Leinster v Connacht, Saturday. kick-off 7.35pm, eir Sport

The Lost Sheep

Leinster: Max O’Reilly; Andrew Smith, Jimmy O’Brien, Rory O’Loughlin, Dave Kearney; Johnny Sexton, Luke McGrath; Peter Dooley, James Tracy, Michael Bent; Ross Molony, Devin Toner; Ryan Baird, Scott Penny, Dan Leavy. Replacements: Seán Cronin, Ed Byrne, Tom Clarkson, Josh Murphy, Jack Conan, Hugh O’Sullivan, Liam Turner, Will Connors.

15. John Porch (27)
14. Peter Sullivan (5)
13. Sammy Arnold (10)
12. Tom Daly (34)
11. Alex Wootton (9)
10. Jack Carty (147)
9. Caolin Blade (118)
1. Denis Buckley (188)
2. Shane Delahunt (86)
3. Dominic Robertson-McCoy (58)
4. Gavin Thornbury (46)
5. Quinn Roux (104) (C)
6. Eoghan Masterson (100)
7. Conor Oliver (10)
8. Sean Masterson (7)

Replacements
16. Jonny Murphy (10)
17. Matthew Burke (16)
18. Conor Kenny (8)
19. Ultan Dillane (104)
20. Cian Prendergast (4)
21. Kieran Marmion (173)
22. Diarmuid Kilgallen (1)
23. Ben O’Donnell *

Zzippy

Feels like one where Connacht could build an early lead only to have their hopes dashed again when Leinster empty the bench.

irishbucsfan

Zzippy wrote: »

Feels like one where Connacht could build an early lead only to have their hopes dashed again when Leinster empty the bench.

Connacht will not take the lead at any point in the entire match

realhorrorshow

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Connacht will not take the lead at any point in the entire match

Well that's that then, call the match off.

Buer

Zzippy wrote: »

Feels like one where Connacht could build an early lead only to have their hopes dashed again when Leinster empty the bench.

I don't see it happening to be honest. Connacht might hit the front. They're going to throw the kitchen sink, I'm sure. But there looks to be such a gap in the numbers from 6-10 on either side that I just don't see Connacht ever really building a lead.

Zzippy

Buer wrote: »

I don't see it happening to be honest. Connacht might hit the front. They're going to throw the kitchen sink, I'm sure. But there looks to be such a gap in the numbers from 6-10 on either side that I just don't see Connacht ever really building a lead.

You're probably right, except the gap would be 6-8 and 10. Blade is at least on a par with McGrath. Edit: their relative influence tonight will totally depend on the ball they get from their pack.

irishbucsfan

38-6 I reckon

Ray Donovan

Am I right in saying that since John Muldoon scored the consversion the aggregate score is Leinster 150 Connacht 50?

An average winning margin of 25 points?

bayern

lower than usual with only 8 former leinster underage players in Connacht 23.

This could be the end for Connacht rugby tbh.

thomond2006

How dare those Leinster players go to Connacht. Imagine wanting to play pro rugby instead of sitting at home.

realhorrorshow

bayern wrote: »

lower than usual with only 8 former leinster underage players in Connacht 23.

What's the point in making this comment? Would you rather those players retired after leaving Leinster?

thomond2006

Ray Donovan wrote: »

Am I right in saying that since John Muldoon scored the consversion the aggregate score is Leinster 150 Connacht 50?

An average winning margin of 25 points?

This fixture last season can be discounted as Connacht could barely field a 23.
The three previous games were all close and I remember one or two being absolute belters.

The Lost Sheep

realhorrorshow wrote: »

What's the point in making this comment? Would you rather those players retired after leaving Leinster?

leave bayern/gorey guy/irishrugby ua alone.....

There's no point. There's more rugby teams fielded in the 6 biggest rugby schools in Leinster than the whole province in connacht and then you have the next 10+ schools before you talk about youths rugby

ClanofLams

bayern wrote: »

lower than usual with only 8 former leinster underage players in Connacht 23.

You should make a New Years resolution to get a hobby outside of Leinster juvenile rugby.

RugbyLover123

Is this game on Premier Sport 2 in Ireland? I see there is something down for 7.20 but doesn’t have a description. Only way of watching this live is if you have Eir Sub?

sydthebeat

RugbyLover123 wrote: »

Is this game on Premier Sport 2 in Ireland? I see there is something down for 7.20 but doesn’t have a description. Only way of watching this live is if you have Eir Sub?

