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

Oh ye of little faith 😅

I think we made some mistakes this year, but I don't think we're doomed to repeat them. I'd also say that even if the coaching team didn't change. But on the brightside we've got a fresh set of eyes in TB (and potentially fresh exposure to the wider squad for JN) during pre-season this year.

I think if I was a new coach coming in somewhere I'd immediately be looking for quick wins. There's a couple of really simple quick wins for a backs coach in Leinster, consistently pick a 9 who can actually pass the ball and a 10 who can pass while in motion.. Once that's done you can build from there.

Not to **** on guys but imagine running backline drills in Leinster training. There must be a huge difference running a move at 10 depending on whether you're getting the ball from McGrath or JGP. Similarly there must be huge contrast in timing and angles if you're playing 12 outside Ross or one of the others. SH may be an issue for Leinster but equally I think Gunne is the most hyped SH prospect in a good while. I'm backing the coaches to get this one right.

It wasn't just that Luke was bad last season - and he was terrible - it was that he got steadily worse as the season progressed & one thing that was striking about his performances was how slow he looked, in movement as well as in decision making. It was like he aged a decade in six months. Time comes for us all but jaysus, it chased him down like a juggernaut last term.

I will admit that early on, I wasn't sold on Cormac Foley. He seemed a bit hesitant & his box kicking was very sub par but he looked a different player when he came back from injury last season. He's rapid in broken field play (former wing obvs) & his passing is both crisp & creative when it needs to be.

I think because he missed South Africa, Jamo will start the season but Foley should definitely get the bench spot with a view to starting games when the player management regime kicks in for JGP.

In the case of Lansdowne open training session I kind of get the radio silence from Leinster and I'd be one of their biggest critics about how radio silent they are (borderline disdainful to their own fan base at times)

However Lansdowne is an extremely accessible club for a large metro population. If the open training session is advertised and picks up steam, we could easily be seeing hundreds and possibly thousands of people hopping on the dart or the bus hoping to go along to it - schools are off after all.

Then it doesn't become a little open training session, it becomes an event, proper stewarding, possibly Garda presence and different insurance/ health and safety measures become factors.

It's such a dull and generic kit. Slap a Bath crest on there and it could just as easily be them as there is nothing distinctive about it.

Maybe manufacturers want to keep them generic to keep their mass production costs down, but it's just a nothing effort.

It's just a tighter cut, isn't it? Might be worth it if you want to put on the gun-show. Could probably see your abs through it too.

I would be going for the regular, nice and loose fit

I'm okay with the BOI bit being iron-on. I scraped some of it off on my hoody and now it reads 'Park of Ireland'.

leinster only need him to make 2 or 3 impacts this season and thats in maybe 2 knockout games in europe off the bench to perhaps influence a semi or a finla in leinsters way, thats what hes being signed for, not to be a work horse Mike Trigg. Sprinkled in at the business end in a couple games is what they want. Granted a definite gamble but thats the one they made

Appalling? Really?

a Hayden Triggs signing would be great, he was a good performer at league level, nice and steady. RGS was signed for a different reason.
I remember you when Triggs was leaving someone suggested he would be a good signing for Connacht and one or two Connacht supporters scoffed at that level of signing. He was a solid player and signings like that add a bit to squads.

Wouldn't be using Jesus Christ as an example of a lad who's never injured / unavailable.

Big loss to Nazareth RFC when he ascended into Heaven / retired. "Don't worry lads, I'll be back" (famous last words eh ?)

Yeah that's not happening.

Would you put money on him staying fit for the season? Or even for the business end of it? People are right to be concerned, he has an absolutely horrendous injury profile. We don't need to see him play any more games to see that.