Munster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

durkadurka

Lawstudent1 wrote: »

6.Quinlan
7.McCaw
8.Leamy

Teams will forfeit games rather than have to face the ferocity of that backrow. Do backrows get any more aggressive?

The most illegal back row in world rugby?

Cpt_Blackbeard

Lawstudent1 wrote: »

Jamie Hagan would be an obvious choice but Timmy Ryan might be an option as well. Haven't seen much of him lately anyone know how hes getting on? Wouldn't mind poaching either McGrath or Maguire off Leinster as well as neither of them are getting any opportunities and looking at Leinster's front row options probably wont in the near future. Its a shame Hurley is so injury prone. Also theres an Irish prop playing for Exeter Ruairi Murphy anyone know anything about him?

Hurley is a LH not a TH though. There was a time a couple of years ago when he was seen as a much better prospect than Healy, but then injuries took hold. Hopefully we can sort out our recurrent injury problems and we can be a great team.

I haven't seen much of Ryan actually, but I don't think that he has been up to much. Euan Murray is now at Newcastle so the only was Ryan will see gametime is if all of Newcastle's games are played on a Sunday.

We need a short TH ala Pucciariello to compliment the giant THs we normally produce.

Cpt_Blackbeard

durkadurka wrote: »

The most illegal back row in world rugby?

I'm sure that we can find a worse 8 than Leamy, but its not a bad start anyway.

Amazotheamazing

Lawstudent1 wrote: »

Something I've been meaning to ask but I keep forgetting...
I found out the other day that Felix Jones is a natural 10 and played all his rugby there throughout underage and schools all the way up until midway through his first year in Leinster where he was put on the wing or at full back. I am just wondering why he hasn't been tried there for Munster! He has huge pace, a great boot, very good hands and is very strong in defence I'd like to see him have a go. Anyone know when hes due back from injury?

Felix Jones was out with the Munster team taking part in the warm up before the Ulster game, according to Munsterfans.

If you want to ask him yourself, he and Barry Murphy play in a folk group in the Curragower bar in Limerick every other Thursday and Sunday. (Seriously)

I felt I should keep that quiet until Thomond2006 was in France, due to his ongoing suspension from the UL gym due to eavesdropping and stalking.... (I joke, I joke)

durkadurka

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

I'm sure that we can find a worse 8 than Leamy, but its not a bad start anyway.

Yeah leamys the weak link in a world class cheatinnest backrow!!

Ian_K

Stick Neil Back in there sure! ...Although slightly out of possition, ****

PhatPiggins

Ian_K wrote: »

Stick Neil Back in there sure! ...Although slightly out of possition, ****

Bile rushes to back of throat at even the thought of him in a red jersey

[Jackass]

Lawstudent1 wrote: »

Jamie Hagan would be an obvious choice but Timmy Ryan might be an option as well. Haven't seen much of him lately anyone know how hes getting on? Wouldn't mind poaching either McGrath or Maguire off Leinster as well as neither of them are getting any opportunities and looking at Leinster's front row options probably wont in the near future. Its a shame Hurley is so injury prone. Also theres an Irish prop playing for Exeter Ruairi Murphy anyone know anything about him?

Timmy Ryan is, to say the very least, getting an education in the English Premiership.... First Lesson: Find a way to stand your ground...

Lawstudent1 wrote: »

6.Quinlan
7.McCaw
8.Leamy

Teams will forfeit games rather than have to face the ferocity of that backrow. Do backrows get any more aggressive?

How about

6. McLoughlin
7. O'Brien
8. Heaslip

Judgement Day

Watching Keatley playing for Connacht vs Dragons tonight and I'm dreading even more his arrival at Munster. While his place kicking was back on track his aimless kicking away of possession was awful to watch, but I suppose he's young and theoretically can only get better but he's no ROG or Warwick. Anybody know what's the prayer (?) that he says to himself before taking a place kick - it was working tonight but Connacht still lost 17-16. Incidentally, Sean Cronin went off injured after 64 minutes.

thomond2006

Well lads you couldn't get rid of me for that long!

How certain is the Nonu move?

durkadurka

thomond2006 wrote: »

Well lads you couldn't get rid of me for that long!

How certain is the Nonu move?

Get yur ass over to the munster match thread. Risteard has made a bollix of it

thomond2006

durkadurka wrote: »

Get yur ass over to the munster match thread. Risteard has made a bollix of it

Done!

Ah don't be too harsh on Risteard, trust me he knows a helluva lot more about rugby than I do. I'm just a rugby general knowledge freak who loves to write!

