Munster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

thomond2006

We play Connacht at home on Monday and Ulster away on Friday. That will stretch our resources a bit. I'd like to see the likes of Archer, Nagle, Butler, Williams and O'Dea get a start in this period. Perhaps even JJ Hanrahan could get a look in sometime?

profitius

thomond2006 wrote: »

We play Connacht at home on Monday and Ulster away on Friday. That will stretch our resources a bit. I'd like to see the likes of Archer, Nagle, Butler, Williams and O'Dea get a start in this period. Perhaps even JJ Hanrahan could get a look in sometime?

Hanrahan should be getting some game time between now and the end of the season. I'd like to see him start in the center before moving to 10 in a few seasons (like Dan Carter did with NZ). He has more ability than Mafi, Chambers and Barnes combined.

phog

Squad for Connacht game and Open training session

Munster Name An Extended Squad
21 December 2011, 5:57 pm By Pat Geraghty

The 30 strong Munster squad named for the RaboDirect PRO 12 game against Connacht on Monday will conduct and Open training session in Bruff RFC tomorrow (Thursday), the squad expected on the pitch at 11am.

It will afford people the opportunity to see John Hayes take part in training ahead of his expected final game for Munster. The sdie to face Connacht will be announced on Friday.

Munster Squad: D Kilcoyne, W du Preez, M Horan, BJ Botha, J Hayes, S Archer, D Varley, D Fogarty, S Henry, D O'Callaghan, I Nagle, M O'Driscoll, B Holland, T O'Donnell, J Coughlan, N Ronan, P Butler, D Williams, T O'Leary, I Keatley, S Deasy, T Gleeson, S Zebo, K Earls, L Mafi, D Barnes, L O'Dea, S Scanlon, D Hurley, J Murphy,

Cpt_Blackbeard

phog wrote: »

Squad for Connacht game and Open training session

Looks like Ryan, POC, Murray and ROG are all rested under IRFU dictate. Any else find it odd that the IRFU can make us rest Ryan and Murray when neither are on IRFU contracts?

Hopefully the Bull has another big game in him but, it would have been more fitting had his last act been destroying a Leinster Scrum in the Magners final.

Fireball07

phog wrote: »

Squad for Connacht game and Open training session

What a legend of a man.

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

Looks like Ryan, POC, Murray and ROG are all rested under IRFU dictate. Any else find it odd that the IRFU can make us rest Ryan and Murray when neither are on IRFU contracts?

Hopefully the Bull has another big game in him but, it would have been more fitting had his last act been destroying a Leinster Scrum in the Magners final.

I think it's interesting really, especially since Ryan didn't even start the last game. Now DOC could end up pushing ahead of him again if he puts together a run of form.

And after Murray's best performance of the season, and TOL's worst...I would have liked Murray to stay in the team. That's just me though...

Podge_irl

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

Looks like Ryan, POC, Murray and ROG are all rested under IRFU dictate. Any else find it odd that the IRFU can make us rest Ryan and Murray when neither are on IRFU contracts?

Not really. They're still IRFU employees.

Brian

is it possible to get Heineken cup tickets for Castres?

Benny Cake

Baza210 wrote: »

is it possible to get Heineken cup tickets for Castres?

Yup, they're on sale here: http://www.munsterrugbysales.com/events.aspx?section=eve

GerM

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

Looks like Ryan, POC, Murray and ROG are all rested under IRFU dictate. Any else find it odd that the IRFU can make us rest Ryan and Murray when neither are on IRFU contracts?

They can't make them. They can request it and Munster might be happy enough to comply. It's Connacht at home and Munster are quite likely to view this game as one they can try out some combinations and give game time to others that need it. The IRFU probably requested that they rest them and Munster had no real issue with it.

Podge_irl

GerM wrote: »

They can't make them. They can request it and Munster might be happy enough to comply. It's Connacht at home and Munster are quite likely to view this game as one they can try out some combinations and give game time to others that need it. The IRFU probably requested that they rest them and Munster had no real issue with it.

Of course they can make them. Leinster and Munster are merely a branch of the IRFU.

GerM

Podge_irl wrote: »

Of course they can make them. Leinster and Munster are merely a branch of the IRFU.

They're not under the player welfare scheme and have contracts with Munster Rugby not the IRFU. The IRFU can request it. They cannot force it although it's unlikely Munster would refuse them. Scrum half and lock are positions that Munster have depth in so have little issue in obliging the IRFU. Even POC and ROG could have played if Munster wanted as the player welfare scheme is in relation to the number of games that players play in, not which games they can and cannot specifically play in.

The interference that the international set up has with the provinces is often overstated.

Podge_irl

GerM wrote: »

They're not under the player welfare scheme and have contracts with Munster Rugby not the IRFU. The IRFU can request it. They cannot force it although it's unlikely Munster would refuse them. Scrum half and lock are positions that Munster have depth in so have little issue in obliging the IRFU. Even POC and ROG could have played if Munster wanted as the player welfare scheme is in relation to the number of games that players play in, not which games they can and cannot specifically play in.

The interference that the international set up has with the provinces is often overstated.

Munster Rugby are part of the same organisation as the IRFU and are under their control and auspices. They don't interfere with the day-to-day running of the provinces, but they're perfectly entitled to. They can make the provincial coaches rest players for specific games, but they don't (cause it would be stupid).

