Leinster Rugby v Glasgow Warriors, RDS, 20/11/2011, 12.45pm

totallegend

GLASGOW WARRIORS TEAM TO PLAY LEINSTER IN HEINEKEN CUP POOL 3 AT THE RDS ON SUNDAY 20 NOVEMBER (KICK-OFF 12.45PM, LIVE ON SKY SPORTS)
15 Stuart Hogg
14 Tommy Seymour
13 Peter Murchie
12 Graeme Morrison
11 Colin Shaw
10 Duncan Weir
9 Chris Cusiter
1 Ryan Grant
2 Pat MacArthur
3 Mike Cusack
4 Richie Gray
5 Al Kellock (Captain)
6 Rob Harley
7 John Barclay
8 Ryan Wilson

SUBSTITUTES
16 Finlay Gillies
17 Jon Welsh
18 Ed Kalman
19 Tom Ryder
20 Henry Pyrgos
21 Chris Fusaro
22 Troy Nathan
23 Federico Aramburu

totallegend

Some familiar names there, some not so familiar.

The absence of Johnnie Beattie, currently plying his trade with Ayr in the British and Irish Cup continues to be a source of confusion, while losing DTH van der Merwe to injury was a massive blow to Glasgow's chances of cutting Leinster open out wide. Graeme Morrison will provide his usual physical if limited threat up the middle but it's hard to see Glasgow posing much of a threat through the backs. With top-class forwards in the shape of Kellock, Gray and Barclay, Glasgow will look to use their big ball-carriers and lineout options to the maximum.

GerM

Assume Dewey is injured. That's the only change from last week for them. Dewey isn't exactly top class but if they're resorting to his back up that's somewhat of a relief given our defensive issues currently in midfield.

irishbucsfan

Wilson was absolutely fantastic last week. Probably their MOTM. I'm sure he's not finished yet either.

wixfjord

Leinster team.

First time I can say I don't agree with a few Schmidt calls.

15 Rob Kearney
14 Isa Nacewa
13 Eoin O'Malley
12 Gordon D'Arcy
11 Luke Fitzgerald
10 Johnny Sexton
9 Eoin Reddan
1 Heinke Van Der Merwe
2 Sean Cronin
3 Mike Ross
4 Leo Cullen
5 Devin Toner
6 Kevin McLaughlin
7 Sean O'Brien
8 Jamie Heaslip
16 Richardt Strauss
17 Cian Healy
18 Nathan White
19 Rhys Ruddock
20 Shane Jennings
21 Isaac Boss
22 Ian Madigan
23 Fionn Carr

No Fergus first of all, must be an injury.
Secondly, Cronin starts? Good cameo last week but we're up against Gray and Kellock, so why not play your better thrower?
Happy with the backline, I think O Malley will cause problems for Murchie.

VDM starting ahead of Cian though is another head scratcher, and Locky again at 6? I can't believe after last year's HEC that we wouldn't start a fit Jennings everytime?
A little bit strange imo.

totallegend

wixfjord wrote: »

First time I can say I don't agree with a few Schmidt calls.

No Fergus first of all, must be an injury.
Secondly, Cronin starts? Good cameo last week but we're up against Gray and Kellock, so why not play your better thrower?
Happy with the backline, I think O Malley will cause problems for Murchie.

VDM starting ahead of Cian though is another head scratcher, and Locky again at 6? I can't believe after last year's HEC that we wouldn't start a fit Jennings everytime?
A little bit strange imo.

I'd agree with all of the above. Reckon Healy must not be 100%, but I'm not worried about VDM.
Definitely agree on Jennings, the balance of the back row is all wrong but the inclusion of Kev might be an effort to disrupt the Glasgow lineout a bit more, and if it works it will deprive them of one of their main platforms.

Ruddock on the bench is an interesting call, doesn't bode well for either Sykes or Browne, does it?

Backline is as expected really, hopefully Isa can get more involved this weekend.

irishbucsfan

Cronin looked good off the bench last week. Starting him at home to Glasgow is the safest time to give him a Heineken Cup start as well. It will be interesting to see how his throwing is, because he's got Cullen, Toner and KMcL to throw to. It'd take a very poor thrower not to hit them, regardless of the opposition.

