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

Clegg

Welcome to Scott Penny's sit down emporium.

https://twitter.com/brett_igoe/status/1644438271244529665?t=bIUnG8s97Jxe25yy7VFBnQ&s=09

Strand1970

As a connacht I don't agree with the poor mouth complaining. Why aren't munster,ulster or connacht producing the players of a top level? If connachts budget was increased by 5 million over night. What difference really is it going to make. There is a limit on foreign players so it must be irish players and we dont produce feck all. The top leinster player will not move, dont blame them. So even with more money it's not much good regarding players. yes better backroom staff. The provinces have to develop their own players long term.

Clegg

I was very happy to see Jenkins make a solid impact off the bench. He's looked a bit sluggish since returning from injury, but tonight he was making positive contributions at the maul and displayed some excellent handling to put players into space.

Dubinusa

Wigglesworth going on about salary. The whining never ends. Complete bollocks.

Clegg

Two Gallagher Premiership sides have gone bust this season and that's even with them operating within a salary cap. Wigglesworth needs to address his criticisms towards the people who run the domestic game in England.

He's also someone who played for Saracens when they were relegated for financial breaches. Glasshouses and all that.

roverjoyce

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453333#Comment_120453333

And Leinster operating at 2/3 times their salary Cap with a squad of 60 players

Hasn't he every right to complain

Leinster don't overspend though according to their fans they have the IRFU pay their salaries

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453333#Comment_120453333

Right. They probably spend a lot on the S.A contingent.

bingobango12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453002#Comment_120453002

Bizarre. Almost whole squad came through Leinster systems. English rugby is mess due to English blazers making it a mess.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453376#Comment_120453376

Leinster have 46 players in their senior squad.

If you're going to whinge, at least get your facts correct first

Clegg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453376#Comment_120453376

Do you actually know that for certain? Because I don't think you do. Do you also believe that Leicester are operating within the cap?

If these teams are so incompetently managed why is that Leinster's issue? It's become clear now that the salary cap is there to stop even more sides from going bust and it isn't really working. Earlier this year the Leicester BoM injected £13m worth of funds in order to keep the club afloat. So what's Wigglesworth actually complaining about? The fact that Leinster and the IRFU are actually competent in their business decisions?

Newcastle Falcons are the latest team to fall into financial disarray btw.

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453376#Comment_120453376

Yawn!

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453376#Comment_120453376

Again more BS claims with no foundation but again you won’t Back it up.

If this was the Munster thread, you’d be banned in a heartbeat.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453376#Comment_120453376

Mod: threadbanned for 2 weeks. Post again in this thread before the 2 weeks are up and you will be forum banned.

Downlinz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453217#Comment_120453217

It might mean they'd still have Roux, Dillane, Marmion, Henshaw and MacGinty in their squad. If the offer was bigger perhaps Doris would have gone to his home province instead of joining the Leinster academy as well.

Connacht are a poor example to suggest extra funding wouldn't make a difference when they lose cornerstones of their team virtually every season.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453500#Comment_120453500

Of the above players - McGinty wasn't Irish qualified so was likely not offered because of that, Marmion has dropped down the pecking order, Henshaw moved to Dublin with his partner and Doris went to Blackrock so came through the Leinster schools system ultimately.

Extra funding would certainly make a difference, but at the same time (much like the other provinces), the IRFU aren't going to allow Connacht fill their roster with NIQ's so it's only going so far.

Dubinusa

The difference in the skill levels was unbelievable. Take Porter and compare his play to Cronin. Night and day. Leicester are just a big bosh team.

Ringrose was masterful. Again.

ersatz

4 tries in 19 minutes. Scary. Other than Ulster no one has stood up to Leinster this year, as usual. Now we’ll see if someone is waiting in the long grass.

Nice to see Penny with the winning gif and Ringrose slicing up their midfield. This was a real lesson for Leicester, a big step up. You’d wonder how top English teams would stack ip in the URC.

It’s clear as day that more English clubs are going to go to the wall when you read those utterly moronic comments from Wigglesworth - “the gulf is what you have available to spend”.

From a guy who had his little Wiggy9 Investments Ltd side entity with Nigel Wray to allow Saracens to cheat and subvent the salary cap.

His own club are £31m in debt, and yet are probably paying over £1m a year to the Springbok RWC winning out half.

Dan McFarland equally just trotting out excuses last week after Ulster’s defeat.

Leinster aren’t just beating these teams, they seem to be sapping the belief out of the coaching tickets as well.

On the game itself - even though it was tight enough on the scoreboard at the time of the yellow, it never felt like a game Leinster were in danger of losing.

Leicester were never really able to stress the Leinster defence, and despite Reffell having a good game and making a nuisance of himself, they couldn’t really do anything to stop Leinster carving them up either.

