Munster vs Connacht, Thomond Park, Sat 26 Dec 7:30pm, Setanta IRL Match Thread

thomond2006

Munster Squad:

Scott Deasy, Denis Hurley, Felix Jones, Doug Howlett, Ian Dowling, Tom Gleeson, Lifeimi Mafi, Jean de Villiers, Paul Warwick, Ronan O'Gara, Duncan Wlliams, Peter Stringer.

Darragh Hurley, Wian du Preez, Julien Brugnaut, Denis Fogarty, Damian Varley, Mick Sherry, Tony Buckley, Mick O'Driscoll, Donnacha Ryan, Alan Quinlan, Billy Holland, Niall Ronan, Nick Williams, James Coughlan, Tommy O'Donnell.

Rested: Hayes, DOC, POC, Wallace, Leamy, TOL, Earls (all under player management programme)

Connacht Squad: L Bibo, A Browne, K Campbell, G Duffy, A Flavin, J Hagan, R Loughney, K Matthews, M McComish, R Morris, D Murphy, T Nathan, G Naoupu, M Nikora, J O’Connor, R Ofisa, C O’Loughlin, M Swift, N Ta’auso, B Upton, B Wilkinson, A Wynne

Really looking forward to this match. 22,000 tickets were sold before the Perpignan match so a full house on the night could be on the cards if the weather is good.

Both sides are coming off sucessive victories in Europe.

Last year's fixture at Thomond was a very good contest with Connacht giving Munster a tough match.

Munster team I'd like to see:

15 Jones
14 Howlett
13 Mafi
12 De Villiers
11 Hurley
10 Warwick (would really like to see this)
9 Stringer

1 Du Preez
2 Varley (Has been solid in appearances from the bench, deserves start)
3 Buckley
4 MOD
5 Ryan
6 Quinlan (may not play though)/Coughlan
7 Ronan
8 Williams


16 Fogarty
17 Hurley
18 Holland
19 Coughlan/O'Donnell
20 D Williams
21 ROG (Manning out till February, so he's in the 22)
22 Dowling

The Irish Examiner thinks Hurley may play at FB, which I never want to see again. That ship has sailed, I think he's an excellent wing.

As they always do in Irish derbies Connacht will give everything, but I can't see past a Munster BP win.

Peter B

Want to go to this. Anyone know will there be tickets on the gate?

Buceph

Supposedly 22,000 of the 26,000 tickets have already been sold, so I'd take that as a no and you'd need to get your ticket now. (In fact I don't know if the ever sell tickets on the gate at the new Thomond Park.)

Depending on the weather though I'd say a lot of people in Cork (or anywhere outside Limerick) might not be willing to make the trip down. So the stadium might look a bit empty even if it's sold out. Still Met Eireann are predicting it to get milder from Christmas Day, so hopefully not.

Diabhal Beag

Will have to watch this at home I really wanted to go but had to sell my tickets on due to family commitments.

Connacht for a bonus point win :pac:

funky penguin

After the Perpignan match, who knows?

Kristopherus

Remember, if you cannot go, Setanta is free for 25th & 26th December:)

thomond2006

Buceph wrote: »

(In fact I don't know if the ever sell tickets on the gate at the new Thomond Park.)

They did for Munster vs Cardiff at the ticket office, I think.

Peter B, I'd give it a shot but if you have to drive a long way, don't take the risk.

chupacabra

Im rootin for connacht here (yeah i know im a terrible supporter:D). CMON YE BOYS IN GREEN!

fullback4glin

I dunno about sellin tickets at the gate but you should be able get them off touts (:mad:) outside the grounds, there were loads floating around for the Perp game, if I decide to go thats what I'm gonna do, arrive on time thou

Aidric

I didn't expect Connacht to draw a sell out. Time of the year I suppose.

Risteard

A lot of tickets being given as christmas presents I suspect.

bagpus

Peter B wrote: »

Want to go to this. Anyone know will there be tickets on the gate?

