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

Surprised at the negativity. Leinster racked up a score, took the foot off the gas (too much) and a decent performance by Zebre got them back into the game.

Their first try was a lovely set piece move, would cause any team trouble especially first game of the season. Tries 2, 3 and 4 for Zebre showed up some vulnerabilities for us but those are all mistakes that can be coached. Tries 2 and 4 were individual errors but 3 was a breakdown in defence that is uncharacteristic.

Our try on 60 minutes should have reassured folks on here. We opened Zebre up with relative ease when we had been sitting in neutral for the previous 30 minutes. There was a questionable amount of off the ball interference for their final score but Dave Kearney left too much of a gap on the inside. Not sure why he was defending that channel with 13 on the wing but those two factors gifted them an easy final score.

We looked tired at times early last season and I was of the opinion that those initial fixtures were absorbed into hard training weeks. We went a bit passive after the bonus point yesterday but I think there were more gears there if we needed them.

Was that a full strength Zebre team does anyone know? They kept the ball alive quite well at times and looked sharp. Didn't really see much by way of set pieces from Leinster but again - that's in keeping with previous seasons where we've tended to keep things a bit one dimensional early season.

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119635583#Comment_119635583

Their first try was a lovely set piece move, would cause any team trouble especially first game of the season.

14 against 15 off first phase? I like the glass half full approach but that’s emperors new clothes territory.

Itxa

I think all I saw from Leinster in the red zone was pick and gos- ugly ugly rugby. Two tries scored off it. If that’s what we rely on against Italian sides what are we to do against bigger sides?

My mates say they think they were efficient, fast and played attractive rugby. I thought it replicates a grinding style close in where we didn’t have the imagination or creativity to fashion holes in the defence. I didn’t like it.

Robust hardened grizzled players is what some people like and there is certainly a place in great teams, moreso, it’s needed in great rugby teams but relying on that style of rugby to break down opposition in that way is not what I would associate Leinster with.

Former Former Former

We always have a slow start. Remember the Dragons game last year? It never means anything for the rest of the season.

Yeah, poor sloppy performance, but not unexpected. A lot of players looked very rusty, which isn't surprising given how few pre-season games they chose to play.

Did anyone see the Leinster A - Ulster A game last Friday who could give a report on who looked good?

Leinster won 28-12 but the game was described as "competitive".

Leinster's tries were scored by Craig Adams, Cormac Daly, Daniel Leane and Chris Cosgrave.

Apparently the Leinster scrum was well and top and winning penalties, and Jack Boyle was good in the loose.

TRC10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119635834#Comment_119635834

I for one found it pleasing to see us dominating a team physically and having a dominant scrum, given the issues we've had in those areas over the last few years.

You can have the flashiest attack imaginable, but it means f*ck all if you can't win collisions and get over the gainline. It's a cliché I know but it's true. We know Leinster's attack is very good. One game at the start of the season and against Zebre doesn't all of a sudden mean we can't attack.

Zebre scored some nice looking tries, they lost. We played direct and came away with a BP win. I know what I'd rather. Last season, we played scintillating rugby all the way up to the business end of the season, when we came up against two teams that didn't play as attractive rugby as us, but who got the edge over us physically, and we came away with nothing.

I quite like the look of Jenkins. If he can stay fit he can be a real assets for us. I'd like to see him and McCarthy paired together at some stage.

Itxa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119638611#Comment_119638611

I suppose it’s a stylistic difference some fans in pockets of Leinster have over others. They want to see us win at all costs and don’t care about the how.

Rugby is a collision sport and you have to at least be able to achieve parity defensively in collisions to have a chance of winning the game but I wouldn’t place all my hope in that tactic working for Leinster as the season progresses.

When we come up against your physically bigger sides all the efficiency, speed and error free rugby won’t matter. We have to stop trying to play a style which doesn’t suit our physical makeup and create a gameplan around our strengths. Or better still create strengths in other areas.

What I mean by that is running bigger teams off the park and make them get on the back foot. Sometimes pulling teams from touch line to touch line doesn’t work if you don’t make them run a bit, you have to find ways over or through that wall.

I would like to see us trying to use decoy and dummy runners out wide against those teams and not just do it at home. Chips over and angled grubber kicks through from the halfway up the pitch towards the opposition goal line is also attractive. Pinning the wingers back with 50-22’s and then running wide-wide plays can work also.

If the pick and go works use it but don’t become reliant on it. We sometimes rely on that tactic in the red zone too much and hit a wall late in the season. I thought we played well but one dimensionally.

molloyjh

Leinster looked to fling it about a hell of a lot on Saturday but the simple reality was that on the day we were better served using our forwards than our backs.

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119643265#Comment_119643265

The fact that most of our backs looked like they had never seen a rugby ball before. Might have impacted on the view we just tried to bash it up.

