Take one player from each province

bingobango12

Leinster supporter

Ulster Robert Baloucoune

Connacht Cian Prendergast

Munster Craig Casey

Beirne from Munster

Hendo from Ulster

Aki from Connacht

Each one is imo the best player in their respective squad.

El Vino

Mack Hansen

Dan Sheehan

Iain Henderson

What Munster probably need most is props but Sheehan's age profile and ability stand out, other provinces props are arguably an upgrade on what we have but not dramatically better. I think Mack Hansen would score a lot of tries with Munster's new game plan and finally Henderson is a Lions quality player and an addition to any team

pickarooney

I thought I'd take this a step further for the craic. Imagine you're some sort of super/evil Nucifora (Lucifora?) and your sole mission is to make all four provinces equally competitive, with the power to redistribute any player to any team. I literally just threw the names randomly on the page as they came into my head but if I had been bothered to rank the players properly I'd have used a draft system to allot them properly. There's probably at least 10 players that should be swapped out altogether and a load I've missed but sure... The players don't have to be IQ/IE or anything, just currently playing for one of the provincial teams

Ulster

1. Kilcoyne
2. Sheehan
3. Ala'alatoa
4. Ahern
5. Ryan
6. Baird
7. Hodnett
8. Coombes
9. Casey
10. Sexton
11. JOB
12. Ngatai
13. Hume
14. Earls
15. Keenan

Connacht

1. Porter
2. Kelleher
3. O'Toole
4. Treadwell
5. McCarthy
6. O'Mahony
7. Van der Flier
8. Deegan
9. Cooney
10. Carbery
11. Lowe
12. Aki
13. Frisch
14. Baloucoune
15. Lowry

Munster

1. Healy
2. Barron
3. Furlong
4. Henderson
5. Murray
6. Ruddock
7. Penny
8. Kendellan
9. Gibson-Park
10. Burns
11. Hansen
12. Henshaw
13. Fekitoa
14. Larmour
15. Haley

Leinster

1. Loughman
2. Herring
3. Bealham
4. Jenkins
5. Thornbury
6. Beirne
7. Timoney
8. Doris
9. Murray
10. R. Byrne
11. Stockdale
12. McCloskey
13. Ringrose
14. Conway
15. Porch

JaCrispy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119933338#Comment_119933338

Munster fans doesn't think Leinster have a good young crop.

And whats the Munster spirit? The spirit that results in losing more games than you're winning or not winning a trophy in over a decade? If that's the spirit, then there are not many players who would want to "buy into" that.

Ulster - Hume

Connacht - Hansen

Munster - Any of the our exiled Leinster brothers, to save them from rugby damnation.

Jump_In_Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120006410#Comment_120006410

Irony - Leinster supporter enraged that Munster supporter doesn’t think Leinster players would buy in to Munster spirit stating Leinster players wouldn’t buy in.

Edited per mod warning.

aloooof

Mod Warning: Personal abuse is against the charter.

Dubinusa

What is this "Munster" spirit? Seriously, are Munster more spirited than Castres? Or any other team. I don't understand this sentiment.

Certainly if there is something magical or otherworldly about this spirit, it's beyond me.

Loughman, Conway, Patterson, Beirne are all Leinster products. Salanoa also. Why would these lads buy into the spirit but, young Leinster players wouldn't? Would Kelleher buy into this mantra? I'm sure you would take him if he was available.

JaCrispy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120007019#Comment_120007019

Where did I mention that I didn't think Leinster players wouldn't buy in this "spirit". See you didn't explain what this mythical (ergo farcical) is. If this "spirit" encompasses consistently losing games, raiding Leinster and Johannesburg for players, misinterpreting intermittent wins as new dawns and boresome rugby for a decade then I don't think many players would buy into that "spirit". But since you haven't defined what this "spirit" encompasses then it's all academic really.

If you want to define this "spirit" then please elaborate. I'm all ears.

The Munster spirit probably means something different to everyone.

There are many historical performances in the pre professional era (beating all blacks etc) but for me I think most of it comes from that team of the 2000s.

They weren't the biggest team (Irish teams were slower to adapt to the professional game) but they were a fairly relentless force with a popular game managing 10 (O'Gara).

The extra two inches they were able to find in the mid late 2000s was definitely about more than just talent and fitness and it came at a time when the game was surging in popularity hence where a lot of the talk about spirit comes from.

It's a ludicrous suggestion these days of course. There is no reason a talented player from any province wouldn't fit right in at Munster. That's not to say the club doesn't have a good spirit or culture, more I doubt theirs is any better than any of the other provinces.

realhorrorshow

How Boards is it that a fun hypothetical question has devolved into an argument about Munster spirit.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120007552#Comment_120007552

The "extra two inches" they were able to find in the mid late 2000s was from having a fully international 1-10

Dubinusa

It's delusional though! What about the Ulster spirit? The Bath spirit? Did Van Grann buy into this spirit?

The munster spirit is nonsense. Talent, competition in the squad and at practice, and relentless work ethic is the formula. Its not innate to one team.