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

It's been reported on a number of podcast

I guess Catt is coaching the backs

Coaching them to do what? Fix their hair?

Agree with this. Nervous for the national team. Goodman for me, is a disappointment.

Maybe, you could ask him. As I said it was widely reported that Farrell looks after the attack, as far as I remember Murray Kinsella and others have said the same

Not sure how Goodman is disappointing?

If you are comparing to Leinster playing after 7 years of Lancaster drilling the entire squad from top to bottom, then yes Im sure it might seem a bit of a disappointment

In reality Goodman was away for the entire preseason, when he came back they had a few games and then the new head coach came in.

When Nienaber came in then changed the entire way Leinster plays, including the attack, of course Goodman has never worked either with a SA coach either, according to ROG who worked with him, said he is excellent and he was fully expected to get part of the NZ coaching team so a big win for Ireland.

I do find the negativity surrounding Leinster and their coaches as puzzling, but slagging off a guy who hasn't even started with Ireland is some reach but you managed to do it.

I’m more excited than ever about the URC knockouts. Would be an excellent achievement to win it with the potential route we have but I have no doubt that the team is capable of the challenge. I’m sure the players are excited to have another chance to win some silverware too.

Don’t understand the pessimism around the team online. We have no right as armchair viewers to expect them to win every game and throw our toys out of the pram when they don’t win or they don’t win in the style we expect them to. They’ve put in a huge amount of work this year (eg our scrum went from being a weakness with Porter being pinged every 2nd scrum to dominating Toulouse in the final).

I’m grateful for all they’ve given us this year. Hoping they can get what they deserve out of the season too. But this is sports and sometimes you need a bit of luck, something which we’ve lacked in the big moments over the last few years.

Agree. Not to mention the fact that other teams can be class too, and deservedly win a close match.

I'd expect them to fight like dogs for the URC. There's no rest for anyone for the next three weeks. I'd back leinster.

I can't remember the last time they played pretty much the strongest 23 for 3 weeks in a row. Never happens in URC league games, and the champions cup teams only ever play 2 weeks in a row. This is a serious challenge and e weeks of top rugby ahead -if they make the final.

Its tricky to travel to South Africa, play a knockout game at altitude in Pretoria and come straight back to Ireland to play a final the weekend afterwards.

If all Leinsters games were in Europe, then they are massive favourites, but the trip to SA is a potential fly in the ointment

It's not nonsense. It's factual.

I'm obviously coming at this more from an Irish supporter's perspective but there's a few points that do concern me.

Not sure how Goodman is disappointing?

If you are comparing to Leinster playing after 7 years of Lancaster drilling the entire squad from top to bottom, then yes Im sure it might seem a bit of a disappointment

Which is essentially saying that things are not as good as they were under the previous coach. Is that not something to be disappointed about? Granted, Lancaster was a massive loss, and I think heaven and earth should be moved to get him back into the Irish system once his time is up in Paris.

In reality Goodman was away for the entire preseason, when he came back they had a few games and then the new head coach came in.

When Nienaber came in then changed the entire way Leinster plays, including the attack, of course Goodman has never worked either with a SA coach either, according to ROG who worked with him, said he is excellent and he was fully expected to get part of the NZ coaching team so a big win for Ireland.

Nienabar said during the week that when he arrived in December he slotted into Leinster's existing weekly schedule and only took defensive sessions. He wasn't sure if that was a continuation of Lancaster's schedule, or if instead Cullen and Goodman had made adjustments. In either case, it seems as though the attack not Nienabar's concern, and no time was sacrificed from attacking sessions to accommodate his defensive reconfigurations.

I do find the negativity surrounding Leinster and their coaches as puzzling, but slagging off a guy who hasn't even started with Ireland is some reach but you managed to do it.

Setting aside whether calling a coach a disappointment is "slagging him off", I have a few Leinster-supporting friends echoing the sentiment that the attack has regressed in the past year. This may or may not be entirely down to Goodman and losing Sexton can't be overlooked. But Leinster are also double-digit points down on last year's URC tally - something the latter never contributed toward (at least on the pitch).

Of course, a drop-kick strays a foot the other way and I'm sure the context of this conversation is very different. But I certainly wouldn't look at Leinster's attack in the last year and be overly excited about what Goodman will do for the senior side. Will be happily proven wrong/surprised.

delete

Right! I'll leave you to ur toys!

Some positive noises about Prendergast staying at Leinster. Pete Wilkins was asked about it and now says it's unlikely to happen.

Further down the article it says Ringrose met a specialist recently and has been given the all clear to return to full contact training.

Ringrose is officially available for selection. A very timely return given the big game coming up and hopefully we've a cup run coming together as well. Feels like we have a clean bill of health for the first time this season.

Miserable news, he would be a great shout for a cap this summer if he was fit.

He's had 4 Heineken appearances, all off the bench, for a total of 46 minutes. But he's a great shout for the national team? I'd love to hear why he's a great shout ahead of any of the other wingers in contention who have more of a body of work behind them at a higher level…

I'd agree with others, he's been desperately unlucky with injuries.