Leinster Team Talk Thread (Love you Furlong time)

Richie_Rich89

A lot of people on here seem very certain internationals won't be involved. You don't get the same impression on other forums. I wouldn't be surprised if the IRFU say internationals who featured heavily can play in one game out of the league final and the H Cup last 16 tie, although I could see dropped players (Lowe) and retiring players (Stander) being exempted from any restrictions on their playing time.

Maybe old stagers like Sexton and Healy need extra recovery time post-6N, but I'd be inclined to go fuller strength v Munster and gamble a bit v Toulon. I don't think they're as strong as Munster, plus a few injured players like JOB might be available for the game that's further away.

sebdavis

Richie_Rich89 wrote: »

A lot of people on here seem very certain internationals won't be involved. You don't get the same impression on other forums. I wouldn't be surprised if the IRFU say internationals who featured heavily can play in one game out of the league final and the H Cup last 16 tie, although I could see dropped players (Lowe) and retiring players (Stander) being exempted from any restrictions on their playing time.

Maybe old stagers like Sexton and Healy need extra recovery time post-6N, but I'd be inclined to go fuller strength v Munster and gamble a bit v Toulon. I don't think they're as strong as Munster, plus a few injured players like JOB might be available for the game that's further away.

I said weeks ago the players are actually down 2 games as the last 2 rounds of Europe got cancelled. The reason I say Leinster will swap is you have a lot of players who will end up playing 4 huge games back to back if they play these games. I just don't see leinster doing that. Even if the IRFU don't make them

VANG1

Fully expect Leinster to win even if down a few.

KBurke85

thomond2006 wrote: »

Any selection for next week won't come at the expense of the lineup against Toulon. The same goes for Munster.

Personally I'd rank a final above a last 16 European game if I was making a team selection. Especially if I was in charge of Munster and hadn't won a trophy in a while.

bayern

Head Coach Leo Cullen has issued a squad injury update ahead of Saturday’s Guinness PRO14 Final against Munster (RDS Arena, KO 5pm).

There was positive news on Luke McGrath who has passed the Graduated Return to Play Protocols and is due to train this week.

Seán Cronin came through the game against Ospreys with no issues after his return from a back injury.

Vakh Abdaladze will also look to increase his involvement in team training this week as he continues to recover from a back injury.

Garry Ringrose, James Ryan, Will Connors and Rowan Osborne will all be unavailable this week.

Ringrose picked up an ankle injury while away with Ireland and will be unavailable for a number of weeks.

Connors suffered a knee injury while training with Ireland and will be unavailable for up to eight weeks.

Ryan is continuing to follow the Graduated Return to Play Protocols and will be unavailable for selection.

Osborne picked up a fracture to his hand and will undergo surgery this week.

No new injury update – Unavailable for selection:

Cian Kelleher (hamstring), Jimmy O’Brien (hamstring), Tommy O’Brien (ankle), Adam Byrne (quad), Caelan Doris (concussion), Dan Leavy (knee), Conor O’Brien (knee) and Max Deegan (knee).

arsebiscuits1

Promising that Frawley, Penny, Fardy are absent from that update.

Need those lads

Squidgy Black

Getting Luke back will be a big boost too.

Interesting that there's no mention of any of the other internationals (aside from the ones that are injured). I'll gladly eat humble pie if it's a case that everyone's made available for selection.

AdamD

thomond2006 wrote: »

Any selection for next week won't come at the expense of the lineup against Toulon. The same goes for Munster.

Whatever about Leinster, Munster resting players in the final in order to prioritise the European QF would be insanity. They haven't won a trophy in a decade and this is a great opportunity to break that.

thomond2006

AdamD wrote: »

Whatever about Leinster, Munster resting players in the final in order to prioritise the European QF would be insanity. They haven't won a trophy in a decade and this is a great opportunity to break that.

It's not Munster's decision to make.

thomond2006

thomond2006 wrote: »

It's not Munster's decision to make.

Of all the places to start making excuses, the Leinster thread is hardly one of them...