Brian

Benny Cake wrote: »

Yup, they're on sale here: http://www.munsterrugbysales.com/events.aspx?section=eve

Cool, got some tickets as late christmas presents

phog

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

Looks like Ryan, POC, Murray and ROG are all rested under IRFU dictate. Any else find it odd that the IRFU can make us rest Ryan and Murray when neither are on IRFU contracts?

Maybe McGahan is giving Murray a rest, he ws rested for only one game since his return from the W/C. Similar with Ryan, I think the only game he missed since his return was the Edinburgh game.

Provincial coaches have player welfare to consider as well.

phog

Round 5 Ref for Munster V Castres - Andrew Small
Round 6 ref for Saints V Munster - Romain Poite

castie

phog wrote: »

Round 5 Ref for Munster V Castres - Andrew Small
Round 6 ref for Saints V Munster - Romain Poite

Great....

Poites scrum interpretation of "if its going forward they must be doing it right" will kill us against the saints.

Amazotheamazing

castie wrote: »

Great....

Poites scrum interpretation of "if its going forward they must be doing it right" will kill us against the saints.

If we can win against Castres we'll be playing for a home quarter, afaik, big incentive for the players.

castie

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

If we can win against Castres we'll be playing for a home quarter, afaik, big incentive for the players.

Yes but Northampton arent scrummaging legally and doubt that will change.
Also seems that Munster never do their homework on such things as the week after the Munster game the Scarlets neutralised what they were doing.

So prediction is Northampton to scrummage as they have and us to go backwards and poite to penalise us.

phog

Munster A update on Q/F of B&I Cup

Munster Away In British & Irish Cup Quarter Final

24 December 2011, 8:19 am By The Editor

Munster will travel north for their British & Irish Cup quarter final against Ulster Ravens that has been scheduled for Friday January 20th with a 7.30pm kick-off.

With Ulster involved in the Heineken Cup the following day in Clermont, Ravenhill would appear to be the likely venue.
They met at the semi final stage of the competition in the inaugural year, Munster scoring four tries in their 27-3 victory at Thomond Park Stadium. The Munster side was led that day by Peter O'Mahony, now firmly established in the senior squad as are his colleagues from that afternoon, Mike Sherry, Danny Barnes, Stephen Archer and Conor Murray who started the semi final on the bench.

Paddy Butler, Sean Henry, Ian Nagle, Duncan Williams, Luke O'Dea and Sean Scanlon who were all involved that April '10 day are included in the match day squad for Monday's RaboDirect PRO12 game against Connacht.

British & Irish Cup Quarter Finals.

Friday 20th January: Ulster Ravens v Munster (19.30).

Saturday 21st January: Cross Keys v Llanelli (tbc).
Saturday 21st January: Leinster A v Pontypridd (14:00).
Sunday 22nd January: Cornish Pirates v Nottingham Rugby (14:00).

danthefan

phog wrote: »

Round 5 Ref for Munster V Castres - Andrew Small
Round 6 ref for Saints V Munster - Romain Poite

Imo the absolute worst ref in the HEC.

wixfjord

Not when he's in thomond though

Amazotheamazing

A lot of A players on show this weekend, we've beaten Ulster A the last few times we've played, iirc, but they've had a better season this year. The game against Leinster will stand to them too.

jacothelad

danthefan wrote: »

Imo the absolute worst ref in the HEC.

You obviously don't realise that Dudley Phillips has become a HEC ref.

irishbucsfan

There are a few duds in professional refereeing in fairness, but Phillips seems to have been destined for it since his parents named him!

jacothelad

irishbucsfan wrote: »

There are a few duds in professional refereeing in fairness, but Phillips seems to have been destined for it since his parents named him!

Yes! He is in a sub - sub basement all on his own.

thomond2006

Saracens (vs Quins):
15 Alex Goode, 14 David Strettle, 13 Owen Farrell, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 James Short, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Peter Stringer, 8 Ernst Joubert, 7 Andy Saull, 6 Kelly Brown, 5 George Kruis, 4 Steve Borthwick (c), 3 Carlos Nieto, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Rhys Gill.

Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 John Smit, 18 Matt Stevens, 19 Mouritz Botha, 20 Jackson Wray, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Adam Powell, 23 Chris Wyles.

irishbucsfan

I wonder if he is first choice now or if they're just resting the young lad Spencer. I like Spencer, I think he's the better player, but I'd love to see Strings starting in the H Cup again.

castie

wixfjord wrote: »

Not when he's in thomond though

I hate the guy even when hes refing matches in the premiership.

As a prop hes hugely frustrating that he seems to have no idea whats going on in the scrum and assumes team going forward are in the right.

Amazotheamazing

Seemingly Munster are in talks with Rhys Ruddock, is he a player we need? Our backrow is aging and guys like Coughlan and Ronan aren't really going to be longterm replacements, but is Ruddock who we need?

CIARAN_BOYLE

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Seemingly Munster are in talks with Rhys Ruddock, is he a player we need? Our backrow is aging and guys like Coughlan and Ronan aren't really going to be longterm replacements, but is Ruddock who we need?

POM to 7/8?

Ruddock has really shown this season that 6 is by and far his best position.

I'd rate Ruddock as a better choice tha Leamy or Coghlan today and he is still young and likely to improve. Top quality player imo but only signed a 1 year deal because he was worried about he amount of gametime he would get in Leinster. Unless he gets ahead of McLaughlin by the end of the season I reckon he will move, either to Munster or maybe back to Wales