I have two west stand tickets listed on the munster rugby ticket exchange (you dont have be a member of the supporters club to use the ticket exchange, just a registered user and have to register with them) if you have any interest
west stand, Section 213 row H, seats 29 and 30
here's the link to the ticket exchange
https://teamexchange.ticketmastereurope.com/html/eventlist.htmI?l=EN&team=munstrrugby&CNTX=
there are loads of tickets on there if your not interested in mine

GisforGrenade

Have a ticket going with the rest of the family, have been a Munster supporter for years, been to Musgrave park regularly but this will be my first time in Thomond, am quite looking forward to it, it should be a great match, Connacht will throw everything they have at Munster and to be honest Connacht is the one team I won't mind losing to, those guys deserve something for all the hard work they put in despite having the least resources of any Irish team, great to see them doing so well in the Challenge Cup.

thomond2006

Referee: Alain Rolland (IRFU, 42nd League game).
Assistant Referees: C Stanley (IRFU), J Carvill (IRFU).
TMO: David Keane (IRFU).

Great to see Rolland officiating, no facepalm-inducing decisions guaranteed.

thomond2006

Connacht squad added to OP.

Michael Bradley is at his rotation crap again. :rolleyes:

Muldoon, Murphy, Keatley, Cronin and Carr all rested.

Munster BP win guaranteed I think.

thomond2006

Connacht: Gavin Duffy (capt); Troy Nathan, Niva Ta'auso, Keith Matthews, Liam Bibo; Miah Nikora, Conor O'Loughlin;
Brett Wilkinson, Adrian Flavin, Jamie Hagan; Michael Swift, Bernie Upton; Mike McComish, Johnny O'Connor, George Naoupu.

Replacements: Dermot Murphy, Ronan Loughney, Andrew Browne, Ray Ofisa, Ian Keatley, Kierran Campbell, Aidan Wynne.

Keatley on bench.

Will be keeping my eye on Hagan to see how he goes.

Munster: Felix Jones; Denis Hurley, Tom Gleeson, Jean de Villiers, Ian Dowling; Ronan O'Gara capt, Peter Stringer;
Julien Brugnaut, Damian Varley, Tony Buckley; Mick O'Driscoll, Donnacha Ryan; Billy Holland, Niall Ronan, Nick Williams.

Replacements: Mike Sherry, Wian du Preez, James Coughlan, Tommy O'Donnell, Duncan Williams, Paul Warwick, Scott Deasy.

Interesting team selection.

Nick Williams must have had a falling out with McGahan if he doesn't make the 22 and lads like Coughlan and TOD are ahead of him. What a fall from grace. He was in the original squad so it's safe to assume he's fit.
Edit: Team changed, Williams starts at 8.

Delighted that Varley is starting, he deserves it after his cameos in the HEC.

What a big game for Tom Gleeson, when he partners JdV in the centre.

I thought Warwick would have started, but ROG will do. :pac:

Felix Jones get his first start in a while, really excited about him.

outwest

this kind of thing makes bradley a bad coach, i would understand if they made the bench but to drop them out of 22 i dont understand. i strong connacht team and we it could of been a good game.

still tho, i would settle for a losing bonus point as long as we beat leinster next week:D

Risteard

Good to see Gleeson given a run, especially outside JdV.

Delighted to see Jones as well.

danthefan

Earls still hasn't got a chance outside JdV.

WHAT. THE. ****.

Risteard

Isn't he part of that IRFU player managment thing?

He's started nearly all of our games this seaosn.

thomond2006

danthefan wrote: »

Earls still hasn't got a chance outside JdV.

WHAT. THE. ****.

Earls had to be rested, according to the player management programme.

danthefan

thomond2006 wrote: »

Earls had to be rested, according to the player management programme.

For this particular game? Why are Leinster at full strength?

Zzippy

Ah FFS! I was really looking forward to this game til I saw the lineup, no Keatley, no Carr, no Cronin, no Captain Fantastic. Nikora has been utterly crap anytime he's started this season, I expect to see Keatley on for the second half at least. Only place on the pitch we might have parity is the backrow, in the absence of Leamy.
Oh well, I'll be the forlorn Connacht voice on the East Terrace. See y'all there!

thomond2006

danthefan wrote: »

For this particular game? Why are Leinster at full strength?

