Leinster Team Talk Thread (Love you Furlong time)

Podge_irl · 27-11-2023 2:11pm

Harry was pretty clearly the second choice 10 throughout the opening month of the season (albeit Frawley was needed at 15). I don't really see any reason to expect that to have changed.

Dubinusa · 27-11-2023 2:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121423034#Comment_121423034

It drives me nuts the Leinster are passive in dealing with issues like Ahern at the line out. Munster on the other hand chatter when they have a gripe.

Did Ryan's knock on hit his head? Or did he take his eye off the ball.

27-11-2023 2:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121423866#Comment_121423866

Nah, he knocked it on before it hit his head.

Buer · 27-11-2023 2:27pm

I think they'll go with Frawley for right now for La Rochelle based on Cullen's comments after the weekend's game praising him.

He looked confident and kicked well off the tee which is important. It's a straight call between HB and CF which is not a great situation to be in right now. HB has been mixed enough for me so far this season. The first half on Saturday was probably the most rounded outhalf performance I've seen from a Leinster outhalf this season.

I would expect a lot of rotation this weekend with a fairly strong line up still going to Galway but the majority being held back to focus on La Rochelle.

Hopefully Lowe is back in training this week. There has been zero comment on his continued absence. He was on the pitch after the game on Saturday which was the first time I've seen him; I assume he was in NZ.

27-11-2023 2:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121423930#Comment_121423930

He was supposedly afforded extra time post RWC to be in NZ. He lost his mother shortly before the European Cup final in May, and then was pretty much straight into the Irish camp for months on end, on top of having a new baby this year too.

Leinstertomas · 27-11-2023 2:54pm

Stade Francais tickets on general sale from 2

Dubinusa · 27-11-2023 4:34pm

Definitely rotation this week. Baird in also Kelleher to start. I expect Harry to start also. I'd sit Porter, Sheehan and Futlong.

Pete_Cavan · 27-11-2023 6:12pm

Harry B should start at 10, assuming he's fit enough, give him a chance to stake his claim. Frawley had lots of gametime at the weekend and should wear 22 against Connacht but as part of a 5/3 bench. He should get 20 minutes at 10 rather than covering the backline. A 6/2 split would be disappointing and rather pointless.

lawrencesummers · 27-11-2023 7:50pm

The arrival of Jacques is well needed.

I cant help but think that if Leo wasn't Leo he wouldn't have lasted in that position as long as he has. One european cup in 11 years is hardly a great return.

As a neutral I think the changes Jacques will bring could be the difference in Europe over the next 2 years, it may take one season for his approach and a definitive 10 to bed in but what he brought to Munster was never given as much credit as it should have as he was working quietly under Rassie at that time.

crisco10 · 27-11-2023 7:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121425521#Comment_121425521

11 years? I try hard to forget the MOC years too, but you appear to be better at it! lol

lawrencesummers · 27-11-2023 8:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121425552#Comment_121425552

I meant 11 years for the club

Dubinusa · 27-11-2023 8:27pm

Leo has been the coach for 8 years.

Lost Ormond · 27-11-2023 9:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121425640#Comment_121425640

And? The point was about European cups....

Leo is ridiculously comfortable in his position and would be even if not who he is...

Dubinusa · 27-11-2023 11:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121425932#Comment_121425932

Good for Leo!

PMC83 · 28-11-2023 10:13am

I see Toronto Arrows have folded in the mlr, I wonder is that it for Noel Reid

Serbian · 28-11-2023 10:17am

Leo has made the final of the European Cup four times in 8 seasons and won the league four times, creating the record for the most consecutive wins.

If you are a neutral, you might want to go back and look at your own province’s performance at any point in their history if you think Cullen is lucky to have a job.

jonok28 · 28-11-2023 11:16am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121427225#Comment_121427225

Cullen has done well during his tenure, bringing a lot of domestic success to Leinster. He has built the Leinster team the right way, putting a significant emphasis on developing homegrown talent and giving them every opportunity to succeed while sprinkling in some outside international talent. Have they under performed in Europe? It's hard to say that seeing as they have been to so many finals. Yes with the level of dominance they have shown domestically and with such a deep squad, you might say they have under performed but they have been one score each time away from claiming the last two Champions cup titles. Nienaber will be a difference maker and if they give him one or two of his own signings next season that give depth in areas of the squad that need topping up, he should be able to get Leinster their 5th star.

Clegg · 28-11-2023 11:57am

I'd like to see Leinster pick a strong side for the Connacht game. Maybe only make a few changes to the side that faced Munster.

It's clear there's a few returning players who aren't fully up to speed and need more time to bed back into Leinsters systems.

There's also a question to be answered as you whether it makes more sense to keep these lads in match rhythm and learning from last season's mistakes. We heavily rotated for the semi final against Munster and ended up with zero to show from the season.

28-11-2023 12:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121427631#Comment_121427631

Yeah, I'm inclined to agree, but the fixture list is particularly punishing now essentially all the way through to the 6N.

If you keep mostly the same side this week, and then presumably for the next two weekends in Europe, then by the time you go to rotate, you've got guys who played a lot of the early games this season who all of a sudden have spent a month sitting on their hands.

The next 5 games are all big games where you want to win as well - obviously the two European games (and Sale are going well this year, currently #1 in the Premiership), but also three interpros as well, two of which are away from home.

There isn't an obvious game to rotate, so I'd like to see some rotation this week and bring back in guys like Osborne, Deegan, Ngatai, Barron and maybe Connors who were playing well earlier this year, while also trying to retain some of the guys who maybe feel they gave a poor account of themselves last Saturday night (Henshaw, JOB - to name just two).