Yes it's on one of the premier sports channels

irishbucsfan

You'd miss the minis at half time in the RDS but to be fair to Ulster/Munster their match was nearly as good a standard

Bonus point in the first 3 minutes for Leinster I reckon

The Lost Sheep

Marmion out. Colm Reilly on bench now

ElisaAtWar

At this stage it's hard to say what Connacht team will turn up but if you were to look it from an experience point of view Connacht should really be in with a shout. That said Leinster are so good at eking out bonus point wins and Connacht off 3 losses it's hard to say what will happen. So it's a fingers crossed game from a Connacht perspective

Zzippy

irishbucsfan wrote: »

You'd miss the minis at half time in the RDS but to be fair to Ulster/Munster their match was nearly as good a standard

Bonus point in the first 3 minutes for Leinster I reckon

That long? Why so nervous?

Dave_The_Sheep

Who is the other change other than Marmion? Heard it was someone "feeling unwell". Could be a scurrilous rumour though.

StevenToast

Liam Toland

TG4 it is so

molloyjh

Dave_The_Sheep wrote: »

Who is the other change other than Marmion? Heard it was someone "feeling unwell". Could be a scurrilous rumour though.

Clarkson for Leinster is out due to "feeling unwell".

Larbre34

I've just had a huge pang of something like homesickness.

I miss plastic pints and overpriced Eddie Rockets fries and hip flasks and acrid steam rising from the busy urinals and getting well on with a few lads and the skit on the Terrace and accusing the Ref of being responsible for invading Poland and retreating up to the Waterloo for a few warmer uppers.

I know there are people sick and bereaved out there tonight but I'd love a friggin sold out festive match.

Akrasia

Larbre34 wrote: »

I've just had a huge pang of something like homesickness.

I miss plastic pints and overpriced Eddie Rockets fries and hip flasks and acrid steam rising from the busy urinals and getting well on with a few lads and the skit on the Terrace and accusing the Ref of being responsible for invading Poland and retreating up to the Waterloo for a few warmer uppers.

I know there are people sick and bereaved out there tonight but I'd love a friggin sold out festive match.

Never been as cold in my life as the New Years trips to the sportsground

mailforkev

I feel ya, I haven’t been able to dip out 3 mins early, in the freezing cold, to beat the rush and get a table at the back of Crowes in nearly a year!

Clegg

Ref never called advantage over from that knock on.

Akrasia

Illegal binding by Leinster in the scrum. Nothing to see here

SqueakyKneecap

Brilliant from Carty

sydthebeat

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Connacht will not take the lead at any point in the entire match

Hummmm

UAEguy2020

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Connacht will not take the lead at any point in the entire match

Wicked prediction there!

schmoo2k

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Connacht will not take the lead at any point in the entire match

Dum dum dum...

Akrasia

Great start overall from Connacht

Paul Smeenus

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Connacht will not take the lead at any point in the entire match

I see your rugby knowledge is every bit as profound as I thought it was.

Bazzo

StevenToast wrote: »

Liam Toland

TG4 it is so

He actually made a good point spotting the black arts bind from the Leinster flank in the scrum. Gobsmacked

Moloney telegraphed that tbh.

errlloyd

Was Conn hooker not offside for the previous intercept? Carty looked okay.

Former Former Former

That's woeful from Molony

crisco10

Clegg wrote: »

Ref never called advantage over from that knock on.

He did. Just as the ruck formed that molony picked it from.

Zzippy

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Connacht will not take the lead at any point in the entire match

Kraftwerk

No idea what Kearney was at there.

Paul Smeenus

Zzippy wrote: »

Confidence > knowledge

crisco10

Connacht doing everything right so far.

Harsh on leavy there, no idea what he was supposed to do.

Clegg

Lost two lineouts out of two.

crisco10

Lol. Toland calling the lineout beautiful when it was a steal.

Sexton looking a whiff off the pace.

crisco10

Forwards need to step up and carry a bit more here. Going wide off slow ball is just giving connect targets

Thrashssacre

crisco10 wrote: »

Lol. Toland calling the lineout beautiful when it was a steal.

Honestly thought he was trolling but evidently not.

Paul Smeenus

Kick tennis already

Dave_The_Sheep

Deleted User wrote: »

Sexton looking a whiff off the pace.

Hardly surprising.

Connacht very impressive so far.