Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread XI (The Finals Countdown)

Burkie1203

Former Former wrote: »

How do you know he's in NZ?

Instagram

Former Former

Burkie1203 wrote: »

Instagram

What did he post?

degsie

Former Former wrote: »

What did he post?

An instagram post

Sheep Shagger

degsie wrote: »

An instagram post

He has a kids toy shop business in Nelson (top of south island), he posted a pic from out the front of it.

Richie_Rich89

Is the suggestion that Lowe might not be coming back? That'd be a bit of a shock. Maybe he's received communication from the new All Blacks' management that they'd look on him more favourably than before as regards selection? I suppose Foster would know him from the Chiefs.

Leinster would be well set on the left wing anyway, with O'Loughlin, Kelleher and Andrew Smith.

Former Former

It just seems like this would be a bigger deal, if one of Leinster's key players had gone Awol to the other side of the world.

Doesn't seem plausible tbh

Edit : that said I'm not on Instagram so I don't know

Squidgy Black

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

He has a kids toy shop business in Nelson (top of south island), he posted a pic from out the front of it.

He's had a fair few stories etc over the last couple weeks of himself and the missus over in Auckland, one posted today too.

Scottmactom

Former Former wrote: »

It just seems like this would be a bigger deal, if one of Leinster's key players had gone Awol to the other side of the world.

Doesn't seem plausible tbh

Edit : that said I'm not on Instagram so I don't know

well he is in New Zealand, wether he is AWOL or not is unclear.

Given Leinster haven't given fans any update on the squad, it leaves them open to this sort of speculation.

Yeah_Right

He's signing with the Blues. That's why Reiko Ioane has moved to centre.

Sheep Shagger

Squidgy Black wrote: »

He's had a fair few stories etc over the last couple weeks of himself and the missus over in Auckland, one posted today too.

Yeah he's clearly there during the COVID break, does not mean he isn't coming back.

LR have always been backwards in coming forward with player retirement/departure info, normally gets leaked by media then the official club statement comes out.

Scottmactom

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

Yeah he's clearly there during the COVID break, does not mean he isn't coming back.

LR have always been backwards in coming forward with player retirement/departure info, normally gets leaked by media then the official club statement comes out.

the provinces PR/online media is generally pretty bad.

Faugheen

He was on NZ telly a couple of days ago talking about playing for Ireland.

https://amp.independent.ie/sport/rugby/international-rugby/not-in-my-wildest-dreams-could-i-have-ever-thought-that-id-be-wearing-the-three-leaf-clover-its-crazy-39298970.html?__twitter_impression=true

irishbucsfan

Ah I think jumping from him being in NZ to him being AWOL is a huge leap. There are all sorts of reasons he might have needed or wanted to go there.

There’s a chance quarantine for international travel from safe destinations will be lifted after July 9th, they may just be waiting for then, if he’s training with a side/group there it’ll mean he can come back with less disruption if he can travel and jump straight back into training

Former Former

I don't think he's AWOL, that's my point.

Can someone post a link to one of these insta stories? From what I can see he was in NZ in February.

kmart6

Former Former wrote: »

Can someone post a link to one of these insta stories? From what I can see he was in NZ in February.

He has not been in NZ since February, he played against Glasgow on the 28th. They went down in the last month or so and quarantined for 2 weeks.

Hardly the craziest thing in the world that when there was no return sight that Leinster/IRFU would have given him permission to travel home and have a break considering the condensed schedule that there is going to be for the 6/9 months after rugby starts up, last chance for him to get a long break back home, something he has done every year.

salmocab

Man goes home for a few weeks to see family. Given what’s happening in the world this is a nothing story currently.

Exclamation Marc

Former Former wrote: »

I don't think he's AWOL, that's my point.

Can someone post a link to one of these insta stories? From what I can see he was in NZ in February.

He's still there now. The posts are gone as they only last 24 hours. It's just mundane enough stuff like attending one of last weeks rugby matches, out with his mates, beach pics, "sightseeing" etc. Nothing of huge note tbh.

Squidgy Black

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

Yeah he's clearly there during the COVID break, does not mean he isn't coming back.

LR have always been backwards in coming forward with player retirement/departure info, normally gets leaked by media then the official club statement comes out.

I know, I wasn't saying he wasn't coming back. Was just pointing out that he's still over there.

Was chatting with a neighbour earlier about players the Irish system has lost and we were both of the same mind that by far the most costly mistake the IRFU made was attempting to call Sexton's bluff. From a player perspective I'm not sure it improved him much and the experience definitely cost him physically. Leinster were not the same team without him - can you image the difference in that Toulon Semi had Sexton been playing?

You would wonder had he stayed in Ireland would Matt O'Connor have been considered a successful coach for us!

Podge_irl

Deleted User wrote: »

Was chatting with a neighbour earlier about players the Irish system has lost and we were both of the same mind that by far the most costly mistake the IRFU made was attempting to call Sexton's bluff. From a player perspective I'm not sure it improved him much and the experience definitely cost him physically. Leinster were not the same team without him - can you image the difference in that Toulon Semi had Sexton been playing?

