Scarlets vs Leinster sat. 6.30 tg4

durkadurka

SCARLETS:

15: Dale Ford
14: Lee Williams
13: Nick Reynolds
12: Gareth Maule
11: Andy Fenby
10: Dan Newton
9: Ruki Tipuna

1: Iestyn Thomas CAPTAIN
2: Emyr Phillips
3: Rhys Thomas
4: Aaron Shingler
5: Dominic Day
6: Rob McCusker
7: Johnathan Edwards
8: Ben Morgan

REPLACEMENTS:

16: Craig Hawkins
17: Phil John
18: Rhodri Jones
19: Damian Welch
20: Richie Pugh
21: Gareth Davies
22: Aled Thomas
23: Liam Williams

LEINSTER:

15: Isa Nacewa
14: Fionn Carr
13: Eoin O'Malley
12: Luke Fitzgerald
11: David Kearney
10: Ian Madigan
9: Cillian Willis

1: Heinke van der Merwe
2: Richardt Strauss
3: Nathan White
4: Damian Browne
5: Devin Toner
6: Rhys Ruddock CAPTAIN
7: Jordi Murphy
8: Leo Auva'a

REPLACEMENTS:

16: Jason Harris-Wright
17: Jack McGrath
18: Jamie Hagan
19: Mark Flanagan
20: Ciaran Ruddock
21: John Cooney
22: Brendan Macken
23: Darren Hudson

REFEREE: John Lacey (IRFU), ASSISTANT REFEREES: Neil Hennessy, Hugh Watkins (both WRU), TMO: Tony Rowlands (WRU)

durkadurka

It's about the best team we can muster. Backs are fine but the loose forwards are fairly iffy!

I don't have high hopes for a result here.

roycon

scarce resources in the backrow these days when you have to have ciaran ruddock on the bench. id have about 10 Leinster club ail players ahead of him. also found out during the week that mark flannagan is devin toners cousin. no real surprise there!

ambid

Good enough Leinster team considering the injuries & absentees. I'd quite fancy them were they at home.

I'm surprised Hagan is only on the bench though. He's looked impressive and with all the other changes I'm surprised JS didn't want to keep some stability there. Really hoping to see Ruddock hit some form this week, and Toner step up as a senior guy in this team.

C'mon Leinster!

Shane10

madigan at 10 looks to be coming on, from what i seen of him. what do ye think?? scored a great try there few weeks ago in the RDS(cant remember against who), showed real pace.

.ak

Interesting factoid that this is Scarlet's 5,000th game. That'll give them something to win for - I imagine that this'll be a hot contest. Hopefully the inexperience in their front 5 will lend to our advantage and Strauss, Heinke and White stamp their authority on those shirts....

.ak

Shane10 wrote: »

madigan at 10 looks to be coming on, from what i seen of him. what do ye think?? scored a great try there few weeks ago in the RDS(cant remember against who), showed real pace.

Yep, he's definitely one that's benefiting from the lack of 10 cover.. His game is coming along nicely.

durkadurka

Shane10 wrote: »

madigan at 10 looks to be coming on, from what i seen of him. what do ye think?? scored a great try there few weeks ago in the RDS(cant remember against who), showed real pace.

Yep Madigan is a grand player in the magners. The try was against the dragons, an absolute beauty.

GerM

durkadurka wrote: »

It's about the best team we can muster. Backs are fine but the loose forwards are fairly iffy!

I don't have high hopes for a result here.

I wouldn't even be as optimistic on the backs. The three quarters are fine but Willis and Madigan are sorely lacking in the management and experience department. Madigan is a lovely runner and good passer but his kicking is, to be kind, erratic. Not a massive fan of Willis either. This is what happens when you've lost 3 outhalves and 3 scrumhalves in the past few months!

Shane10

durkadurka wrote: »

Yep Madigan is a grand player in the magners. The try was against the dragons, an absolute beauty.

yes the dragons, some pace to burn the defence for that try. The WC is giving a chance for our next generation so a few defeats for longterm gain. still that backline isnt half bad even with all the withdrawels.

thomond2006

Is Ciaran Ruddock still in the academy?

irishbucsfan

GerM wrote: »

I wouldn't even be as optimistic on the backs. The three quarters are fine but Willis and Madigan are sorely lacking in the management and experience department. Madigan is a lovely runner and good passer but his kicking is, to be kind, erratic. Not a massive fan of Willis either. This is what happens when you've lost 3 outhalves and 3 scrumhalves in the past few months!

Willis was very very good in his first two outings. Madigan does lack game management and experience though, but this is the best way for him to get it.

Hopefully White puts in a good performance or else I think Hagan will be sitting in that 3 jersey until Ross gets back.