Don't understand why KMcL starts again, he's not been up to his usual standard this season and our back row is ultra competitive. I can only guess that either Jennings is not up to 80 minutes yet or KMcL is a man possessed at training.

Rest of the team is fine with me. Healy just coming back so probably safer to have him on the bench. O'Malley has proven himself at this level before, hopefully D'Arcy can give him possession in space.

CIARAN_BOYLE

wixfjord wrote: »

No Fergus first of all, must be an injury.
Secondly, Cronin starts? Good cameo last week but we're up against Gray and Kellock, so why not play your better thrower?
Happy with the backline, I think O Malley will cause problems for Murchie.

VDM starting ahead of Cian though is another head scratcher, and Locky again at 6? I can't believe after last year's HEC that we wouldn't start a fit Jennings everytime?
A little bit strange imo.

I'd heard about McFadden being injured. Is Cian fully fit yet, maybe he isn't so Joe decided to give him 30 minutes at the end rather than start him.

I agree with you about Jennings and Strauss

GerM

Genuinely perturbed by that 23. McLaughlin still in. Cronin in. Carr in. Healy obviously recovering and will make a big impact if needed. Dave Kearney will be very disappointed. I know Schmidt is looking to build a squad but I don't want to see this happen at the expense of putting our best sides out.

Also, Sykes has made neither this nor the A side's 23 this weekend.

wixfjord

Also, we've no second row replacement at all on the bench?
I know Locky can play there, but he's starting!

I'm genuinely a little perplexed by this selection.

Good to see Redders back at 9 though.

GerM

I can only assume that we've looked at Glasgow and their lack of depth and decided to absolutely tear into them from 50 minutes until the end with 5 fresh forwards and Boss coming on.

WeeBushy

I don't have a problem with Cronin starting. He needs to start a HEC game to see where he's at, he played well last week, and in case the worst happens to Strauss. KMcL starting would tie into that, gives Cronin more options in the lineout. However that's the only reason I can see Kev starting as I don't think he was great last week. I'd start either Jennings or Ruddock ahead of him tbh.

Other than that I'm happy. Carr to be let lose in the last 25 when the Scots are tired.

Kinger83

GerM wrote: »

Also, Sykes has made neither this nor the A side's 23 this weekend.

Sykes went off early in the A's match last weekend so I suspect he's injured.

No second row cover on the bench so let's hope there's no injuries.

Hippo

Jenno's absence from the backrow a mystery, as everyone says. I'd love to know what the thinking behind it is.

Farold

It looks to me like Schmidt is rotating his squads. Keeping everyone fresh, the squad happy and maintaining competition amongst the team.

wixfjord

Farold wrote: »

It looks to me like Schmidt is rotating his squads. Keeping everyone fresh, the squad happy and maintaining competition amongst the team.

I dunno about that, it's the HEC, and we've drawn our first game, so we should be playing our best 15.
SOB at 7 and Locky at 6 is not near our best backrow.

Farold

wixfjord wrote: »

I dunno about that, it's the HEC, and we've drawn our first game, so we should be playing our best 15.
SOB at 7 and Locky at 6 is not near our best backrow.

I have a feeling that the likes of Cronin and McLaughlin are going to repay the faith shown to them. If Carr gets on he'll be eager to prove a point after getting ahead of D.Kearney and similarly Jennings and Strauss will be possessed to get their jersey back when they come on.

I reckon Schmidt is picking the team that will give him the best performance, not neccesarily the best 15. I really like the idea of unleashing Healy, Strauss, Jennings, Boss and Carr on Glasgow when they're tiring!

wixfjord

Also, Browne isn't in either 22 this weekend too.
Wonder is he on standby for Sunday?

Darcy has had trouble before with Morrison iirc, so I'd say Glasgow will be trying to get good lineout ball and boshing it up at himself and O Malley.

Judgement Day

wixfjord wrote: »

I dunno about that, it's the HEC, and we've drawn our first game, so we should be playing our best 15.
SOB at 7 and Locky at 6 is not near our best backrow.

