Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread XII (The Byrne Supremacy)

ionadnapokot

Selfishly delighted that Ryan, Ringrose and Sexton didn’t get called up.
Think Leinster, Ireland and themselves will get more benefit long term not going.
The less rugby the better for them considering their injury profiles.

Fwiw i couldn’t give a fiddlers about the Lions & especially this “tour”.
I would have picked Ryan and Ringrose all the same!

eire4

ionadnapokot wrote: »

Selfishly delighted that Ryan, Ringrose and Sexton didn’t get called up.
Think Leinster, Ireland and themselves will get more benefit long term not going.
The less rugby the better for them considering their injury profiles.

Fwiw i couldn’t give a fiddlers about the Lions & especially this “tour”.
I would have picked Ryan and Ringrose all the same!

Agreed on both counts. Happy those lads are not going and IMHO the whole tour should not be happening at all anyway.

salmocab

ionadnapokot wrote: »

Selfishly delighted that Ryan, Ringrose and Sexton didn’t get called up.
Think Leinster, Ireland and themselves will get more benefit long term not going.
The less rugby the better for them considering their injury profiles.

Fwiw i couldn’t give a fiddlers about the Lions & especially this “tour”.
I would have picked Ryan and Ringrose all the same!

I’m pretty much in that camp too, haven’t really enjoyed the last few Lions tours, I’ll watch and hope they do well but aren’t really invested in them at all. Used to love Lions tours but it’s all so polished now that it’s lost something.

ionadnapokot

eire4 wrote: »

Agreed on both counts. Happy those lads are not going and IMHO the whole tour should not be happening at all anyway.

Yes. It’s a farce.
I think Porter will gain a good bit from going. He won’t be flogged and will be up against good scrummagers.
Conversely I don’t see any benefits for Furlong.

MaybeMaybe

ionadnapokot wrote: »

Yes. It’s a farce.
I think Porter will gain a good bit from going. He won’t be flogged and will be up against good scrummagers.
Conversely I don’t see any benefits for Furlong.

I'd imagine Furlong sees the financial benefits.

ionadnapokot

The farm wont

MaybeMaybe

ionadnapokot wrote: »

The farm wont

He could buy a new tractor and a rake of spuds

ionadnapokot

Pfff..what use is that if he's not there to cut the silage. Or do the calving. Or dose the sheep.
He didn't get his superhuman strength & dancing feet from scrum machines, weight rooms and playing tag.

Teferi

MaybeMaybe wrote: »

He could buy a new tractor and a rake of spuds

Real spuds. None of that orange shite.

jacothelad

ionadnapokot wrote: »

Selfishly delighted that Ryan, Ringrose and Sexton didn’t get called up.
Think Leinster, Ireland and themselves will get more benefit long term not going.
The less rugby the better for them considering their injury profiles.

Fwiw i couldn’t give a fiddlers about the Lions & especially this “tour”.
I would have picked Ryan and Ringrose all the same!

eire4 wrote: »

Agreed on both counts. Happy those lads are not going and IMHO the whole tour should not be happening at all anyway.

I feel the same, sort of Schrodingers Tour Syndrome. I want those who really want to go to be selected and also don't want them to go as the season after this tour usually produces indifferent performances from players. I want the Lions to play well and win but not at the cost of Ireland or the Provinces.

Rugby4568

MaybeMaybe wrote: »

I'd imagine Furlong sees the financial benefits.

And also it’s the biggest honour of a player career? It’s the pinnacle of a players career to make the Lions and an experience of a life time where you get to meet new friends from the other teams. You really think they’re going just for the money? Not at all.

P.Walnuts

Rugby4568 wrote: »

And also it’s the biggest honour of a player career? It’s the pinnacle of a players career to make the Lions and an experience of a life time where you get to meet new friends from the other teams. You really think they’re going just for the money? Not at all.

I dont think anybody is suggesting that

thomond2006

ionadnapokot wrote: »

Yes. It’s a farce.
I think Porter will gain a good bit from going. He won’t be flogged and will be up against good scrummagers.
Conversely I don’t see any benefits for Furlong.

Their bank balances and agents might disagree.

Dubinusa

The 2017 Lions tour destroyed Jack McGrath! He's never been the same!

