Mid Season Review - Leinster

[Jackass]

So how was it for you?

I don't know if it's best to keep a thread like this team specific (no need to bring your measuring tape lads ) but just wondering on how people think the season has gone so far for Leinster, and what are the asperations for the second half of the season?

Starting with the Magners league, I think given our poor run of form and mid season implossion, I think it's fair to say that we have to be very happy with where we are. After a decent couple of matches to start with, we've had bad results, but to an extent have gotten away with them, with Ospreys losing to Dragons and Munster losing to Ulster & Connacht, we're still very much within touching distance.

There are 2 real annoyances of the league campaign so far for me.

The first thing isn't even the losing to teams that maybe the bookies say we should be beating, as I know teams put on big performances and other teams can have off days too, and while you could say we threw it away v Glasgow, on the other hand we were soundly beaten in Galway, so it's to be expected, these are all swings and roundabouts every team goes through in a season, but is not getting the bonus points at home to Connacht & Dragons when they were there for the taking had we shown more compuser, street smarts, ruthlessness & self belief - in fact not even self belief, arrogance.

I think you need to be a bit arrogant to be a top team and not be afraid of what people might think or what might go wrong because you don't doubt yourself for a second and go for it. And with the ability there, get it.

The reason that is especially annoying is because had we taken those 2 points on offer, we would now, despite a terrible run of form, be on joint points with Munster in second place, one point off top, with the second half of the season to follow. I just wonder if we are learning from these mistakes. Worryingly it's something I'm seeing in equal measures every season. Not taking chances, finishing a game with 3 trys after a frantic 10 mins in persuit of a bonus point.

The Second annoyance is the loss to Munster. And not just the score, but the manner of the loss. Maybe I have the most blue tinted glasses out there, but I believe that was a game we could have, and should have won. Why didn't we? Because of a loss of nerve. Again. A team doesn't get a reputation as being bottlers without some substance to it, and I really feel Contepomis head really wasn't in the game again (v Munster) and HAD HE landed his 4 penalties, we would have led 12 - 3 at half time (iirc) and you never know what response Munster would have made, but either way they were playing their A game and only got another 3 points until the 70th minute. Now look at the tries we conceded - running the ball from deep, very lose kicking the ball away, high risk stuff which I would put my house on, if we had a slender 6 point advantage, if we had our hands on the ball like that in our own half, everytime there would be no phase play and risk taking like that, it would sit in the Munster half until they found a way through our defence from 50+ yards. Who knows, we may still have lost it, I don't think we would have, but at least we would have lost the game the right way (if there is one) and that's going down fighting and forcing your oppent to do something special to win the game, which we didn't do.

The reasons for that annoyance is of course, it's Munster, and Leinster fans enjoy losing to Munster just about the same amount as Munster fans enjoy losing to Leinster, but not just that, it's also because of the position of the league, the table would really have us favourites going forward had we of pulled it off on the day, but now we're an outside bet.

Big positives so far in the league is the talent it has afforded to come through. Sean O'Brien is the new comer of the year for me. An excellent player and the exact right type of player we needed at the right time. Although it would be a massive loss, for Rocky to leave at the end of the season would not leave such a massive void now, although he has been playing 7, I think O'Brien must be considered a 6 in the future. Toner & Healy have really upped their game this season too, and all 3 of these guys are seriously putting their hand up for selection in our best starting 15.

With Europe, again, there is some inconsistencey to the whole experience.

Wasps was one of the greatest experiences at a Leinster game in a long long time, the atmosphere, the flowing rugby at times, reminded me of the good old days, not least BOD announcing he wasn't done yet with 2 tries, one of them from his reel of career highlights.

Then there's the lows of Castres - again, not picking up the bonus point at home, so crucial in a group like this, particularly since Wasps failed to do it, but then the defeat away. Even with that bonus a losing bonus point in Wasps would mean we'd only have to beat Edinburgh 3 - 0 to go through, or we had the luxury of losing to Wasps as long as they didn't get 4 tries and we only had to match them on the last day - it changes everything now. Something that some people may have seen as so insignificant at the time (not least the Leinster coaching staff). But we had a massive win in Edinburgh too.