Jack Sheehan

So many players I've never heard of. Hoping for a huge performance from at one of these relative unknowns.

looking forward to this especially as a family friend is to be involved in the commentary. His first Leinster game, hope he does well!

John-Joe abú!

Weird stuff so far. Scrum gotten minced a bit, they hit the post with resultant penalty, we look at each other for a bit until they manage to take back possession.

Thankfully Fitzgerald rips the ball in the tackle and we manage to clear our lines.

BarackPyjama

Turgid rugby so far. Scarlets take the lead with a penalty. Scar 3 - 0 Lein.

Willis making a lot of poor decisions with where to move the ball to. Don't think he's getting enough direction from behind him.

ambid

Toner again struggling to carry.

RuggieBear

we're playing better than i expected....not expecting v much tbh.

Burgo

ambid wrote: »

Toner again struggling to carry.

He really is a terrible ball carrier.

RuggieBear

3-3

Burgo

Poor handling from both sides.

molloyjh

Poor game so far. A lot of unforced errors on both sides. The Scarlets tighthead is binding illegally on those few occasions he bothers to bind at all.

Hope Strauss is ok!

irishbucsfan

Strauss down... oh god.

Burgo

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Strauss down... oh god.

Last thing we need to happen!

RuggieBear

strauss with neck injury. playing on.

if leinster lose anymore players we might as well pull out of the bloody league

molloyjh

Anyone know how many players Scarlets are missing today? At least we have an excuse missing over 20 players....

RuggieBear

white!

buggah.

irishbucsfan

White looked quite nippy there for a TH

molloyjh

Ah ffs Ruddock needs to have words with that ref. The Scarlets tighthead broke his bind and used his arm to get under VDM and drive him up. He has free license to do as he pleases it seems!

fergywergy

Good kick by Madigan

MungBean

molloyjh wrote: »

Ah ffs Ruddock needs to have words with that ref. The Scarlets tighthead broke his bind and used his arm to get under VDM and drive him up. He has free license to do as he pleases it seems!

Yeah I seen that I couldnt believe the commentators didnt pick up on it.

ambid

Leo is putting himself about. Some good carries and making his tackles.

love how Strauss being on the pitch means we've more than one #7 on a pitch at a time.

molloyjh

ambid wrote: »

Leo is putting himself about. Some good carries and making his tackles.

Yeah Strauss doing great work at the breakdown too.

BarackPyjama

Deleted User wrote: »

love how Strauss being on the pitch means we've more than one #7 on a pitch at a time.

I just love Strauss. He'd look even sexier in a green jersey.

Cpt_Blackbeard

Anyone else think that Madigan is lying very deep?

Cpt_Blackbeard

BarackPyjama wrote: »

I just love Strauss. He'd look even sexier in a green jersey.

Connacht could do with replacing Cronin alright

Thanos

I like Madigan as a player but he really needs to work on his distance when kicking from hand.

irishbucsfan

Our back row look really poor. Their work rate in defense needs to be far higher. As it is they're being outworked by most of the tight 5 (Toner, Strauss and Browne in particular) and that's not good enough. Would really like to see Murphy and Ruddock improve in the second half and come into the game more. Auva'a has been good on the ball at least.

Willis is excellent again, some of the ball he's being presented with is shocking and he's doing really well to control it.

Madigan is really benefitting from all this experience. He's really trying to dictate where this game is player, and he's doing a good job of mixing that responsibility with moving the back line.


Overall it's encouraging. I think missing Ryan and McLaughlin is big but the team are playing well considering what they have available to them.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

looking forward to this especially as a family friend is to be involved in the commentary. His first Leinster game, hope he does well!

John-Joe abú!

Clinical analysis there from John-Joe! Delighted with him.

RuggieBear

nacewa is such a smart player. takes the right option more times than not

BarackPyjama

Speaking of Irish qualified - he's one cap for Fiji away from being ours. I'd cut off one of my arms to get Nacewa in a green jersey (an Irish one, not a Connacht one, Cpt_Blackbeard)

.ak

Anyone else having trouble streaming from tg4's website?

Nacewa MotM almost certainly already...

I like the unders in the overall points (30.5) market

BarackPyjama

If I never see Jamie Hagan's hairy gleuteus maximus again, it'll be too soon.

accensi0n

.ak wrote: »

Anyone else having trouble streaming from tg4's website?

Yep.

penalties win prizes. Scarlets gonna regret those misses

cut to shreds

RuggieBear

****.

BarackPyjama

Think we're doing well to be just one point behind. Then again, I think Scarlets are absolute gash. Hopefully this isn't them starting to wake up.

what a brainless penalty to give away. We'll happily take the opportunity for 3 points and the 10mins with a man advantage.