Leinster Team Talk Thread (Love you Furlong time)

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121144783#Comment_121144783

Ah, every strategy fails on a long enough timeline. They'll analyse it in terms of percentages. If it blows up tomorrow, it might be dead. If it wins the world cup, that's a different story.

Crash

I think the interesting thing if it actually stuck is that you might, long term, see a blending of the back row / centre characteristics and the game would actually shift to follow - so it wouldn't really be 7-1 after a while, it'd be 3-3-1. But that's a long way away, and it's much more likely it explodes in someone's face.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121145321#Comment_121145321

What would the 3-3-1 look like? 3 front row and what else?

Crash

Maybe not 3-3-1 the more in think on it, given I forgot a player :) I blame Friday night red wine. But 3 front row, a 3-4 hybrid chunk (fulfilling two roles out of lock, backrow, centre, outside back) and an outhalf or scrumhalf. We're already there in a lot of ways, just haven't crossed the backrow / center line that often.

I think its moreso that if this round of change to a 7-1 bench were to stick, the next round would possibly be to a change in how the 15 on the pitch actually play and position themselves. Maybe you play like Ireland can with multiple playmakers and an expectation of fast mobile forwards- well then maybe a VdF style forward can fill your centre gap instead, if your approach is a little different. If it were to stick around - all just musings out loud though.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121145446#Comment_121145446

Of course. All just musings. And i think it would take so much training to make an openside feel competent to play at centre, that it would take a year to implement fully. And you're talking about the academy lads learning to be generalists rather than specialise in only one position.

It's all just thinking out loud. But I really think there's a lot at stake tomorrow and through the world cup if SA win their games.

Crash

I also wonder if we're all getting so caught up in the number of individuals that we're missing the innovative element of this which is the tactical unit replacement. SA have always been known to replace the whole front row in a go, which with the right players who have trained together specifically for this, does give you a more cohesive scrum immediately post replacement with less risk of a dodgy settling in period - by going 7-1 do they extend this to the second row? A new significant chunk of the lineout, that you can work subtle differences into?

All falls apart if you have an injury in the pack early on and someone needs to come in outside of unit replacement time, but it is interesting to think through.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121145777#Comment_121145777

I think it COULD be a brilliant innovation but I think we're a bit quick to dismiss it for 2 reasons.

One is that it's not going to make pretty rugby and I certainly prefer pretty rugby. The purists will say there's beauty in the box kick and forward orientated game and they're right. But I prefer a bit of joue-joue the casual fan won't be excited by it. So it's jot good for the game in general.

Second reason is Ireland and the provinces aren't really built for it. Irish teams are pretty balanced between forward and back orientation at the moment. So it just wouldn't suit us.

But if it turns out to be a winning strategy then it might be the way things go whether we like it or not. We won't really know until after the World Cup. I can't dismiss it yet.

pickarooney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121145482#Comment_121145482

Sam Burgess likes this

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121146802#Comment_121146802

Yeah, maybe it's a disaster. Maybe it works pretty well and Ireland still wins tonight. We don't have long to wait to find out. I'll reserve judgement until after the tournament.

RichieRich_89

Man, that La Rochelle loss doesn't get any better with time and hindsight. I can hardly criticise them for not looking to go though the phases because the risk of holding on penalties was too great as I myself pondered the same approach on here before the game. Don't let them get their turnover specialists into the game, I thought. But thinking about how Peyper refereed it it wouldn't have been as risky as first thought. He was letting jacklers (jackalers?) battle to pull the ball away, and avoiding penalising players for holding on. Even if Botia et al. had got in position to win the ball back on the deck it wouldn't have been a guaranteed penalty.

Leinster either needed to realise that about Peyper before the game or adjust mid-game.

bluedex

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121160984#Comment_121160984

I'm going to have to put you ignore if you mention "that" game again, or Peyper reffing it...

Just joking 😊

realhorrorshow

I don't particularly think the 7-1 will catch on majorly but if it did Cormac Foley could be a good shout for no. 23 given he played centre underage.