Dubinusa

Ringrose out for a while! Not good news. He was probably carrying an injury for a little while. He didn't look right last time out.
I would be careful with Ryan too. A couple of concussions in quick succession is not good.
It will be a strange selection this weekend. Looking forward to it.

.ak

Based on that, I imagine we’ll see for Munster.

15. Larmour
14. D. Kearney
13. ROL
12. Frawley
11. Lowe
10. R. Byrne
09. McGrath
8. Conan
7. VDF
6. Ruddock
5. Fardy
4. Baird
3. Porter
2. Cronin
1. Dooley

Sheehan, Byrne? , Bent, Toner, Penny, JGP, H. Byrne, Max Reilly

Buer

I would have more than a suspicion that, if we have guys like ROL, Frawley and RB on the pitch with JGP on the bench, we're going to go with a 6/2 split.

That's going to allow us maximise our advantage rather than include someone like MOR in the 23 jersey when there's a solid chance he won't even come on unless there's more than one injury or the game is already over as a contest.

I can see a couple of relatively unexpected inclusions in the 23 such as Furlong. The guy has 260 minutes of rugby in the last 12 months; he's only hitting full match fitness.

Munster have a great opportunity here to topple Leinster but I think the best approach for Leinster would be to turn the screw where Munster are exposed i.e. depth up front.

I'd go with a pack of Byrne, Kelleher, Porter, Fardy, Baird, Ruddock, VDF and Conan with Tracey, Dooley, Furlong, Toner, Murphy and Penny to come on.

Squidgy Black

Buer wrote: »

I would have more than a suspicion that, if we have guys like ROL, Frawley and RB on the pitch with JGP on the bench, we're going to go with a 6/2 split up front.

That's going to allow us maximise our advantage rather than include someone like MOR in the 23 jersey when there's a solid chance he won't even come on unless there's more than one injury or the game is already over as a contest.

I can see a couple of relatively unexpected inclusions in the 23 such as Furlong. The guy has 260 minutes of rugby in the last 12 months; he's only hitting full match fitness.

Munster have a great opportunity here to topple Leinster but I think the best approach for Leinster would be to turn the screw where Munster are exposed i.e. depth up front.

I'd go with a pack of Byrne, Kelleher, Porter, Fardy, Baird, Ruddock, VDF and Conan with Tracey, Dooley, Furlong, Toner, Murphy and Penny to come on.

I'd hate to see Penny benched if he's 100% fit. He's been a standout for us in the league while the others were away with Ireland.

.ak

Squidgy Black wrote: »

I'd hate to see Penny benched if he's 100% fit. He's been a standout for us in the league while the others were away with Ireland.

The flipside to that is he's probably clocked up a lot of intense rugby since back from injury.

I can see him benching this week, starting against Toulon possibly.

Buer

Squidgy Black wrote: »

I'd hate to see Penny benched if he's 100% fit. He's been a standout for us in the league while the others were away with Ireland.

Indeed but this is a final and they'll go as strong as they can (allowing for the following week). If they believe that means starting Penny, they will. VDF has had relatively little rugby in recent times and was removed after 64 minutes on Saturday. He's got plenty of rugby in his legs still.

If they're both available, I can see VDF playing 50-55 minutes and Penny coming on to bring his dynamism and carrying against the Munster pack then.

Penny looked fairly banged up last weekend also. It's not test rugby but he has started 5 weekends on the trot and there's a solid argument for VDF actually being the fresher of the two at this point.

Dubinusa

I'd prefer to see Molony instead of Toner. He's been excellent this year.

Buer

Dubinusa wrote: »

I'd prefer to see Molony instead of Toner. He's been excellent this year.

He has been but in an arm wrestle against Munster and trying to maximise our advantage, I can see a good case for Toner still. If we do go for a 6/2 split and look to win through the forwards, it would be very hard for Munster to deal with 5 fresh forwards going to line outs and mauls with Toner's frame leading the way. It's the sort of thing that breaks the spirit of the opposition.

