OFFICIAL Buildup Thread - Leinster vs Stade Rochelais Champions Cup Final 28/05/2022

MrTea · 28-05-2022 11:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119128194#Comment_119128194

There are loads of analytics and data, increasingly so. But it's not NFL and data can only tell you part of a picture, not the whole thing. Rugby players and coaches generally have a philosophy of 'feel' and trusting their players to make those calls on the day. It's easy to say 'kicking the points was wrong' in hindsight, but there are likely many factors contributing to losing and they were 60 seconds away from winning, at which point many of us would be saying 'Cup rugby, take your points, Leinster know how to win etc'.

It's simple in ways, they lost because LaR won.

shootermacg · 28-05-2022 11:45pm

How many times will we put Leinster up against teams like France and expect to win? 4,5,6,8 didn't effect anything. You can't expect Leinster to play international rugby with a bunch of journeymen. Too many forwards dining out on the back of a very good front row. Zero turnover or counter ruck threat.

Leinster are like an illusion, if you allow them fast ball and 1 man clear-outs they'll do well. Unfortunately, top teams don't sit back and allow you to play.

Hopefully Ireland come up with a better game plan before the world cup because it's looking like another QF exit. Throw in some shooters, contest the ruck , keep the ball and Leinster have nothing.

Clegg · 28-05-2022 11:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119128568#Comment_119128568

Tbf it's also a few of the older Munster posters too. Like the above.

Dubinusa · 28-05-2022 11:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119128634#Comment_119128634

Easier said than done! Not many sides can accomplish this. It's important to realize that La Rochelle are loaded tith foreign players. Leinster are going in with mostly homegrown players. La Rochelle have top quality throughout the pack. Aldritt is world class, Skelton too and perhaps Antonio? How many teams can boast that? Prison isn't too bad either.

Must love hardship · 28-05-2022 11:56pm

Will be a sore loss for many Leinster players.

Hopefully they can go one step further next year.

I'm still not convinced about JGP. He has improved this year but id actually prefer mcgrath in there when the going gets tough... he is more of a leader..

I wonder does munsters crowley look back with regret for not joining la rochelle when he had the chance..

It's a pity frawley didn't see game time today. I think leinster maybe got that bench call wrong especially with Lowe carrying a knock.. Larmour coming in there with 15 on the clock when the big lads were tiring might have been a smarter call..

O gara used his bench better. All his subs bar 1 got at least 12 minutes to make an impact.. 3 of leinsters bench got less than 5 minutes..

Very easy say that this evening.. but you have to bring on the "finishers" to get an impact from the..

Fair play to Ronan O'Gara. I can't wait to see him back in Ireland at some point in his career.. hopefully after the next world cup.

VayNiice · 29-05-2022 12:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119128662#Comment_119128662

That's it exactly. It's easier for France to put together a monster pack when they have so many un capped southern hemisphere players who have opted to play in France.

Atonio and Willemse make up 290kg of the French pack. How likely are you to find a lad in Michaels or Pres Cork who will reach 150kg to match this?

ujjjjjjjjj · 29-05-2022 12:05am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119127806#Comment_119127806

Spot on post.....overly cautious, needed like v Toulouse to throw caution to the wind. Finals do this to most teams, just disappointing it backfired on us today. We got away with in Bilbao in 2018, today we didn't.

shootermacg · 29-05-2022 12:06am

Look at Ryan: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/636911310533296130/980244743537717268/Skelton.mp4

29-05-2022 12:18am

Keenan - real day at the office to forget for him

eagle eye · 29-05-2022 2:05am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119128020#Comment_119128020

I get out plenty. I ignore idiots who shout against teams from their own country against foreign teams. Well I ignore them unless I know them in which case I'll give them a hard time about it.

You are not a real Irishman if you shout for foreign teams against teams from your own country. It's like soccer shite. Disgraceful.

eagle eye · 29-05-2022 2:09am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119128583#Comment_119128583

Well I'm the one who said anybody shouting against an Irish team is a disgrace.

I'd shout for Munster against a foreign team. I'd shout for Ulster against a foreign team too. In my first post match comment I said I was delighted for ROG and mentioned all the hard work he put in, including a couple of years in New Zealand with Crusaders, to make it as a coach.

I'm a Connacht fan btw.

Neil3030 · 29-05-2022 2:27am

I wouldn't mind Leinster taking the points as they did.

However I'd be livid at the 10 points handed to La Rochelle from terrible exits from their 22.

Dubinusa · 29-05-2022 2:37am

After watching again. It's a case of La Rochelle outplayed us, out managed us or.... we were poor. It's a mix of all 3.

It's okay to critique Leinster and the performance. We were poor! The pack was poor except for VDF and Ryan. The wings were a non factor and the backline in general was poor.

At this stage of Porters journey back to loosehead, I would say it's been fairly drab. He's not the same player. It will take longer, I suppose.

I think RB really fecked himself as far as a national call up goes. He was immensely poor. Hesitant, poor hands and really not able to do anything to alter the outcome.

