Munster Team Talk Thread - Beirne After Reading

yes it doesnt compare directly, but kidney was picking guys like tony buckley, mick o driscoll, donncha ryan and even keith earls at the start, who werent first choice for munster at the time ahead of starters from other provinces. its not the exact same of course but its not exactly worlds apart either

i dont know what your definition of fact is, but scott penny was called into the irish squad ahead of hodnett. whether it was due to simply being nearer the squad already or whatever and not that it was of material difference anyway since neither was ever likely to be involved on matchday, this is what happened earlier this year

true that treadwell is probably the more likely player 'ahead' of kleyn, but both he and mccarthy are realistically 5/6th choice at this stage so it is unlikely to matter when it comes down to it

i sort of agree and disagree re coombes and prendergast. yes prendergast was 24th so he probably is ahead of coombes but i would think that is more down to covering more positions (much as coombes can technically cover the same positions, i dont think ireland see him as anything other than an 8)

as for your last point, yes fine but on the flip side you could say that when the real pressure was on, neither ulster nor leinster delivered and munster did. its all and well and good to do well in the 'league' part of the season but its about what happens in the last 2/3 weeks that matters. you could also argue that leinster could and really should have won the URC semi and the H Cup final, so you can frame things in lots of different ways but when it comes down to it the only province with silverware this year is munster

The Examiner has the fixtures here https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/arid-41182306.html

All 5:30 Saturday kick-offs. Somebody must like us this year

I can't speak to what other people may or may not have said going back five years, when a different coach was in charge of Ireland. It's the internet, pretty much every opinion possible will have been voiced by someone, somewhere at some time.

I do know what I said at the end of the 6N, which was that anyone who hadn't been involved up to then was very unlikely to make the RWC, and I was right. It doesn't fit with what we've seen from Farrell to date.

Munster’s form fluctuated over the course of the season, but I think it’s fair to say a core number of players have played very well all season. Or certainly since the SA game.

I’d have the likes of Kleyn, Hodnett, Nash, Coombes, Haley all in that category.

It was more the likes of Killer, Scannell, Barron, Archer, Fekitoa and JOD whose form was up and down during the season.

sticking with a successful squad makes sense of course

bringing two players who have consistently played very well all season (and for a few seasons now) into camp would also make sense, arguably more sense when it is a somewhat unlimited squad at the moment and when there is little to no proper cover in their positions in the squad currently