Molony offers more around the field these days but Toner has a place tactically for Leinster. I'd be more inclined to involve Molony the following week. I'd have little desire to play a tight five based game against a pack containing two locks and a prop from the French 23 plus Etzebeth.

arsebiscuits1

Here's a mental theory.

Hopefully we see Kelleher back and Cronin or Tracy come into play also as all are fit and reliable.

Could we see Dan Sheehan legitimately cover the 20/23 jersey as an option if we were going 6-2 split (which I think we have to)

We've seen people do much worse jobs that he did when he came on in the back row at the weekend

eire4

arsebiscuits1 wrote: »

Promising that Frawley, Penny, Fardy are absent from that update.

Need those lads

Especially with Ringrose and Ryan out injured.

bayern

Leinster have confirmed that apart from those who are injured, they have a full squad to pick from for Saturday’s PRO14 final against Munster.

They say there are no restrictions with the IRFU player management programme.(Would still expect some rotation)

https://twitter.com/CianTracey1/status/1374280017182650378?s=20

irishbucsfan

So a 50 point victory then

awec

Leinster don't need a full team to beat Toulon so they can mix and match it the next 2 weeks and probably still win both games.

salmocab

I’d think Sexton, Henshaw, Keenan will not start as I’m pretty sure they played the most during the 6N.

bayern

arsebiscuits1 wrote: »

Promising that Frawley, Penny, Fardy are absent from that update.

Need those lads

101 photos posted yesterday, no sign of Penny.

bayern

so Leinster team something like this:

1. Healy
2. Kelleher
3. Porter/Furlong
4. Baird/Fardy
5. Toner
6. Ruddock
7. JVDF/Penny
8. Conan
9. McGarth
10. Byrne/Sexton
11. Lowe/Kearney
12. Henshaw
13. ROL
14. Larmour
15. Keenan

FrannoFan

bayern wrote: »

so Leinster team something like this:

1. Healy
2. Kelleher
3. Porter/Furlong
4. Baird/Fardy
5. Toner
6. Ruddock
7. JVDF/Penny
8. Conan
9. McGarth
10. Byrne/Sexton
11. Lowe/Kearney
12. Henshaw
13. ROL
14. Larmour
15. Keenan

Frawley maybe at 12 and henshaw 13 the other option.
wonder will kelleher start from a units/practiced point of view

bayern

FrannoFan wrote: »

Frawley maybe at 12 and henshaw 13 the other option.
wonder will kelleher start from a units/practiced point of view

don't think Frawley made a strong enough case on friday to start.

FrannoFan

bayern wrote: »

don't think Frawley made a strong enough case on friday to start.

no, probably not but think we had hime earmarked as "3rd" center earlier in season. (didn't he start away to montpellier?) I think hes quality and first game in a while last week so may be given a bit of latitude from the coaches

bayern

would love if Sheehan was on the bench for Leinster.

maybe something like

Dooley/Byrne
Sheehan/Tracy
Furlong/Porter
Baird
Penny
JGP
Byrne/Sexton
Kearney

armchaircoach

If Frawley is fit he will start. Leinster have played so much better with an additional pivot in the backline.

Also if henshaw starts, he has shown that he is a brilliant option at 13, but I would also be absolutely fine with ROL at 13.

PMC83

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMu0_PB0430

Fun interview with Mike Mc and Dev, one of my favorite rugby bromances

arsebiscuits1

PMC83 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMu0_PB0430

Fun interview with Mike Mc and Dev, one of my favorite rugby bromances

Dev is just such an effortlessly likeable guy. So humble.

And Mike McCarthys running joke of his OTT love for Dev is one of the more enjoyable things in life haha

PMC83

arsebiscuits1 wrote: »

Dev is just such an effortlessly likeable guy. So humble.

And Mike McCarthys running joke of his OTT love for Dev is one of the more enjoyable things in life haha

Yeah Devs a lovely guy, bumped into him and the family in the park once or twice, seems super down to earth

.ak

bayern wrote: »

101 photos posted yesterday, no sign of Penny.

