Leinster Team Talk Thread (Love you Furlong time)

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120617008#Comment_120617008

He will be if something happens to Ross tomorrow though...

I put this firmly in the "**** happens and you have to adapt" basket. I don't have much interest in ascribing fault to it (though to be fair, I thought Frawley would go to SA).

Must love hardship

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120616973#Comment_120616973

So we are in agreement Leinster were short at 10 and decided to be "prudent" and not give him game time at 10. Is prudent French for foolish?

Clegg

I can be pretty downbeat about Leinsters chances in big games, but even I think the tone set be the Irish rugby media has been miserable.

They've been so down on the side. A lot has been made of how much La Rochelle have improved this season. Have Leinster not also gotten better this season individually and as a collective? We may well lose tomorrow, but I don't see the reason for the despair being published.

arsebiscuits1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120617065#Comment_120617065

Cool so you're just not going to address your incorrect statement?

What you see as game time at 10 Leo et all saw as a chance to get injured.

Given Ruddock, Vakh, Ed Byrne all got season ending injuries on that tour as well as losing Milne and Tommy O'Brien to head knocks and niggles for a game I think yes it was a prudent decision.

Frawley goes on that tour and picks up a season ender of his own and we're looking at having Sam Prendergast on the bench tomorrow.

Must love hardship

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120617096#Comment_120617096

Frawley went on the same tour last year and played well. He even got to kick ahead of Harry byrne.

I said earlier he could have gone even for 1 match. Instead he was at home in Ireland and didn't start the match v Toulouse. ( I belive he was due to start ahead of Ngati at 12 but missed training that week with a niggle)

Jenkins went down for 1 match so did Leo. He could have gone.

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120616598#Comment_120616598

That's a good comparison. He has struggled a bit over the last 18 months with injuries. It's got to keep Leo up at night. Without Furlong the pickings are poor.

AbusesToilets

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120617024#Comment_120617024

I wonder if Ringrose wouldn't be preferred in that situation?

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120616514#Comment_120616514

Clarkson wouldn't be considered, imo. Move Healy over and give Milne the 17 jersey. Clarkson isn't at that level.

arsebiscuits1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120617136#Comment_120617136

But he didn't.

And you're basing this "foolish" decision exclusively on whether or not a) Frawley comes on at 10 tomorrow and b) plays badly in said position

Honestly. Who'd be a coach? Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

They've got to carefully manage a squad and make multifaceted decisions that swing on tiny moments and have no hindsight to do it with. And then justify themselves to ill informed people whose opinions are only justified only with hindsight.

Last week against Munster was the perfect example.

Anyway. That's me out. Enjoy the game tomorrow. You have a 50% chance of sticking the knife in about your selection reservations which I'm sure will be a genuine consolation for you even if you wont admit it.

Must love hardship

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120617181#Comment_120617181

Were Leinster wrong to bring both Harry bryne and Frawley to South Africa last year and give them game time in case they were injured. They were 3rd and 4th choice 10's at the time with knock out rugby to come. Would it have been more prudent to leave them at home?

Just because someone has a different opinion than yours doesn't automatically make it ill informed.

Plenty of people myself included wanted to see more of frawley at 10 this season.Even Andy Farrell.

I hope he comes on and kick's the winning conversion from the touchline I just think it was a little foolish that he hasn't played more there this year.

Sangre

I am 100% confident we will win this game. No one is stopping the Ross Byrne redemption arc.

cuttingtimber22

Best wishes tomorrow. As an Ireland supporter I want to see the players I support in green win trophies. Can only benefit Irish rugby.

It will be a tough one - I think losing to Munster last week will stand to you this week in terms of complacency.

I hope that both the team and the supporters turn up - the latter will be an advantage vs last year so hopefully you will use it and push the team home.

bon courage.

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120617241#Comment_120617241

Where there's a Will, there's a way

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120618481#Comment_120618481

The absolute size of him!

