Following on from here
New Munster chat thread folks. warning deserved there. https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=109477571#post109477571
Kendellen has had (like most of the squad to be fair) a great tour in SA.
The lads that are playing in the front row have done a good job this season and let nobody down and got us to this point, no point talking about injured players. It’s the here and now.
Murray looked very sharp and back to his 2019 form.
Thoughts on Eoghan Clarke? I'm interested to see how he progresses over the next year. He was a big prospect coming out of underage rugby, if memory serves. I got the impression he was close to making the Leinster Academy but got a big injury at a bad time. Then it looked as if he wasn't going to make it at Munster as a senior player, but now he's back from Jersey and has got ahead of Scott Buckley. I wonder where he can get to. Can he eventually push his way into the starting team?
He's got size on his side anyway (112kg), if internet stats are to be believed.
Very impressed by him, its also a lovely story. We had one scrum at the weekend with Loughman, him and Jager which looked really powerful.
Was Kendellan playing 7 these last couple of games? Think I posted a few weeks back that it could be his best position. Don't think he has what's needed for 6 or 8 but he's impressed me the last few games. Thought he was everywhere the other day
Super trip down to SA & to come away with full points is a really timely lift at this stage of the season after the sh1tshow of injuries we've had, not giving up the title without a fight.
The week off will be good after the trip but part of me wants to keep momentum going
What’s our best available 23 for Connacht?
Maybe,
Loughman, Scannell, Jager,
Beirne, Ahern,
O’Mahony, Coombes, Hodnett,
Murray, Crowley,
Daly, Nankivell, O’Brien, Nash,
Zebo.
Bench: Clarke, Wycherley, Ryan, Snyman, O’Donoghue, Casey, Carbery, Haley.
Kendellen and Frisch to come into the starting 15 for the following week against Edinburgh.
A few of the bench to rotate into the starting 15 as well against Edinburgh.
The bomb squad approach seemed to work well in SA. I know you lose a huge workload when Hodnett and Coombes aren't on the pitch but they're proper game-changers off the bench.
Jack O'Donoghue has justified his starting place, after another long injury absence, got through a world of work in both games in SA, and a try against the Lions to boot. Don't remember him giving away any penalties, which has been an issue in the past.
Has Zebo doen enough to warrant a contract extension, heard he might be off at end of this season
I get the feeling it will be his decision.
He's one away from catching Vincent Clerk for 2nd in the champions cup try-scoring records. Must be tempting.
Would be happy to see him stay, he's done well this season and still has plenty to offer you'd think. Fullback isn't somewhere we've a lot of options
Need a GIF of that Zebo dink over the outhalf! Even the chip ahead before was class. I could watch that passage of play all day!
He looked really commanding in the air and calm with the ball in the bits of the games I saw.
they are probably boosted by have such a good 2nd row now in Klein and RG
I'm a huge fan of Kendellen
He's class alright. I was nervous when he had a quiet start to the season. he's really stepped up again though.
I still don't know where his future is going to be in terms of position. Given that he's not a massive guy, my thought was that he should focus on mobility and be a 7, but then you have Hodnett there. I mean I'm thrilled to have both of them as options but it could make it tricky for Munster to hold onto both.
Really?
You barely mention the guy. 😂
On 68 minutes, and at altitude.
Kid's a bit of a freak.
Tactics worked
That's really interesting actually.
Avoiding the attack-from-turnover threat, maybe?
Yes, I read somewhere that Munster felt one of the threats from the Lions is their ability to go wide and attack from turnovers.
I think Wig came out with that stat in a pre-game interview.
It's where they absolutely hammered Leinster anyway.
I'd say they learned from the Leinster match the week before that Lions' defence in their 22 is fierce, so kicking for territory and taking points on offer was the best tactic to save effort trying to break them down in their half. Also the ball travels further at higher altitudes so no harm to kick long into touch and take on longer kicks at goal than usual, just don't give them opportunities to run it back in open play as they have speedsters in the back three.
Yes, kicking at goal for those early penalties seemed to a tactic too, normally, we'd have kicked tot he corner.
L’euipe are reporting to Antoine Frisch to Toulon is a certainty now.
https://x.com/pauleddison/status/1786412587996889573?s=46
Four years, sheesh.
They're eager
If munster get anywhere near the reported signing fee they wanted it'll be a good bit of business for them.
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