It's only fecking Glasgow I wouldn't be too worried.

wixfjord

Farold wrote: »

I have a feeling that the likes of Cronin and McLaughlin are going to repay the faith shown to them. If Carr gets on he'll be eager to prove a point after getting ahead of D.Kearney and similarly Jennings and Strauss will be possessed to get their jersey back when they come on.

I reckon Schmidt is picking the team that will give him the best performance, not neccesarily the best 15. I really like the idea of unleashing Healy, Strauss, Jennings, Boss and Carr on Glasgow when they're tiring!

Ah I can see some logic to it, but my opinion would be that the whole Locky at 6 for the lineout thing is a bit of a myth, and I'd rather start the best team and blow them away than give them an even break and wait for the cavalry to come on.

Big game this for Leinster. A win would be nice, a performance even better and a BP a dream. Can't see that though, and it being a Sunday afternoon we'll be a little lethargic I'd say.

wixfjord

Judgement Day wrote: »

It's only fecking Glasgow I wouldn't be too worried.

That's not really an attitude befitting of champions though.
It's our first home game in the HEC, and we holders, we should be looking to blow these away good and proper.

I think we're too good a team to be worrying about their strengths like the lineout, let them worry about us!

profitius

Hopefully Carr gets a chance to come on. Him against tiring defenses could be interesting to see! Looking forward to seeing EOM too.

I think Schmidt was right to make a few changes. If they can't beat Glasgow with that teamm at home, theres something wrong.

molloyjh

If I'm being honest I'm not happy about this selection at all. And that's the first time in quite a while I've said that. We need to be getting our best 15 together and gelling as much as possible. Remember last season we took a few games to click but once we did were in great shape. We're not getting ourselves into that position again I don't think.

Cronin made an impact when he came on last week against a tiring Montpellier, but he still made a few silly mistakes. Is he our first choice hooker? I don't think so. SOB to 7 again, after a number of examples of why his effectiveness is limited there!? And no Jenno is just downright baffling to me. It looks like Isa won't get a run at 15 either now that Rob is back and I'd hoped there'd be rotation in that shirt. And Carr on the bench ahead of D Kearney is a strange decision too. I think Kearney is far more deserving of it.

GerM wrote: »

I can only assume that we've looked at Glasgow and their lack of depth and decided to absolutely tear into them from 50 minutes until the end with 5 fresh forwards and Boss coming on.

That seemed to be our plan last week too and it didn't work too well. In front of a home crowd, against a team we should be looking to beat well, this isn't good enough imo.

Hippo wrote: »

Jenno's absence from the backrow a mystery, as everyone says. I'd love to know what the thinking behind it is.

I'm wondering if the IRFU are putting pressure on Leinster to give SOB loads of game time at 7 and Rob loads at 15?

Judgement Day wrote: »

It's only fecking Glasgow I wouldn't be too worried.

Neither was I the last time. Look how that turned out!

EmacB

What happened to Beattie? Wasnt he part of the infamous killer Bs a few years ago?

thomond2006

EmacB wrote: »

What happened to Beattie? Wasnt he part of the infamous killer Bs a few years ago?

He got a serious shoulder injury on Scotland's tour of Argentina in 2010 that required surgery. He hasn't been the same since, missed out on the World Cup because he wasn't right in terms of fitness.

questioning Schmidt? Wash your mouths out with soap fellas.

There is metagame far above your tiny brains' abilities at work here.

molloyjh

Deleted User wrote: »

questioning Schmidt? Wash your mouths out with soap fellas.

There is metagame far above your tiny brains' abilities at work here.

Sorry, sorry...momentary lapse there. I won't let it happen again! :pac:

danthefan

Kassandra Squeaking Ginseng wrote: »

questioning Schmidt? Wash your mouths out with soap fellas.

There is metagame far above your tiny brains' abilities at work here.