Anyway, Aix is very nice indeed. The local team (http://www.parcrugby.com/site/) are playing this weekend in PROD2, might go see them. Former Munster player Chris Wyatt plays for them as does former Toulouse backrow Finau Maka.

razorblunt

thomond2006 wrote: »

Done!

Ah don't be too harsh on Risteard, trust me he knows a helluva lot more about rugby than I do. I'm just a rugby general knowledge freak who loves to write!

Anyway, Aix is very nice indeed. The local team (http://www.parcrugby.com/site/) are playing this weekend in PROD2, might go see them. Former Munster player Chris Wyatt plays for them as does former Toulouse backrow Finau Maka.

Shh Chris Wyatt and Munster should not be mentioned in the same sentance, he was dire!

CIARAN_BOYLE

razorblunt wrote: »

Shh Chris Wyatt and Munster should not be mentioned in the same sentance, he was dire!

There is a reason why he is playing in the second tier of French Rugby

David900

Looking ahead to next week, I'm wondering what the Munster fans make of the situation.

With Munster's proud history in the Heineken cup a loss to Toulon is almost unthinkable, but maybe it could result in a kick up the arse for the province?
Some of the fans on here have voiced their dissatisfaction about the management and although this might be a bit socceresque I think a lot of people - fans and media alike - would call for the replacement of the management. Although everything looks good as they are on top of the Magners and not out of the Heineken yet, some of their game plans this year have been a bit odd.

What I'm really asking is do Munster fans think the current management are right to bring the team forward.

Amazotheamazing

David900 wrote: »

Looking ahead to next week, I'm wondering what the Munster fans make of the situation.

With Munster's proud history in the Heineken cup a loss to Toulon is almost unthinkable, but maybe it could result in a kick up the arse for the province?
Some of the fans on here have voiced their dissatisfaction about the management and although this might be a bit socceresque I think a lot of people - fans and media alike - would call for the replacement of the management. Although everything looks good as they are on top of the Magners and not out of the Heineken yet, some of their game plans this year have been a bit odd.

What I'm really asking is do Munster fans think the current management are right to bring the team forward.

McGahan inherited an aging team, if we don't make it out then so be it, if we make it into the Amlin Cup I hope we use it to give real run outs to guys like POM and Murray.

thomond2006

It will be the strangest feeling if all we have to look forward to after the Six Nations is the Magners League run-in. Waiting for the HEC QF is routine.

It will be an epic game, it's Toulon first HEC sellout. They didn't get a capacity crowd when they hosted London Irish or Ospreys.

When you speak of blooding new players, Leinster have done it over the last few seasons. Bar Earls, Coughlan, Buckley and Varley Munster haven't brought too many quality players through, and they're not exactly all young either.

Anyway, one must hope. I can't ****ing wait for Toulon!!! Seven of us travelling down from Aix!

RuggieBear

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

McGahan inherited an aging team, if we don't make it out then so be it, if we make it into the Amlin Cup I hope we use it to give real run outs to guys like POM and Murray.

would it not be worth winning the thing (not that giving the young uns a run and winning it are mutually exclusive). It's silver ware and it gets connacht into the hcup (i think?).

David900

I thought only with an Irish side winning the Heineken Cup gets Connacht into it?

RuggieBear

David900 wrote: »

I thought only with an Irish side winning the Heineken Cup gets Connacht into it?

i think and i'm very open to correction on this that as munster qualify already for the hcup (by being top 3 irish province in ML) that if they also won the Amlin, the winner of which gets into the Hcup, that that qualification passes to the next irish team not to be in the hcup

thomond2006

RuggieBear wrote: »

i think and i'm very open to correction on this that as munster qualify already for the hcup (by being top 3 irish province in ML) that if they also won the Amlin, the winner of which gets into the Hcup, that that qualification passes to the next irish team not to be in the hcup

That's correct as far as I know.

David900

Are all the Welsh teams in the HC this year then since Cardiff won the Amlin last year? I'm a bit too lazy to check

thomond2006

David900 wrote: »

Are all the Welsh teams in the HC this year then since Cardiff won the Amlin last year? I'm a bit too lazy to check

Yes, Scarlets were the lowest placed Welsh side in the Magners League. The top 3 Welsh sides qualify through the ML.

As you said, Scarlets qualified through Cardiff winning the Amlin.

phog

David900 wrote: »

Looking ahead to next week, I'm wondering what the Munster fans make of the situation.

With Munster's proud history in the Heineken cup a loss to Toulon is almost unthinkable, but maybe it could result in a kick up the arse for the province?
Some of the fans on here have voiced their dissatisfaction about the management and although this might be a bit socceresque I think a lot of people - fans and media alike - would call for the replacement of the management. Although everything looks good as they are on top of the Magners and not out of the Heineken yet, some of their game plans this year have been a bit odd.

