Munster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

ormond lad · 02-02-2012 12:16PM

http://www.sports.fr/cmc/scanner/rug...z-_436566.html

TOP 14 Usap: Mafi, successeur de Mermoz ?

Alors que l'ont dit Maxime Mermoz courtisé par les clubs parisiens et sur le départ, l'Usap se serait mise en quête d'un successeur de gros calibre au vice-champion du monde, accréditant l'idée que la perte de l'ancien Toulousain serait entérinée en Catalogne. Selon L'Indépendant, des contacts auraient été noués avec le trois-quarts centre du Munster, Lifeimi Mafi (29 ans ; 1,83m, 95kg), sacré Champion d'Europe en 2008 avec la province irlandaise. La profonde mutation de l'effectif sang et or se poursuit avec également dans le viseur deux troisièmes lignes de Gloucester, l'international anglais Luke Narraway et l'international écossais Alasdair Stokosch. Au rang des départs, Jérôme Porical, lui aussi en fin de contrat en juin prochain, serait, toujours selon le quotidien régional, pisté par le Biarritz Olympique.

.ak · 02-02-2012 12:23PM

ormond lad wrote: »

http://www.sports.fr/cmc/scanner/rug...z-_436566.html

TOP 14 Usap: Mafi, successeur de Mermoz ?

Alors que l'ont dit Maxime Mermoz courtisé par les clubs parisiens et sur le départ, l'Usap se serait mise en quête d'un successeur de gros calibre au vice-champion du monde, accréditant l'idée que la perte de l'ancien Toulousain serait entérinée en Catalogne. Selon L'Indépendant, des contacts auraient été noués avec le trois-quarts centre du Munster, Lifeimi Mafi (29 ans ; 1,83m, 95kg), sacré Champion d'Europe en 2008 avec la province irlandaise. La profonde mutation de l'effectif sang et or se poursuit avec également dans le viseur deux troisièmes lignes de Gloucester, l'international anglais Luke Narraway et l'international écossais Alasdair Stokosch. Au rang des départs, Jérôme Porical, lui aussi en fin de contrat en juin prochain, serait, toujours selon le quotidien régional, pisté par le Biarritz Olympique.

Who'd fit in for him? Any truth in the Downey rumors?

EDIT: Never mind, just saw that it was confirmed today by Munster.

irishbucsfan · 02-02-2012 12:24PM

Clementine Helpless Scalpel wrote: »

thomond2006 wrote: »

Good luck to him, at the very least he's a good squad player to have.

will fit in well alongside the likes of Deasy, Dineen, Holland, O'Donnell etc...

Who needs wingers anyway? a 12/13 of Downey/Earls would be the narrowest team in Europe...

(In case it's not patently obvious, I really don't rate Downey)

Chris Ashton scored 88 tries in 99 games...

I don't rate him either, but that's over the top. There is a way to use a 12 with Downeys limitations. You just can't do it with ROG...

totallegend · 02-02-2012 12:27PM

ormond lad wrote: »

TOP 14 Usap: Mafi, successeur de Mermoz ?

Wow, I'm a huge fan of Mermoz and Mafi woudn't be in the same class at all, IMO. Perpignan have always lacked a bit of finesse in the backs and have relied almost entirely on the grunters up front. Losing Mermoz and Porical would be a massive loss for them.

From Munster's point of view, Mafi is less important if Downey is coming on board, probably a good piece of business if it frees up an NIQ spot.

premierstone · 02-02-2012 12:36PM

totallegend wrote: »

From Munster's point of view, Mafi is less important if Downey is coming on board, probably a good piece of business if it frees up an NIQ spot.

Exactly, nail on head here.

Whats gas though is 12 months ago all the droolers in the Irish thread, slating Kidney for not giving Downey a shot, now he has signed for Munster he will become sh*t I assume

WeeBushy · 02-02-2012 12:44PM

premierstone wrote: »

Exactly, nail on head here.

Whats gas though is 12 months ago all the droolers in the Irish thread, slating Kidney for not giving Downey a shot, now he has signed for Munster he will become sh*t I assume

I think you'll find that the poeple who were calling for Downey to be given a go with Ireland, and those saying he's a limited player now are not the same posters.

I don't think Downey is all that great but while he's a completely different player to Mafi, he's of about the same standard, so it a good piece of business imo. Frees up a NIQ place and have a player of a similar standard, albeit a completely different playing style.

On a meta level, moves such as this (and Wilson moving back to Ulster) is a problem of the new rules being brought in. Downey and Wilson may as well be NIQ, as they are not going to play for Ireland, are in their 30's and hold back young talent in the same way as NIQ players do. But that's probably a point for the other thread.

Hope he's a success next season.

Benny Cake · 02-02-2012 12:46PM

Downey to start ahead of Darcy & McFadden in next years six nations would really through the cat amongst the pigeons!!

