O'Driscoll to miss 6 nations.

Amazotheamazing

O'Driscoll ruled out for six months
Rugby: Brian O’Driscoll will almost certainly miss the rest of the season after a decision was made to have an operation on the troublesome neck/shoulder injury that he has been carrying for almost a year.


Speaking to reporters this afternoon, O’Driscoll said he will have surgery next week and will not play again until at least the start of May. That rules him out of all of Leinster’s Heineken Cup pool games – O’Driscoll hasn’t played a single minute for the province this season – as well as Ireland’s Six Nations programme.

Should Leinster still be involved in the Heineken Cup at that stage, there is a slim possibility the Ireland captain could be involved but the summer tour to the southern hemisphere is a more realistic target.

Amazotheamazing

Gutted for the guy, he's usually a quick healer so hopefully he can be back sooner, begs the question who'll play 13 for Ireland?

LK_Dave

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Gutted for the guy, he's usually a quick healer so hopefully he can be back sooner, begs the question who'll play 13 for Ireland?

and who will captain Ireland?

Six months recovery now may very well prolong his career for the lions and the next RWC!!

vinny chase

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Gutted for the guy, he's usually a quick healer so hopefully he can be back sooner, begs the question who'll play 13 for Ireland?

I hope to God it isn't Keith Earls, but fear it could be.

Would love to see Luke Fitz get a craic there, but don't see that happening either.

Suppose it must be Fergus McFadden's to lose.

Amazotheamazing

vinny chase wrote: »

I hope to God it isn't Keith Earls, but fear it could be.

Would love to see Luke Fitz get a craic there, but don't see that happening either.

Suppose it must be Fergus McFadden's to lose.

Huge chance for Luke Fitz with leinster alright.

Of the contenders, Bowe plays there occasionally for the Ospreys but do you move a class winger, same applies to Earls.

How's Griffin coming along in Connacht, could Cave step up?

Mcfadden hasn't looked great there so far for Ireland.

After that we're really out of numbers, step up Danny Barnes!

conno16

LK_Dave wrote: »

Six months recovery now may very well prolong his career for the lions and the next RWC!!

thats idiotic man, no offence
6 months outa the game at his age will have multiple knock-on effects, and the vast majority of these are extremely negative
this is a major setback for him, for leinster and for ireland

GerM

Currently, POC to captain Ireland (which I think is a certainty) and Earls in the 13 jersey with McFadden having the opportunity to take it off him. If DK picked a side today with everyone but BOD fit, I'm sure it would have Earls at 13. It's up to McFadden to force himself into the team. I'm a big fan of Cave but he needs to put himself clearly ahead of Spence first. They've both started one game and benched one game in the last 2 weeks.

It will be interesting if POC has to come off at any point or not play in the 6N just to see who the captaincy is handed to.

POC without a shadow of a doubt to captain Ireland, with Best as Vice Captain.

If we see Earls in 13 I'll start making Kidney voodoo dolls.

Burgo

GerM wrote: »

Currently, POC to captain Ireland (which I think is a certainty) and Earls in the 13 jersey with McFadden having the opportunity to take it off him. If DK picked a side today with everyone but BOD fit, I'm sure it would have Earls at 13. It's up to McFadden to force himself into the team.

It will be interesting if POC has to come off at any point or not play in the 6N just to see who the captaincy is handed to.

I'd like to see Rory Best get the captaincy if POC were to go off, can't really see who else it would go to in any case.

07438991

would like to say Barnes but think he needs a little more experience!

Any word on David Wallace?

tolosenc

Burgo wrote: »

can't really see who else it would go to in any case.

Heaslip?

Cill Dara Abu

Very disappointing news for Ireland and Leinster, big chance for Fergus McFadden now to show what he can do, we won't have BOD forever, Keith Earls is and never will be a centre!

POC will be the captain of course wit Rory Best next in line.

shuffol

Terrible for BOD but this is a scenario Ireland was going to have to deal with sooner or later so am curious to see how it plays out. My bet for Ireland would be Spence if he nails down the spot for Ulster.

Another interesting question is what will this mean for D'arcy, if D'arcys out of form at test level he cant rely on his partnership with BOD as a reason to play him, but then again with O'Driscoll out does his experience in midfield become vital.

id put bowe at 13 and bring trimble in on the wing i think earls defence is a bit soft at the mo for center but id def leave him starting on the wing

Cill Dara Abu

Hattie Salmon Barrel wrote: »

id put bowe at 13 and bring trimble in on the wing i think earls defence is a bit soft at the mo for center but id def leave him starting on the wing

Bowe hasn't got the brain to play in the centre, McFadden needs to get game time there IMO.

shuffol

shuffol wrote: »

Terrible for BOD but this is a scenario Ireland was going to have to deal with sooner or later so am curious to see how it plays out. My bet for Ireland would be Spence if he nails down the spot for Ulster.

