Munster Team Talk Thread - Beirne After Reading

Embarrassing result and performance.

No disrespect to Zebre but that's a shocking result for Munster. Very poor performance. Not Good enough

Poor Tony that must be crushing for him to be replaced by Murray Rowntree makes another crazy call

Rowntree should have made the switch earlier, Butler was having a tough time out there and Murray clearly made a difference.

It’s very worrying we had 6 starters in the pack out there. Aside from a couple of scrums in the second half, the pack were soundly beaten up front.
The URC site has the turnover stat 8-1 their favour. Were still so, so reliant on Beirne and POM to generate turnovers and pressure from the breakdown and lineout. We’d no other jackel threat out there, Zebre in the Q3 we’re just able to just own the ball and go through the phases as they will.

can anyone explain to me why Leinster who have an embarrassing amount of riches are the only province that have been able and allowed to strengthen their squad this season?

We have brought in players the other provinces are happy to leave go, billy burns is a 5/10 player, the connacht recruits are never going to be pushing for Irish places, basically all players not near international level, while perfectly good players like Frisch and RG have had to make way. We had a 13 playing 12 today, a wing playing 13 and an AIL player covering and having to put in a massive amount of minutes.

Haley is international level but cant get a look in, hes one solid season away from being brought into the English fold. Hes a better player than Nash who has proven to be able for the green jersey, its all the exact same thing that happened with Ben healy and frisch. Aint no way any of leinsters 10’s are a better player than Ben healy.

Even Crowley is only in the 10 jersey because frawley got injured on a tour designed specifically for him to play 10 and Jack took his chance. This years tour is being done for nobodys benefit only prendergast and Munster can ill afford to spare the players picked for that shite, we need Sean obrien, Ben oconner and Alex Klendennen in red against SA clubs not in Green, we are giving up capped starting players while others are not. Its fckuning ridicilous.

Its beyond a joke tbh, every move in Irish rugby is done to the betterment of the biggest bunch of chokers that have ever taken the field because they dont have the bottle to realise their headcoach is useless and should have been sacked a few years back.

Anyone know will the star players return for the croke park clash or is it likely the B teams will still be playing??

I think if your first port of call after a loss is to bemoan Leinster, then you're already on to a loser. Wrt Haley, Ireland are the best side in rugby currently. Making the squad is incredibly hard and selection is at a premium. He covers 15 exclusively and unfortunately for him, Hugo Keenan has probably been the best fullback in the world for the last few years.

Also Ben Healy clearly isn't that good. Lost his place to Crowley soon after the latter broke through. He's now close to losing his starting spot at Edinburgh and is 3rd/4th choice flyhalf for Scotland.

This is utterly hilarious.

Edit: an utterly embarrassing too, of course.

Which part do you think is true?

The bit where you **** on your own signings and players?

The paranoia about how England are going to call up 30 year old Mike Haley any minute now?

The piece about how the Ginger Scottish Ross Byrne is supposedly better than any of Leinster’s out halves? (This is my personal favourite).

Blaming defeat on the absence of Sean O’Brien, Alex “Klendennan” and Ben O’Connor?!

Munster are by far and away the least impacted team by the EI tour btw.

Or the embittered, nonsensical rant at the end where you just take pot shots at Leinster?

As I said - utterly embarrassing post. Nothing short of just provoking rows with mindless nonsensical provincial sniping.

Billy burns is a **** signing. Aint no two ways about that.

Mike haley is our best back 3 player.

I never blamed the defeat on missing players, but squad depth is a massive issue now and the shite going on off the field is making it worse. Thats indisputable.

Its not a pot shot when its true.

Munster got beaten up up front today, with 6/8 from their first choice pack playing; the very guys who on other occasions you and others are bemoaning their lack of recognition like Hodnett, Coombes, Barron etc.

The two guys you’re missing are 32 and 35 years old, so there is a very near future where Munster will be without both in all likelihood.

The loss today to Zebre, who played well and have some dangerous players but are still a team who hadn’t won a game in 10 months and lost to Cardiff last week, had next to nothing to do with the IRFU, or Leinster or anything else. It was your own players not showing up and taking the opposition for granted.

Mike Haley is a solid full back who defends the position well and carries hard in contact but he has an extremely limited distribution, is prone to brain dead decisions when trying to pass and is an average athlete at the top level who got beaten for pace over 40 metres by a Leinster second row. If he’s our best back 3 player (he’s not) we are in trouble.

What's the stuff going on off the field?