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

Analysts in Connacht for a game of this importance would spend a week identifying some of the obvious gaps in the likes of Joe McCarthy's game and they'd be exploited early and often.

Playing URC is one thing but for European rugby teams prep to a far greater level of detail and target weak links, in particular - inexperience.

He's getting loads of game time and coming along fine. There is no rush and he's in probably the best talent development club in the world, I think they know what they're doing.

All players have gaps in their games. The longer a player spends in a pro environment the more they mitigate those gaps.

McCarthy has very little play time at a pro level and there are two issues this presents. Firstly - there is no doubt plenty of tape from his first five caps will show instances where he repeatedly misjudges his role in defence, at a ruck or in some other aspect of play. It's impossible for this not to be the case. Leinster will be onto him about these but it takes time to bed in the detail that goes into a highly structured defensive system.

Secondly - those around him have played Connacht plenty of times, know the weaknesses that each individual player is prone to and how to exploit them. Toner could probably tell you about the predominant habits of most of the Connacht pack when it comes to the breakdown having played them so many times and done the prep each and every time. That is a massive amount of information to have on the pitch and to have available in the build up.

People take a black and white view of talent and experience. Some talents vault the need for it, but most players need game time to hone the minor issues with their game and become more familiar with their regular opposition.

Andy Friend did a good interview on off the ball during the week where he spoke about knowing the detail. He highlighted that Leinster were exceptional around this aspect of the game, reviewing opposition microscopically and having insight into their decision making. He talked about making that a part of the culture in Connacht. This is why the likes of McCarthy aren't always dropped into these games, not because they aren't capable (I'm sure he'd play fine at the weekend) but because they'd potentially be targeted and exposed by a smart opposition and because there are a bunch of players around them who are far more familiar with that opposition and have prepped to play them many times before.

And McCarthy will have weaknesses to his game he nor Leinster even know about yet. Such is the nature of sport and life in general - he's already being fast tracked, he will get plenty more minutes this season and should feature a good deal in South Africa. He's in a great system, a system that won't let him down but which decided not to play him this weekend. It's not a big deal.