My team would be something like:

O'Brien, Larmour, Henshaw, Osborne, Russell, Frawley, Gibson Park, Boyle, Kelleher, Ala'alatoa, Molony, Jenkins, Deegan, Penny, Conan.

Reps: Barron, E Byrne, Furlong, Baird, Connors, Murphy, H Byrne, Ngatai.

jonok28 · 28-11-2023 12:40pm

Jean Kleyn signed a two year deal with Munster. RG Snyman confirmed departure from Munster at seasons end but no mention of his next club.

lawrencesummers · 28-11-2023 12:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121427479#Comment_121427479

Would another coach have been allowed to stay on for as long with those results?

sydthebeat · 28-11-2023 12:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121427881#Comment_121427881

5 cups in 8 seasons... ??

URC coach of the year in 2018 and 2022?

other coaches would cut off their right hand for an honours list like that.

Gregor townsend got the scotland gig off the back of a much poorer CV

arsebiscuits1 · 28-11-2023 1:12pm

Jesus **** wept.

Are people honestly calling for Leo to be gone or saying he's lucky to have been in charge.

You're deluded if you think that.

All teams go through peaks and troughs but staying at the top like we have done for 8 seasons is incredible. YES we've had a fallow few years. But at least we're punching up there.

All of the other dominant clubs of the last decade have gone through peaks and troughs. Toulon, Sarries, Toulouse, La Rochelle and Leinster are the 5 who have had the most success by a huge margin.

All of these clubs have lost domestic finals and European finals. It happens.

But to sustain success over more than 8 years is absolutely incredible.

So from what I can gather is peoples metric for thinking Leo is lucky to have kept his job is that he hasn't won a double every year his in charge.

So to that I say..... pull your heads out of your arse and get them checked by a professional. Because you're deluded

sydthebeat · 28-11-2023 1:14pm

not "people"..... just someone of a particular persuasion.

if this happened on a different thread they would be complaining their "safe space" was being violated :D

awec · 28-11-2023 1:41pm

I come in peace.

I don't think Cullen is lucky to have his job, I think that's waaaaay OTT. He's in no danger at all of losing his job, unless things fall off a cliff he'll keep it for as long as he wants I'm sure.

But I think the return on the resources available to him has been fairly poor and some of you are perhaps going OTT in the other direction. Yea, I'm sure many other coaches are envious of Cullen's medal drawer, but I also reckon they're envious of coaching a side with the resources of Leinster and I think many would fancy their chances of filling a drawer of their own if they had the same player pool available to them.

Yes, 4 leagues in a row, but it has to be put in context. The league was a joke and since the decent South African teams have joined Leinster haven't managed to win it again. Wasn't it Andrew Porter who suggested Leinster measure themselves on the number of stars on the jersey? I know the likes of Guy Easterby has talked a good game in the past on this too, I don't think you get to retrospectively turn round and say that the 4 leagues is actually a great achievement just because no more stars have been forthcoming.

Podge_irl · 28-11-2023 1:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121428149#Comment_121428149

I think this is all absolutely fair. 1 Euro cup in the last 8 years is not good enough and I'll be very disappointed if we don't add another league title this year (and I think it is far from certain we do)

sydthebeat · 28-11-2023 1:51pm

No one knows the disappointment of not winning the HC in the last few years as much as leinster fans. We have underperformed on each of the final loses.

In each of those years have we prioritised the HC over the league? 100% we have, and that's something we have been critical of here ourselves.

However the stick to beat the coaches with is either the losing of the HC finals or not prioritising the league. Not both.

I have a feeling this year is different as any silverware is a must, and we won't be as blasé in the URC play offs as we have been previously.

Leos job is not in jeopardy right now and the poster is wrong to suggest that other coaches in his position would be in trouble.

The IRFU love Leinster as we are net providers to other provinces of high level players. The "rising tide" effect is very true in Irish rugby. It provokes the other provinces to get better at what they do to stay in the race.

Podge_irl · 28-11-2023 2:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121428206#Comment_121428206

However the stick to beat the coaches with either the losing of the HC finals or not prioritising the league. Not both.

I can absolutely do both - I fail to see why I can't? They deprioritised the league and didn't even get any rewards from that in Europe. It was a bad plan poorly executed.

sydthebeat · 28-11-2023 2:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121428263#Comment_121428263

my point is that when we depriorise the league, which we clearly have done in the recent seasons, then using the "you didn't win the league" as a reason the coach should feel under pressure is wrong.

They should feel under pressure because they didnt win the competition they prioritised, as you have said, the plan was bad and failed.

when Fergie was winning all his premierships, he wasnt being castigated for not winning the FC cup. Thats a clumsy analogy, but you get my point.

the deprioritizing of the league was the mistake, not the "not winning the league".

but to be fair, winning the league 4 years in a row between 2018 and 2021, while losing 1 HC final and 1 HC semis finals and 1 QF in that period, is probably licence enough in the coaches and players eyes to prioritise one competition over another.

awec · 28-11-2023 2:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121428304#Comment_121428304

I think the point is Leinster have always de-prioritised the league, but for quite a while the league was such a joke Leinster still strolled it, which is important context when people try to highlight the 4-in-a-row years as some big achievement.

I doubt there are many Leinster supporters genuinely annoyed you haven't won a league in 3 years, I think the frustration about last year is just the manner in how that happened. It's one thing getting beat by a SA team, it's another getting beaten by Munster after trying to be too cute with selection.

Leinster Team Talk Thread (Love you Furlong time)

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