Munster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

Amazotheamazing · 08-11-2011 10:53AM

Justin Beiber, conrad Murray, no wonder Munster rugby has lost it's soul, too many guys watching X factor and not enough with it.

thomond2006 · 08-11-2011 03:08PM

Was at the training session again today.

Earls was there in crutches, Sherry was in a leg brace.

The backline was as follows:

9. Murray
10. ROG
11. Hurley
12. Mafi
13. Barnes
14. Dougie
15. Murphy

with TOL, Keatley and Chambers as subs.

No idea with forwards.

Judgement Day · 08-11-2011 03:19PM

Where's Peter Stringer these days? Not injured or quietly retired I hope.

Hype710 · 08-11-2011 03:19PM

Hurley there for his defence against Ashton. Sensible move in my view. Great to see Barnes ahead of Chambers. Hopefully POM and Coughlan in for Ronan and Leamy. O' Callaghan and Ryan both needed in the pack as the Saints pack is huge and Clark on the blindside is a tall, athletic player like Ryan.

pajunior · 08-11-2011 03:23PM

thomond2006 wrote: »

Was at the training session again today.

Earls was there in crutches, Sherry was in a leg brace.

The backline was as follows:

9. Murray
10. ROG
11. Hurley
12. Mafi
13. Barnes
14. Dougie
15. Murphy

with TOL, Keatley and Chambers as subs.

No idea with forwards.

Would you ever go to class! you already skipped the whole of last semester :P

thomond2006 · 08-11-2011 03:25PM

Judgement Day wrote: »

Where's Peter Stringer these days? Not injured or quietly retired I hope.

With the A squad.

pajunior wrote: »

Would you ever go to class! you already skipped the whole of last semester :P

Procrastination mate!

Fireball07 · 08-11-2011 03:59PM

thomond2006 wrote: »

Was at the training session again today.

Earls was there in crutches, Sherry was in a leg brace.

The backline was as follows:

9. Murray
10. ROG
11. Hurley
12. Mafi
13. Barnes
14. Dougie
15. Murphy

with TOL, Keatley and Chambers as subs.

No idea with forwards.

I'd favour a centre partnership of Chambers and Barnes. There's no point signing Chambers then sticking him on the bench, and I think Barnes is good. Mafi can be good if he's on form but otherwise he's a liability.

Amazotheamazing · 08-11-2011 04:30PM

Fireball07 wrote: »

I'd favour a centre partnership of Chambers and Barnes. There's no point signing Chambers then sticking him on the bench, and I think Barnes is good. Mafi can be good if he's on form but otherwise he's a liability.

Possibly too early to risk a Chambers Barnes partnership though, at least mafi and barnes have played a few games together.

wixfjord · 08-11-2011 05:35PM

Has this been posted yet?
Earls out for 6 weeks according to PR, missing 4 rounds of HEC.

http://planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_7298731,00.html

Amazotheamazing · 08-11-2011 05:55PM

wixfjord wrote: »

Has this been posted yet?
Earls out for 6 weeks according to PR, missing 4 rounds of HEC.

http://planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_7298731,00.html

It's four to six weeks, there's a chance he'll be back for the Scarlets games. This injury is a disaster for him and for Munster, he was just getting back into his best form with Ireland.

Amazotheamazing · 08-11-2011 11:24PM

Nearly forgot the B&I Cup kicks off this weekend too. Anyone know who's in the squad?

Would hope we'll play

Kilcoyne Henry Cotter
Nagle Foley
O'Callaghan, O'Hara, Butler
Williams
Cusack
Zebo
Hanrahan
Hircock
O'Dea
Scanlon

but suspect we'll play something more like

Hurley Henry Ryan
Nagle Foley
DOCv.2, TOD
Butler
Williams
Deasy
Zebo
Dineen
Gleeson
O'Dea
Scanlon

There's a handful of guys playing for Munster A (or thereabouts) that could bolster Connacht's HEC squad, particularly ahead of some of the NIQ's Connacht have. Nagle and Henry from the pack anyhow.

Fireball07 · 08-11-2011 11:40PM

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Nearly forgot the B&I Cup kicks off this weekend too. Anyone know who's in the squad?

Would hope we'll play

Kilcoyne Henry Cotter
Nagle Foley
O'Callaghan, O'Hara, Butler
Williams
Cusack
Zebo
Hanrahan
Hircock
O'Dea
Scanlon

but suspect we'll play something more like

Hurley Henry Ryan
Nagle Foley
DOCv.2, TOD
Butler
Williams
Deasy
Zebo
Dineen
Gleeson
O'Dea
Scanlon

There's a handful of guys playing for Munster A (or thereabouts) that could bolster Connacht's HEC squad, particularly ahead of some of the NIQ's Connacht have. Nagle and Henry from the pack anyhow.

