Munster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

kerrysdad · 20-06-2011 11:44AM

May God have mercy on his soul.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dilis.

ormond lad · 20-06-2011 11:45AM

Very sad news, sincere sympathies to his wife and children.
RIP Paul

Tomtom364 · 20-06-2011 12:47PM

RIP Paul, he was true great.

Thoughts with his wife and 4 little children.
As well as his extended family, friends, colleagues and team mates.

wixfjord · 20-06-2011 12:54PM

Wow that's terribly news.

May he rest in peace, and hopefully the money raised last night and throughout the cycle will allow the family to live easily, and go some way to curing that horrible disease.

WeeBushy · 20-06-2011 12:54PM

Terribly sad news and he will be missed by a lot of people.

May he rest in peace.

NeitherJohn · 20-06-2011 02:52PM

RIP

Rickwellwood · 20-06-2011 02:58PM

RIP - very sad news

phog · 20-06-2011 05:26PM

So sad for his family and his friend. He seemed to have died so suddenly in the end, I was shocked this morning when I read it.

Who'll ever forget ROG wheeling Paul out to the podium in Thomond Park for the presentation of the tropy at the ML final, so poignant now.

My condolences to his wife, children, family, friends and team mates.

RIP

buck65 · 22-06-2011 10:05AM

New DVD released!
Magners League Final, highlights of the season and Australia game. Ordered mine today.
http://www.mrsc.ie/munstersup/www/News_Detail.aspx?rowid=58756
Glad this is out, will always be able to look back at possibly our greatest ever panel - Quinlan, Hayes, Warwick - when will we ever see the like again.

profitius · 24-06-2011 01:59PM

With everyone wanting Munster to sign a big name this summer, how much would you like to see Munster spend on that players wages? The French are really driving up prices throughout the rugby world and its putting more pressure on the provinces so Munster might have to pay big bucks for a Nonu.

Instead of paying €300,000 per year on big name signings it would be far more beneficial to invest that on developing the game in Munster. €300,000 can pay for alot of development officers!

ormond lad · 24-06-2011 02:09PM

profitius wrote: »

With everyone wanting Munster to sign a big name this summer, how much would you like to see Munster spend on that players wages? The French are really driving up prices throughout the rugby world and its putting more pressure on the provinces so Munster might have to pay big bucks for a Nonu.

Instead of paying €300,000 per year on big name signings it would be far more beneficial to invest that on developing the game in Munster. €300,000 can pay for alot of development officers!

id rather sign a decent argie prop or two then a guy like nonu who would be on very high wages. our scrum needs help and if not that, spend the money on development officers who dont feel they need to spend half their time working in the main rugby schools like some of the current development officers do and spend a lot ot time in areas where rugby is not strong and can de developed

GerM · 24-06-2011 02:17PM

Munster definitely have to be conscious of having some form of depth at prop. They're losing a few props this summer and Botha has now been named in the S.A. training squad which includes 3 uncapped props. Not beyond the realms of possibility that he'll be with South Africa during the world cup in which case you would have to think Munster won't see him until almost November. Will be interesting to see how things play out.

CatFromHue · 24-06-2011 02:38PM

just looking on the munster website and they have listed barnes, mafi, gleeson, dineen, barry murphy, tuitopu, and johne murphy as being able to play centre.

considering that barry murphy and tuitopu are gone. im not sure whats the story with dineen and gleeson but i've read on here that they wont be getting contracts for next season. that leaves barnes, mafi and johne murphy as the centres for next season. keatley has played in the centre a few times for connacht and id love to see dennis hurley trialed at 12 but its still extremely light. there is only 2 recognised specialist centres in the squad.

munster have earls, howlett and jones in the back 3 and rog and murphy/stringer/o leary at half back. bringing in an extra centre could make munsters backs very potent next season. im not sure if nonu is the answer though.

thomond2006 · 24-06-2011 03:04PM

Hurley at centre isn't a bad idea, I can't see him getting gametime in the back three with Howlett, Earls, Jones and I rate Zebo higher than him as an attacking player.

TopOfTheRight · 24-06-2011 03:24PM

Anyone know if Luke McAlister or Benson Stanley ended up signing for anyone yet?

CatFromHue · 24-06-2011 03:38PM

luke mcallistair is going to toulouse and stanley is staying with auckland from what i gather.

im not sure either would be what munster need though

thomond2006 · 24-06-2011 04:38PM

Surely there will be an announcement soon, strangely there's been very little rumour about a signing though.