They had to be rested for some game, it had to be this one, given their record at Ravenhill.

2040

Dan's right. By this stage Earls and JDV should have played together for some appreciable amount of time. Unless they havn't clicked in training or something. There were moments last week though, when i thought the backline had finally clicked, when JDV was on the pitch.

Risteard

Well, take it up with the IRFU. I too want to see Earls outside DeVilliers but if resting him for a few games decreases his risk of injury,then I'm all for it.

siltirocker

thomond2006 wrote: »

Connacht squad added to OP.

Michael Bradley is at his rotation crap again. :rolleyes:

Muldoon, Murphy, Keatley, Cronin and Carr all rested.

Munster BP win guaranteed I think.

Fcukin' BULLSH1T! Straight up!!! I hate him, i just f*ckin' hate him!!!!!

Like NIKORA what is even the point of having an amateur like him on, Bradley's just going to have to put Keatley on after 25/30 minutes! (Like he has done with all but ONE of Nikora's performances this season!!!)

Ten years ago, granted we weren't the best but every one on this feckin' forum seems to forget Connacht were a force to be reckoned with! Maybe not at the other provinces levels but better then all those wee Welsh teams! And since he took over, every season has been worse than the previous!!! Because of decisions like this. :mad::mad::mad:

Munster Rugby Bonus Point win.

Sangre

danthefan wrote: »

For this particular game? Why are Leinster at full strength?

Leinster rested all their front liners against the Dragons recenetly.

Podge_irl

siltirocker wrote: »

Like NIKORA what is even the point of having an amateur like him on, Bradley's just going to have to put Keatley on after 25/30 minutes! (Like he has done with all but ONE of Nikora's performances this season!!!)

Keatley is not even on the bench is he? Bradley is off his rocker

phog

danthefan wrote: »

Earls still hasn't got a chance outside JdV.

WHAT. THE. ****.

The IRFU stipulated the amount of games each of the Irish squad could play between the AIs and the 6Ns, hence most of our Irish players are rested for this match.

danthefan wrote: »

For this particular game? Why are Leinster at full strength?

Cheika chose to rest the entire squad for the recent ML game against Dragons.

spoon

thomond2006 wrote: »

Earls had to be rested, according to the player management programme.

They could also have been rested for the Ulster next week too.

I'm guessing we'll see JDV and Earls in the center next week, but playing outside Warwick rather than ROG.

Diabhal Beag

Podge_irl wrote: »

Keatley is not even on the bench is he? Bradley is off his rocker

Isn't Keatley injured though?

Podge_irl

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

Isn't Keatley injured though?

No idea, though that would at least go some way to explaining all this. It's just a damn shame, with the side Munster are putting out Connacht would have had a real shot at this if they were at full strength.

thomond2006

The Munster site (http://www.munsterrugby.ie/rugby/6943.php) has edited the backrow, it's now

6. Holland
7. Ronan
8. Williams

Subs remain the same with Quinlan dropping out from the 22.

spoon

thomond2006 wrote: »

The Munster site (http://www.munsterrugby.ie/rugby/6943.php) has edited the backrow, it's now

6. Holland
7. Ronan
8. Williams

Subs remain the same with Quinlan dropping out from the 22.

I really hope that doesn't mean Quinny has picked up a knock.

Robbo

Half of me is dismayed with Bradley's selection but the other half of me knows that it's worth far more to be the only Irish province to go through the group stages in Europe this year undefeated. Whilst it would be great to deflate some hubris and get a result in Limerick, a home quarter/semi draw in Europe is worth far more on the pitch and in the bank.

On the other hand, Troy fancied this fixture last year and his sexy charms might prove too much for Munster.

Digifriendly

Robbo wrote: »

Half of me is dismayed with Bradley's selection but the other half of me knows that it's worth far more to be the only Irish province to go through the group stages in Europe this year undefeated. Whilst it would be great to deflate some hubris and get a result in Limerick, a home quarter/semi draw in Europe is worth far more on the pitch and in the bank.