Amazotheamazing · 02-02-2012 12:53PM

I don't know, downey can do a job but we need to develop our own 12 from somewhere, whether it's Deasy, Hanrahan or whoever.

irishbucsfan · 02-02-2012 12:54PM

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

I don't know, downey can do a job but we need to develop our own 12 from somewhere, whether it's Deasy, Hanrahan or whoever.

I definitely think that is true. Hopefully both will still get gametime next season

Fireball07 · 02-02-2012 01:01PM

I think Downey is very limited. He'll be solid and could be very effective if used properly but I hope Hanrahan/Keatley get some time at 12. Someone with potential for a more attacking threat.

PhatPiggins · 02-02-2012 01:48PM

ormond lad wrote: »

http://www.sports.fr/cmc/scanner/rug...z-_436566.html

TOP 14 Usap: Mafi, successeur de Mermoz ?

Alors que l'ont dit Maxime Mermoz courtisé par les clubs parisiens et sur le départ, l'Usap se serait mise en quête d'un successeur de gros calibre au vice-champion du monde, accréditant l'idée que la perte de l'ancien Toulousain serait entérinée en Catalogne. Selon L'Indépendant, des contacts auraient été noués avec le trois-quarts centre du Munster, Lifeimi Mafi (29 ans ; 1,83m, 95kg), sacré Champion d'Europe en 2008 avec la province irlandaise. La profonde mutation de l'effectif sang et or se poursuit avec également dans le viseur deux troisièmes lignes de Gloucester, l'international anglais Luke Narraway et l'international écossais Alasdair Stokosch. Au rang des départs, Jérôme Porical, lui aussi en fin de contrat en juin prochain, serait, toujours selon le quotidien régional, pisté par le Biarritz Olympique.

The Mafi move is dependent on munster signing Lua Lua by all accounts.

It amuses me to see the number of Leinster fans so voicfierous in their 'I don't rate Downey' posts !!! We get it lads you've all made the same point about 15 times on different threads. He's not moving to your team, move on.

ciarriaithuaidh · 02-02-2012 02:42PM

PhatPiggins wrote: »

The Mafi move is dependent on munster signing Lua Lua by all accounts.

It amuses me to see the number of Leinster fans so voicfierous in their 'I don't rate Downey' posts !!! We get it lads you've all made the same point about 15 times on different threads. He's not moving to your team, move on.

He's tied down with Blackpool FC from what I hear! Casey Laulala meanwhile, is believed to be on Munsters radar, only if Bowe doesn't sign though.

Flincher · 02-02-2012 03:11PM

ciarriaithuaidh wrote: »

He's tied down with Blackpool FC from what I hear! Casey Laulala meanwhile, is believed to be on Munsters radar, only if Bowe doesn't sign though.

I think we're 2 years too late going after Laulala. He'll be 30 before the summer and I think his influence has waned a bit over the last 12 months. Apparently we showed interest in signing him before he moved to Cardiff but that cooled when he broke his arm.

thomond2006 · 02-02-2012 03:30PM

If Munster sign Laulala then the best they could give Mafi is a one year deal due to the incoming IRFU restrictions.

If USAP offer Mafi a longer deal then he might be tempted to take it, a la Warwick & Stade Francais.

PhatPiggins · 02-02-2012 03:55PM

ciarriaithuaidh wrote: »

He's tied down with Blackpool FC from what I hear! Casey Laulala meanwhile, is believed to be on Munsters radar, only if Bowe doesn't sign though.

I was trying to think of a witty come back but you got me fair and square.

I was speaking to a lad from the Munster academy this morning and he reckons that their chasing Bowe as a replacement for Howlett (unfortunatley) and Laulala will come in they can offload Mafi. It could be a case of signing them both, I don't think its one or the other.

Podge_irl · 02-02-2012 04:05PM

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

I don't know, downey can do a job but we need to develop our own 12 from somewhere, whether it's Deasy, Hanrahan or whoever.

He's no spring chicken either.

I was speaking to a lad from the Munster academy this morning and he reckons that their chasing Bowe as a replacement for Howlett (unfortunatley) and Laulala will come in they can offload Mafi. It could be a case of signing them both, I don't think its one or the other.

With rumours of Howlett going into coaching do you think he'd do it straight away or want another year of playing somewhere? He certainly didn't look ready to retire, though it was a particularly nasty injury.

CiaranMT · 02-02-2012 04:18PM

PhatPiggins wrote: »

I was trying to think of a witty come back but you got me fair and square.

I was speaking to a lad from the Munster academy this morning and he reckons that their chasing Bowe as a replacement for Howlett (unfortunatley) and Laulala will come in they can offload Mafi. It could be a case of signing them both, I don't think its one or the other.

I'd like to see both. We're a big enough club, we should be going for these kind of players. Bowe's contract would be covered by the IRFU in any case, no?

phog · 02-02-2012 06:07PM

I'm happy enough with Downey coming to Munster, would prefer to see Bowe if it was an either or situation.

