leinster vs Bath 14th jan 5:30 Rds/sky sports

Richard Hillman

yosser hughes wrote: »

Why is it a wake up call then? Who have they offered massive contracts to?

SOB just got one, Heaslip got one last year, Healy will probably be getting one by the end of the season.

It is a wake up call in the sense that the younger players are not too far off them in terms of performance. Giving these guys big money is dead money when you have younger guys that can do a similar job as them.

Stheno

Richard Hillman wrote: »

It is a wake up call in the sense that the younger players are not too far off them in terms of performance. Giving these guys big money is dead money when you have younger guys that can do a similar job as them.

Seriously?

aimee1

Richard Hillman wrote: »

SOB just got one, Heaslip got one last year, Healy will probably be getting one by the end of the season.

It is a wake up call in the sense that the younger players are not too far off them in terms of performance. Giving these guys big money is dead money when you have younger guys that can do a similar job as them.

SOB and Heaslip = two of our best players. Terrible job signing them up.

Interested Observer

Fairly pleased with that, still struggling to get over the line but well worth the win.

errlloyd

Someone needs to come in here and put a dampener on this by emphasising that these were completely fresh guys, who only had one job (this match) weren't worrying about Ireland and were playing at home. That is the sort of logic that needs to be applied to this thread.

But you can **** off if you think it is gonna come from me. Here is my over the top "how I actually feel" analysis of the players who played.

Tracy is the best hooker in the country, 10/10 darts, soft hands for Nacewa, rucking, driving etc. Reminds me of a better Dundon, but he still has room to develop. Mike McCarthy is obviously the inform lock in Ireland right now, he only has 60 minutes in the tank, which is fine. Molony is up and coming like he's ****ing in an elevator. He's a class act and was glorious to watch. There is not a man that moves that Van der Flier doesn't tackle, he wasn't as good as he was against Toulon, but its hard to believe Francois Louw played 40 minutes because I didn't see him once.

Dooley looks like Healy and plays like Healy. Did we have a reason to doubt him? Remember back in the day when you'd give a perfect pass to a slow moving prop and he'd drop it in a huff? Isa Nacewa through a ropey pass behind the back of the fastest moving Leinster player, who happened to be Furlong in support. He caught it behind his back, took contact and set up a tuck. Delish.

ESPN says Gary Ringrose beat 5 defenders. I remember him beating 5 defenders in one break. I can only imagine the person taking the stats saw that break, and managed to log those 5 defenders beaten before getting physically sick all over his page and rendering himself unable to do stats for the rest of the game.

How good was Dave Kearney? Can we take a moment to appreciate how often he gets perfectly on the inside shoulder. And how well he did to save that try? I think Luke McGrath is over the problems he had last season and is ready to be first choice at Leinster. I actually believe that one. He was very good.

Clegg

I'm not trying to be a downer as I really am delighted with the victory and the manner of performance, but Bath were woeful. Forwards powder puff and backs, while very talented, couldn't work off back foot ball.

Buer

Clegg wrote: »

I'm not trying to be a downer as I really am delighted with the victory and the manner of performance, but Bath were woeful. Forwards powder puff and backs, while wry talented, couldn't work off back foot ball.

Booo.

But, it is worth noting that Bath went to Toulon last week and had a complete scrap, losing by a single kick. That absolutely had to take a lot of bite out of them. They looked very tired.

Richard Hillman

I shouldn't have said anything.


Anyway, the future looks bright.

aimee1

Clegg wrote: »

I'm not trying to be a downer as I really am delighted with the victory and the manner of performance, but Bath were woeful. Forwards powder puff and backs, while wry talented, couldn't work off back foot ball.

Bath were woeful but leinster made a mess of their breakdowns, their lineout and were in their faces all night. bath fans on twitter demanding Mike Ford goes. Losing to the leinster with an u21s pack [mike mccarthy will be chuffed with that] deemed unacceptable

irishbucsfan

Buer wrote: »

Booo.