Bit of an unfair comparison though - HEC is tougher than ECC is it not? Would Connacht have beaten Perpignan or Stade Francais away?

thomond2006

Robbo wrote: »

On the other hand, Troy fancied this fixture last year and his sexy charms might prove too much for Munster.

He played at 12 last year at TP and was a disaster defensively.

Don't think he'll be much better on the wing.

It pisses me off that there are talented players like O'Halloran who can't get into the Connacht side because of poor players like Nathan.

siltirocker

thomond2006 wrote: »

He played at 12 last year at TP and was a disaster defensively.

Don't think he'll be much better on the wing.

It pisses me off that there are talented players like O'Halloran who can't get into the Connacht side because of poor players like Nathan.

Although Troy has had a relatively good season, all i can say is fcukin' A!

Happy Monday

This match used to be held in Galway on the 26th/27th.

Frost on pitch, 2 days of rain and monsoon conditions etc.

Didn't matter - the Connacht branch went ahead and played on regardless - for the money you see!!

Thankfully it's been moved this year to Limerick.

chupacabra

thomond2006 wrote: »

He played at 12 last year at TP and was a disaster defensively.

Don't think he'll be much better on the wing.

It pisses me off that there are talented players like O'Halloran who can't get into the Connacht side because of poor players like Nathan.

O'Halloran is only 19 and as talented as he is he has only 1 cap with Connacht against that Madrid team in the ECC. Not sure if bringing him straight into an inter-pro against munster is a good idea. The lad will get his chance but to be fair Troy Nathan has been solid this season and has left his man about town persona behind him it seems.

Aidric

Robbo wrote: »

the other half of me knows that it's worth far more to be the only Irish province to go through the group stages in Europe this year undefeated.

You dress it up so well. At least get some perspective.

Digifriendly wrote: »

Bit of an unfair comparison though - HEC is tougher than ECC is it not? Would Connacht have beaten Perpignan or Stade Francais away?

Exactly right.

2040

Okay, easy up lads. All he means is that two wins over Worcester in the Challenge Cup trumps a win against a second string Munster. Can't argue with that.

Happy Christmas.

PS. JDV to play out of his skin. Money to be put on that ****.

outwest

in fairness troy is playing very well, my main concern is all the changes, o halleron will get his chance once bradley leaves

Robbo

Aidric wrote: »

You dress it up so well. At least get some perspective.

Sweet Jehovah, we're entitled to a little bit of bluster when we don't have several hundred thousands of a marketing budget behind us. Let's not deny that the changes this year to the European structures have reflected the rotten money-centric system of the Champions/Europa League. Stop suckling on the corporate teat of Sky and appreciate the sport.

As regards Troy, I was referring to the Stephen's Day fixture last year when he played his neon dancing boots off; booting away wave after wave of uninspired Orc horde attacks.

This really isn't a game for O'Halloran although I can see him making a few league appearances in the second half of the season.

thomond2006

I wasn't suggesting O'Halloran should start this game, I meant he should be getting more gametime in general.

phog

Tickets will be on sale outside the ground from 4pm, gates open 5.30.

irishbucsfan

thomond2006 wrote: »

I wasn't suggesting O'Halloran should start this game, I meant he should be getting more gametime in general.

I think at his age he'll be happy enough playing underage representative rugby and senior AIL for a little while before he gets thrown into the Connacht team.

2040

Robbo wrote: »

On the other hand, Troy fancied this fixture last year and his sexy charms might prove too much for Munster.

Does he still have a mullet? Can't wait to see his mullet.

Digifriendly

Robbo wrote: »

Sweet Jehovah, we're entitled to a little bit of bluster when we don't have several hundred thousands of a marketing budget behind us. Let's not deny that the changes this year to the European structures have reflected the rotten money-centric system of the Champions/Europa League. Stop suckling on the corporate teat of Sky and appreciate the sport.

Take your point and well made but do you have to take God's name in vain especially on Christmas Eve?

Robbo

Digifriendly wrote: »

Take your point and well made but do you have to take God's name in vain especially on Christmas Eve?

Jehovah or Money?