Akrasia

He is quite large

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120618809#Comment_120618809

yep! I think he's slimmed down a bit since he went to France.

Clegg

How we lost that after such a start I'll never know.

Everything was set up for a victory. Three quick trys; high ball in play time; even a final five minutes flurry where there were multiple opportunities to score a drop.

But we didn't take it. Tbh I don't think I'm getting over this as a fan any time soon.

AbusesToilets

I do think Leinster should look to fast track H Bryne or Prendergast next year. For Ross Bryne's many fine qualities, he lacks that spark to change a game.

Two years in a row, we've gone away from the style of play that's got us to the final, and gone into our shells completely.

TRC10

You can't help but laugh at this stage. Another season another absolute bottle job. At least Lancaster is gone now. Vastly overrated coach, and I've been saying it for ages. 12 seasons as a professional coach and 11 of them have been failures. His teams just don't know how to win things. And 2018 needed a Teddy Thomas brain fart and missed drop goal to get him over the line. He's absolutely wasted the best squad in Europe.

As for the team. They lack any balls whatsoever. Just gave up playing any rugby when the momentum started to slightly shift LAR's way. Hats off to LAR who actually played with some spine.

eagle eye

Well my opinion is that it's psychological so whoever is sport psychologist to the senior team needs to go. This has has now happened two years in a row and this time from a commanding early position.

I wouldn't be placing blame on any player. They all played well early and from my viewing then looked like they became afraid to lose.

That's on the sports psychologist.

Clegg

I've thoroughly enjoyed the rugby under the Cullen/Lancaster regime. They've brought through so many talented young players and developed a style of play that was awesome to watch.

But no trophies in the last two seasons, despite clearly being the best side in the URC, and holding the lead in two consecutive Champions Cup finals, suggests a problem in the camp with coaching or mentality. The players don't make the same errors when they're in green.

The set up has run its course and I welcome the arrival of Nienaber.

Clegg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120621230#Comment_120621230

Congratulations on your big moment.

Dave_The_Sheep

Just sitting on the couch in numb disbelief, to be honest.

To get that close, two years running.

Soul destroying.

AbusesToilets

The use of the bench again was questionable. JGP was having a poor day, yet stayed on. Jenkins was anonymous. Not sure Frawley would've made a difference, but perhaps H Bryne might have, given his ability to pose some type of carrying threat.

A-Train

I honestly don’t think this team has what it takes to get over the line or knows how to do it. A couple of bleak years ahead. We can’t compete against monsters

Clegg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120621420#Comment_120621420

There's a change in coaching coming up. Thag will bring new ideas with it and a fresh eye for were Leinster are weak which may not have been as obvious to Lancaster et al who are well entrenched in the system.

We've seen the improvements in our set plays which Goodman has brought. Can only hope that Nienaber brings similar improvements.

TRC10

I genuinely struggle to see how Leinster come back from this. I mean, 2021 was tough, last year was soul destroying, but for it to happen 3 years in a row against the same side, in pretty much identical manner, particularly after the start we made...I seriously think that could break this group of players. Nienabar will need to be some coach to pick these players up again. But I just don't see it. I think we could be in for a bit of a barron few years.

Exclamation Marc

The kicking errors today in particular were fairly costly. It seemed for a period of time that when we did make touch clearing out of our 22, it was brought back into our 22 and when we didn't, LaR ran it back with vengeance.

So many issues with today. A shame.

A-Train

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120621439#Comment_120621439

Every end of year seems to throw up the same issues. I’m very despondent at this moment in time when I have an 8 year that’s absolutely heartbroken. It just grates on the soul every year

SaoPaulo41

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120621444#Comment_120621444

We really need to focus on URC next year win the bloody thing and Europe a bonus. Leo's interviews drive me mad after losses. Its shrug of shoulder, hey we win some we loose some,better team won etc. He never seems angry which annoys me.