FrannoFan

Dubinusa wrote: »

The 2017 Lions tour destroyed Jack McGrath! He's never been the same!

Still as a player you can't take that perspective!

"Ahhh no, disaster, been declared the best in my position in the home nations. Going to ruin my next season"

Mcgrath fall off could have happened anyway.

Irish players in a better position to weather a lions hangover. English lads will be back in club action a couple of weeks after landing.

But yea. Joking aside. Lions tours been a graveyard for players. SOB springs to mind.
I think it does young players good but maybe not so much veterans. (BOD often says seeing how wilkinson trained in '01 was such an eye opener to the standard irish players needed to reach)

AbusesToilets

FrannoFan wrote: »

Still as a player you can't take that perspective!

"Ahhh no, disaster, been declared the best in my position in the home nations. Going to ruin my next season"

Mcgrath fall off could have happened anyway.

Irish players in a better position to weather a lions hangover. English lads will be back in club action a couple of weeks after landing.

But yea. Joking aside. Lions tours been a graveyard for players. SOB springs to mind.
I think it does young players good but maybe not so much veterans. (BOD often says seeing how wilkinson trained in '01 was such an eye opener to the standard irish players needed to reach)

Ferris, Healy, BOD....

Former Former Former

Dubinusa wrote: »

The 2017 Lions tour destroyed Jack McGrath! He's never been the same!

It absolutely did not.

Following the Lions, McGrath won a Grand Slam, a European Cup, a Pro14, beat the All Blacks and won a test series with Ireland in Australia.

His CV in the 18 months following the Lions is better than most Irish players manage in an entire career.

It was an injury in November 2018 that started his problems, not the Lions.

Burkie1203

Dubinusa wrote: »

The 2017 Lions tour destroyed Jack McGrath! He's never been the same!

This year is different. The leinster contingent might see little gametime between now and when the tour starts. Season is over really

MaybeMaybe

Rugby4568 wrote: »

And also it’s the biggest honour of a player career? It’s the pinnacle of a players career to make the Lions and an experience of a life time where you get to meet new friends from the other teams. You really think they’re going just for the money? Not at all.

all those things can be true while still thinking of a nice pay day

Rugby4568

MaybeMaybe wrote: »

all those things can be true while still thinking of a nice pay day

They probably won’t be getting much money this year due to the pandemic

Rugby4568

ionadnapokot wrote: »

Yes. It’s a farce.
I think Porter will gain a good bit from going. He won’t be flogged and will be up against good scrummagers.
Conversely I don’t see any benefits for Furlong.

How can you not see any benefit from Furlong going? That’s like saying you don’t see any benefit of Furlong going to the World Cup. Lions is a bigger honour.

sebdavis

Former Former Former wrote: »

It absolutely did not.

Following the Lions, McGrath won a Grand Slam, a European Cup, a Pro14, beat the All Blacks and won a test series with Ireland in Australia.

His CV in the 18 months following the Lions is better than most Irish players manage in an entire career.

It was an injury in November 2018 that started his problems, not the Lions.

After the Lions tour McGrath form took a massive nose dive. Not many noticed because Healy came flying out of the blocks after the summer off, reclaiming his spot at Leinster & Ireland.

I remember he was on radio before Christmas 2017, he had come back with an injury and was going to get an operation over the period to be back for the 6 nations. He got back but only started one game in that 6 nations v Italy. His form continued to go from then on.

His CV might have been good but it was sitting on the bench when the year before he was clearly the number 1 for Ireland & Leinster. Even his spot on bench was questionable for Ireland due to his form.

I know a lot of people who would say the same and the Lions was the cause of his issues.

errlloyd

Personally, I think players lose form and game form all the time. I am not sure if the Lions is more likely to accelerate this effect than any other off-season, but I would say that I don't think the sample size is large enough to know either way.

It'll be worth it if Jack Conan turns into Kieran Read though.

molloyjh

sebdavis wrote: »

After the Lions tour McGrath form took a massive nose dive. Not many noticed because Healy came flying out of the blocks after the summer off, reclaiming his spot at Leinster & Ireland.

I remember he was on radio before Christmas 2017, he had come back with an injury and was going to get an operation over the period to be back for the 6 nations. He got back but only started one game in that 6 nations v Italy. His form continued to go from then on.

