RaboDirectPro12 2012/13 General Discussion (with transfers/season preview)

Podge_irl

Zebre

Close, not there yet :P

GerM

Podge_irl wrote: »

Close, not there yet :P

I'm of the same mentality. Not to sound dismissive or arrogant but we've won the HEC repeatedly. The Pro12 is a stick that people will use to beat Leinster. The HEC is the premier tournament and the showcase for NH rugby but there's something hugely satisfying about winning the league when it's a real squad effort and the competition that you follow constantly throughout the year. Losing the final this year hurt much more than being knocked out of the HEC in 2010.

.ak

Zebre

Defo. The Pro12 final loss this year was the bitterest pill to swallow in many a year. Worse than losing to Munster the previous season imo. The only saving grace was that if there were no knock outs we would've been winners by a country mile. The lead points gained were impressive.

Quint2010

Zebre

GerM wrote: »

I'm of the same mentality. Not to sound dismissive or arrogant but we've won the HEC repeatedly. The Pro12 is a stick that people will use to beat Leinster. The HEC is the premier tournament and the showcase for NH rugby but there's something hugely satisfying about winning the league when it's a real squad effort and the competition that you follow constantly throughout the year. Losing the final this year hurt much more than being knocked out of the HEC in 2010.

Not for me. The HEC is the yardstick by which Leinster's success and standing as a european power will be judged. With the final in Dublin next year the boys will be giving it all guns to go out and do the hat-trick. Give me that any day over a competition where the best and most consistent team doesn't even win...

Teferi

Scarlets

It's grand lads, this year we will do the double. Finally.

I think either way we will be in at least 1 final. Incredible squad that should compete for both over the next 4 - 6 years.

armchaircoach

Zebre

Maybe we'll be really French, and send out "B" squads for the Heineken cup, so that we can concentrate on our domestic league:D

Podge_irl

Zebre

GerM wrote: »

I'm of the same mentality. Not to sound dismissive or arrogant but we've won the HEC repeatedly. The Pro12 is a stick that people will use to beat Leinster. The HEC is the premier tournament and the showcase for NH rugby but there's something hugely satisfying about winning the league when it's a real squad effort and the competition that you follow constantly throughout the year. Losing the final this year hurt much more than being knocked out of the HEC in 2010.

The most galling thing is that Leinster have shown themselves to be the best squad by finishing top of the league twice in the last three years - both by substantial margins - yet its in the one-off final game, where the strength of their triple HEC winning first XV should have really come through, that they've failed. It has given a really sour end to the last two seasons.

CatFromHue

It hasn't been as sour for me (losing the three finals) as you could see it happening and they were all very hard games. In 09/10 the Ospreys really got stuck into us in the the league game a few weeks before the final and at the in the final table there was only a few points between us. In 10/11 Munster were the deserved winners of the league and and the final, even this season the Ospreys beat us twice in the league.

CatFromHue

Wales play Oz on the 1st Dec the same weekend that
Lanelli v Ulster
Ospreys v Cardiff
Treviso v Dragons

The Wales game is outside the International window so the Welsh teams will more than likely be more weakened than usual as their foreign based players may not be released for this game.

England are playing NZ on this weekend too while there is a full list of fixtures in the Aviva going on so any Welsh based players in England I can't see being released.

PhatPiggins

Ulster

Teferi wrote: »

It's grand lads, this year we will do the double. Finally.

I think either way we will be in at least 1 final. Incredible squad that should compete for both over the next 4 - 6 years.

I don't think it is, the strongest 22 is terrific no doubt but I think Leinster are missing a middle tier of decent and experienced players. There's either lots of raw young guys or older guys coming to the end of their careers.

If you play a HC final one weekend and a Pro12 the next and can't rest 8 players from the week before,without a noticeable drop in quality, then I think the double is near impossible under the current time constraints.

PhatPiggins

Ulster

CatFromHue wrote: »

Wales play Oz on the 1st Dec the same weekend that
Lanelli v Ulster
Ospreys v Cardiff
Treviso v Dragons

The Wales game is outside the International window so the Welsh teams will more than likely be more weakened than usual as their foreign based players may not be released for this game.

England are playing NZ on this weekend too while there is a full list of fixtures in the Aviva going on so any Welsh based players in England I can't see being released.

Is the the 56th or 57th time Wales will play Oz in a 24 month period? No Gatland for that one either, another loss looms.

durkadurka

I agree, Leinster are coming off a peak. We were at our best in 2011 but now I feel we are a few injuries away from being fairly threadbare.
Some key players are probably in their last season such as Cullen BOD, maybe Darce. Some other key ones injured. Going to be tough to compete on both fronts this season.

[Jackass]

Zebre

Yeah the double is virtually impossible to achieve, unless you have a massive amount of quality in the team. It's just too difficult to play a Heineken Cup final intensity match followed by another high intensity final the following week against a team that had a 2 week rest period at the end of a long season. No suprises that Leinster lost the Thomond final in the last 10 minutes and the RDS final in the final minute.