Ringrose was sublime - lines of running, handling, defending, even came up with a jackal penalty. Jimmy O’Brien was right behind him in MotM stakes; and fully vindicated the coaching tickets’ decision to back him. He comprehensively outplayed the two big name wingers on the Leicester side, and showed why he’s a nailed on member of the Irish RWC squad I feel.

Keenan typically excellent and Ross Byrne had a very good game.

Our pack demolished their scrum. James Cronin has been trotted out a fair bit recently on the Munster side as one that got away, but he looked miles off the pace and couldn’t cope with Furlong at all.

James Ryan is having an incredible season. He was everywhere again yesterday for 80 minutes. Like JvDF a few years ago he seems to have brought a real venom and aggression to his carrying.

Really hope the injuries to Baird and Lowe aren’t too bad.

RichieRich_89

And this is with Leinster not actually winning the thing since 2018. Imagine what it'd be like if Leinster had actually managed to put down a few of these trophies over the past four tournaments.

Strand1970

Roux is the only player that money would have kept him in connacht, marmion is past his best. Dillane was a shadow of himself when leaving and according to a ronan o"gara interview its only now they have his confidence back up and playing good rugby. Leinster had all these players from the school system and were a joke up until around 2018. Once they put the structures in place and generally good coaching made the difference. Munster have been miss managed for years. They live in the past, it's 15 years since they won Europe. Imagine there will be lads in their academy soon the won't have been born when they last won. I just except connacht have a smaller budget and have to be smart with what the have. Really hope the coaching is better next season.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453064#Comment_120453064

Curious to see what sort of squad we bring.

We brought 31 last year, but included Kelleher & Porter who were both coming back from 6N injuries and we wanted to get game time into them (didn’t happen for Kelleher anyway).

We look very light in second row options here, and given some injuries in other positions I’m curious to see who we risk in SA.

Assuming similar squad size to last year, I think the nailed on members are:

Forwards: Lee Barron, Tadhg McElroy, Ed Byrne, Michael Milne, Jack Boyle, Michael Ala’alatoa, Tom Clarkson, Vakh Abdaladze, Brian Deeny, Alex Soroka, Diarmuid Mangan, Will Connors, Max Deegan, Rhys Ruddock, Scott Penny, James Culhane.

Backs: Nick McCarthy, Ben Murphy, Charlie Tector, Sam Prendergast, Rob Russell, Ben Brownlee, Liam Turner, Dave Kearney, Chris Cosgrave, Ciaran Frawley, Tommy O’Brien, Aitzol King.

Thats 28 players (we brought 31 last year).

I wonder might Jenkins travel to get more minutes into him?

Ive said it before but after losing Josh Murphy & Jack Dunne last summer, and with Dev’s retirement and Charlie Ryan’s unexpected retirement this year, we look one second row light in the squad.

RichieRich_89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453609#Comment_120453609

Larmour will probably travel, won't he?

I wonder will Osborne be back.

sydthebeat

I see absolutely no reason why Harry Byrne doesn't travel to SA

pickarooney

We didn't exactly demolish Leicester's scrum. They definitely won a penalty off the first one with Porter popping up and I think they came out best on another couple of them. By the end Leinster were mincing them with 7 men though

Rigor Mortis

I cannot see anyone travelling who was in the 23 last, nor do i see Larmour going after Lowes injury. It wouldnt make sense to bring anyone that you see starting a game in Europe. Our injury list is growing and these games are development opportunities and nothing more.

Yeah, I would have assumed Larmour travelling previously but left him out of my “nailed on” list until there’s more clarity around Lowe’s injury.

On Harry Byrne - I assume they’re going to keep minimum 2 OHs in Dublin for training purposes, and to me that’s the Byrne brothers right now.

Shame to be without Charlie Ngatai, Jamie Osborne and Joe McCarthy as all three would have benefitted by making this trip (not certain we won’t have Ngatai or Osborne but assuming).

It’s a weaker squad than the one we sent down there last year, so any other provinces who are relying on Leinster keeping them without a winning BP etc could well be out of luck .

ironingbored

Leicester are paying Pollard €850,000 a year. How muc do you reckon Harry Byrne is on?

ironingbored

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453002#Comment_120453002

Leicester are paying Pollard €850,000 a year. How muc do you reckon Harry Byrne is on?

Something noticeable watching the game back - there are times (and teams) where Leinster would be better served letting the opposition turn over their ball at the ruck.

Sheehan gets isolated in a carry on 35 mins near half way, Reffell is right there and on the ball - clear and obvious penalty. That gave them the territory that led to Watson’s try.

Actually letting them have the ball and releasing in that scenario likely wouldn’t have done much harm. We had a full defensive line, and they never looked like cutting us from deep.

With some teams, they don’t want the quick ball from the turnover, more the territory and inroad to the 22 the penalty gives them if we hold on.