Leinster Team Talk Thread (Love you Furlong time)

Ala'altoa signed a 1 year deal in 2023 so they do, do them.

Best of luck to him, a great player for us over the years.

It is sad to see Ross go but his inability to play closer to the gain line is what cost him his spot at Leinster. He was way too comfortable sitting deeper just so he wouldn't get smashed and it cost him his spot with Ireland and Leinster because it hindered the attack. Now that is not me saying Byrne is a bad player, he was really good on his day for Leinster and was and will continue to be a fantastic servant for Leinster until the end of the season but I just wish he played a less conservative brand of rugby because the rest of his game is international standard and Gloucester are getting themselves a top player who will be one of the best fly halves in the Premiership in the next 12 months.

Best of luck Ross! Do us proud.

This move further demonstrates why the belief held by a vocal group that 'moving around Leinster players' is a credible solution to any problem is incredibly lazy and unsupported by evidence. Players are human and can't be shuffled around like in a computer game. Even if they are under contract, the IRFU can't force them to move to another province.

Another factor possibly influencing this move is Leinster's budget being impacted by new rules. The simplistic analysis that anyone leaving Leinster would end up in other provinces overlooks the fact that players must want to make the move. As a previous poster mentioned, each province needs to convince departing Leinster players of their plans, and currently, none seem particularly appealing compared to decent offers abroad.

In reality, a significant group just wants Leinster weakened. They will feign 'a loss to Irish rugby' but will be satisfied. While losses like this do chip away at their depth, it also opens the door for the next academy player to step up.

Ross had a great career here, hopefully the team can get it over the line this year and he can leave with a few more medals.

Frawley took an awful knock to the head in the Ireland A game and failed his HIA. No chance he's available for the Cardiff game next weekend.

Harry Byrne also failed a HIA. Bad day for 10's.

To be honest Leinster need to start prioritising a back up 10 option anyway, with Ross leaving and H.byrne and Frawley both made out of cracked porceline. Options to start giving game time at 10 would be Gabriel and Tector, sooner rather than later

We had four senior outhalfs at the start of the season too so there wasn't much room there either.

RB moving within Ireland wouldn't make any difference from an Irish team perspective, he's out of the picture there for good. The argument about moving players is relevant to younger guys at eh start of their careers who, with the opportunity to start more games, might develop into test players at other provinces where they might not have those opportunities at Leinster.

Last I heard they had reduced it down to one marquee player outside the salary cap.

It would be a feather in Byrne's cap if Gloucester did have him as their marquee player. I think Finn Russell is Bath's marquee player and he's supposed to be on £1 million or something. But of course not every club will have as big a backer as Bruce Craig.