There are some weaknesses in the Leinster squad (and team) for sure. You can't start a season hoping for a double though. You're only ever one missed bonus point, one away draw, one bicep away from being knocked out of the Heineken Cup and it takes luck to win a Heineken Cup no matter who wins it and you can't rely on (or expect) a bit of luck.

The league is a lot more doable, but I'd take any silverware this season. I think Leinster are good enough to win one of the competitions a season for the time being, but I'd never expect a double, that's a bridge quite far. As long as we keep lifting trophies though, I'm happy.

PhatPiggins

Ulster

durkadurka wrote: »

I agree, Leinster are coming off a peak. We were at our best in 2011 but now I feel we are a few injuries away from being fairly threadbare.
Some key players are probably in their last season such as Cullen BOD, maybe Darce. Some other key ones injured. Going to be tough to compete on both fronts this season.

You could probably add Mike Ross to that list, he's starting to show serious wear and tear. TH could be a problem position for Leinster if Bent doesn't hit the ground running and Hagan continues to regress.

thomond2006

Zebre

Broadcast details for up to Round 13 to be released next week.

Podge_irl

Zebre

Has anyone replaced Italian broadcasters?

thomond2006

Zebre

Podge_irl wrote: »

Has anyone replaced Italian broadcasters?

IIRC Rai Sport replaced the channel that went bust, I don't know if they're still broadcasting the Rabo for next season. Let's hope they will!

Zebre 2012/13:

durkadurka

Sport italia announced something today about coverage


http://www.rabodirectpro12.com/news/14359.php

thomond2006

Zebre

http://www.rabodirectpro12.com/news/14364.php

Connacht's first game at home to Cardiff not televised, RTE and TG4 aren't broadcasting any games of the first weekend.

CIARAN_BOYLE

Zebre

thomond2006 wrote: »

RTE and TG4 aren't broadcasting any games of the first weekend.

Wrong. All that has been announced is the host broadcaster. If you looked down a few weeks you would notice that no broadcasters apart from the host broadcasters have been announced.

thomond2006

Zebre

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Wrong. All that has been announced is the host broadcaster. If you looked down a few weeks you would notice that no broadcasters apart from the host broadcasters have been announced.

oops, I stand corrected

armchaircoach

Zebre

Yes but will rte bother to show any of them, they weren't exactly going out of their way last year to cover away matches

CIARAN_BOYLE

Zebre

armchaircoach wrote: »

Yes but will rte bother to show any of them, they weren't exactly going out of their way last year to cover away matches

If there is a host broadcaster RTE/TG4 will buy the stream for a pittance and show it like they did for about 10 each games last season

CIARAN_BOYLE

Zebre

Cookiemunster wrote: »

If you go to the fixtures page here http://www.rabodirectpro12.com/matchcentre/fixtures_list.php then broadcasters are listed after each fixture. RTE are only showing 6 games upto January. 4 Leinster games and 2 Munster games.

hostbroadcasters are the only ones listed after each fixture.

RTE and TG4 will buy the streams for the vast majority of Leinster Munster and Connacht games with another broadcaster and BBCNI will buy streams for the vast majority of Ulster games with another host broadcaster

Cookiemunster

Scarlets

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

hostbroadcasters are the only ones listed after each fixture.

RTE and TG4 will buy the streams for the vast majority of Leinster Munster and Connacht games with another broadcaster and BBCNI will buy streams for the vast majority of Ulster games with another host broadcaster

I didn't notice that, I just noticed that all Munsters games up to January are televised. I have a sky box so I have access the the UK channels.

molloyjh

Zebre

Cookiemunster wrote: »

I didn't notice that, I just noticed that all Munsters games up to January are televised. I have a sky box so I have access the the UK channels.

Yeah that's handy. The only question mark is over the Italian station and whether someone will get the rights to show those. The coverage certainly looks better than last year. There's 10 games with no coverage and 2 yet to have dates confirmed. It's just unfortunate that Connacht are getting the short end of the stick again. Between themselves and the Dragons the coverage for their home games is pretty poor. Even SportItalia are covering all the games in Italy.

[Jackass]

Zebre

thomond2006 wrote: »

IIRC Rai Sport replaced the channel that went bust, I don't know if they're still broadcasting the Rabo for next season. Let's hope they will!

Zebre 2012/13:

Nice little stadium they have there, with 3,500 capacity, it's like a mini Thomond!





and the other side...

thomond2006

Zebre

Edinburgh sign Andy Titterell as hooker cover.

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_7953335,00.html

profitius

Zebre

thomond2006 wrote: »

Edinburgh sign Andy Titterell as hooker cover.

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_7953335,00.html

They're really splashing the cash. Its good for the Rabo league though because at least we know they'll be trying to win every game this season.

thomond2006

Zebre

profitius wrote: »

They're really splashing the cash. Its good for the Rabo league though because at least we know they'll be trying to win every game this season.

I find it a weird signing though, they let Kelly go to London Scottish and sign a foreign player instead of him. I was reading an Edinburgh Rugby message board, a lot of fans are not impressed with their team signing average foreigners.