Another interesting question is what will this mean for D'arcy, if D'arcys out of form at test level he cant rely on his partnership with BOD as a reason to play him, but then again with O'Driscoll out does his experience in midfield become vital.

maby this is madness on my part but sean o brien inside center?

Cill Dara Abu

Cill Dara Abu wrote: »

Bowe hasn't got the brain to play in the centre, McFadden needs to get game time there IMO.

fair point hes played there a bit but never at this level mcfadden does deserve a run

vinny chase

Hattie Salmon Barrel wrote: »

maby this is madness on my part but sean o brien inside center?

You're absolutely right!







It was madness on your part.

Teferi

I have a feeling this may be a blessing in disguise regarding who will play 13 for Leinster an Ireland in 2 our so years time. It's a huge opportunity for someone to step into centre.

.ak

Hoping McFadden takes the opportunity and a few big games in the HEC at 13 will temper him and come 6N time he'll be firing on all cylinders and iron out the defensive issues he's had.

POC to captain obviously.

vinny chase

vinny chase wrote: »

You're absolutely right!







It was madness on your part.

haha fair enough thought it was a long shot i i know munster tried it with david wallace a few years back and that didnt work either

shuffol

Cill Dara Abu wrote: »

Bowe hasn't got the brain to play in the centre, McFadden needs to get game time there IMO.

Very harsh on Bowe, he's an extremely clever footballer, much more so than Mcfadden IMO. I think he'd do a good job at 13, all his best work comes in midfield anyway, defense might be an issue but I think he's probably as likely as anyone to be at 13 in the 6N.

Digifriendly

Keith Barwell (Northampton Rugby club) speaking of player fatigue that his team faced at end of last season says in latest edition of Rugby World Magazine that 'Brian O'Driscoll had played about 6 games for them (Leinster) all year.' Is this correct?

vinny chase

Hattie Salmon Barrel wrote: »

haha fair enough thought it was a long shot i i know munster tried it with david wallace a few years back and that didnt work either

I was only messing with you anyway! The whole O'Brien to centre thing has been discussed a few times on here in different threads; but personally I wouldn't be supportive of it, or couldn't really see it working out! Just my opinion, though.

07438991

Good point but I think Bowe is most effective on the wing

chupacabra

We all know its going to be Earls based on Deccies selections in the past. If it was me I would put McFadden there or Spence. Spence is a serious contender for the 6 nations if he can nail down the position at Ulster. His defense is phenomenal and he has good pace and acceleration for a man his size. Head like a slapped arse too to put the fear of god into the opposition.

ed7890

Cill Dara Abu wrote: »

Bowe hasn't got the brain to play in the centre, McFadden needs to get game time there IMO.

Strange, I would have said the opposite. The try he set up for O'Driscoll in the Italy game I thought was a perfect example of what he could offer in the center. Clever enough to read the game, spot the gap, and the offload perfectly.

vinny chase

Digifriendly wrote: »

Keith Barwell (Northampton Rugby club) speaking of player fatigue that his team faced at end of last season says in latest edition of Rugby World Magazine that 'Brian O'Driscoll had played about 6 games for them (Leinster) all year.' Is this correct?

One word:

No.

Digifriendly

vinny chase wrote: »

One word:

No.

Thanks for very prompt reply. Can you point me to any clear statistics of how many times he did play as I intend putting a letter in to RW?

Cill Dara Abu

shuffol wrote: »

Very harsh on Bowe, he's an extremely clever footballer, much more so than Mcfadden IMO. I think he'd do a good job at 13, all his best work comes in midfield anyway, defense might be an issue but I think he's probably as likely as anyone to be at 13 in the 6N.

Wasn't meant to be harsh on Bowe, I meant he is an out and out winger, 13 wouldn't suit him.

vinny chase

vinny chase wrote: »

I was only messing with you anyway! The whole O'Brien to centre thing has been discussed a few times on here in different threads; but personally I wouldn't be supportive of it, or couldn't really see it working out! Just my opinion, though.

your probably right would be nice to have a big man for sexton to hand the ball off to at inside center ala jamie roberts/sonny bill williams/ma nonu but not sure how he would react to the space that backs have to defend

shuffol

He did play 13 for the Lions in a test win in South Africa and performed excellently, probably as good a credentials as any of the pretenders at this stage.

vinny chase

Digifriendly wrote: »

Thanks for very prompt reply. Can you point me to any clear statistics of how many times he did play as I intend putting a letter in to RW?

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/profiles/index.php?player=4038&includeref=dynamic

07438991

Please see the below link to Ireland's new no. 13! He is very quick, agile and can even kick if needs to. Can you guess who it is...?

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/profiles/index.php?player=33268&includeref=dynamic

GerM

Digifriendly wrote: »

Thanks for very prompt reply. Can you point me to any clear statistics of how many times he did play as I intend putting a letter in to RW?