But, it is worth noting that Bath went to Toulon last week and had a complete scrap, losing by a single kick. That absolutely had to take a lot of bite out of them. They looked very tired.

They're also way down the table in the premiership. A pretty bad season for them.

dub_skav

Hope ulster appreciate the result leinster delivered for them.

:pac:

yosser hughes

Richard Hillman wrote: »

I just think it is time to refrain from offering massive contracts to the moderately performing household names and start looking to the future.

Let's build a new dynasty.

Richard Hillman wrote: »

SOB just got one, Heaslip got one last year, Healy will probably be getting one by the end of the season.

It is a wake up call in the sense that the younger players are not too far off them in terms of performance. Giving these guys big money is dead money when you have younger guys that can do a similar job as them.

So you think those players are moderately performing and shouldn't have been offered big contracts?

Buer

dub_skav wrote: »

Hope ulster appreciate the result leinster delivered for them.

:pac:

They'd have been better off if Bath won.

vienne86

Great evening in the RDS - very enjoyable match. Youngsters performed brilliantly. Tracy was fantastic, and just seemed to be everywhere. Furlong is a great TH and Dooley had a good game too. Molony deserved MOTM (but it could have gone to a number of others), and McCarthy and himself were great in the second row. Luke McGrath has turned into a lovely SH, but Madigan still can't make the right decisions - I was dying for Sexton to come on, though in fairness, Madigan got better later in the match. Ringrose - I have nothing to add to the superlatives already written. Kearney had a great game, and saved a certain try. I thought Kirchner had a good game, and confirmed my view that his best position is FB.

We still struggle to cross the try line, but we are no longer falling off tackles. Defence was good tonight.

Yes, Bath were poor enough, but Leinster were great. The crowd got fired up and the atmosphere was great.

Thank you very much, Leo Cullen, for your picks for this match.

Synode

Clegg wrote: »

Luke McGrath was very solid tonight. His passing isn't as erratic as it was last season and his decision making on when to carry the ball is quite good. Compare that to Reddan who looked very rushed at times and took the wrong option. I hope we're now viewing McGrath as our starting scrum half.

He's getting better every time I see him. Going along very nicely

The Rape of Lucretia

Pudsy33 wrote: »

Would you not just play Teo and Ringrose? I think it's pretty clear they are our best partnership. Teo, Ringrose, the front row, and Mccarthy were all magnificent today.

Teo-Ringrose it should be, gearing Ringrose up for the Henshaw-Ringrose 10 year Leinster and Ireland centre partnership.

.ak

Just home, still thawing out.

Absolutely delighted with that. No doubt about it, that was our b-side out there, and we were clearly the better team.

A bit of a master stroke from Cullen, I've been critical of him in the past, but as I said before the game if we win with our 2nds we'll be in a great place, and if we lost no one would really care.

The only bad thing about the game is remembering we're losing madigan and t'eo at the end of the season.

They were both fantastic. Madigan's best performance at 10 in blue, easily.

Ringrose highlight both his strengths and weaknesses, however even whilst considering his weaknesses I thought he should've been motm.

irishbucsfan

.ak wrote: »

They were both fantastic. Madigan's best performance at 10 in blue, easily.

I really can't believe you think that...

The Rape of Lucretia

.ak wrote: »

Ringrose highlight both his strengths and weaknesses, however even whilst considering his weaknesses I thought he should've been motm.

Didnt really see Ringrose weaknesses, but it was hard to see some of the game in detail through the drizzle.

What were they ?

He looked good to me. Confidence seems sky high, energetic, wants to run with the ball, but also chasing hard and willing to hunt people down and put in the tackles.
He isnt the second coming from Williamstown, but darn it, he is making fast progress.

Synode

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I really can't believe you think that...

Agree. Madigan was poor. That (almost trademark) intercept pass was brainless and he was lucky we weren't punished. He's such a frustrating player

Pudsy33

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I really can't believe you think that...

