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

Dear god.

Clegg

Hon JOB

accensi0n

Reckon he could be the Ireland full-back for the next 5 years.

Nobody more surprised than Jimmy O'Brien to score that try...!

Synode

That was just gorgeous. Take a bow Jimmy

Interested Observer

Dave Kearney cannot stop scoring. Based on his form over the last full 12 months he'd be a better option than a few of the players in the Ireland squad.

bilston

accensi0n wrote: »

Reckon he could be the Ireland full-back for the next 5 years.

Did you not say exactly the same thing about Hugo Keenan in the Ireland thread last week?

O'Brien looks the business though.

Good try by Cardiff

accensi0n

bilston wrote: »

Did you not say exactly the same thing about Hugo Keenan in the Ireland thread last week?

Yeah, just mess'n. :pac:

Clegg

Leinster would be better off keeping things tight for a while. Coughed the ball to quite a lot when going wide.

pickarooney

bilston wrote: »

Did you not say exactly the same thing about Hugo Keenan in the Ireland thread last week?

O'Brien looks the business though.

Good try by Cardiff

Larmour and Keenan are beaten dockets. Looking forward to JOB's career being ended by an academy prospect next month.

Clegg

That was farcical

Exclamation Marc

Nice to have a second half where the bonus point is still up for grabs for a change.

vienne86

Jimmy O'Brien off.

Clegg

JOB off for Michael Silvester.

Crying shame for JOB as he was having another stormer. Hopefully he's fit again soon.

Clegg

Did you see Baird hunting down Cardiff's 9? Good thing he passed otherwise he'd have been smashed.

molloyjh

Clegg wrote: »

Did you see Baird hunting down Cardiff's 9? Good thing he passed otherwise we'd have been smashed.

The pace of him was impressive!

Akrasia

Cardiff No 5 looks like a nasty eye injury. Hopefully nothing too serious

Akrasia

leinster getting away with murder here

Baird needs to get his body lower in contact that close to the line.

Akrasia

stupidly long knock on advantage there

Miriam Gonzalez Durantez

Shocken kick out on the full by Byrne there

Clegg

Lovely try there tbf. Lots of quick pick and goes to get past the Cardiff line.

Clegg

Scott Penny is a try scoring machine. So good at that low drive towards the line.

Squidgy Black

That has to be one of the least enthusiastic tries I've seen, was like nobody even realised it was given

Clegg

Harry Byrne has been excellent tonight. Few dodgy kicks from hand but generally played at a high level.

accensi0n

Hope that guys eye is OK.

vienne86

Clegg wrote: »

Harry Byrne has been excellent tonight. Few dodgy kicks from hand but generally played at a high level.

Agreed. He really had to manage the game and he did it well.

Clegg

This is getting silly. Cardiff generally defended well and made a mess of the ruck for Leinster. But we still scored six trys and won by 35 points.

https://twitter.com/leinsterrugby/status/1330590552769896453?s=09

molloyjh

It was a bit of a mad game. Cardiff for large parts were better than anyone we've faced this season. We pummelled away at their line for a while in the second half and couldn't get the score. Shortly before we finally did get it, when we were 19-5 ahead, I worried that Cardiff would start to turn the momentum around of the back of the issues we were having getting the score. Is 28 mins the longest we've gone without scoring this season?

But this is ultimately what I'm happiest about after that game. We never let it get to us. None of the young lads panicked. We just dug in and found a way to get the score we needed. And once we did, that was it. 21 points in 12 mins. With 15 mins left I was worried that Cardiff might start making things difficult for us. Then we end up winning 40-5. Mad.

molloyjh

molloyjh wrote: »

It was a bit of a mad game. Cardiff for large parts were better than anyone we've faced this season. We pummelled away at their line for a while in the second half and couldn't get the score. Shortly before we finally did get it, when we were 19-5 ahead, I worried that Cardiff would start to turn the momentum around of the back of the issues we were having getting the score. Is 28 mins the longest we've gone without scoring this season?

But this is ultimately what I'm happiest about after that game. We never let it get to us. None of the young lads panicked. We just dug in and found a way to get the score we needed. And once we did, that was it. 21 points in 12 mins. With 15 mins left I was worried that Cardiff might start making things difficult for us. Then we end up winning 40-5. Mad.

I don't think Leinster have an across the board massively higher quality of player than there opposite numbers given the squads going out.

I think Leinster are very well coached and have a LOT more belief than other pro 14 teams.

Confidence has a huge part in making things work in sport and Leinster are spilling over in that regards.

The December 2017 game against Munster was a hinge for Leinster in that the squad depth belief in there ability to win was copper fastened against a strong Munster. It's never gone away at a provincial level albeit it's been lost internationally and perhaps justifiably.

Rugby is in all sorts at the moment.