16 but he also was injured for a couple of games and played 9 test games which would be far more bruising than anything the Pro12 or Premiership has to offer. He also played the full 80 in the majority of his games so would have out plenty of miles on his clock last season. The Northampton players that weren't internationals generally played about 30 games but most of those games wouldn't have come close to the intensity of Leinster's HEC games or an international test. Keep in mind Northampton had a relatively soft pool in the HEC and less abrasive knock out games.

07438991

smurphy29

Yeah, the hunt starts now. It's sad news for BOD but maybe in two years time we'll be reflecting that it was ultimately crucial for Leinster and Ireland.

We can now essentially start 'Thirteen-Watch'. There's no end of contenders: Bowe, McFadden, Spence, Earls, Fitzgerald, O'Malley, Cave and even Barnes all spring instaantly to mind, and all will be aware of the prize for taking the step up over the next few weeks. I would love to see Fitz given a shot there for Leinster, and I very much like the look of Spence at 13. All eyes will be on the Ulster and Leinster 13s over the next few weeks.

If Earls gets the nod I will pull out my eyes. He is not a good enough defender or handler for the role, but even worse than that, you diminsh the one thing he is bloody brilliant at, and that's finishing in tight situations. Dude is a classic winger - leave him there Deccie!

If we needed to play an established outside centre there tomorrow, I'd have to pick Cave.

07438991

This is awful news about BOD.

I live facing his house and when he's away, I do his wife! :rolleyes: This means he will now be at home for the next 6months, Bollox....

Please note that I sometimes suffer with pseudologia fantastia, also known as compulsive lying disorder, but I'm telling the truth now!!! I swear...

totallegend

Deleted User wrote: »

If we needed to play an established outside centre there tomorrow, I'd have to pick Cave.

As would I, unfortunately you and I don't pick the team. If he is back fit for the 6N, I would be surprised to see anyone other than Earls wearing the #13 jersey.

vkid

07438991 wrote: »

This is awful news about BOD.

I live facing his house and when he's away, I do his wife! :rolleyes: This means he will now be at home for the next 6months, Bollox....

LOL!

Big Nelly

If we have Earls at 13 then I think Kidney will have to go!!

McFadden is the best option here. I don't know why we have 3 pages to discuss!!!

WeeBushy

Cave, or whoever holds down the 13 spot for Leinster (Fitz/McFadden). Please not Earls. Leave him on the wing Kidney.

WeeBushy

WeeBushy wrote: »

Cave, or whoever holds down the 13 spot for Leinster (Fitz/McFadden). Please not Earls. Leave him on the wing Kidney.

what about barnes

Cormic

From an Ireland perspective a lot can change in the four months to the start of the 6N. I suspect that McFadden will be in the 13 jersey for Leinster up until then.

Fireball07

Big Nelly wrote: »

If we have Earls at 13 then I think Kidney will have to go!!

McFadden is the best option here. I don't know why we have 3 pages to discuss!!!

Well McFadden has been known to be slightly suspect defensively at times which is why he won't be an automatic choice. Plus some people see him more as a winger.

But if he is the regular starting 13 for Leinster then he'll certainly make his case. But maybe Luke Fitz could be tried there? Not to mention Eoin O'Malley.

And Darren Cave is fairly young, talented and starting regularly for Ulster. But I know some people see Spence as a 13 too. So both of them could be options.

Earls is a winger but if he's fit, Kidney will always see him as an option there. I hope he doesn't play him there, but it's always a possibility.

I like Eoin Griffin but he's very young still and wasn't even playing for Connacht the last day.


To be honest, I'd like to see Spence tried but Cave is arguably the best option at the moment. More experienced there than the rest.

Thud

how bad is Earls knee injury?

Amazotheamazing

Hattie Salmon Barrel wrote: »

what about barnes

I don't think Barnes is good enough, tbh, not yet anyhow. However, in light of this injury, Munster shouldn't be starting two NIQ's centres. Earls or Barnes has to play at 13 in the HEC.

Digifriendly

vinny chase wrote: »

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/profiles/index.php?player=4038&includeref=dynamic

Many thanks for this. Letter away to RW already!

ed7890

Thud wrote: »

how bad is Earls knee injury?

I think people are saying 3-4 weeks, but he's only getting it scanned today

McFadden's defence is about 12 levels above Earls', and I wouldn't even waste breath trying to explain that further.

Earls is an absolutely lethal 11, where his frailties can be hidden by using the sideline as another defender. At 13, he has consistently made poor decisions, not thrown passes that he should (never passes, because he's an 11 and is programmed to be greedy) and is becoming far too predictable in midfield (basically patented the "step back inside" manoeuvre. He's an 11 and a damn fine one when on form.

It pains me to see people suggest he's a 13, it's as wrong as suggestion we try Kearney at 10 because he has a massive boot imo.

Cave and Spence are definitely the centres that are making waves more so than any others. If Cave hadn't been injured last season, I reckon we'd not have had McFadden holding bags at the WC.