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

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Possible side for the start of the season?

1. Michael Milne
2. James Tracy
3. Michael Ala'alatoa
4. Jason Jenkins
5. Ross Molony
6. Rhys Ruddock
7. Will Connors
8. Max Deegan
9. Luke McGrath
10. Ross Byrne
11. David Kearney
12. Charlie Ngatai
13. Jamie Osborne
14. Robert Russell
15. Max O'Reilly
16. John McKee
17. Marcus Hanan
18. Thomas Clarkson
19. Brian Deeny
20. Scott Penny
21. Cormac Foley
22. Charlie Tector/Sam Prendergast
23. Chris Cosgrave

Will Soroka oust Ruddock? Can Charlie Ryan stay fit and challenge?

Will guys like Edward Byrne and Harry Byrne who hardly featured for Ireland be available? They're not going to have a heavy international workload, and could benefit from any gametime that's going.

Kelleher didn't tour with Ireland, but he might be put on the same schedule as returning internationals due to projected Ireland involvements.

Ngatai/Osborne looks like a potent, balanced centre pairing.

I'd be hoping to see Jack Boyle with an early push for senior minutes while Healy and Porter are away. Ed Byrne played so little rugby and was a late addition to the Ireland squad that I'd be surprised if he's not starting the season with the rest of the Leinster squad.

Kelleher will be straight back in with the rest of the Leinster squad. Big season needed for Tracy. He'll be 32 this season and McKee does look like a good find.

Tector I believe has a long term injury (at least he got stretchered off with a lengthy delay in a dev game towards the end of last season)

Given Harry got no minutes in New Zealand and was sent home in the first week I doubt he's on the minutes managed train and will see some involvement (fitness - as ever - permitting)

Nick McCarthy will still be pushing for minutes but I do think Foley has potential to overtake both him and Luke early this season (unless Luke finds some old form)

We look quite light in the back 3 for the early part of this season and could do with a few academy lads stepping up.

I don't think there is any queue to skip really. If you're good enough you're involved.

I saw some decent performances from King at under 20s but he was about as prolific as Smith or TOB who also had to bide their time for senior minutes.

I didn't see much of King to suggest he's ready to start some top level senior games

I just realised that I had the pleasure of the 10000th post - do we still require new threads since we got new boards?

Took us 17 months to fill this thread. The previous Leinster thread took 22 months to fill

There goes my 'Chronicles of Ruddock' suggestion.

Kelleher had the same preseason as non internationals.

He will start the season with the squad. Probably as a senior player in the squad and a leader. If he needs to skip games later on in the season because of international duty that's different but for now he will be played.

I believe LasisI has moved to tighthead. Ngatai is excellent, and provided he stays fit and doesn't have any undue issues settling in, I think he will be very close to the first XV.

Less of a big shout and more of a baiting shout I should think...

Temi moving to tighthead is a good call. It's a position of need for sure. He's already a big lad so add a bit of muscle onto that frame to up his power & I think he'll do well there

Not exactly much of a sample size available to judge Jenkins on, given how little he's actually played. The concern isn't whether he's good enough, it's whether he's actually available often enough to be of use. My concern in signing him wasn't that he wouldn't be up to the job, it was that he's brittle af.

No home games, at least not so far. Just the away game against Quins in two weeks time.

Molony will start! McCarthy may get past him. Baird is in a position where he needs to fing a position. I think he will get some time at 6. But, Soroka is on the way and I think he locks the 6 shirt down fairly soon. Baird may be sitting out a lot of big games.

I think this, easier said than done though as Soroka has even got a run at 6 yet so thinking he'll over take Doris or Conan is still asking alot without solid evidence despite how much of a prospect Soroka is.

If Soroka does take it im fairly confident Doris moves to 8, he's simply too good to be dropped when on form and at 24 is still only going to get better. In the end if Soroka does come through and take the 6 shirt its a big positive as that's what Leinster need (and tbh what Ireland need), I strong abrasive 6.