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

Clegg

La Rochelle were nothing special for a lot of today's game. They were very good for the final half hour, but I don't think Leinster should fear them either. Stormers lost four forwards to injury in the game, but still mounted a comeback and were a missed kick away from winning.

Clegg

I'm not looking forward to the inevitable media wankfest that's sure to come from the usual suspects next week.

SaoPaulo41

Any idea of kick off time for next week?

This is it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986115#Comment_121986115

5.15 I think they mentioned

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986102#Comment_121986102

It's not really, Munster fans have cheered on any club playing Leinster for years now.

In terms of OTB, well it is probably one of the biggest selling points of their podast to have ROG on it so yes they push it

SaoPaulo41

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986120#Comment_121986120

Ah I know, but up until last year I would have supported any Irish team in URC or Champions Cup,but not anymore especially not Munster. The anti leinster bile was sickening in lead up to last years final. Munster fans are cheering on same players when we are carrying irish team.

Apologies for the rant.

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986136#Comment_121986136

It was the same the year before. It was the same in the Racing game when they claimed they wanted to support Racing because of Donnacha Ryan

It was the same for the game v Northampton and the Leicester game, plus the Sarries game

None of this is anything new. The only difference with Racing and La Rochelle is the claim to have a link with the clubs and thats why.

I wouldn't get too worried about it, let them off.

Rugbyf565

La Rochelle will be in rough shape coming all the way from South Africa, and then having to travel to Ireland. I think Leinster will be fresher.

Clegg

I hope Doris doesn't make too much eye contact with Alldritt. I hear ROG takes offence to that.

50HX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986031#Comment_121986031

Where does it say munster fans are cheering on LaR rather than leinster??

leakyboots

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986031#Comment_121986031

Anyone else find it strange that a decent chunk of posts... post-match... on the Leinster thread... after a Leinster match... from Leinster fans... have been about Munster?

We should just merge the threads at this stage 😂

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986075#Comment_121986075

Heaslip is genuinely full of scutter.

LAR have beaten Leinster every single time they've had to beat them, including in Lansdowne Road. Heaslip is fooling nobody if he's suggesting that isn't on the mind of every single Leinster player, coach and supporter this week.

Clegg

We should also station Johnny near the referees changing room to stop Ronan interfering with the officials again.

Rugbyf565

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986182#Comment_121986182

The training camp down in cork will be like a fan camp for Munster fans of O’Gara/LAR, a chance for them to take photos etc. This is probably o’gara’s reasoning for going down there because he knows he can muster support.

RichieRich_89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986025#Comment_121986025

What was said about McCarthy?

Now that would be a loss.

Clegg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986221#Comment_121986221

Took a knock to his shoulder. Should hopefully be fine.

50HX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986209#Comment_121986209

.…

Ribs1234

better be a ref who deals with the illegal LAR scrummaging

ingo1984

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986239#Comment_121986239

Or penalises porter for his amateur technique. Fairly blatant when his arse is facing the fans in the stand.

Clegg

I'm choosing to be positive for next week. In last year's final Leinster cut La Rochelle apart with some excellent set piece strike moves. They did the exact same to Leicester this evening so it looks like we have that area of the game humming nicely.

In December we did an excellent job of stopping their big carriers and stalling their forward momentum. Stormers don't have a defensive line as aggressively fast as ours, but still forced the La Rochelle carriers into numerous errors.

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985973#Comment_121985973

I think it's a step too far also. Really need to be full strength next week.

Madeoface

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986102#Comment_121986102

Ah sure I'll be cheering Northampton tomorrow. It's a rivalry.

I didn't give a sh#te that Munster won the URC last year. I was more peed off at the arrogance of Leo not picking the A team in the semi when there was a trophy to win. Once Leinster were out though I didn't care who won...but in fairness to the Munster team, they were terrific winning it the hard way...away, away, away.

Main reason I'll cheer Northampton is for the type of clowns that 'support' ROG. Really they are an anyone but Leinster sect, which is a compliment.

One thing our southern cousins do well is bitterness, and I fully expect them to have to swallow a lot of it tomorrow before hitching their wagons to a French team in the Aviva as their own team will be gone.

Plus ca change...

I thought taking Porter off early worked well today. Not sure he was doing anything wrong but ref's sure like to ping him a lot. Healy did well so I hope that was just precautionary.

Bordeaux look scarier than LaR.

Foxtrol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986192#Comment_121986192

Both teams will obviously be on the mind of the other - anything else is just silly.

LAR will have Leinster on their minds just as much from their trip back. The last two times they beat Leinster they barely scraped by them, by 4 points combined across the two games, and then Leinster went into their home a few months ago and beat them as underdogs, down key starters and in weather that should have suited LAR's game.

SaoPaulo41

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986302#Comment_121986302

Great post

Rugbyf565

yeah bordeaux for me are Heineken cup finalists, everyone wrote them off. That Sarries team have been washed for the last 2/3 years.

Rugbyf565

Personally think I’d start McCarthy and Jenkins in the second row together for LAR game. Molony didn’t do enough for me today and we’ll need the extra height and muscle in the pack. I think Conan’s also put his hand up for a start.

Clegg

For a long time James Lowe's kicking has been a huge weapon for Leinster. It relieves pressure in defence and can be turned into a great territory winner in kick duels.

But since the England game we've seen teams start to counter those long, raking kicks. Lowe generally doesn't kick for touch. He goes for distance and to bait the return kick. Now the opposition, rather than kicking back for territory, are running it back and looking to set up a quick ruck to catch our defence off guard. It's been working too.

La Rochelle don't have a great counterattack so we might get away with it next week. But it's something we'll need to be mindful of for the rest of the season. May see a few tweaks in our kicking strategy as a result. More kicks for touch might occur as well as a reconfigured defensive line to cut off the opportunity of a quick ruck and line break out wide. Could even see some kicking duties handed to Osborne. He has a huge boot and it may stop the opposition from dropping further backfield like they would in anticipation of a Lowe kick. Take away the threat of a counterattack maybe.

RichieRich_89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986102#Comment_121986102

It's a bit like a replay of the rivalry between the two provinces between about 2006 and 2010. Munster aren't good enough to challenge Leinster themselves nowadays, so some Munster fans get behind La Rochelle, seeing them as a sort of substitute for Munster in their heyday, with them playing a similar sort of style to what Munster favoured back then - big emphasis on the maul and breakdown. And of course with O'Gara at the helm.

Foxtrol

Interesting that they didn't give Baird any time at lock today. Felt it would have been the way to get our best players on the pitch together.

Presuming they want to make the most of having an impact from the bench that one of the backrow coming off fresh.

RichieRich_89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121986023#Comment_121986023

I didn't see Jackman's analys, but that would be my impression too. There was one case in the win over La Rochelle in Dec where I think he could have got an intercept if he stayed wider as he came up.

Coming up and in is just his instinct. Look at what he does for the Maitland try just before half time in the Final against Saracens in 2019 (3:47 in this video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJSEj4jggLY&t=230s