Spiderpig92 · 24-06-2011 04:59PM

with ian keatley gone to munster, where does that leave o'gara lads?

GerM · 24-06-2011 05:03PM

Spiderpig92 wrote: »

with ian keatley gone to munster, where does that leave o'gara lads?

Tutoring Keatley, his understudy.

TopOfTheRight · 24-06-2011 05:08PM

It leaves him exactly where he's been this season doesnt it? defying doubters

Keatley will get plenty gametime during the WC to show what he can do, his versitility will prove useful i would think later in the year

Tomtom364 · 24-06-2011 05:34PM

Spiderpig92 wrote: »

with ian keatley gone to munster, where does that leave o'gara lads?

Keatley is moving to Munster to fill the outhalf bench spot.
Any talk of ROG being benched (before matchs are played and form is show/not shown) is just silly buisness or unwarrented ROG bashing.

24-06-2011 06:01PM

Keatley is moving to Munster to learn under ROG, play games off the bench behind him, offer him a chance at taking a rest for some of the "lesser" games, and providing cover for him during the World Cup.

There isn't a hope in Hell that Keatley is going to Munster to become a bench warmer, he's going there to learn from one of the best, and hope to usurp his crown.

thomond2006 · 24-06-2011 06:15PM

Keatley will get a lot of starts next season. He'll have the jersey for at least 6 weeks during the World Cup and I've no doubt ROG will still be involved with Ireland during the Six Nations too.

wixfjord · 24-06-2011 08:36PM

buck65 wrote: »

New DVD released!
Magners League Final, highlights of the season and Australia game. Ordered mine today.
http://www.mrsc.ie/munstersup/www/News_Detail.aspx?rowid=58756
Glad this is out, will always be able to look back at possibly our greatest ever panel - Quinlan, Hayes, Warwick - when will we ever see the like again.

These DVDs are a pure moneyspinning joke!

durkadurka · 24-06-2011 08:47PM

thomond2006 wrote: »

Keatley will get a lot of starts next season. He'll have the jersey for at least 6 weeks during the World Cup and I've no doubt ROG will still be involved with Ireland during the Six Nations too.

ROG is getting on. 34 and a half by the time he next wears red. Hes still baby faced but it must start to take its toll soon. He might not start many ireland games so mightn't be too bad on that front.this could be his last year as number 1 outhalf.

GerM · 24-06-2011 09:19PM

Age is already taking its toll on ROG even if some people don't see it. His kicking range is diminishing rapidly. I'm not sure he stuck over a single kick from around halfway over the course of the entire season. He did, however, turn down several kicks from that area of the pitch including a couple against Quins that would have dragged Munster right back into it in previous seasons. His kicking from hand isn't as long either. Since getting away with the kick against France in the 6N he seems to have reduced the ground he's going for more often than not in the knowledge that he's playing with fire going for those extra few yards.

His general play hasn't as been affected as other outhalves would have been due to his fantastic rugby brain and the fact that he's a more controlling outhalf than a running one and that buys him an extra season or two. I don't think he'll be first choice Munster outhalf by the time his contract expires though. He'll be 36 at that point and if Keatley has not usurped him, Munster will be in difficulty. They can't keep replacing retiring players with NIQ players. I've always been of the opinion that ROG will be the hardest player of all to replace for Munster. POC is fantastic but what he brings is based more on physical attributes that can be achieved and a mental toughness that can be built to an extent. What ROG has is innate.

durkadurka · 24-06-2011 09:29PM

As far as I can see ROG is even more talismanic for munster than bod is for Leinster. Definitely the greatest HEC player by a mile.

Keatley doesn't look like a replacement to me but let's see how he pushes on.

Judgement Day · 24-06-2011 10:00PM

I don't know, I wasn't Keatley's biggest fan a while back but he has come on a lot in the last season - probably something to do with dropping that awful bobbing motion before taking penalties + conversions. But, what is it that he mumbles to himself before taking his kicks these days - anybody?

thomond2006 · 24-06-2011 10:02PM

Hopefully Cusack will get a start or two during the World Cup too. He's been in the system for two years now and hasn't shown much when selected. He's had injuries too.

Deasy too has a point to prove. He was getting regular gametime at the start of the season but seemed to fall off the radar by the end.

Tomtom364 · 24-06-2011 10:22PM

thomond2006 wrote: »

Deasy too has a point to prove. He was getting regular gametime at the start of the season but seemed to fall off the radar by the end.

Deasy has proven imself to be useless. great attacking with ball in hand and a broken field. but good lord his defence is shocking. always dropping off tackles

Munster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

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