Leinster Team Talk Thread (Love you Furlong time)

They got what they deserved today.

By Ian Cameron 2 hours ago

Leinster player ratings: Leo Cullen’s men fell only their second loss of the season, but they can have no complaints with this 35-22 loss to Scarlets, as it probably was Leinster’s messiest performance of the season.

We rate the Leinster players:

1. Cian Healy – 7
A typically combative showing from the veteran, scrapping for every inch at scrum time. Carried with plenty of venom too, even if he didn’t quite get Leinster on the front foot as much as he wanted.

2. Ronan Kelleher – 4
Could easily have seen yellow for an aerial challenge and never fully recovered his rhythm. Flashes of his dynamic carrying game were there, but his poor discipline left plenty to be desired. Not an ideal showing for the Lionslong-shot.

3. Thomas Clarkson – 6
A gorgeous pass to put Culhane away showed he’s not just a scrummager, but he creaked under Scarlets’ pressure at the set-piece. Gave away a costly penalty for holding on.

4. Ryan Baird – 6
Didn’t put a foot wrong but struggled to stamp his authority on the contest.

5. Brian Deeny – NA
Lasted less than a quarter of an hour before injury struck.

6. Alex Soroka – 5.5
Tried to tread the fine line between aggressive and reckless but fell foul of the referee more than once. Came close to scoring late on but it wasn’t quite his afternoon.

7. Will Connors – 6
Steady and industrious without really catching the eye. A classic shift full of unseen donkey work.

8. James Culhane – 7.5
Showed a nose for the line with a well-taken close-range try. Strong in the carry and busy throughout.

9. Fintan Gunne – 7
Passing was crisp and his decision-making kept Leinster ticking. Not at fault here.

10. Ross Byrne – 6.5
Kicked accurately and even pulled out a side-step or two. Blotted his copybook slightly with a needless intercepted pass, but otherwise a decent outing.

11. Jimmy O’Brien – 6
Linked play nicely and distributed well in attack. Gave away an avoidable penalty which handed Scarlets field position at a bad time.

12. Jamie Osborne – 5.5
Took his try well after the Mangan charge-down but was guilty of missing several tackles. A mixed bag but still showed flashes of what he can do.

13. Liam Turner – 7
Made a couple of important turnovers and was willing to bustle in heavy traffic. Couldn’t quite finish off a clean break but put in a shift.

14. Andrew Osborne – 4.5
Lost a ball in the air early and never fully recovered his confidence. Caught out for Tom Rogers’ try too.

15. Ciaran Frawley – 6.5
A steady presence under the high ball and ran back kicks with real intent. One of Leinster’s best on a night when they needed a few more to front up.

REPLACEMENTS

16. Gus McCarthy – 5
Bounced around with energy but a messy offside boot at a ruck gifted Scarlets points.

17. Jack Boyle – 6
Conceded a penalty for hands in the ruck after arriving at the breakdown like a runaway shopping trolley.

18. Rabah Slimani – 6
Improved the stability of the Leinster scrum after Clarkson departed.

19. Diarmuid Mangan – 6.5
Charged down Costelow’s kick superbly to set up Osborne’s try and got himself a meat pie too. A lively cameo with just a few rough edges.

20. Scott Penny – 5
Threw himself into everything but didn’t really swing the momentum back Leinster’s way.

21. Cormac Foley – 5
Sniffed out a defensive lapse for a late break and was solid overall.

22. Charlie Tector – 5
Needs to add a little more polish — fired too many missiles at his forwards’ ankles.

23. Ruben Moloney – NA
Not on long enough to leave an imprint.

Very low for a Leinster performance 3 or 4 over 7, and lots 5 or below. Always will be a few ajar and you spotted the outliers as did I. Boyle to me was a 7 and Ross a 6 only due to his points from tee, 5.5 in main play just not dialled in. But no matter who does a rating there will always be disagreement it’s nearly the point of them

Find I rarely agree with ratings at all, sometimes wonder if the person even watched the game.

Pretty dreadful performance yesterday but how the squad has done to this point allows them to have that and rest every starter for next week.

Some positives from it I thought Baird, Soroka, Osbourne and Boyle were good. Kelleher, Boyle and Byrne the only ones we will likely see next week. Maybe Baird if covering second row on the bench.

harsh on Gunne who I felt was good all round , created & saved a try, and bar the box kick that didn’t move too far along he left a few nice hangers, what struck me was the lack of chasers as they were very contestable. Opposite for Scarlets who took a lot of ball in the air. Byrne & Osborne both had disappointing games, but when the team is off form it can be hard to drag yourself ahead. Agree with Catinbox terrible all round but the drastic changes doesn’t help the team performance

So Leinster have the SF this weekend, if they win are the front-liners going to be wrapped in cotton wool again until the final? It's 3 weeks from the SF, that is too long imo, they need to play again before that.

has to be a mix & match with Glasgow at 2

Fair point Podge, although momentum also important going into it if we get to that point

Biggest difference for me this year is Prendergast, that game last year was the game that confirmed Byrne limitations at the top level. Everytime the guy touched the ball their defence sagged off him and he didn't carry the ball. Prendergast isn't a prolific carry threat but he is a break threat Ala that break against Glasgow.

Lawes and Ludlum are big misses but to me Pollock looks like England's best back rower, his stats this tournament have been ridiculous aswell.

We have better creative options this season. Last year was the JGP show. He's a brilliant 9 and everything was going through him. That wasn't really an issue either as he was in such good form. He's playing brilliantly this season too, but we function better in attack with Prendergast at 10. He's a far better playmaker than Byrne.

Last seasons final against Toulouse showcased our limitations. A lot of moves broke down in midfield and/or the final pass was dropped too often. JGP was at the heart of everything we did well, but with Prendergast and Barrett alongside him we have a greater threat as well as taking some of the burden off him.