Sexton out, Fergus McFadden out

TheTMO

According to the independent Sexton and Fergus McFadden are out. As I expected Sexton has lost a lot of weight from injury and isn't fit.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/rugby-berne-ready-to-step-up-for-leinster-2156918.html

Eoin O'Malley is the only covering centre Leinster have should O'Driscoll or D'arcy get injured

Podge_irl

Missing Sexton and McFadden? Talk about worse case bloody scenario.

anonymous_joe

Anyone in the AIL we could nick?

Andy Dunne's the only ex-pro I can think of in Leinster atm at out-half but he's injured isn't he? Not sure he'd be better than Berne anyway though. :pac:

thomond2006

Worst case scenario alright.

The goalkicking situation aside, the majority of the backline will play with knocks and it's likely one or two will exit the match early.

Jesus, what a big game for Shaun Berne.

Stev_o

anonymous_joe wrote: »

Anyone in the AIL we could nick?

Andy Dunne's the only ex-pro I can think of in Leinster atm at out-half but he's injured isn't he? Not sure he'd be better than Berne anyway though. :pac:

You wouldn't be able to since he isn't registered to play HC rugby, is Howell still registered? Throw some money his way again.

JustinDee

Stev_o wrote: »

You wouldn't be able to since he isn't registered to play HC rugby, is Howell still registered? Throw some money his way again.

You mean Holwell?
Back in NZ I'm sure and playing NPC.

smurphy29

Steady now. Regardless of McFadden's injury Shaun Berne was always likely to be starting this one. Remember how we all panicked before the Llanelli game and we came out the other side with a bonus point win, with Shaun Berne one of our best players? I'm not saying that's going to happen again, but any talk of helicoptoring Holwell in or hiring Andy Dunne (!) for a one off match is madness. The management have faith in Berne - Sexton is a massive loss, but Berne is a decent replacement and has plenty of strengths, not least his creativity and passing.

Still don't think we'll win, mind.

JustinDee

smurphy29 wrote: »

Steady now. Regardless of McFadden's injury Shaun Berne was always likely to be starting this one. Remember how we all panicked before the Llanelli game and we came out the other side with a bonus point win, with Shaun Berne one of our best players? I'm not saying that's going to happen again, but any talk of helicoptoring Holwell in or hiring Andy Dunne (!) for a one off match is madness. The management have faith in Berne - Sexton is a massive loss, but Berne is a decent replacement and has plenty of strengths, not least his creativity and passing.

Still don't think we'll win, mind.

I've seen Shaun Berne play since he was a colt in the Sydney leagues. He's got plenty of experience and has bailed the Tahs out on more than one occasion both at 10 and at centre.
Bath got plenty of good performances out of him too.

Aidric

Podge_irl wrote: »

Missing Sexton and McFadden? Talk about worse case bloody scenario.

Absolutely. It's going to take a monumental effort to turn over Toulouse on that evidence.

crisco10

Aidric wrote: »

Absolutely. It's going to take a monumental effort to turn over Toulouse on that evidence.

Monumental understates it. It's not just the fact we are missing lots of players but a lot of the players that are there are playing on one leg!

thomond2006

It's well documented that Leinster's defence has been their biggest strength this season. With players carrying knocks, I can't see them holding Toulouse at bay for long.

lawrencesummers

who is cover if anything happens berne? nacewa to move into 10?

Aidric

It's worth noting that a previously unheralded player (Sexton) stepped in to the breach at this stage of the competition last year and made a name for himself. Perhaps Berne can make a similar impact?

Podge_irl

Aidric wrote: »

It's worth noting that a previously unheralded player (Sexton) stepped in to the breach at this stage of the competition last year and made a name for himself. Perhaps Berne can make a similar impact?

Sexton wasn't unheralded.

Berne is a good player and a grand back up to have, but he's really more of a centre than a fly half and can't control a game when the pack isn't on top.