What I'm really asking is do Munster fans think the current management are right to bring the team forward.

I'd be gutted if we dont make the QF but I also know we dont have a god given right to be there and a team has to work hard and get sometimes get a lucky bounce of a ball to get there so if we do lose out I wont be throwing the toys out of the pram. If we do end up in the Amlin Cup I want us to make every effort to win it, all silverware at the end of a season is important.

Re. Management, I dont know but I'm not one of those fans that always feel the team would perform better under someone else. Munster have had 3 managers in the professional era and Kidney was the only one to bring them to H/C finals, Gaffney won the Celtic Cup and I'm too lazy to check but I think it was McGahan who was there when we won the ML in 08/09.

For what it's worth I've had so many good days following the province I'd find it hard to be too critical of the team or management but I'd love another H/C

Amazotheamazing

RuggieBear wrote: »

would it not be worth winning the thing (not that giving the young uns a run and winning it are mutually exclusive). It's silver ware and it gets connacht into the hcup (i think?).

Of course it's worth winning, if we're in it I'd like to win it but I'd like to see us win it playing a few more young guys. I'd risk losing it to give young guys experience but I think a few of them are ready.

David900

It would be good to see some of the younger players step up. I could see McGahan's hand being forced a bit by the IRFU intervened in order to get Connacht into the HC if this occurred.

With the teams feeding down from the HC now it wouldn't be a given that a team like Munster could win away from home without their first team.

PhatPiggins

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Of course it's worth winning, if we're in it I'd like to win it but I'd like to see us win it playing a few more young guys. I'd risk losing it to give young guys experience but I think a few of them are ready.

I think we could do both to be honest. The likes of Murray,Nagle and O'Mahony won't weaken the team.

To be honest as average as we're playing I still think we'll beat Toulon.

Amazotheamazing

David900 wrote: »

It would be good to see some of the younger players step up. I could see McGahan's hand being forced a bit by the IRFU intervened in order to get Connacht into the HC if this occurred.

With the teams feeding down from the HC now it wouldn't be a given that a team like Munster could win away from home without their first team.

Nothing's a given in a knock-out comp but Munster need to start really bringing through new players, even though guys like POC etc should have 4 or more years left, they have huge miles on the clock.

I'll be massively disappointed if we're not in a position to start guys like POM and TOD in next years HEC. At that point TOD will be 24 so it's not like he's a kid.

Quinlan will be retired, Wallace very close to it and I think guys like Coughlan and Ronan, while they are decent pro's, they aren't good enough to make Munster back into a HEC winning team.

Cpt_Blackbeard

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Nothing's a given in a knock-out comp but Munster need to start really bringing through new players, even though guys like POC etc should have 4 or more years left, they have huge miles on the clock.

I'll be massively disappointed if we're not in a position to start guys like POM and TOD in next years HEC. At that point TOD will be 24 so it's not like he's a kid.

Quinlan will be retired, Wallace very close to it and I think guys like Coughlan and Ronan, while they are decent pro's, they aren't good enough to make Munster back into a HEC winning team.

Thats a bit unfair on Coughlan tbh. He mightn't be an established name but he has been one of the only consistently good players in a poor side.

He has been the best of a backrow that consists of Wallace and Leamy, two established internationals, which is no mean feat.

porterbelly

David900 wrote: »

It would be good to see some of the younger players step up. I could see McGahan's hand being forced a bit by the IRFU intervened in order to get Connacht into the HC if this occurred.

With the teams feeding down from the HC now it wouldn't be a given that a team like Munster could win away from home without their first team.

Really and truly, Connacht need serious investment if they're going to overturn one of the other provinces to get the last HC spot. Even if there's some investment, they'll still have vastly inferior funding than the other 3 provinces, and it would be a minor miracle if they did so. The IRFU look like the great messiah coming to Connacht's rescue, and while we greatly appreciate their help out west to get us moving forward, I think that they're safe in the knowledge that we will still have a mountain to climb to get above the other 3 provinces in the Magners League. I don't think they'd look too kindly to having alot of centrally contracted players playing in the Amlin Cup.

I think Munster are the architects of their own problems in terms of the younger brigade not being ready to step up. Bringing in Nick Williams certainly stopped the likes of POM and TOD progressing, and they'll regret that with Quinlan and Wally on the way out. The old guard were stuck with way too much. There was ample opportunity to give the younger lads a chance in the Magners League, even if that meant not challenging for the title. They needed to look at the bigger picture. Heineken Cup is the be all and end all, Magners League is the consolation prize. TOD will be 24 next year, and still isn't ready to be thrown into a HC game. Look at Dom Ryan and Rhys Ruddock at Leinster, they're well able for it.