I think Conan and Doris were both poor.

Dulin was the best player on the pitch, imo. He was terrific.

This will be a tough one to climb out of the mire. We didn't fire a shot!

cuttingtimber22 · 29-05-2022 8:37am

As a Munster fan, I was sorry to see Leinster lose (some really decent players and people in that team). It was not your day.

As a rugby supporter, I was pleased for ROG (nice scenes with family in the stands afterwards) and it is good for the competition that was a new winner.

cuttingtimber22 · 29-05-2022 8:44am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119127217#Comment_119127217

Mike Haley has been excellent for the last two seasons. Scored and assisted a fair few tries, good positioning and defence, and overall a fine footballer. Keegan is the number one Irish 15 but Haley would do a good job if called.

abff · 29-05-2022 9:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119128903#Comment_119128903

And I’m the one who kicked off the whole debate on this issue by commenting on the Munster fan who was interviewed on the 9 o’clock news on RTE.

I agree 100% that any Irish fan who cheers for a foreign team against an Irish team out of spite/jealousy is a disgrace. Some people have responded by pointing out that English and French rugby fans will often root for teams that are playing against their fierce local rivals.

And that may be true, but do we really want to be like the English and the French in that regard? We’re a small country and most Irish sports fans will cheer for any Irish sports team or individual that is performing well on an international stage. It’s part of who we are. And to do otherwise is just wrong.

fryup · 29-05-2022 9:04am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119129104#Comment_119129104

missed that, and what did that munster fan say?

cuttingtimber22 · 29-05-2022 9:06am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119129109#Comment_119129109

Said he was supporting La Rochelle because of the ROG connection.

fryup · 29-05-2022 9:08am

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

and is that wrong?

Stephen_Maturin · 29-05-2022 9:11am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119129118#Comment_119129118

Actually he literally said “Anyone but Leinster”, like a petty overgrown child

ironingbored · 29-05-2022 9:13am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119128583#Comment_119128583

Barca/Real is a ridiculous comparison.

Catalans are not Spanish.

errlloyd · 29-05-2022 9:15am

It's tough to save your worst game of the season for your most important. It's even tougher when that's the day your opponent really get it together.

But listen. It's only sport. Thought there are a few leinster players who are 0 from 2 in finals now, and at a bit of a risk of making it habitual.

Henry Ford III · 29-05-2022 9:26am

Interesting read.

The difference in attitude between the start and the end of it is quite marked.

fryup · 29-05-2022 9:35am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119129143#Comment_119129143

worst game?? don't think Leinster played practically bad, its just La R and ROG had them sussed

it was a 50 50 game

Madeoface · 29-05-2022 9:57am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119129192#Comment_119129192

Agreed. LaR got practically everything right. Twas a sobering day for leinsters ruck speed and a benchmark of how to compete against them.

Watching the final 12 minutes again is worthwhile. After being so indisciplined for so long how LaR kept that passage so tight is pretty amazing.

Akrasia · 29-05-2022 10:10am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119129104#Comment_119129104

If you want munster fans to support leinster you might have a word with some of those leinster fans who never miss an opportunity to come into the munster thread and sh1t all over us and our players when we lose and constantly bring up the fact that we have no silverware in x number of years...

If Leinster won yesterday there would have been a wave of gloating and insufferable arrogance and demands for the Irish national team to just be Leinster in Green etc

The fact that so many leinster fans thought the game was a foregone conclusion was irritating and the fact that they think it was a 'shocking' performance to lose a final by a last minute try indicates that they didn't even learn a lesson in humility from that game

Oh, and if it was munster v la rochelle in that final, the Leinster squads WhatsApp group would have been cheering every score against Munster. They would have wanted us to lose that final

errlloyd · 29-05-2022 10:20am

Leinster's worst game of the season was Cardiff away. So it wasn't that.

But leinster did plenty bad in this game while under no pressure. Missed lineouts, passes going to back shoulders instead of front shoulders, dropped balls. They also did some bad things as a result of La Rochelle pressure, bad exits, badly protected ruck ball, aimless kicking. There were at least two penalty advantages for example where Sexton kicked a nothing kick for no reason.

So yeah. I think it was our worst first team game of the season. And I think some players did get the yips. And that's okay. There is a spectrum of possible performance levels every time your team goes out, sometimes your team play badly. It's just a sickener to lose a winnable game by 3 points when you feel you've had an off day.

abff · 29-05-2022 10:26am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119129118#Comment_119129118

No, that’s not wrong. But then he went on to say “anyone but Leinster, really” and I think that showed his true colours.

Akrasia · 29-05-2022 10:33am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119129347#Comment_119129347

There were plenty of games this season where leinster made lots of unforced errors but still managed to win

If Leinster had held on to win yesterday those errors yesterday would all have been forgotten about

CJay1 · 29-05-2022 10:35am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119129104#Comment_119129104

You really need to get over this.

OFFICIAL Buildup Thread - Leinster vs Stade Rochelais Champions Cup Final 28/05/2022

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