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

McCarthy actually only turns 21 in March, which is even more scary.

Amazingly I looked up his DOB on the Leinster site, saw he was born in March 2001 and managed to calculate that as 22..... PM me for freelance accountancy :pac:

I know Leinster are pretty generous with their stats at times. But I think this one might be kinda true to type. He is very big

Mccarthy didn't look particularily Athletic in the U20's but he did look like he could put on a fair bit of size, a traditional Lock No.8, what height is he? Definitely thought he was one of the standouts in that U20's side where he was a year younger than most of the others in the side

Yeah that’s struck me as strange. Not a good sign for Tracy at all.

Wouldn’t say McCarthy will be taking much ball in the lineout. 6’5” and 120 kg’s is not going up very high, very quickly.

Treacy has started previously. This is Cronins 1st start.

Apparently he was excellent in the trial game between the academy boys & the Irish U20s a couple of weeks back. Scored the opening try & from what I've heard, looked like a man against boys when it came to the current crop of U20 forwards. Ross Turnbull & Rory Thornton should provide sterner tests but going on pure size & weight stats, he's a match for both.

Is Clarkson injured? I don't think he's played this season?

I mean the same could be said for Ruddock, and that's exactly how we deploy him.

And Ruddock offers a lot more at 6 that Murphy.

I actually thought he looked very athletic for the 20's, made a number of barnstorming runs from what I remember. I recall that he scored a great try for the u19's after a break from his own half as well. He looks like a great prospect and I was hoping he'd feature before now, but I assume injuries have held him back.

It is interesting though how McCarthy, Deeny, Soroka and Sean O'Brien were all ahead of Cian Prendergast in the pecking order at u20 level and none of that quartet have featured much at all for Leinster since, with Prendergast now in the Irish squad. I hope more lads look at that and take the initiative in joining one of the other provinces in future if there is a clear back log in their position at Leinster. I appreciate the latest second row departures may afford McCarthy and Deeny more opportunities next season, but it has been disappointing the lack of game they have had between them given how good they both looked for the 20's.

There's no telling how a young player will progress. Look at Boyle! Leinster probably didn't think he'd be as good as he is, same with Prendergast. SOB has played semi pro over here for the LA franchise. I thought from what I saw of him, he was pretty good. It was a good experience for him. Soroka will be a good player, imo, Maloney, who knows? Hindsight is beautiful sometimes.

I hope young players do move around the provinces. It only benifits the union and each province. There's lads at Munster who'd be worth a punt on. Kelly and O'Connor may not get promoted, why not move to another province? I'd like to see a Munster lad at Leinster. There are talented players about and some have bounced off to France, I.e Karl Martin, and a lad from Munster? Surely, another province would be ideal? Last year's hooker from the u20's also went to France. I can't remember his name, but he was a solid enough player.

Huh?

No it’s for the love of the game they do it but those damn foreigners expecting to be paid for doing a days work ruin everything

Are those 21 players playing for free?