Aidric

Podge_irl wrote: »

Sexton wasn't unheralded.

What acclaim had he received previously?

Podge_irl

Aidric wrote: »

What acclaim had he received previously?

He guided Leinster to the ML title the previous season. Many, including myself, wanted him starting the semi-final anyway.

I'm just saying that it's not really a comparable situation anyway. We know what Berne is capable of, and he does that well, but he's not about to pull out a masterclass in outhalf performance at this stage.

Aidric

Podge_irl wrote: »

He guided Leinster to the ML title the previous season. Many, including myself, wanted him starting the semi-final anyway.

The 07-08 season? His points kicking stats had him in ninth in the Magners, 41 off Contepomi. Guided to the title? Also why are you using stats from a year previous to the semi as a rational for a starting place. He only played the full 80 in three games prior to last years semi and by his own admission thought his Leinster career may be over.

smurphy29

Groans audibly. Let's not go there folks.

bleg

That's a pity, would have been nice to see these two european heavy weights go head to head with full strength sides.

Gotta tip it even more in Toulouse's favour now. We'll have to wait til September for an All Ireland final I reckon

Podge_irl

Aidric wrote: »

The 07-08 season? His points kicking stats had him in ninth in the Magners, 41 off Contepomi. Guided to the title? Also why are you using stats from a year previous to the semi as a rational for a starting place. He only played the full 80 in three games prior to last years semi and by his own admission thought his Leinster career may be over.

I don't really want to get into it as it's OT (though I feel the need to point out that the number of points he kicked are irrelevant to my comment), but I wasn't surprised with Sexton's performance in the semi last year. I would be shocked if Berne pulled off something similar - Sexton is a massive loss.

Podge_irl

bleg wrote: »

That's a pity, would have been nice to see these two european heavy weights go head to head with full strength sides.

Never really happens these days though that everyone is fit. Leinster were reasonably lucky with injuries last year, Contempomi aside but even then they had excellent cover. They've been particularly unlucky this year, but that's why squads are important.

The Rooster

Does Berne have a 100% win record as starting out half for Leinster in the HC? :P

[Jackass]

Aidric wrote: »

The 07-08 season? His points kicking stats had him in ninth in the Magners, 41 off Contepomi. Guided to the title? Also why are you using stats from a year previous to the semi as a rational for a starting place. He only played the full 80 in three games prior to last years semi and by his own admission thought his Leinster career may be over.

D'Arcy missed almost the entire season with an injury to his forearm. Sexton was first choice 10 for the season, putting in some lovely displays down in Musgrave and RDS (maybe you remember seeing him then? ) which really impressed me, but he was not first choice kicker, Contepomi at 12 was.

He played a few times before that season too, Sexton has been around a good while. Maybe unheard of to most non-Leinster fans before the semi last year, but he was known as a superb player for a good year or two to most Leinster fans before that semi..

As for Sexton and McFadden being out injured. Game Over. We were cursed with injuries this season, and left us short on depth to an extent, but the Sexton injury is the nail in the coffin.

Currently out: Fitzgerald, O'Brien, McFadden, Sexton, Dempsey
Carrying knocks: D'Arcy, O'Driscoll, Horgan, Kearney, McLoughlin

An injury list like that before Toulouse? Forget about it.....

PhatPiggins

Podge_irl wrote: »

He guided Leinster to the ML title the previous season. Many, including myself, wanted him starting the semi-final anyway.

I'm just saying that it's not really a comparable situation anyway. We know what Berne is capable of, and he does that well, but he's not about to pull out a masterclass in outhalf performance at this stage.

I see that bandied about on here all the time and personally I think its blown out of proportion. Leinster had a good team, benefited from an early HC exit and the fact that 3 of their main rivals concentrated more on the HC.

He played well but to say he was the defining factor in their winning it is pushing it in my book.

