Leinster vs. Connacht, leg the second (Aviva, Friday 14th April Stupid 5.30pm, BT Sport One)

Shehal

If that is a red we will have another Ireland Italy 2022 situation

Immaterial as it was a yellow.

Former Former Former

That's a red.

That's deliberate contact to the head.

Absolutely thuggish. Fat ****

JRant

He's a very lucky man to only see yellow for that.

Hurrache

Ah lads, it's certainly high danger with a shoulder directed to the head, no attempt at a tackle whatsoever.

Clegg

Connacht have let themselves down today.

Utterly outplayed and resorted to thuggery to make an impact.

razorblunt

Connacht subs let themselves down last week when they came on with stupid penalties and offences that warranted penalties. Aungier keep in that going this week.

Dave_The_Sheep

Absolutely no desire to give a red card in this game. Pure charity from Pearce there.

BrokenMan

Yellow for Bundee was right for me but that's a red for Aungier.

Clegg

Connacht getting Italy'd

JRant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118931996#Comment_118931996

VdF's team didn't even have the ball and it was about 5 yards from the ruck. No arms, shoulder to the head.

Clegg

Has TOH last a bit of pace? Looks like JOB and Keenan were eating up the metres between them.

72sheep

The commentary team must be getting paid for every time they say "red zone". Already helping the new rugby CEO solve his rugby is an "under-commercialised product" problem. Of course the game of rugby will be the winner and not US hedge funds!

Clegg

Thought the Ringrose pass might have been forward

If it wasn't then it's rivalling the Keenan pass Vs Japan as pass of the season.

Sexton and Aki have a few digs at each other

Dave_The_Sheep

That's absolutely fine as a pass.

you'd get a better crowd during covid lockdown

Dave_The_Sheep

Carty is having a genuinely **** game.

ElisaAtWar

That pass was.so forward and not even checked

connachta

Vid Ref now ruining most of rugby games

At first it was about checking tries

now it's spending half of the time checking old action to see on-shoulder tackles

that's shiting everything, haeth reason doesn't change that

Strand1970

Just muted the game and it a better experience

Clegg

Carty started the game well, but has been abysmal since. Kicking from the tee has been awful as has his general play. It's hard when your pack has been minced, but that doesn't excuse the numerous individual errors.

Zeugnis

Fortunately for Aungier, there was nothing on the line. But this ill-disclipined rubbish from Connacht has got to be cut out. Three cards between two legs...

Clegg

Leinsters first phase play is the best in Europe.

Every carry gets beyond the gain line and the attacking alignment is perfect after that.

Clegg

Would like to see Frawley come on. Game is well over and would be good to have another playmaker in the centres to get the ball wide.

RichieRich_89

Anyone who thinks the Ringrose pass was forward simply doesn't understand the physics at play. It was clearly, clearly well backward.

BrokenMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118932083#Comment_118932083

2 cards. But I agree discipline had been very bad this season in general

JRant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118932081#Comment_118932081

I don't think any OH would look good today playing behind a pack so comprehensively beaten. He's made some errors alright but it's been a function of the Leinster pressure more than anything else.

Zeugnis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118932099#Comment_118932099

I was including Daly's red from the first leg.

Clegg

Ciaran Frawley winning a turnover on the deck against Papali'i and Aki clearing out just shows how the game has gone today.

Strumms

Really starting to boil my piss having to squint at the tv with one team wearing turquoise and the other blue…. Whomever designed the Connaught jerseys wasn’t the brightest spark.

Clegg

If I'm being critical I have to say that Leinsters second half has been a bit sloppy and we definitely saw a dip in quality when the replacements came on.

But overall it's a decent performance and we did killed the game off in the first half. I was very impressed by how Leinster strangled the game away from Connacht in the first half.

briandebum

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118932134#Comment_118932134

Really starting to boil my piss having to squint at the tv with one team wearing turquoise and the other blue…. Whomever designed the Leinster jerseys wasn’t the brightest spark.

BrokenMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118932117#Comment_118932117

Dalys red was in the URC game but regardless your point about discipline is absolutely correct.

Clegg

I wouldn't have given MoTM to Lowe. He was very good, but the game was won up front by Leinsters forwards getting over that gain line constantly.

Probably would've given the award to Doris again. Thought he was excellent today.

razorblunt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118932036#Comment_118932036

Yer man asking Contepomi the question at half time took the biscuit, waffled on for ages asking the questions, Contepomi answered in a dozen words with a smile.

AbusesToilets

Think Ross Bryne had a real nice spell today. Two exceptional efforts to create tries. Can't see how he doesn't get a spot for NZ if he keeps the form up.

Zeugnis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118932144#Comment_118932144

Yes, my bad. All these Leinster games have become a blur of pain :) Have to say, I'm sick of the sight of them!

crisco10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118932146#Comment_118932146

Totally agree. Would have given it to Josh, but the principle is the same.

Zeugnis

Must say, I'm very fond of James Lowe. Great player and a good egg.

AbusesToilets

Lowe is just pure class

hysenberg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118932095#Comment_118932095

I don't understand the "physics at play".

Genuine question, could you please enlighten me on how to know the difference?

ersatz

Connacht's inconsistency is maddening. They have a few decent players coming in and an excellent team of individual players in situ but something is wrong when they can't string a series of performances together. That said, Leinster are hitting the high gears after a so so season so far. If they keep this level of forward play up they'll be very hard to beat in Europe this year. The difference Kelleher and Porter bring is really something to watch.

I'd say RB has booked his ticket to NZ over the last few weeks. He is head and shoulders ahead of any other ten bar Johnny in the country. Say what you like about him playing deep but the guy creates chance for his backs and doesn't make mistakes. You can't say that about any other others as none of them have done it with any consistency, some because of a lack of game time and some because they just aren't at the level he is at.

TRC10

We've been down this road before.

Ross Byrne is not an international fly half.

Yeah he looked good today against a poor team behind a dominant pack with world class players all around him. Test rugby is a different animal, as he's shown when given chances before.

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118932179#Comment_118932179

If you're running at pace and you pass a ball, even if you pass it backwards, the forward momentum you have from running can still see the ball drift forwards from the spot it was thrown

Akrasia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=box08lq9ylg

Former Former Former

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118932203#Comment_118932203

Right.

But who else do we have that is?

ersatz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118932203#Comment_118932203

You're assuming there's a cabinet somewhere with another international out half sitting on a shelf, there isn't. We've been through the before too. There are a couple of maybes out there but HB and Carbery are busted flushes, Carty is not impressing particularly, Healy is a maybe who we will learn more about if Munster can stay in Europe, Frawley will be lucky to play any ten other than shuffling players around late in URC games. It's last man standing stuff at ten right now, and RB is standing out in an otherwise ordinary group.

TRC10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118932248#Comment_118932248

You're assuming there's a cabinet somewhere with another international out half sitting on a shelf

No I'm not. It may well be that Sexton is our only international class 10. But just because Byrne is the least poor, doesn't make him good enough.

All I'm saying is Ross Byrne isn't an international fly half and at 27, isn't going to turn into one. Taking him to NZ is a waste of time. Because we'll just ending up saying what we already know and what we're saying about Carbery. He's not good enough. He looks good for Leinster behind a dominant pack in a highly cohesive system with world class players inside and outside him. Carty would look just as good in blue.

We'd be better off taking Healy or even trying out Frawley. Worst case scenario is they aren't good enough, in which case we're no worse off than we'd be with R.Byrne.

SqueakyKneecap

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118932203#Comment_118932203

Carty's inconsistency is gonna cost him for NZ. He hasn't put 80 minutes of solid game management together in a long time.

Podge_irl

We would absolutely not be better off trying out Frawley, that is just silly.

Ross Byrne isn't good enough, but I don't think we are going to have good enough options outside Sexton come the RWC so its a case of having the least bad options.