The old format seemed better to me... Maybe we have to bed into this one with a little more time..
Paps going was a risk not fully playing off... It was worth it and someone else could get a very good player. We just can't risk the red cards... Would like to see Soroka coming west for his good. Of course we would love and need Deegan, it might be very good for Deegan too...
Yea it will take a long time to get used to this format if it stays. Playing teams that don't have to play each other and probably going up against totally different teams for the top 8 takes away a lot of the edge I think.
Like playing Stade and Leicester who play Bristol amd Bordeaux all to be left fighting it out with Quins and Wasps (For example) for a place in the top 8 doesn't give familiarity any opportunity to breed contempt. Even in the NFL you have your 6 division games every year. When there's so many teams in the pool/group/conference whatever there's really no point looking at the table until after round 3 as there's so many variables, whereas otherwise you'd be looking at the other result and thinking bonus point/ need a win or whatever next week
I see the branch are still selling the 3 game package for after Christmas but in reality, is it in any way likely the Stormers game will go ahead? They would have to travel before the 29th December and isolate for 10 days (training??) just for one game. Same for Leinster v Lions the same weekend.
I wonder is there a chance they might reschedule the Connacht-Leinster game to that weekend to fill the gap? They did similar for the SA derbies when the Munster/Scarlets/Cardiff/Zebre games couldn't go ahead down there.
Hopefully they don't reschedule the Leinster game. 3 interpros in a row followed by two more weeks in Europe would be tough going.
ah i must have misunderstood what i heard earlier. i though it was said that he is already gone to brive, which would have required a buy out.
Looks like dowling, Duggan and burke all d say our training today. New loose head could be thrown in for a start
TOH, Robb, Fifita'a looks back on training pics too, Tuimauga's there
Aki is MASSIVE boost
I'd go with Tuimauga 17 with Duggan 1 and Burke rested after HIA
Bealhan 3 MCoy 18
Aki/Bolton
Arnold or TOH 23
Fifita'a 19
The rest unchanged, even McNulty!
Not sure Delahunt will be there though, Murphy then
http://tigersfamily.co.uk/interface/external_view_email.php?AT916757347483300116641330zzzzz64fa362e45b8daf16dff5e11a6c221655b043e4aefed4a0f69dfe5bd2f4d022e70&varId=
Team named, hopefully no mass changes like last week.
CONNACHT RUGBY MATCHDAY 23 VS LEICESTER TIGERS
Sunday 19th December, 13:00 @ Mattioli Woods Welford Road
Number/Name/Caps ( * denotes uncapped)
15. Tiernan O’Halloran (195)
14. John Porch (45)
13. Sammy Arnold (24)
12. Bundee Aki (112)
11. Alex Wootton (25)
10. Jack Carty (167) (C)
9. Kieran Marmion (194)
1. Mattthew Burke (31)
2. Dave Heffernan (152)
3. Finlay Bealham (166)
4. Ultan Dillane (121)
5. Niall Murray (23)
6. Cian Prendergast (16)
7. Conor Oliver (28)
8. Jarrad Butler (81)
Replacements
16. Shane Delahunt (108)
17. Tietie Tuimauga *
18. Jack Aungier (21)
19. Leva Fifita (3)
20. Abraham Papali’i (16)
21. Caolin Blade (138)
22. Conor Fitzgerald (42)
23. Diarmuid Kilgallen (4)
Looks a good team - I like the combination of Ultan and Murray in the second row. With all the covid chaos, you'd have to wonder if they'll actually end up playing though. Time will tell.
Some serious physicality on that bench. Will be needed against this Leicester side. Wiese is a big danger for them.
Neither Ford or Genge have been picked for Leicester - that helps.
That's a strong Connacht side, although I would have left McNulty at 15. Tiernan has a lot of credit in the bank and I hope that he shows his selection was justified. Once Mack is back there can be no passengers in the back three - we have too much potential to maximize.
Leicester team.
15 Bryce Hegarty [4]
14 Freddie Steward [42]
13 Matt Scott [32]
12 Dan Kelly [28]
11 Hosea Saumaki [4]
10 Freddie Burns [83]
9 Ben Youngs [270]
1 Nephi Leatigaga [51]
2 Nic Dolly [10]
3 Joe Heyes [82]
4 Harry Wells [135]
5 Eli Snyman [6]
6 George Martin [25]
7 Tommy Reffell [57]
8 Jasper Wiese [25]
REPLACEMENTS
16 Julián Montoya [11]
17 James Whitcombe [9]
18 Dan Cole [274]
19 Calum Green [70]
20 Ollie Chessum [18]
21 Marco van Staden [6]
22 Jack van Poortvliet [30]
23 Guy Porter [27]
Freddie Steward is a real threat (if the game goes ahead, of course). I watched him on the telly playing for England in the Autumn Series and he was fantastic. Scored tries against South Africa and Australia.
I watched him on the telly also.
Good start from Connacht. Should have done better with that line break though
Arrrgggh Porch/Wootton was in there if Arnold got the offload away!
Great time to score. Connacht deserve the lead. Good game.
Connacht were excellent from minutes 25-40. Was about to say it was a shame they couldn't convert their possession dominance to points. Then the intercept happened.
Tigers changed their entire front row and have got 4 pens from the 4 scrums since.
That knock on from O'Halloran when he should have kicked it now looking to be a very costly mistake.
The one positive from this is its running time off the clock.
Yer man's pronunciation of Aungier is hilarious
Sadly Connacht are throwing this away in typical Connacht fashion.
Carty blew it.
X2
When Connacht get into this position the game is already up sadly, they will just continue to shoot themselves in the foot until they have nothing left.
Carty can do great things in attack but his game management and tactical kicking has been astonishingly poor and will seriously go against him when it comes to Ireland selection
5 pens and a yellow card won since Leicester changed their entire front row. And 14 points conceded by Connacht during that yellow. Things were going pretty well up to that point.
That knock on summed up the half.
Beyond woeful.
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