Back on OT I still maintain Leinster have a better chance then people think. Grand they're patched up and have lost a few players but Toulouse aren't that fantastic. Its easy to fall in love with Toulouse after watching them demolish a God awful SF team but I've seen a fair bit of them this season and a lot of their guys are running out of diesel.

myflipflops

[Jackass] wrote: »

Currently out: Fitzgerald, O'Brien, McFadden, Sexton, Dempsey
Carrying knocks: D'Arcy, O'Driscoll, Horgan, Kearney, McLoughlin

An injury list like that before Toulouse? Forget about it.....

It's getting more difficult on paper but I haven't given up hope yet.

The pack will be pretty much full strength and it's time for them to front up after Clermont outmuscled them.

Obviously Heaslip has been on fire but Healy owes a good performance (from the start or the bench). Nathan Hines is another one who needs to front up to Toulouse and van der Linde needs to put in a shift too.

The backlines (both ours and their outhalf) won the game in the quarter final. The forwards need to win this one.

danthefan

Podge_irl wrote: »

I don't really want to get into it as it's OT (though I feel the need to point out that the number of points he kicked are irrelevant to my comment), but I wasn't surprised with Sexton's performance in the semi last year. I would be shocked if Berne pulled off something similar - Sexton is a massive loss.

Nobody who'd watched him previously was. As has been pointed out, most Leinster fans would have started him in the SF.

irishbucsfan

Aidric wrote: »

The 07-08 season? His points kicking stats had him in ninth in the Magners, 41 off Contepomi. Guided to the title? Also why are you using stats from a year previous to the semi as a rational for a starting place. He only played the full 80 in three games prior to last years semi and by his own admission thought his Leinster career may be over.

No that's not true. The stats are but he was playing extremely well before the semi and was starting to force his way into the team again.

Not only that, but Contepomi was playing awfully, and any time Sexton came on (which happened often) the team looked far better.

Macsimus

What an utter disaster - were now going into a hc semi away to Toulouse without a goal kicker. This has been waiting to happen all season, and its just unacceptable that we knowingly went into this season without decent out half cover. :mad::mad::mad:

Berne might have been good enough for Scarlets, where it didnt matter that he missed a hat load of kicks because we were able to rip their defense to shreds, but to expect us to do so against this Toulouse side??

We've a chip and a chair - but Toulouse are chip lead and hold all the cards.

If we do manage to pull this one off it will be an incredible victory - but thats the point isnt it, it is at this point incredible.

get on your knees Leinster fans and pray to Jebus.... cos were gonna need divine intervention to get outta this one

TheTMO

Macsimus wrote: »

get on your knees Leinster fans and pray to Jebus.... cos were gonna need divine intervention to get outta this one

Was over in the mother in laws today and she said she was going to light a few candles and pray to the saints for Leinster on Saturday, looney ****ing bitch but at this point I think every Leinster fan should be getting out their rosary beads.

Macsimus

TheTMO wrote: »

Was over in the mother in laws today and she said she was going to light a few candles and pray to the saints for Leinster on Saturday, looney ****ing bitch but at this point I think every Leinster fan should be getting out their rosary beads.

best cover our basses - anybody got a Muslim, Jewish, Hindi, Budist, Sikh, Shinto, Wicca or Rastafari looney bitch of a mother in law ????

outwest

leinster chance are now reduced to a 1 in 5 chance in my view. if bod or darce go down, is o malley reall up to this level yet

phog

I cant see why people are so shocked at Sexton being out, it's hardly a surprise and Leinster had a few games to get the replacements up to speed. While he'll be a big loss he's hardly irreplaceable. Much rather lose Sexton than O'Driscoll.

durkadurka

phog wrote: »

I cant see why people are so shocked at Sexton being out, it's hardly a surprise and Leinster had a few games to get the replacements up to speed. While he'll be a big loss he's hardly irreplaceable. Much rather lose Sexton than O'Driscoll.

If we had a good replacement outhalf and kicker i'd agree but we don't.

