Leinster Team Talk Thread (Love you Furlong time)

Jesus, I absolutely wouldn't say that our defence is showing up very well. At all. We conceded three tries through poor defensive decisions both individually and collectively. They're clearly trying to implement a more aggressive system and, at times, it's working as we knock teams back and swarm them. But we're extremely vulnerable if we get it wrong or don't commit to it fully.

First try, we lose our line out. Hawkshaw beats Ngatai and Byrne by stepping inside and offloads to Heffernan. Byrne recovers to take him down and Henshaw does an ok job of slowing their ball down. But we've numbered up wrong and it's a 5 on 3 (or 4 if Jenkins is able to make it out from the pillar position). Connacht just need to have accurate hands to expose us. Osborne has an opportunity to shut it down and obliterate Hansen. He hesitates and that gives Hansen plenty of time to get his pass away. Ngatai is too slow to get to Ralston and he's away. Slick hands and Hawkshaw is over in the corner. I think we could have worked across better too. We had a great scramble defence in previous seasons.

Second try comes after an up and under from Foley. Should have 100% been a Connacht scrum as the referee clearly gets in between the carrier and Kelleher who can't make a tackle. On the recycle, Furlong shoots up but gets away with it. In fairness, it's a great move by Connacht. They've 9 players bunched in a about a 20 yard alignment with a forward pod taking the ball which is played out the back to Hanrahan. All eyes are on Hansen but the ball is flashed across to Boyle, taking it at pace. Harry Byrne makes a good tackle but Boyle offloads to Ford on the run. Ngatai is arguably a bit disconnected as HB had moved infield to make the tackle. Ngatai's slow off the mark though and can't get to Ford who puts Blade away. I can put this one down to genuinely excellent attacking play. It's the try of the game.

The final one though was on us again. We show good linespeed and catch them way behind the gainline which is great but we relax then. We don't work across the pitch at all. Connacht have four men off their feet in the ruck and we have one. We have the numerical advantage in terms of people on their feet. It's purely bad work rate. Ngatai is pillar but Byrne is outside of him with nobody in front of him. He should be screaming to push out to those outside him. As it stands, we've Furlong, Deegan and Russell (injured by then) across from Hanrahan, Hansen and Kilgallon. Deegan doesn't trust Furlong and shoots up and in. A simple pass and Hansen has a free run. Russell can't make that tackle and it's a 2 on 1 against Frawley. Poor decisions and workrate. Ngatai is literally walking from the pillar position instead of trying to get back into a position where he can impact the game.

I think our attacking issues are probably more easily resolved. Our patterns and lines are still not too shabby but the execution looks really sloppy. I cannot recall 80 minutes of rugby where we've dropped as many balls as we did in the opening 40 against Munster and the opening 40 against Connacht. If we hold onto those, I think we're securing the BP much earlier.

I can only hope that this mirrors the start of the Schmidt reign where we were very patchy for the opening couple of months, won a scrappy interpro in Dublin before looking a completely different team against Racing in the RDS and tearing them apart.

He does which is disappointing because I think he is a really talented player with a lot to offer. He's a wrecking ball in his carrying but has a subtle touch to his game that not many have. The guided grubber for Kelleher's try was a thing of beauty. He also can definitely put in that work rate too; I'm sure we all recall the try line tackle away to Ulster last season which was potentially the winning of the game.

I see your point about making sure to not impede the youth movement. It might be a bit of a teething process but in the end, the extra game time will help develop the youth even further.

What has he left? He was going to be the replacement LH prop at the most recent RWC only for injury.

You have consistently shat on Healy for over a year and he consistently shows he's the second best LH in Ireland.

The issue is the obvious gulf between him and Porter and Porters ability to play an insanely high amount of minutes at an insanely high standard

What has Marty Moore got to do with Ala'alatoa though?

Marty Moore could conceivably start a game for Ulster and can scrummage to a European standard. I know Ulster are high on Scott Wilson but he's still got a long way to go. He's got 2 senior appearances to his name.

Leinster can't outbid Ulster for Moore and Ulster are obviously going to re-sign him. The only way he goes to Leinster would be with some IRFU meddling which there is no circumstance the IRFU are going to sanction a move for a Tighthead who could conceivably start for a province to go and be a guaranteed second choice at another one

Moore moving would mean O'Toole was first choice for Ulster. How can that not be a positive for Ireland if Farrell prefers O'Toole to Moore? Moore might as well be NIQ as regards Ireland selection. He's hardly featured at all. Is that appearance off the bench for Ireland 'A' against the NZ XV his only involvement under Farrell?

Does Moore still have international ambitions? His current situation doesn't seem to be doing anything to convince Farrell. Leinster are likely to play more knockout games than Ulster next season and the one after. If he impressed in those could he change Farrell's mind and become an extra tighthead option for Ireland that currently isn't there?

He's a tighthead. Being conditioned more for the scrum is more important than at loosehead.

He's not who you'd want in a very fast game with potentially lots of mismatches. But in a tight, arm-wrestle type knockout game he could be very influential.

It could also be useful for Milne, Boyle and McCarthy's development to have possibly the strongest scrummaging tighthead in Ireland opposing them in training.