Following on from here
New Munster chat thread folks. warning deserved there. https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=109477571#post109477571
some of those penalties were clearly the wrong call and should actually have been penalties to Munster. Haley getting pinged for no clear release when he wasn't even the tackler just to give one example.
If those penalties were reversed, Munster are in the Saints 22 and looking for the bonus try
Munster's 'luck' in not getting a yellow card for repeated infringements is one way of looking at it, another way is that the referee appeared to be focussed on rewarding the team in posession, which made it look like Munsters discipline was worse than it actually was
Yeah, I agree.
I also think it's a huge game for Peter O'Mahony
In the last few Mun v Lei games he has let himself down with his attitude and lack of intensity. He needs to lead the team from the front and make Leinster hate coming to Thomond again
I remember having a similar argument with another poster after the Toulouse game last year that claimed Toulouse were awful in attack. That doesn't happen in a vacuum, and Munster's defence went a long way to cause that.
Same situation vs Northampton I thought, completely shut them down.
Wonder how many of the internationals will we have to choose from due to rest etc ….would love to see a strong team out as beating Leinster would be huge ….hopefully Ben Healy gets a chance over festive period as well
I wonder if there's a change POM may not play in this one. Expect both himself and Beirne to miss Ulster game anyways.
Officials for St Stephen's Day
Referee: Chris Busby
Assistant Referees: Joy Neville, Peter Martin
Television Match Official: Brian MacNeice
hopefully Ben Healy gets a chance over festive period as well
Looks like they're backing Crowley, so I would hope they follow through on that and put him in at 10 either against Leinster or Ulster, and Carbery in the other. The Lions are here the first weekend of Jan, think that's the game for Healy.
Interestingly, the one game Crowley has started at 10 this season (vs Ulster) Healy was on the bench but Crowley played the full 80.
Healy was very good vs SA tho, so gonna be dificult to balance the minutes. Personally would like to see Carbery start v Leinster, Crowley v Ulster and Healy v Lions.
I definitely think we'll see a stronger team at home vs Leinster than we will away vs Ulster alright anyways. Before the international break, the game in the Kingspan isn't a game I was expecting much from, but both sides have completely flipped their form since then so could be an interesting one. Pressure will be on Ulster to win at home.
Have Carberry and Crowley played every game since the AI’s? I know Crowley Benched for a couple but he has been involved in all iirc. If the 7 from 9 includes sub appearances. You’d expect Carberry and Crowley to sit out one each of the Christmas games, with Healy on the bench. Then Healy starting against the lions, possibly with Crowley on the bench. The Carberry with Healy on the bench for Treviso.
Yep, Healy hasn't featured since the SA game during the AI's, but Crowley has featured more at 12 than 10. I think a large part of that is down to Carbery's improved form.
Surely Crowley isn't in the same category as the likes of Beirne when it comes to minding their game time. He's played less than 1/5th of Beirne during the recent AIs.
If they're lumping them all into the same "rule" then you'd question why Beirne had to start v Fiji in a "nothing" game
I’m hoping Ben Healy doesn’t end up moving to Glasgow due to lack of game time, but he definitely seems to be behind Carberry and Crowley in the pecking oder. If he’s going to move I would like to see him go to Ulster or Connacht so we don’t lose him from the Irish system.
Considering our usual injury profile I'd hate to see him go, but if he's not getting game time I couldn't blame him
If he has any test ambitions, he needs to go to Scotland. With their paucity of options, he's likely to get a few caps and from there, who knows what might happen? It could significantly raise his profile and market value if he then looked for an English/French move. He's only 6 months older than Crowley so has over a decade of rugby left if he stays injury free.
If he's happy to remain in Ireland, Ulster will surely have been sounding him out. They're starting Doak at 10 tomorrow. They don't have an established back up outhalf so he'd automatically be in the 23 in Europe. I'm a fan of Billy Burns but if Healy got himself playing consistently, he has the potential to move past Burns and become first choice.
With that said, if Ulster are serious about being contenders and want to upgrade on Burns, they should be looking at someone better than Healy.
Would Healy be better off at Glasgow? They seem to have a few decent options at OH. Duncan Weir is still only 31 which surprised me, I have to say.
I like Healy. He's still young with scope to improve. Ulster would be a good move.
I'd hate to see Healy go, with Carberrys injury profile whats to say Healy isnt starting soon again, he has bags of potential with this attack style aswell, so its a case of managing game time for him.
Probably the fact that Crowley is ahead of him too. I'd expect one start for each of Carbery, Crowley and Healy over the next three games.
I like Healy but is it the result of him only committing to a one year contract that he is being sidelined? Makes more sense to develop those squad members who have opted for longer contracts?
Munster: Shane Daly; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Jack Crowley, Keith Earls; Joey Carbery, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, John Ryan; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne; Jack O’Donoghue, Peter O’Mahony (C), Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Josh Wycherley, Roman Salanoa, Kiran McDonald, Alex Kendellen, Craig Casey, Rory Scannell, Patrick Campbell.
Haley, Hodnett & Loughman unavailable due to knocks from last week.
I think it's simply that Crowley has been better, tbh.
Oddly, I think, based on nothing but a hunch, that Munster asked to keep Haley at home from the EI tour, then we playing poorly and Frawley getting injured means Crowley got an opportunity and fair play to him, he grabbed it.
We could well have crowley and joey gone for international duty. If healy leaves its a bit of a disaster
That's true and Munster want to keep him, last time around they offered him a longer contract but he wanted a one year contract. Hopefully it doesn't come back to bite him.
theres a reason a lot of the Scots get contracts outside of Scotland... money...
if he looks for a scottish contract, he'll be on less cash, and he doesn't need it, as he is half scottish...
if he finds a contract in England or France, he will get more money and can still play for scotland...
It seems to be hurting him now with less game time, even given the fact that Crowley is probably better.
Crowley's versatility is hurting Ben as Jack can now start at 3 positions or cover them from the bench. Our poor start to the URC is hurting him too as we've less margin of error than the 2 Irish provinces that are ahead of us.
I still think he'll get game time before we switch back to ERC games, up to Ben then to show what he's capable of then. My hope is we retain him for another season at least
Contracts for next year are already done..
There's no more "showing"
So is Healy staying?