RichieRich_89

I'd say with the lower stakes at provincial as opposed to Test level Nienaber might go for 8-0 benches. Deegan and Sheehan could respectively fill in at inside centre and wing in emergencies.

Exclamation Marc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121169423#Comment_121169423

I think we should give other teams a chance in the lower stakes games and name a 1-1 bench. A lucky-dip forward and a lucky-dip back.

Larbre34

Despite denials from Newcastle United FC that they are tearing up their kit contract with Castore, Aston Villa are expected to terminate their deal with the British maker within days.

Complaints about quality, delivery delays and poor sweat conducting properties have been raised.

Will be interesting to see how this affects Leinster. A dreadful commercial decision from the beginning.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121171243#Comment_121171243

I see the Aston villa story about being poor at wicking sweat. But why was it a poor commercial decision from the start?

salmocab

Someone I know in Leinster said that the deal they got from Castore is ridiculously good financially, they are getting way more from it than from previous deals. Commercially it’s probably a great deal.

Larbre34

Because its going to cost them more to scrap Castore and replace it at short notice, probably with last year's patterns from Adidas. And so overall more costly for the season and less commercially viable.

As these football clubs have discovered, if kit supply deals offered by Castore sound too good to be true, its because they are.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121172675#Comment_121172675

Or they will go back to castore and make them develop a jersey that wicks sweat. Any gym top you buy brags about its sweat wicking abilities. Can't be too difficult to do a high tech version of that. Could be all sorted by Christmas (like the first world war) and they keep the ball of money Castore have them.

Clegg

The new provincial season kicks off in a month's time. Despite back to back seasons of heartbreak I'm ridiculously excited for it.

We've a lot of players in great form at the World Cup right now; younger academy players just off an incredibly successful u20 season and a brand new head coach to come in.

I think this will be the season where Joe McCarthy really makes a push for a regular starting spot. Think he was brilliant in the warm ups and against Romania.

sydthebeat

I still very very sore about last season.

Not sure how my excitement levels will be rekindled

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121176217#Comment_121176217

I realise the irony giving my moaning about this in relation to Ireland in thr world cup, but there will be an ominous cloud over leinster all the way to the final (if they get there). I'd still utterly enjoy winning in LAR though so feck it.

RichieRich_89

How good an attack coach is Goodman? - based on what we've seen from Leinster last season and from Samoa in this Word Cup.

O'Gara has spoken highly of the attitude and work ethic he witnessed from him at the Crusaders. And after the Sheehan try in the Final he said he expected to see a trick play due to Goodman's influence.

The moves from tap penalties close to the line are welcome (I always wondered why teams didn't do more of this. It seems an easy to implement and creative way of making yourself more difficult to defend against). But in terms of being an overall outstanding attacking team I think there are question marks.

So, how dangerous are Leinster going to be this season? Munster are setting a high standard with Prendergast's coaching of their attack. Are Leinster going to be a more defence-based side, with Nienaber bringing a lot of quality to that side of the game?

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121195350#Comment_121195350

Have you seen the crusaders attack over the last five years? Five years in which theyve won every SR league theyve been in.

RichieRich_89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121195605#Comment_121195605

I haven't watched a whole lot of Super Rugby in recent years, no.

Just in general and not specific to the Crusaders I wasn't too impressed watching a few highlights videos last season. Just play a phase or two and then a penalty. There wasn't much continuity.

sydthebeat

We'll leave it there so.

TRC10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121195350#Comment_121195350

Are Leinster going to be a more defence-based side

Couldn't give a f*ck as long as they win something this year

Yeah_Right

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121195633#Comment_121195633

Yep you've shown your ignorance and how ridiculous your statement on the Crusaders attack was. Crusaders attack has been very impressive over the last few years but Goodman will struggle at Leinster because the players at Leinster aren't as talented as what he had at the Crusaders.

AbusesToilets

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121195801#Comment_121195801

Kudos for jumping in with the controversial statement

Yeah_Right

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121195926#Comment_121195926

I know Leinster fans are a bit down after last season. Just trying to ignite a bit of passion 😁