That's the attitude that's seen Kidney placed above criticism in the eyes of many. I don't understand at all why Jennings is effectively dropped, it makes no sense.

danthefan

danthefan wrote: »

That's the attitude that's seen Kidney placed above criticism in the eyes of many. I don't understand at all why Jennings is effectively dropped, it makes no sense.

it was slightly tongue in cheek. I imagine Jennings is carrying a niggle or a knock, and that Schmidt thinks better than risking him in a game that we should, should be able to survive okay without him.

irishbucsfan

Maybe Schmidt would just prefer Jennings on the pitch for the final 30 minutes rather than the first 50?

porterbelly

thomond2006 wrote: »

He got a serious shoulder injury on Scotland's tour of Argentina in 2010 that required surgery. He hasn't been the same since, missed out on the World Cup because he wasn't right in terms of fitness.

Sad about him really because he was a Lions no 8 in waiting imo, he was that good.

.ak

The 23 is fine. More than ample enough to beat Glasgow. I know they beat us earlier on in the year, but we really had some serious issues in the backline there.

Did anyone see the Bath game? They were awful, truly awful at home. I'm not saying they will be any push overs, they have some serious class in the squad.

I think Cronin is fine. His throwing as of yet has been sound - in the pre-season games, including the Irish v Connacht game and the Montpellier game. He's no Straussy, but he'll do the job when asked and he'll be looking to impress.

The backrow jink doesn't work, it's true - it has it's advantages using a backrow that can carry some weight, but it didn't work in Cardiff, or Montpellier... Dunno if it'll work here, but hey, we didn't lose those games, so maybe Joe's doing something right?

This is Carr's first HEC game. If he gets onto the pitch he'll be looking to iron out the issues he's been showing so far.

I have quiet confidence in this squad. The RDS will be rockin....

danthefan

Kassandra Squeaking Ginseng wrote: »

danthefan wrote: »

That's the attitude that's seen Kidney placed above criticism in the eyes of many. I don't understand at all why Jennings is effectively dropped, it makes no sense.

it was slightly tongue in cheek. I imagine Jennings is carrying a niggle or a knock, and that Schmidt thinks better than risking him in a game that we should, should be able to survive okay without him.

It's not that, Jennings hasn't started a HEC game since the pools last season. Schmidt seems to favour McLaughlin.

durkadurka

danthefan wrote: »

It's not that, Jennings hasn't started a HEC game since the pools last season. Schmidt seems to favour McLaughlin.

Yes he does, then Jennings always seems to improve things when he comes on.

I would love to hear his reasoning for this policy. Is it the physicality of locky in the early stages?

He always goes back to Luke on the wing too for big games.

It's the two selections I always wonder at.

matthew8

If Isa doesn't play well this week he has to go back to full back, and Carr should go on the the wing starting. Without Jennings and Strauss in the lineup Schmidt must really think little of their rucking.

wixfjord

matthew8 wrote: »

If Isa doesn't play well this week he has to go back to full back, and Carr should go on the the wing starting. Without Jennings and Strauss in the lineup Schmidt must really think little of their rucking.

So if Isa doesn't play well, and Kearney does again, you drop Kearney and put Isa fb?!
Carr has been very poor this year, I'd certainly have Kearney ahead of him, and Bath away wouldn't be the place to hand Carr a HEC debut in particular.

matthew8

wixfjord wrote: »

So if Isa doesn't play well, and Kearney does again, you drop Kearney and put Isa fb?!
Carr has been very poor this year, I'd certainly have Kearney ahead of him, and Bath away wouldn't be the place to hand Carr a HEC debut in particular.

You may have low opinions of Carr, but at least he's fast, and right now our backline is extremely slow. There's no point in starting Isa on the wing. I didn't say that I would be starting Isa on the wing, because I'm open to the possibility of Kearney playing well.

desertcircus

It could simply be a case of resting certain players. Strauss played an unbelievable amount of rugby last year (nine from nine in the HEC and missed a single Magners game with only one substitute performance), and Healy was involved in every major Ireland game at the World Cup. It may be the case that they're deciding to A) give Strauss regular breathers (he's started seven Pro12 games and come on as sub in the other so far this season) and give Cronin a chance to prove himself in a reasonably high-profile game. As for Healy - we need him as strong and fresh as possible at the business end of the season, and this game and the trip to Aironi are the last chance for a real breather for him for a long time in a season which started a month early for the players involved with the Irish team.