As for Mafi, I'd be genuinely sad to see him go, while he had his moments and brainfarts he also saved our bacon on more than one accasion. He's a very likeable player and always acknowledged the work of the forwards in winning ball or defending close to thier line. He was also very good in talking to younger players during a game.

CiaranMT · 02-02-2012 06:41PM

Hopefully it's just rumour.

A backline of

Murray, ROG, Earls, Downey, Mafi/Laulala, Bowe, Jones would do serious damage next season.

With players like Zebo, Keatley, Hanrahan, Hurley, Murphy in back-up we'd suddenly be looking an awful lot stronger.

irishbucsfan · 02-02-2012 07:08PM

Seems like bowe to Munster is unlikely though, unless anyone has heard something from a better source than me?

GerM · 02-02-2012 08:23PM

premierstone wrote: »

Exactly, nail on head here.

Whats gas though is 12 months ago all the droolers in the Irish thread, slating Kidney for not giving Downey a shot, now he has signed for Munster he will become sh*t I assume

I think most people are realistic about Downey. The number of people calling for him to be in the Irish set up was far outweighed by those who said he was too one dimensional to ever succeed at international level. We need a new 12 but Downey won't be the man. He's a good, solid player. He's limited but he can do a job. He can fix a defender and get over the gain line. Most importantly he's Irish and that's the vital thing. He's not the solution but his presence will allow a piece of the puzzle to fall into place elsewhere and that's the important thing. I reckon he'll be a stop gap as Hanrahan's progress continues. Him signing for Munster is a win/win scenario.

Annabella1 · 02-02-2012 10:19PM

Downey reminds me of Trevor Halstead..big bulky direct 1st centre....He didnt work out too bad!

Amazotheamazing · 02-02-2012 11:28PM

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Seems like bowe to Munster is unlikely though, unless anyone has heard something from a better source than me?

Tbh, part of me hopes Bowe goes back to Ulster, there's too many Leinster players with Munster, Munster players with Leinster for us to start diluting Ulster too. I want to see a mostly Munster grown team, backed by a few high class imports if needs be.

Fireball07 · 02-02-2012 11:30PM

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Tbh, part of me hopes Bowe goes back to Ulster, there's too many Leinster players with Munster, Munster players with Leinster for us to start diluting Ulster too. I want to see a mostly Munster grown team, backed by a few high class imports if needs be.

Bowe is a high-class import.

While it'd be ideal if every player was from Munster, that's not realistic. Leinster had a much bigger population to choose from and will likely produce more top quality players for the foreseeable future.

profitius · 02-02-2012 11:31PM

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Tbh, part of me hopes Bowe goes back to Ulster, there's too many Leinster players with Munster, Munster players with Leinster for us to start diluting Ulster too. I want to see a mostly Munster grown team, backed by a few high class imports if needs be.

Me too although Bowe is Irish at least and his father was from Munster.

shuffol · 02-02-2012 11:46PM

Hope Bowe goes to Ulster myself, with Danielli over the hill they're fast running out of back 3 players, churning out centers at some rate though.

Amazotheamazing · 02-02-2012 11:47PM

Fireball07 wrote: »

Bowe is a high-class import.

While it'd be ideal if every player was from Munster, that's not realistic. Leinster had a much bigger population to choose from and will likely produce more top quality players for the foreseeable future.

Be that as it may, we've signed mostly ordinary ones so far. Tbh, I think we're sorting out our Academy and should have more, not less, Munster players playing for us soon. I'd have no issue if Leinster guys like Hurley and Murphy were dropped for Munster guys like Barnes, Zebo or Scanlon, or POM at 7 instead of Ronan etc. I'd like to phase them out if possible, except for keatley because the drop-off is too severe and Jones because he's much better than the others.

macslash · 03-02-2012 02:29AM

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Be that as it may, we've signed mostly ordinary ones so far. Tbh, I think we're sorting out our Academy and should have more, not less, Munster players playing for us soon. I'd have no issue if Leinster guys like Hurley and Murphy were dropped for Munster guys like Barnes, Zebo or Scanlon, or POM at 7 instead of Ronan etc. I'd like to phase them out if possible, except for keatley because the drop-off is too severe and Jones because he's much better than the others.

Hurley is from Munster (Cork) is he not??

thomond2006 · 03-02-2012 06:17AM

macslash wrote: »

Hurley is from Munster (Cork) is he not??

Orginally from Meath, he and his family moved to Cork when he was young IIRC.

budhabob · 03-02-2012 07:40AM

thomond2006 wrote: »

Orginally from Meath, he and his family moved to Cork when he was young IIRC.

It says on Wikipedia (therefore gospel) that he was born in cork. Either way you'd have to consider him home grown.

Munster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

Comments