The Academies

hoodor

Sounds like another daft idea from Nucifora...

BigJimV

Interpro festival sounds like a good idea, all the best u18 Irish qualified players for both youth and schools playing in the same venue.

hoodor

If they are asking teams to play multiple games in one day it's daft.. the system wasn't broken, yet they still seem to want to change it.. look how well the underage teams have done since nucifora came in.. hint: not well.

Hands Like Flippers

hoodor wrote: »

If they are asking teams to play multiple games in one day it's daft.. the system wasn't broken, yet they still seem to want to change it.. look how well the underage teams have done since nucifora came in.. hint: not well.

No, its not that. It's spread over 10 days or so.

stephen_n

Billy Connolly used to make a joke about the blame hound, that sits under the table to take the blame when you fart. It seems that is David Nuciforas job these days.

BigJimV

Why change? not sure but driving continuous improvement is good, if you stop looking to improve you go backward.

Sorry, don't feel success at age grade is critical, the purpose of underage systems is to identify pro players, it's not all about winning games.

Old system not working too well outside Leinster in terms of identifying pro players... new inter-pro format looks like one of a few changes to fix this.. perhaps winning games may happen from this

Quin_Dub

If it's run like a camp over the 10 days , with training sessions etc. interspersed with the games then it could be very good having the top ~100 or so players together.

The Lost Sheep

Quin_Dub wrote: »

If it's run like a camp over the 10 days , with training sessions etc. interspersed with the games then it could be very good having the top ~100 or so players together.

should have clubs there as well. If you had the 8 interpro squads - exiles, connacht u18s and both squads in other provinces all based in one venue playing craven week style it would be very good to see. Venue could change year on year based in different universities/colleges

RuPi

It is to try and mirror the six nations blitz completion over the Easter holidays, so the players are used to that, I still believe squads of 26 and every player must start one game. Also gets it finished before schools start back although I doubt that was in the thinking behind it.

Hands Like Flippers

Aye school coaches will likely be a lot happier that they get their players at beg Sept.

hoodor

3 scrumhalves training with Leinster u20:

James Kenny
Cormac Foley
Louis O'Reilly

Heymans

hoodor wrote: »

3 scrumhalves training with Leinster u20:

James Kenny
Cormac Foley
Louis O'Reilly

TBH I don't see what the hype is about Kenny.


He had a good first round match where 2 brutal teams contested the game with Belvo shading it. He stood out but looked average amidst many average players.

arsebiscuits1

hoodor wrote: »

3 scrumhalves training with Leinster u20:

James Kenny
Cormac Foley
Louis O'Reilly

He was playing SCT this year with Blackrock wasn't he?

hoodor

arsebiscuits1 wrote: »

He was playing SCT this year with Blackrock wasn't he?

Yeah, so was Foley for St Gerards, although at 12.

arsebiscuits1

hoodor wrote: »

Yeah, so was Foley for St Gerards, although at 12.

Reckon it's more getting a look at them? Or are they legitimate options?

Both presumably 18

hoodor

arsebiscuits1 wrote: »

Reckon it's more getting a look at them? Or are they legitimate options?

Both presumably 18

Both are either 18 or just turned 19.

Foley played for Ireland under 19 at easter and is certainly a potential academy player, wait and see how his season goes.

O'Reilly would be less likely right now IMO.

hoodor

Top Leinster Sub-Academy prospects:

Prop
Donnacha Mescal(Blackrock) - ex- North Kildare RFC
Daragh Bolger(Clontarf RFC)
Niall McEniff(St. Marys)
Thomas Clarkson(Blackrock) - u19

Hooker
Sean Molony(Blackrock)
Ethan Baxter(St. Gerards) - u19

Lock
Charles Ryan(Blackrock/UCD)
Cian Prendergast(Newbridge) - u19

Backrow
Dan O'Donovan(St. Michaels)
Ruadhan Byron(Belvedere)
Martin Moloney(Athy RFC)
Michael McGagh(Blackrock)

Scrumhalf
James Kenny(Gonzaga/Lansdowne)
Cormac Foley(St. Gerards)
Louis O'Reilly(Blackrock)

Outhalf
David Hawkshaw(Belvedere)
Conor Kelly(Roscrea/Clontarf)
Paddy McKenzie(Wicklow) - u19

Centre
David Ryan(St. Michaels)
Brian O'Donnell(Gonzaga)

Back Three
Liam Turner(Blackrock)
Adam La Grue(Terenure)
Tom Maher(Blackrock) - u19
Sam Dardis(Terenure) - u19

CowGoesMoo100

Why didn't Hawkshaw get academy? Penny,Baird and Milne all got one straight after school but Hawkshaw was supposed to be the great white hope no?

hoodor

CowGoesMoo100 wrote: »

Why didn't Hawkshaw get academy? Penny,Baird and Milne all got one straight after school but Hawkshaw was supposed to be the great white hope no?

ask Peter Smyth.