We need the front row of Healy-Strauss-Ross firing on all cylinders come May, and while Ross' playing style means he's less prone to burnout, the other two are far more effective when fully charged - and given that December and January bring two Cardiff games, two Bath games, the away trip to Warriors, Montpellier's visit to Dublin and the cross-country derby in Galway (before Healy and Ross head off for the Six Nations along with Strauss' replacement), a home game against Glasgow (and probably the Aironi game) is the least worst option.

wixfjord

matthew8 wrote: »

You may have low opinions of Carr, but at least he's fast, and right now our backline is extremely slow. There's no point in starting Isa on the wing. I didn't say that I would be starting Isa on the wing, because I'm open to the possibility of Kearney playing well.

Eh?!
What are you saying then?
You'd drop Isa and bring in Carr and leave Kearney at FB?

Tom Varndell is fast, doesn't mean he's good though.

matthew8

wixfjord wrote: »

Eh?!
What are you saying then?
You'd drop Isa and bring in Carr and leave Kearney at FB?

Tom Varndell is fast, doesn't mean he's good though.

Isa was terrible last week on the wing. He was not generally considered to be a good player up here until he got a shot at FB in the semi against Munster. As I said, no point in playing him if he's on the wing, unless I see something this weekend.

wixfjord

matthew8 wrote: »

Isa was terrible last week on the wing. He was not generally considered to be a good player up here until he got a shot at FB in the semi against Munster. As I said, no point in playing him if he's on the wing, unless I see something this weekend.

Ah I'm sorry but that's complete tosh lad.
Drop Nacewa and put Carr in!
Come off it! He's been brilliant at wing for us in the past.

matthew8

wixfjord wrote: »

Ah I'm sorry but that's complete tosh lad.
Drop Nacewa and put Carr in!
Come off it! He's been brilliant at wing for us in the past.

Like when? You're also deliberately misinterpreting my post, I wouldn't drop Isa unless Kearney has a very good game.

wixfjord

matthew8 wrote: »

Like when? You're also deliberately misinterpreting my post, I wouldn't drop Isa unless Kearney has a very good game.

I think you're making stuff up as you go along here.
Kearney has been very good in the last few games, and in the WC.
Isa hasn't been his imperious best.
Carr has been poor since he came, and is a defensive liability.
Isa is a leader, and one of the most mercurial talents on this island, there's no way you could put Carr in for either of them.

In the 2009/2010 and at the beginning of last year, Isa was playing on the wing, and indeed, when Kearney has been fit, that's where he's played.

.ak

matthew8 wrote: »

Isa was terrible last week on the wing. He was not generally considered to be a good player up here until he got a shot at FB in the semi against Munster. As I said, no point in playing him if he's on the wing, unless I see something this weekend.

That's not true tbh. And he's played his best stuff on the wing, especially when he won Leinster's Player of the Year award when he played pretty much an entire season on the wing.

He's a class winger, one dodgy game there doesn't mean he isn't.

durkadurka

The only position where nacewa has failed to impress is at outhalf. He's done brilliant stuff in the wing. And long before that semi final.

thebaz

is Jennings irrepleasable for Leinster, yet not good eneogh for Ireland ?

irishbucsfan

matthew8 wrote: »

Like when?

Did you miss the entire 2009/2010 season!?

Either that or you just haven't a clue.

Quint2010

Schmidt is taking a leaf out of Alex Fergusons book. Whenever Man U have a home game against weaker opposition he always throws some of the squad players in, always keeps some of the big guns on the bench, and always wins..

durkadurka

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Did you miss the entire 2009/2010 season!?

Either that or you just haven't a clue.

Yep he was keeping shaggy out of the team for many of the big games iirc.

matthew8

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Did you miss the entire 2009/2010 season!?

Either that or you just haven't a clue.

No need to accuse me of being clueless, I just had a little mental blank in which Rob Kearney didn't exist in 2009/2010 and Isa was in full back. Part of that was probably because not only did he have a poor game in Montpellier, he looked a bit out of position.

durkadurka

So this is based in one poor game and a massive bout of amnesia?