Teo was fantastic. Madigan was classic Madigan, mixed the good with the bad. Made some bad mistakes early doors but grew into it.

errlloyd

Pudsy33 wrote: »

Teo was fantastic. Madigan was classic Madigan, mixed the good with the bad. Made some bad mistakes early doors but grew into it.

Meh, he continued to make the wrong decision to take the ball into contact for pretty much the whole game.

aimee1

Pudsy33 wrote: »

Teo was fantastic. Madigan was classic Madigan, mixed the good with the bad. Made some bad mistakes early doors but grew into it.

Some poor passes, the standard kick out on the full and poor restart, some brilliant passes to bring guys on the ball at pace, some good kicks from hand and his usual excellent place kicking. Typical night at the office for IM

former total

Absolutely buzzing after that, can't wait to watch it back. Didn't see that level of performance coming at all.

The young guys were amazing. Tracy got away with a couple of crooked throws but otherwise was brilliant. Luke McGrath has improved so much.

Nacewa had probably his best performance since coming back. Dave Kearney continues to tear it up and Kirchner looked very sharp.

Madigan was excellent, a couple of trademark brain farts aside.

The only negative is that we have to lose Te'o. He will be wasted at focking Worcester.

A brave call by Leo and it paid off in spades. Bath were poor but we made then pay. Absolutely delighted.

irishbucsfan

aimee1 wrote: »

Some poor passes, the standard kick out on the full and poor restart, some brilliant passes to bring guys on the ball at pace, some good kicks from hand and his usual excellent place kicking. Typical night at the office for IM

We missed some big opportunities because the right options weren't taken. At one point we had a great break down the left wing and on the next phase with Bath's defense all over the place he just hands it off to a forward in midfield and gives Bath all the time they need to reorganise when we had so much available to us down the right side. We aren't scoring tries and it's play like this which causes it.

The backline lost track of itself after breaks and after we went through the phases. I'm looking forward to seeing someone else there. His mechanics are exceptional (when he's not making the odd mistake like his first pass, which was possibly the worst pass any Leinster player will throw this season). But your mechanics are irrelevant if they're not directed.

aimee1

irishbucsfan wrote: »

We missed some big opportunities because the right options weren't taken. At one point we had a great break down the left wing and on the next phase with Bath's defense all over the place he just hands it off to a forward in midfield and gives Bath all the time they need to reorganise when we had so much available to us down the right side. We aren't scoring tries and it's play like this which causes it.

The backline lost track of itself after breaks and after we went through the phases. I'm looking forward to seeing someone else there. His mechanics are exceptional (when he's not making the odd mistake like his first pass, which was possibly the worst pass any Leinster player will throw this season). But your mechanics are irrelevant if they're not directed.

Its a pity his decision making is so poor because his kicking is so good he has such a value to the team.

.ak

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I really can't believe you think that...

Well first I must admit I missed the first 20 min. But for the 60 I did see him have a good game at 10 by his standards; passed well, ran well, good communication. Yeah I thought he was good at 10.

irishbucsfan

aimee1 wrote: »

Its a pity his decision making is so poor because his kicking is so good he has such a value to the team.

I would be quite happy if Bordeaux played him in a different position next season. Maybe it's unlikely but the Top 14 is crazy

aimee1

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I would be quite happy if Bordeaux played him in a different position next season. Maybe it's unlikely but the Top 14 is crazy

He can come back as a fly half, or a prop.

.ak

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

Didnt really see Ringrose weaknesses, but it was hard to see some of the game in detail through the drizzle.

What were they ?

He looked good to me. Confidence seems sky high, energetic, wants to run with the ball, but also chasing hard and willing to hunt people down and put in the tackles.
He isnt the second coming from Williamstown, but darn it, he is making fast progress.

His weakness is his size. He was peeling himself off the deck most of the night, he'll be in bits tomorrow. He needs bulking to play regular at this level. He can't crash ball, for example, and at this level a centre needs to be as to ride the traffic, but he won't always get clean ball.