His CV might have been good but it was sitting on the bench when the year before he was clearly the number 1 for Ireland & Leinster. Even his spot on bench was questionable for Ireland due to his form.

I know a lot of people who would say the same and the Lions was the cause of his issues.

Are you sure that wasn't 2018 you're thinking of? He went for surgery on his knee in Dec 2018 but had played through the previous season with the knee injury. His form did dip that season, but not so badly as to keep him out of the Ireland team. He was a regular feature in 2018, albeit mainly from the bench. McGrath played the HEC games vs Exeter in Dec 2017 and started vs Munster in the Stephens Day game that year too.

EDIT: Should have gone on to say that the drop in form after Dec 2018 was so sharp as to keep him out of both the Leinster and Ireland first choice 23s, something playing through the injury never actually did.

Former Former Former

sebdavis wrote: »

After the Lions tour McGrath form took a massive nose dive. Not many noticed because Healy came flying out of the blocks after the summer off, reclaiming his spot at Leinster & Ireland.

I remember he was on radio before Christmas 2017, he had come back with an injury and was going to get an operation over the period to be back for the 6 nations. He got back but only started one game in that 6 nations v Italy. His form continued to go from then on.

His CV might have been good but it was sitting on the bench when the year before he was clearly the number 1 for Ireland & Leinster. Even his spot on bench was questionable for Ireland due to his form.

I know a lot of people who would say the same and the Lions was the cause of his issues.

This is all wrong. A 5-second google search would have told you that he had that operation in late 2018 to be back for the 2019 Six Nations.

arsebiscuits1

https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/arid-40283300.html

Great article by ROG exploring some of game tactics.

He was very open on one point. Stop Henshaw and stop Conan and you'd stop Leinster.

They were our 1 and 2 top carries on the day - Conan 18 Henshaw 11

Although to be fair I feel we adapted reasonably well and got Healy and Kelleher on the ball 11 and 10 times respectively.

But it shows why they're Lions tourists. A powerful team like LAR actively targeting them and they still got front foot ball - not as frequently as needed obviously.

But looking back at Conans performance he carried extremely well considering they targeted him. He carried 5 times for an exit strategy from a LAR restart and was absolutely hammered but still took contact on his own terms. He carried a lot off 9 as well and consistently won the collisions.

sebdavis

molloyjh wrote: »

Are you sure that wasn't 2018 you're thinking of? He went for surgery on his knee in Dec 2018 but had played through the previous season with the knee injury. His form did dip that season, but not so badly as to keep him out of the Ireland team. He was a regular feature in 2018, albeit mainly from the bench. McGrath played the HEC games vs Exeter in Dec 2017 and started vs Munster in the Stephens Day game that year too.

EDIT: Should have gone on to say that the drop in form after Dec 2018 was so sharp as to keep him out of both the Leinster and Ireland first choice 23s, something playing through the injury never actually did.

Sorry you are right, old age kicking in. Prior to the Lions he was clear first choice, after he wasn't and his form never recovered.

Maybe it wasn't the Lions, hard to know 100% but it certainly didn't help. SOB was critical of the coaching and was hug out to dry by alot of people. I think he alos said he played injured?

Lets just hope both Furlong & Porter come back ok along with the rest

sebdavis

arsebiscuits1 wrote: »

https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/arid-40283300.html

Great article by ROG exploring some of game tactics.

He was very open on one point. Stop Henshaw and stop Conan and you'd stop Leinster.

They were our 1 and 2 top carries on the day - Conan 18 Henshaw 11

Although to be fair I feel we adapted reasonably well and got Healy and Kelleher on the ball 11 and 10 times respectively.

But it shows why they're Lions tourists. A powerful team like LAR actively targeting them and they still got front foot ball - not as frequently as needed obviously.

But looking back at Conans performance he carried extremely well considering they targeted him. He carried 5 times for an exit strategy from a LAR restart and was absolutely hammered but still took contact on his own terms. He carried a lot off 9 as well and consistently won the collisions.

If you had Conan/Doris/Leavy it would be a different Leinster.

arsebiscuits1

Strong team

Former Former Former

I dunno, maybe the provinces are under orders to take this tournament seriously and pick teams accordingly?

I would really have liked to see more young guys out there. No one gives a f**k about the result.