Leinster Team Talk Thread (Love you Furlong time)

Where was it rumoured to be a one year deal? I was under the impression it was more of a financial issue.

Lowe has been visibly in decline ever since the World Cup and is starting to pick up more injuries. Not surprising. He’s a 34 year old winger. It happens. This is not the loss it’s being made out to be. He’s a had a brilliant run. He’ll go down as one of our best ever wingers. He doesn’t owe Ireland a thing, but equally Ireland doesn’t owe him a thing. It’s just time to move on. We’re usually overly sentimental and way too slow to move guys on when the time comes so hopefully this is the beginning of us becoming better in that regard.

Sure Farrell will be the same next year when as his own contract expires and renewal discussions kick off.

I think the coming years will be interesting to see how things develop. Irish players will be looking for far more money and the IRFU won't be able to compete. They can offer better conditions under their player management systems etc but players need to offset that against financial benefits. I made a decision in my own career to take a lower pay cheque for better work-life balance because I have my own priorities.

I reckon players will be upping sticks and heading overseas more frequently. But it's hard to know what that looks like from an international perspective.

We are now well and truly in a money-talks era.

If we're talking potential Leo successors, I would be over the moon if we snagged Contepomi. Fulfills the romantic/sentimental needs of a fan base, having a former player and coach taken over. Also meets the technical and tactical excellence requirement in that his Argentina side plays great rugby.

It would definitely mean the end of Cullen however. I can't see any coach of the pedigree of Contepomi or Robertson agreeing to coach under somebody else. I think we got lucky that Lancaster was so burned out by his England experience that he was happy with the arrangement. Same with Nienaber. Think he was happy just to coach.

Various articles saying it.

A: I want 2 years @ €x per year.

B: We are offering 1 year @ €(80% or 120% of x).

So it's always financial.

He’s never been particularly pacy even when he arrived at Leinster. His skills have always been more related to strength in contact and in his finishing, breaking tackles and getting offloads off. A skill set that could be utilised closer in if you have other options out wide. We’re quite skinny at 12 with Frawley off and Henshaw looking finished. Osborne is the obvious 1st choice but hasn’t been fully backed there and used quite often at 15. Tector is an option but beyond that we’re light considering it’s a quite attritional position.

If the money isn’t there to renew someone like Lowe, is the money there to pay off the coaching team early and hire a whole new set?

It sounds harsh, but I tend to agree. He'll always be a great player, but if money is tightening, then it's just fair enough. I hope it was done with handshakes and smiles, but I suspect it was probably a bit more acrimonious than I'd like it to be.

Leinster can't afford to spend big money on a player who will probable play more for Ireland than leinster and will be a 34 year old winger.

People want investment in players for the future and this is it. Investment means playing a younger player with potential but isn't as good as the older player they're replacing yet. If they were already as good or better, then it wouldn't be an investment, it would be playing your strongest team.

Yeah, I'd like to see all of Osborne, Tector, Cooney, Ciaran Mangan, and Jack Deegan step up a rung and get correspondingly more gametime. Maybe Connor Fahy too, but I'm not as familiar with him.

It wouldn't be a surprise if they brought in yet another centre though. There was this in a 42.ie article a day or two ago:

Two of Leinster’s current NIQs, Rieko Ioane and Rabah Slimani, are leaving at the end of this season, meaning that RG Snyman will be their only NIQ player for 2026/27 as things stand.

However, Cullen hinted that this could change. 

“Ongoing conversations is the way to put it,” he said. “Ongoing conversations, yeah.

“We always love to add, but listen, everyone needs to understand that there’s another mandate here, isn’t there? As in, me as a Leinster coach who’s employed with the IRFU.

“So make sure everyone understands that there are other factors at play there. It needs to fit with what the union needs to happen, so that’s always a challenge.

“We’ll try to keep adding as best we possibly can, but it’s not like there’s a quick fix out there.”

I wouldn't. We were losers in the final Lancaster years and failed to convert dominant regular seasons into any trophies. Glory days they weren't. We at least won something again under Nienaber.

There are reports that Shaun Edwards is leaving France with immediate effect. He's a defence coach looking for a job...

Reports are from the less reputable sources at the moment. The ruck, Wales online.

Doubt leinster is planning to fire Neinaber though.

The France defence conceded 50 points to Scotland and 46 to England in successive Six Nations matches. There's a reason they're letting him go.

If you don't want Nienaber at Leinster due an incompatible meshing of styles, you shouldn't want Edwards who may be an even bigger issue. His defence is failing.

Lesinter did win one Champions Cup and 4 league titles when Lancaster was with Leinster and the rugby on view was IMHO much more enjoyable to watch.

The glory days were the years around those first 3 Champions Cup victories. But Leinster did win at least 1 Champions Cup and 4 league titles during Lancaster's time with Leinster and played some really attractive rugby while doing so. Lancaster's trophy count for his 7 years at Leinster at 5 in 7 years including a Champions Cup in there is very solid.

I did not ignore anything. All I have pointed out in the series of above posts is that under Lancaster Lesinter had some success and the rugby was very attractive to watch. I never claimed Lancaster's time were the glory years. I clearly stated those were the years around Leinster's first 3 Champions Cup victories. I am simply making the point that IMHO Leinster had some success (5 trophies in 7 years is very solid) and the rugby was very enjoyable to watch. Whereas currently IMHO the entertainment value of the rugby under Nienaber is significantly worse and we will see how the rest of this season plays out in the URC but so far trophy wise he has not shown any indication that we will see any uptick in that regard.