Ciaran

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119638611#Comment_119638611

We've rarely had a problem physically dominating most teams in the league. The last few seasons, Leinster being 5 metres from the line has been almost a guaranteed try from repeated pick and goes. If anything, I'd argue that that has been too easy an option most of the time and left us short when it doesn't work against bigger teams.

Lsdrugbyfan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119645279#Comment_119645279

Yeah agreed, we win the physical battle too often so when we don't we look lost.. happens over and over.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119645291#Comment_119645291

welcome to the game of rugby......

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119645554#Comment_119645554

I think you're being facetious there syd.

I think the two posters above are basically saying there is an element of flat track bully about Leinster, if you can't dominate a team physically things start going wrong.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119645605#Comment_119645605

its a bit of both. Yes you can be a flat track bully and out power lesser opposition, but in the same breath it shouldn't be surprising or unexpected that in a game of rugby if you dont dominate physically you will have a much tougher time of it.

So to say that "we win the physical battle too often so when we don't we look lost" shouldnt be any kind of ground breaking comment. Any team that doesnt dominate physically isnt likely to be challenging for silverware.

take last year for example. Montpellier, Leicester, Stormers and Crusaders would all be considered the top, or among the top, physical teams of their leagues. Occasionally you'll get an outlier like a harlequins 2021 / connacht 2016 / castre 2018 who can win by virtue of a finesse playing style, but more ofthen than not the saracens / leinsters / exeters / toulouse / toulons etc are among teh winners by virtue of being a powerful team.

so the question should be, how do leinster win when the do not dominate physically, well we can see with the signings of jenkins and ala'alatoa Leinsters more recent reaction is to try to recruit to match the physicality, as i thinks theres an acceptance of that as the best route initially.

TRC10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119645279#Comment_119645279

We tried to rectify this last season by playing more expansive, but that all fell to pieces when we got dominated physically by LAR and the Bulls. You can do f*ck all when you're losing collisions. We need to, at the very least, get parity up front with these teams, for us to be able to utilise our attack, which is still good. Also, our scrum was by far our biggest weakness last season, so it was pleasing to see us dominate in that area.

I know Leinster try to model themselves on the Crusaders. But European Cup Rugby is incredibly different to Super Rugby, because you're competing with French sides who all splash cash on 6'8, 130kg monsters. You don't have that in Super Rugby, where the NZ and Aus teams aren't as big or physical and everyone plays free flowing, attacking rugby. European Rugby is a different animal. If you lose the battle up front, it's game over.

Interested Observer

Lancaster to take over at Racing at the end of the season, so say the Irish Times. Absolute body-blow to Leinster, himself and Sexton walking out the door together takes an insane amount of rugby IQ and experience with them.

Dave_The_Sheep

Yeah I'm getting drunk tonight. A huge loss.

Burkie1203

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119647622#Comment_119647622

At least it gives Leinster opportunity now to get a suitable replacement

Lsdrugbyfan

Was always going to leave at some stage... one european cup win in his time is an underachievement.

RichieRich_89

McBryde will be out of contract too. I think it would be better to bring in someone else. He hasn't exactly been a success.

McNamara's Sharks contract was for two season, I believe. Maybe they'll look to get him in to replace Lancaster?

Clegg

Lancaster will leave Leinster in a much better place than when he arrived. Forwards and backs across every age profile in the set up are all adept at handling the ball. Everyone performs to a high level and knows exactly how they want to play.

Our style of rugby may change, but I hope the standards that were set don't drop. Might be an issue without Sexton however.

Neil3030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119647622#Comment_119647622

Sexton to remain on as attack coach, surely? I mean, isn't he pretty much that already?

CIARAN_BOYLE

The coaching team assembled for next season is of paramount importance.

sydthebeat

We have to evolve regardless.

7 years is an incredibly long time for a coach to be at a club. Lancaster is one of the best, but it's Leinsters role and responsibility to replace him with similar or better.

Razor Robertson please

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119647791#Comment_119647791

More chance of Andy Robertson!

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119647774#Comment_119647774

He has already said he won’t go into coaching. He has a career already started away from rugby.

ionadnapokot

One of the best coaches and success stories in Irish rugby.

I’m sure the players, young and old, will miss him. Mad to look back to 2015 and Leinster thinking that they could manage without an experienced head. Lancaster ticked all the boxes and has exceeded all their expectations.

Larbre34

Very grateful to Lancaster for his contribution.

But, no panic. Assuming Andrew Goodman performs as well as he has with Crusaders, he'll be the obvious candidate to take over as Senior Coach. We are fortunate there will be a whole year of overlap.

But beyond that, Cullen may move on too at the end of this season. And thats only natural after a chunk of time in any job.

I'm unconcerned though, I have absolutely no doubt the quality of people looking to come in to work at the most consistently successful Club in NH rugby, will be of the highest order.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119648162#Comment_119648162

Whats he started?