Podge_irl

phog wrote: »

I cant see why people are so shocked at Sexton being out, it's hardly a surprise and Leinster had a few games to get the replacements up to speed. While he'll be a big loss he's hardly irreplaceable. Much rather lose Sexton than O'Driscoll.

Had McFadden been available I'd rather have lost BOD then Sexton tbh. Of course seeing as he's not then Leinster would be screwed either way.

Third_Echelon

So i guess we'll just have to win this one the old fashioned way and score tries?

With both sexton and mcfadden out for kicking duty... who do you think will take over? Kearney kicked at schools/junior level if i remember correctly...

outwest

being realistic, if berne makes his tackle and slots his kicks that all that will be asked of him,

toulouse were always gonig to dominate as clermont did, but leinster seem to always come get scores when they need to,


bod to get winning drop kick, if he can drop them at international level he can do it france. no bother to him. great player come up with big games when they need to, bod motm after the game

(i may have a wager on bod to score a drop goal)

tolosenc

*Prays for Sexton to appear à la Wayne Rooney versus Munich*

phog

durkadurka wrote: »

If we had a good replacement outhalf and kicker i'd agree but we don't.

Wasn't Beirne signed by Cheika knowing that Contepomi was leaving last year?

Podge_irl

phog wrote: »

Wasn't Beirne signed by Cheika knowing that Contepomi was leaving last year?

Yes, but he was signed as back-up centre and back-up 10. Doubt anyone expected him to be getting this much important game time.

frankie2shoes

Are we getting ahead of ourselves a little here?
the news reports are saying that a decision on sextons fitness will be made in the morning!
That indo article does not state that sexton is definitely out.
Or am I just being ridiculously optimistic?

TheTMO

Toulousain wrote: »

*Prays for Sexton to appear à la Wayne Rooney versus Munich*

How did that go again?


Jauzion running at Berne must be a scary prospect for every Leinster fan :eek:

irishbucsfan

frankie2shoes wrote: »

Are we getting ahead of ourselves a little here?
the news reports are saying that a decision on sextons fitness will be made in the morning!
That indo article does not state that sexton is definitely out.
Or am I just being ridiculously optimistic?

The article does reek of speculation, but I'd say it's unlikely he'll make it. If he does he's a warrior of BOD proportions. But I'd doubt even his awesomeness would recover from a dislocated jaw that quickly.

durkadurka

frankie2shoes wrote: »

Are we getting ahead of ourselves a little here?
the news reports are saying that a decision on sextons fitness will be made in the morning!
That indo article does not state that sexton is definitely out.
Or am I just being ridiculously optimistic?

Yes i think you are...

phog

Would much prefer Sexton to be declared unfit an have a back-up 10 on the bench then have him start, targetted by Toulose and then have no back-up available. I think it's a big risk to play Sexton.

sock puppet

phog wrote: »

Would much prefer Sexton to be declared unfit an have a back-up 10 on the bench then have him start, targetted by Toulose and then have no back-up available. I think it's a big risk to play Sexton.

Nacewa will be back up ten if Sexton's out surely. McKinley probably would have seen a bit of gametime this season if not for his injury and might have been in contention.

tolosenc

TheTMO wrote: »

How did that go again?

3-2 win, wasn't it?

phog

sock puppet wrote: »

Nacewa will be back up ten if Sexton's out surely. McKinley probably would have seen a bit of gametime this season if not for his injury and might have been in contention.

Is that what happened him, I heard great things about him last year and never saw him during the year and wondered had he left or out of favour.

JustinDee

frankie2shoes wrote: »

Are we getting ahead of ourselves a little here?
the news reports are saying that a decision on sextons fitness will be made in the morning!
That indo article does not state that sexton is definitely out.
Or am I just being ridiculously optimistic?

He is definitely out.

danthefan

phog wrote: »

Is that what happened him, I heard great things about him last year and never saw him during the year and wondered had he left or out of favour.

Took a stud in the eye, nearly lost his sight.