Well Nagle could/should be challenging for a Heineken Cup place for Munster too. He's a very promising player and needs gametime. Henry is 5th choice hooker at Munster...maybe should be higher, but if you think he'd get gametime for Connacht, then a move could be good for a player like him.

Podge_irl · 08-11-2011 11:42PM

Fireball07 wrote: »

Well Nagle could/should be challenging for a Heineken Cup place for Munster too.

Except he's not and won't.

ormond lad · 08-11-2011 11:48PM

Fireball07 wrote: »

Well Nagle could/should be challenging for a Heineken Cup place for Munster too. He's a very promising player and needs gametime. Henry is 5th choice hooker at Munster...maybe should be higher, but if you think he'd get gametime for Connacht, then a move could be good for a player like him.

Nagle is behind 3 of irelands world cup squad and Mick O Driscoll and judging on appearances this season billy holland, i dont know how he will be able to show he is capable of playing HEC this season(whether he is good enough or not)
He has only made 2 sub appearances this season so far. He wont be near the HEC unless there is injuries(and several at that)
Himself, Foley(who i rate) and Holland have big decisions to make on their futures.(but why did they sign new contracts recently) Why Holland is still with us i dont know- Hes 26 and doesnt ever look likely to start or be involved in european or big pro 12 games

Amazotheamazing · 08-11-2011 11:49PM

Fireball07 wrote: »

Well Nagle could/should be challenging for a Heineken Cup place for Munster too. He's a very promising player and needs gametime. Henry is 5th choice hooker at Munster...maybe should be higher, but if you think he'd get gametime for Connacht, then a move could be good for a player like him.

Realistically, POC, DOC and Ryan are all ahead of Nagle, and possibly MOD too. I'd like to see him play HEC rugby this year but his injury in the preseason and Ryan's form make it unlikely, imo.

Behind him, there's Holland, who could do a job for Connacht, or Foley, Hayes and possibly Donnellan who could be useful players for Connacht.

There's also the u20's guys like Buckley and O'Flaherty, who are obviously miles from the senior team but might get more from playing for Munster A than Nagle would.

Amazotheamazing · 08-11-2011 11:52PM

ormond lad wrote: »

Nagle is behind 3 of irelands world cup squad and Mick O Driscoll and judging on appearances this season billy holland, i dont know how he will be able to show he is capable of playing HEC this season(whether he is good enough or not)
He has only made 2 sub appearances this season so far. He wont be near the HEC unless there is injuries(and several at that)
Himself, Foley(who i rate) and Holland have big decisions to make on their futures.(but why did they sign new contracts recently) Why Holland is still with us i dont know- Hes 26 and doesnt ever look likely to start or be involved in european or big pro 12 games

Nagle got injured in the London Irish game, imo, he'd have been ahead of Holland but for it.

Foley is probably the more interesting one, he's really stalling at Munster, whereas at least Nagle is in the reckoning.

[Jackass] · 09-11-2011 11:57AM

Chambers dropped. That's interesting. Is he going to be another lame duck at centre?

Looking forward to seeing how Barnes does.

totallegend · 09-11-2011 12:41PM

[Jackass] wrote: »

Chambers dropped. That's interesting. Is he going to be another lame duck at centre?

Looking forward to seeing how Barnes does.

Source?? Might just be that he arrived too late to really bed into the team, he hasn't looked bad so far but nor has he blown anyone away.

Anyway, good news for Barnes and good news for development of younger Irish guys, if true.

vinny chase · 09-11-2011 12:43PM

totallegend wrote: »

Source?? Might just be that he arrived too late to really bed into the team, he hasn't looked bad so far but nor has he blown anyone away.

Anyway, good news for Barnes and good news for development of younger Irish guys, if true.

I thought he was poor going forward last Friday night, and to be honest, I was glad Barnes was on the wing instead of at thirteen. I thought Barnes would have been far more threatening with the opportunities Chambers seemed to get.

Amazotheamazing · 09-11-2011 02:02PM

Munster Squad For Northampton
9 November 2011, 1:02 pmBy The EditorThe Munster squad assembled in CIT today where Tony McGahan named an extended 29 strong squad for the opening Heineken Cup game against Northampton Saints in Thomond Park Stadium next Saturday (6pm).
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With the exception of Keith Earls, it is the same squad as the one from which the side to play Leinster was selected, Earls damaged a medial ligament at the start of that game and will be out of action for 4-6 weeks.
The British and Irish Cup squad will not be named today with the necessity to confirm two match day squads over the next two days.

