish BS and it seems to be happening more frequently here. I'll continue to call BS on it.

The ref not showing them a card after putting them on a warning can happen. They sometimes forget. How many times have we seen a ref get reminded that they were playing advantage after going to the TMO. Leinster's captain should have been in his ear about that. I believe Ruddock was off so maybe that was a lack of experience. But surely one of the dozens of water carriers that run on to the pit h could have the message on.

Overall it was a satisfactory tour for Leinster. Secured top spot and a bunch of young players got some great experience which will just strengthen Leinster in the future.

RichieRich_89

Will the IRFU ask Leinster to field a weaker selection against Munster to increase the chances of there being another Irish-hosted quarter-final, I wonder.

I suppose Leinster are quite likely to rotate heavily of their own accord, given how fixtures fall.

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119001340#Comment_119001340

It's possible that the lads who are leaving will play! Cronin and Toner perhaps?

That match is really wasted, imo. It would have been full strenght when it was due to be played. It's in the Aviva too! What will the attendance look like for a dead rubber game.

Munster might play the lads that are leaving also. Cloete, Ryan and Jenkins. I would expect a mixed line up from both sides.

RichieRich_89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119001414#Comment_119001414

Don't really see they point in playing players who are leaving. Better to use it to build for next season if any selection decisions are in any way close, in my opinion. I'd prefer to see McKee over Cronin.

1. Cian Healy
2. Dan Sheehan
3. Michael Ala'alatoa
4. Joe McCarthy
5. Devin Toner
6. Alexis Soroka
7. Scott Penny
8. Rhys Ruddock
9. Cormac Foley
10. Ross Byrne
11. Jordan Larmour
12. Ciarán Frawley
13. Jamie Osborne
14. Tommy O'Brien
15. Max O'Reilly
16. John McKee
17. Edward Byrne
18. Thomas Clarkson
19. Brian Deeny
20. Martin Moloney
21. Luke McGrath
22. Harry Byrne
23. Robert Russell

Something as that, maybe... if McCarthy and Larmour are back fit. It'd be good to see Soroka involved.

Dubinusa

I would like to see Milne. I had hoped he'd kick on this year. Injury cursed him. A good end to this season will benifit him for the upcoming pre season.

Maybe:

Milne

Treacy

Clarkson

Toner

Baird

Murphy

Penny

Deegan

Luke

HB

Larmour

Frawley

ROL

AB

MOR

Dooley

Cronin

Vakh

Deeny

Soroka

Foley

Hawkshaw

TOB

RichieRich_89

Have Leinster dropped the ball in letting Dunne and Murphy go and bringing in Jenkins? Even if Jenkins turns out to be a quality player for Leinster there'll need to be a bit of wrangling to hold on to him beyond his first contract (is it one season or two?) due to his NIQ status. Those problems wouldn't have existed with Dunne and Murphy, who have both shown up well recently.

Maybe Murphy's decision would have been different if he had been getting as much rugby as he is now when he committed to Connacht.

RichieRich_89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119001513#Comment_119001513

But thats 7 players who aren't going to be here next season. It seems like wasted gametime to me. Getting some minutes under their belt could be invaluable for some of the emergent talent with an eye on next season. Osborne ahead of ROL at 13 and TOB ahead of Byrne are no-brainers, if you ask me. Murphy is one of my favourite players, but I think I'd be giving the 6 shirt to Soroka too.

Milne needs to work on his scrummaging, but he does look excellent in the loose.