You'd imagine he's getting a bit of a rest. He did take a knock in the Ospreys game.

Dubinusa

I hope Leinster are prioritizing the Toulon match. I would love to go all out for Europe. The pro 14 while it's important, pales in comparison to Europe for me.
I would expect a mixed team. I would be very disappointed if Molony doesn't make the 23. While it might sound crazy, I would love to see MOR in the 23 also.

Rigor Mortis

bayern wrote: »

101 photos posted yesterday, no sign of Penny.

He must be playing too well., cos a bad Penny would always show up

pickarooney

Rigor Mortis wrote: »

He must be playing too well., cos a bad Penny would always show up

Nice! I've been waiting for an opportunity to make a crappy pun on his name for a while but this one is actually really good.

bayern

bayern wrote: »

so Leinster team something like this:

1. Healy
2. Kelleher
3. Porter/Furlong
4. Baird/Fardy
5. Toner
6. Ruddock
7. JVDF/Penny
8. Conan
9. McGarth
10. Byrne/Sexton
11. Lowe/Kearney
12. Henshaw
13. ROL
14. Larmour
15. Keenan

Would be unbelievably harsh on Dave Kearney if he didn't start. In fact beyond that I think it would just straight up be the wrong call. Tbh I'd have him in first and then pick one of Larmour or Lowe.

salmocab

Liv Prickly Millipede wrote: »

Would be unbelievably harsh on Dave Kearney if he didn't start. Tbh I'd have him in first and then pick one of Larmour or Lowe.

Keenan played a huge amount of minutes in the 6N I’d say it’ll be Lowe, Kearney and Larmour starting.

salmocab

salmocab wrote: »

Keenan played a huge amount of minutes in the 6N I’d say it’ll be Lowe, Kearney and Larmour starting.

Keenan played every single minute of the 6N, only player for Ireland to do that I think. Very impressive from him and wouldn't be a surprise if he got a rest, though I'm sure if you gave him the choice he'd be out there.

Buer

Whilst Keenan played every minute, full back really doesn't have the punishment that other positions further up the field have. In his 400 minutes, he'll have had a fraction of the ruck involvements that the forwards had or even someone like Henshaw would have had.

I wouldn't be surprised to see him not in the team but, after the day off on Monday, I'd say his body is in pretty good shape at this point. The 400 minutes have come over 7 weeks so it's not like he's being flogged. The likes of Scott Penny who have had 5 appearances (370 minutes) in the forwards in the last 5 consecutive weekends would have more mileage on his body even if it's just in the Pro14, I would imagine.

I suppose it depends on the feedback from the S&C staff, I'm sure they're monitoring his performance in training. Keenan is reportedly the fittest guy in the squad though so hopefully he'll be available.

Dubinusa

Liv Prickly Millipede wrote: »

Would be unbelievably harsh on Dave Kearney if he didn't start. In fact beyond that I think it would just straight up be the wrong call. Tbh I'd have him in first and then pick one of Larmour or Lowe.

I would be amazed if Healy is included. He's played a lot this 6nations. Same with Henshaw and Keenan. One of Furlong or Porter might be rested too.

Dubinusa

Lads! Any updates on signings?

salmocab

Dubinusa wrote: »

Lads! Any updates on signings?

Cant see any signings coming in

sebdavis

Dubinusa wrote: »

Lads! Any updates on signings?

No signing I would expect, money tight and they will be told to use what they have, which ain't half bad

bayern

Dubinusa wrote: »

Lads! Any updates on signings?

No signings just a question of who is leaving.

Wasn't there talk of a TH coming from NZ presumably to replace Bent?

ongarite

bayern wrote: »

No signings just a question of who is leaving.

Bent, Fardy, Kelleher, Cronin leaving/retiring I'd guess based on rumours.

bayern

ongarite wrote: »

Bent, Fardy, Kelleher, Cronin leaving/retiring I'd guess based on rumours.

Toner possibly too.