Munster Squad: M Horan, W du Preez, BJ Botha, J Hayes, S Archer, D Varley, D Fogarty, D Ryan, P O’Connell, D O’Callaghan, M O’Driscoll, B Holland, P O’Mahony, N Ronan, J Coughlan, D Leamy, C Murray, T O’Leary, P Stringer, D Williams, R O’Gara, I Keatley, S Deasy, J Murphy, D Howlett, D Barnes, W Chambers, L Mafi, D Hurley.

Not considered because of injury: D Wallace (knee), F Jones (ankle), J Flannery (back/calf), K Earls (knee), M Sherry (ankle), Darragh Hurley (back), P Borlase (back), Dave O’Callaghan (knee), S Scanlon (neck), I Dineen (knee), D Cusack (jaw), T Smith (knee).

Amazotheamazing · 09-11-2011 02:04PM

Some injury list in fairness, interesting to see Ryan named among the second rows.

depressing to think what we might have managed with Jones and Earls fit.

Amazotheamazing · 09-11-2011 02:07PM

[Jackass] wrote: »

Chambers dropped. That's interesting. Is he going to be another lame duck at centre?

Looking forward to seeing how Barnes does.

If Chambers is dropped, it could easily be Kidney pulling rank and asking Munster to play an Irish qualified 13.

vinny chase · 09-11-2011 02:08PM

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Some injury list in fairness, interesting to see Ryan named among the second rows.

depressing to think what we might have managed with Jones and Earls fit.

Not really.

Looks extensive, but lads like Hurley, Borlase, Dave O'Callaghan, Scanlon, Dineen, Cusack and Smith are hardly bit losses for Munster.

I grant you the other guys are losses, especially as you're missing Sherry & Flannery in the same position, and arguably Jones & Earls likewise, but it's not quite as extensive as it looks.

vinny chase · 09-11-2011 02:09PM

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

If Chambers is dropped, it could easily be Kidney pulling rank and asking Munster to play an Irish qualified 13.

How much does this happen, I wonder?

If I was McGahan and Kidney attempted to do that I'd tell him to f***** off. Granted he can advise and stuff, and inquire, and even request, but I don't think he can dictate who starts the game.

09-11-2011 02:11PM

vinny chase wrote: »

How much does this happen, I wonder?

If I was McGahan and Kidney attempted to do that I'd tell him to f***** off. Granted he can advise and stuff, and inquire, and even request, but I don't think he can dictate who starts the game.

Wallace has definitely started at 10 for Ulster when pressure was put on Ulster to facilitate it...

I don't think that meddling would be allowed for a Heineken Cup game though. (don't think/hope)

Amazotheamazing · 09-11-2011 02:12PM

vinny chase wrote: »

Not really.

Looks extensive, but lads like Hurley, Borlase, Dave O'Callaghan, Scanlon, Dineen, Cusack and Smith are hardly bit losses for Munster.

I grant you the other guys are losses, especially as you're missing Sherry & Flannery in the same position, and arguably Jones & Earls likewise, but it's not quite as extensive as it looks.

Flannery, Wallace, Earls and Jones would start, no question, of course it's a massive loss, no team can afford to lose three Lions and be ok about it.

Amazotheamazing · 09-11-2011 02:13PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Wallace has definitely started at 10 for Ulster when pressure was put on Ulster to facilitate it...

I don't think that meddling would be allowed for a Heineken Cup game though. (don't think/hope)

Kidney asked for Ryan to be played at 6 at the end of last season, if we were forced to pick him in the league final i think it's possible a HEC pool match is also up for meddling.

ed7890 · 09-11-2011 02:27PM

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

If Chambers is dropped, it could easily be Kidney pulling rank and asking Munster to play an Irish qualified 13.

Could just be Barnes is preferred ahead of him. He's been playing well enough to earn a HEC start. Chambers is still early days, he's still being brought up to speed.

Risteard · 09-11-2011 03:07PM

My preference would be Barnes tbh.

He's not the flashiest player and is probably unlikely to make a searing line break in his 22 and finish it off, but he works really hard as evidence by his charge down tries and he's performed decently enough in the chances he's been given.

Whilst it's really too soon to make any kind of judgement on Chambers IMO, my preference would still be for Barnes at this moment in time anyway.

ormond lad · 09-11-2011 03:22PM

someone on mfs said that at training this morning it looked like D.Ryan was playing alongside Paulie with a back row of POM, Ronan and Coughlan, also Hurley was at full back with Barnes in the centre with Mafi, they were the combinations used this morning for all line outs and scrums etc
DOC, Leamy, Fogarty, Bull, Archer were used as the opposition

Munster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

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