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

Both so combative no surprise they pick up injuries.

Reminded of the phrase "availability is the best ability"

You'd worry about both their futures with Leinster

Molony's emergence as a quality player has coincided with the strongest options we've had at lock probably in our history. If he was playing a decade ago or was even in this form 5 years ago, he'd have been capped. He really has only hit his top levels in the last 2 years. We've very few cheap caps being handed out these days in the back five of the pack. Henderson, Ryan, Baird, McCarthy and Beirne is at a higher level than anything we've ever seen before. There's a two time Lion not making the 23 at the moment.

We haven't given out a new cap at lock in three years. Aside from those currently in the squad, if you look at guys capped in the 5 years prior to the 2021/22 season, we saw Wycherley, Kleyn, Treadwell, Roux, Holland and Dillane get debuts. I think Molony would be comfortably able to sit amongst most of that group.

Did we? That was the NZ summer tour, unless you're talking about the Maori games?

We gave Wycherley a cap in the summer of 2021 off the bench against USA.

He'd be lucky to get half of what he's currently on with Leinster in the states. Hell he could negotiate a serious pay cut with Leinster and still be earning more that he would in MLR.

A player of Molonys calibre would get picked up by another European team for a modest but not cheap salary in most places!

And as you said - far too good for the MLR for sure

Blue tinted glasses if you think Maloney is an international quality lock. Now, 5 years ago or 10 years ago. He doesn’t have the required size at all

5 years ago we had an explosive Dillane, Quinn Roux, Toner, Henderson, Ryan.

10 years ago POC, Toner, Mike McCarthy, Henderson, Dan Touhy

He would be as good a rugby player as Touhy and roux (who were squad members and not really playing) but not their physicality.

He is what he is, A very good rugby player but not an international quality lock.

Yeah not great news.

To be fair the Six nations ends next week so them saying his Six nations is over, might not be that bad. Farrell said " He got injured yesterday in training, just a freak accident really, just a reaction, reaching out for a tackle that was non contact and's injured his bicep".

If he is out for a period of time, I have faith in McCarthy, Jenkins and Molony to cover for him as the match day locks.

Bicep issues are very finicky. If Farrell was able to definitively rule him out of the rest of the 6N fairly immediately, it would certainly suggest it isn't a niggle and is probably something significant and clear like a tear.

If it is a torn bicep, it's probably a season ender. RB was out for 3 months with his.