Clegg wrote: » Thread title should really be Champions Cup Semi Final Build: Leinster v TBC
Clegg wrote: » The match is in less than two weeks and there's a lot of questions for Leinster. Will Sexton rediscover his best form, does SoB deserve a place in the 23. Will VdF, Ruddock, Leavy Henshaw and Luke McGrath be fit? After a crap Six Nations there'll be a lot of lads wanting to make up for it. With a full strength team Leinster blow Ulster out of the water. But there's a lot of form and fitness worries. I still think we'll win, but it's not a foregone conclusion like it was pre Six Nations.
troyzer wrote: » The Ulster players bar Henderson were equally **** and struggling for form. And Henderson might not be playing
bilston wrote: » The Ulster players?...all two of them.
awec wrote: » If Henderson isn't back for Ulster we can forget about it. He is critical for us.
troyzer wrote: » Exactly. The Ulster players. Players. Plural.
bilston wrote: » I don't think it will affect us as much as a team with about 7 starters yesterday...
bilston wrote: » My optimum Ulster team for this 15 Ludik 14 Balacoune 13 Addison 12 McCloskey 11 Stockdale 10 Burns 9 Cooney 1 O'Sullivan 2 Best 3 Moore 4 Henderson 5 O'Connor 6 Reidy 7 Murphy 8 Coetzee 16 Herring 17 Warwick 18 Herbst 19 Treadwell 20 Timoney 21 Shanahan 22 Lowry 23 Lyttle Assuming Gilroy and Marshall won't be available.
Richie_Rich89 wrote: » Team I'd like to see: 1. Healy 2. Tracy 3. Furlong 4. Fardy 5. Ryan 6. Ruddock 7. Deegan 8. Conan 9. Gibson-Park 10. Sexton 11. O'Loughlin 12. O'Brien 13. Ringrose 14. Daly 15. Kearney 16. Byrne 17. Byrne 18. Porter 19. Molony 20. O'Brien 21. McGrath/Patterson 22. Byrne 23. Larmour I'm assuming Toner and Leavy won't be fit in time. I think if Leavy is absent it might be a good idea to have Tracy in over Cronin for his extra ruck presence.
Suspectman123 wrote: » So leave cronin out of 23 altogether??!!! One of our best players this year, joint top try scorer and up until uncle joe got his paws on him has been in great formCan’t take you seriously
stephen_n wrote: » What took you so long?
Squatter wrote: » Looking a R-R's team above, and ignoring the Cronin p1ss-take, I assume that all of the following will be unavailable for the game. Am I correct? Luke and Jack McGrath, Big Dev, VdF, Henshaw, D Kearney, Ferg.
troyzer wrote: » Is there any reason to think Addison will be available?
bilston wrote: » No. I don't think he will be, but he hasn't been ruled out. If not him then Cave gets the nod over Hume for experience.
troyzer wrote: » Why? At the risk of sounding like a dick, this is likely to be a one sided game. Not a blowout, but I'd be surprised if the result wasn't in doubt half an hour before the final whistle. If I was McFarland I'd be taking the view that Ulster have already exceeded expectations in his first year and that building for the future by blooding the kids in the cauldron of a European knockout is better than relying on a veteran who is nearing retirement. Cave gives you the better chance. Hume gives you the better future. I'm drinking some matcha tea at the moment so I'm feeling very philosophical and worldly.
[Deleted User] wrote: » I'm hoping Sexton's lack of accuracy was down to the quality of ball he was getting. I also hope that the callowness Ireland showed at the breakdown is an Ireland and not Leinster issue. I've seriously tempered my expectations for this season. Plenty of talent in Ireland but not firing on all cylinders. Will wait and see how we look in the warmups before I get too excited. If Leinster or one of the provinces can turn over Sarries or at least make a final I'll be happy enough. James Ryan is a very special player. Most mature performance on the pitch yesterday.
Clegg wrote: » Watch out with the Ryan praise. Not allowed do that. But seriously, you're dead right about the breakdown. Leinster's forwards blew away Toulouse and Wasps at the RDS and Wasps again in Coventry. It's also notable that Leinster's forwards come onto the ball at a run rather than standing still like they do with Ireland. It might be down to the fact you're afforded even less time on the ball at test level, but Leinster definitely have more success playing through the backs than Ireland have as of late.
[Deleted User] wrote: » I think a lot of Ireland's more cynical activity at the breakdown came under the microscope this six nations and we paid a bit of a price for that in terms of perceptions of our discipline. To be fair Wales were also a victim of this, particularly against France. I'm reserving judgement on Sexton until I see him play outside JGP or McGrath. He had absolutely no time on the ball this tournament and whilst line speed has it's part to play I felt that Murray's descent into Laidlawism could have had a part to play and the lack of fluency and accuracy of his passing meant the ball was dead or lost by second receiver much of the time regardless of whether Sexton got his hands on the ball or not. It's amazing to me that a team with Ringrose and Aki in it never saw the ball reach them in a whiff of space. I actually felt very sorry for Murray, when he threw the pass to no one with less than 10 on the clock his body language at the resulting scrum in the Irish 22 spoke volumes about where his head space was at. He's an intelligent, conscientious player so he'll be wearing this tournaments performances on his sleeve and I hope his injury hasn't physically limited his passing. His kicking being inaccurate is something I could see being down to confidence, but his passing was patently second grade and no where near what you would expect from an international level 10. Marmion should have started yesterday.
troyzer wrote: » I only figured out how to get the ref mic on my radio in the second half. I was treated to the utterly ****e commentary before that. But I remember laughing when Angus Gardner spoke to Best and said something like "I'm seeing a lot of cynical play here. Slowing down the ball and being a nuisance at the ruck". When a referee is saying that to you, you know you're ****ed. I mean, it's a core component of the game to be a ****house. Either we were too obvious or the game has changed. In either case, we have to change too. We've been much poorer at the breakdown this tournament on both sides of the ball. And as Andy Dunne says, we have more breakdowns than any other team in world rugby. It's simply not a place we can can afford to be less than perfect.
bilston wrote: » I fully expect Leinster to win but we will see if it's as one sided as you think it will be. Either way, we will be picking our strongest XV.
awec wrote: » Yea pretty much. I'd be telling Coetzee to hit Sexton as hard and as often as he can. Absolutely push it right to the limit, then see what happens.
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