You would wonder had he stayed in Ireland would Matt O'Connor have been considered a successful coach for us!

They had obviously decided they were losing control of the player contract situation but it was an utterly braindead, costly outcome. They should have let someone like Healy/Kearney go if they felt they needed to call a player's bluff. I know I probably go towards the side of over-rating him, but I think he is the most impactful player in Leinster history and one of the most in Ireland's. I'll never understand the thought process that went behind that one. I suppose if it helped bring on the Leo/Lancaster era it seems to have worked out, but it screwed Leinster massively and I don't really think it helped Ireland. If anything, it was such an obvious ****show that it damaged their leverage rather than increase it.

Sheep Shagger

Interview with James Lowe from a TVNZ reporter

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=194002745253011&id=171468473590855&sfnsn=wa&d=w&vh=e

Scottmactom

Podge_irl wrote: »

They had obviously decided they were losing control of the player contract situation but it was an utterly braindead, costly outcome. They should have let someone like Healy/Kearney go if they felt they needed to call a player's bluff. I know I probably go towards the side of over-rating him, but I think he is the most impactful player in Leinster history and one of the most in Ireland's. I'll never understand the thought process that went behind that one. I suppose if it helped bring on the Leo/Lancaster era it seems to have worked out, but it screwed Leinster massively and I don't really think it helped Ireland. If anything, it was such an obvious ****show that it damaged their leverage rather than increase it.

Sexton wouldn't have stood for MOC's incompetence.

Sheep Shagger

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

Interview with James Lowe from a TVNZ reporter

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=194002745253011&id=171468473590855&sfnsn=wa&d=w&vh=e

He is going to walk into the starting 15 and I'm personally fine with it. I'm glad the rule has changed to 5 years. I think 5 years is a reasonable period of time and limits future selections to players who have spent a substantial amount of time within the community. He'll be the last player through on the 3 year rule so I hope there isn't a lot of teeth gnashing when he inevitably starts a tier 1 fixture.

Scottmactom

re-watched Leinster Munster 2009 and Leinster Northampton 2011 at the weekend. RK missed both games.

Only 4 players still playing from 2009: Healy, Toner, SOB, Sexton.

Great memories.

Scottmactom

Deleted User wrote: »

He is going to walk into the starting 15 and I'm personally fine with it. I'm glad the rule has changed to 5 years. I think 5 years is a reasonable period of time and limits future selections to players who have spent a substantial amount of time within the community. He'll be the last player through on the 3 year rule so I hope there isn't a lot of teeth gnashing when he inevitably starts a tier 1 fixture.

Have no interest in seeing him play for Ireland, but it is inevitable.

Scottmactom

Scottmactom wrote: »

Sexton wouldn't have stood for MOC's incompetence.

You might well be right and if Cullen and Sexton walked into Easterby's office with a major concern you would suspect he would be compelled to listen.

I think the way Matt O'Connor left Leinster however suggested that things had completely deteriorated with management, potentially with some of the player group too. It's costly and damaging to sack a coach early in rugby. You damage your own ability to recruit from the market and you make it harder for the departing coach to find a new gig.

People have often criticised Leinster for letting him go with no alternative lined up - but I think that's getting things back to front, I think they decided that Leo was a safer bet and given that he was the driver behind appointing Lancaster I suspect that the push to recruit externally was something Leo requested.

I think things had deteriorated with MOC to the point that Leinster backed Leo instead, not that they were left with just him as an option.

thomond2006

Deleted User wrote: »

He is going to walk into the starting 15 and I'm personally fine with it. I'm glad the rule has changed to 5 years. I think 5 years is a reasonable period of time and limits future selections to players who have spent a substantial amount of time within the community. He'll be the last player through on the 3 year rule so I hope there isn't a lot of teeth gnashing when he inevitably starts a tier 1 fixture.

The teeth gnashing against individual players is always a no-no. They didn't make the system and they have to maximise their income in a short, precarious career. Keynan Knox at Munster will be the last player to be capped under that rule if he develops as hoped. Like you I'm glad to see the move to five years as the likes of the IRFU and SRU had completely broken the spirit of the rule.

salmocab

thomond2006 wrote: »

The teeth gnashing against individual players is always a no-no. They didn't make the system and they have to maximise their income in a short, precarious career. Keynan Knox at Munster will be the last player to be capped under that rule if he develops as hoped. Like you I'm glad to see the move to five years as the likes of the IRFU and SRU had completely broken the spirit of the rule.

Whilst I’m happy with the move to 5 years I think that someone coming here, living, working and paying taxes here is more the invested in the country than someone turning up like Bent did and getting capped (I’m on record around here as a Michael Bent fan).

KaneToad

salmocab wrote: »

Whilst I’m happy with the move to 5 years I think that someone coming here, living, working and paying taxes here is more the invested in the country than someone turning up like Bent did and getting capped (I’m on record around here as a Michael Bent fan).

To this day it still amazes me that Bent played for Ireland before playing for Leinster.

Scottmactom

You'd have thought leinster might have announced some contract news by now.