Hawkshaw did finish the season injured, that could have been the reason. Or it could have been something else.

Not sure he was ever the "great white hope" as Leinster hardly need one, just another talented back through the system, although notable that he was one of the few from Belvedere who looked likely to join the academy.

in terms of need a great white hope - leinster could do with one emerging at either scrumhalf, fullback or maybe hooker.

Podge_irl

hoodor wrote: »

in terms of need a great white hope - leinster could do with one emerging at either scrumhalf, fullback or maybe hooker.

You don't think Larmour might end up there? I'm happy enough with McGrath. Hooker seems the obvious problem spot and obviously has been for some time.

hoodor

Podge_irl wrote: »

You don't think Larmour might end up there? I'm happy enough with McGrath. Hooker seems the obvious problem spot and obviously has been for some time.

Ah i'm just pointing out the three weakest places in terms of depth throughout the system.

The underage system doesn't right now have standout obvious future academy stars at those positions, at least right now.

FellasFellas

The chances of Leinster signing a big name at hooker after RWC 19 would be quite high I'd say, the age profile of Cronin and losing Strauss, leaving us with Byrne and Tracey and Kelleher unproven unless he gets some gametime this year.

Ally Bren 92

hoodor wrote: »

Top Leinster Sub-Academy prospects:

Prop
Donnacha Mescal(Blackrock) - ex- North Kildare RFC
Daragh Bolger(Clontarf RFC)
Niall McEniff(St. Marys)
Thomas Clarkson(Blackrock) - u19

Hooker
Sean Molony(Blackrock)
Ethan Baxter(St. Gerards) - u19

Lock
Charles Ryan(Blackrock/UCD)
Cian Prendergast(Newbridge) - u19

Backrow
Dan O'Donovan(St. Michaels)
Ruadhan Byron(Belvedere)
Martin Moloney(Athy RFC)
Michael McGagh(Blackrock)

Scrumhalf
James Kenny(Gonzaga/Lansdowne)
Cormac Foley(St. Gerards)
Louis O'Reilly(Blackrock)

Outhalf
David Hawkshaw(Belvedere)
Conor Kelly(Roscrea/Clontarf)
Paddy McKenzie(Wicklow) - u19

Centre
David Ryan(St. Michaels)
Brian O'Donnell(Gonzaga)

Back Three
Liam Turner(Blackrock)
Adam La Grue(Terenure)
Tom Maher(Blackrock) - u19
Sam Dardis(Terenure) - u19

Sam dardis has being dropped from u19 and dan o Donovan didn’t even make the 20s

Locke_Lamora

Wasn't there a really good back row from clongowes? I think I remember their 7 standing out in the senior cup, but I might be wrong.

stellenbosch

Ally Bren 92 wrote: »

Sam dardis has being dropped from u19 and dan o Donovan didn’t even make the 20s

Is the CBC centre/full back with the 19s?

stl.ire

FellasFellas wrote: »

The chances of Leinster signing a big name at hooker after RWC 19 would be quite high I'd say, the age profile of Cronin and losing Strauss, leaving us with Byrne and Tracey and Kelleher unproven unless he gets some gametime this year.

I wonder if (insert whoever is Ireland coach) will see Scannell and Marshall at Munster as the Ireland 1&2 at hooker and have a “coffee shop meeting” on Leinster’s behalf.

Also Leinster also just picked up John McKee from the Ulster academy. He’s very rated but ulster are stacked at hooker so wanted him to shift to prop. Good to see player movement when there’s a bottle head of talent

bilston

stl.ire wrote: »

FellasFellas wrote: »

The chances of Leinster signing a big name at hooker after RWC 19 would be quite high I'd say, the age profile of Cronin and losing Strauss, leaving us with Byrne and Tracey and Kelleher unproven unless he gets some gametime this year.

I wonder if (insert whoever is Ireland coach) will see Scannell and Marshall at Munster as the Ireland 1&2 at hooker and have a “coffee shop meeting” on Leinster’s behalf.

Also Leinster also just picked up John McKee from the Ulster academy. He’s very rated but ulster are stacked at hooker so wanted him to shift to prop. Good to see player movement when there’s a bottle head of talent

McKee is a prop. He will be shifting to hooker at Leinster. The irony being that Ulster are in short supply of LH props...not that he'd be a factor for a couple of years.

stellenbosch

stellenbosch wrote: »

Is the CBC centre/full back with the 19s?

James Reynolds CBC with Connacht 19s apparently

hoodor

Ally Bren 92 wrote: »

Sam dardis has being dropped from u19 and dan o Donovan didn’t even make the 20s

O'Donovan is a waste of talent there, odd.

If you have the squad lists please post them.

hoodor

Locke_Lamora wrote: »

Wasn't there a really good back row from clongowes? I think I remember their 7 standing out in the senior cup, but I might be wrong.

Anthony Ryan, played Ireland u18's.