With Wasps still to play, Edinburgh at home in the final group game, within touching distance of the Magners league leaders - our destiny this season is still very much in our own hands, and anything can still happen - and all achieved with some very erratic displays. We can criticise how some things have gone, but I can't say we can be in any way unhappy at the position we are still in - which is still in everything with it all to play for.

My hopes for the second half of the season is to get some momemtum going, we are heading into a massive row of fixtures in the league and Europe, if we can come out on the right side of most of them heading into the final quarter of the season, we'll be in the top group of the table and we'll have a home HEC quarter final. And then everything would seem rosey again. I just hope we really pull it together now and put in the performances when they count and finaly reach our potential!!

I still believe we can do it this season! Some things need to change, but with the injuries coming back, this can still be our year, hopefully we've just been saving it for the second half of the season, when it counts!!

The thing that has annoyed me the most is the way our backline is playing.This rotation ****e is really starting to get ridiculous now.I would stick with

10 Nacewa
11 Fitz
12 Contepomi
13 Bod
14 Horgan
15 Kearney

or
10 Contepomi
12 Darcy



Alan Gaffney really needs to change his attitude regarding this backline method.Its simply not missing and I fear we are going to waste yet another season trying to perfect a stupid backline technique that seems to just be wasting the talent thats at our disposal.

I think the players have started to cop on now and I get the feeling that we will play better in this second half,after the media criticisms and the Niall Ronan interview they will have taken a reality check.

In Europe after watching Wasps this weekend I think we could be in serious trouble.They look to have improved and will pose a much greater threat,although hopefully the players will up their game.

In the league we are still in contention and I would really like to win it again.Others may think its a joke but there are some really good teams in our league and we should be racking up the leagues now as in the future I think they will become harder to win.

bleg

didn't read any of it but leinster supporters can't be too annoyed. they've failed to perform in quite a few games and yet are still in reach of the top spot of the magners league and top of their heineken cup pool. their destiny is in their hands in both competitions at the moment and i expect they'll make it through to the quarter finals of the HC.

their major problem is at scrum half, where whitaker isn't performing this season as a player or captain, and out half where they haven't had any consistency since the start of the season. things are looking good though with van der linde and cullen to come back still.

RugbyFanatic

As always a great, detailed post Jackass

crisco10

RugbyFanatic wrote: »

As always a great, detailed post Jackass

+1

I'm surprised Simon Keogh didnt get a mention as surprise package of the year. I don't think anyone thought he would get as close as he has to the strongest XV..

Zzippy

Despite not playing well, Leinster are still in the running in the ML and have HEC qualification in their own hands. Yes there is inconsistency, but there is also massive potential there, albeit only sporadically seen. Positives are the emergence of O'Brien and Toner in particular. Luke Fitz has been a big disappointment, and Contepomi is not interested anymore (IMO). Rob Kearney continues his meteoric rise, hampered by not being selected in his best position.
Having said that, I don't think its a vintage season for Leinster, they seem to be stuck between blooding new players and older players not up to it anymore - I definitely don't think they can win HEC, they need quality in certain positions (SH in particular) and a coach who picks players in the right positions and isn't afraid to be brave.

BTW, ye didn't deserve a bonus point against Connacht last week

Sparky14

Aubree Fat Handlebar wrote: »

The thing that has annoyed me the most is the way our backline is playing.This rotation ****e is really starting to get ridiculous now.I would stick with

10 Nacewa
11 Fitz
12 Contepomi
13 Bod
14 Horgan
15 Kearney

or
10 Contepomi
12 Darcy

Has to be 10 Contepomi 12 Darcy in my opinion, Nacewa very talented player but not cut out to be a HC outhalf. Maybe persevere with fitz instead of darce at 12, but Felipe needs to be 10.