Munster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

yimrsg · 22-05-2012 06:58PM

Can't see the point in Munster courting Madigan, Munster have 4 options at 10 in ROG, Hanrahan, Keatley and Deasy, they don't need another. People seem to forget he was 3rd choice at the start of the season behind Berquist & Sexton, but has taken his chances and got great exposure in the side; 1400 minutes compared to Sextons 1000.

With all of Munster's injuries and retirements in the backrow, it's unfortunate that Ruddock didn't join; as he'd have slotted in at 6 and it would allow POM to concentrate on improving his game at 7 or 8 rather than perpetually move him around to cover injuries.

Fishooks12 · 22-05-2012 07:09PM

yimrsg wrote: »

Can't see the point in Munster courting Madigan, Munster have 4 options at 10 in ROG, Hanrahan, Keatley and Deasy, they don't need another. People seem to forget he was 3rd choice at the start of the season behind Berquist & Sexton, but has taken his chances and got great exposure in the side; 1400 minutes compared to Sextons 1000.

With all of Munster's injuries and retirements in the backrow, it's unfortunate that Ruddock didn't join; as he'd have slotted in at 6 and it would allow POM to concentrate on improving his game at 7 or 8 rather than perpetually move him around to cover injuries.

If we were going to sign a backrow I wouldn't have liked it to be Ruddock

He'd just be another promising youngster in the vein of Butler and DOC2

I'd like a project player

KJY · 22-05-2012 07:23PM

Fishooks12 wrote: »

If we were going to sign a backrow I wouldn't have liked it to be Ruddock

He'd just be another promising youngster in the vein of Butler and DOC2

I'd like a project player

Anyone else think Ruddock is grossly over rated? He seems all bulk but doesn't seem to use it at all.

yimrsg · 22-05-2012 07:25PM

Fishooks12 wrote: »

If we were going to sign a backrow I wouldn't have liked it to be Ruddock

He'd just be another promising youngster in the vein of Butler and DOC2

I'd like a project player

Yeah he's still got the potential to improve but he's possibly a year or two ahead in terms of physicality and experience over those guys at higher levels and would be a good stopgap/transitional signing considering the retirements Munster suffered this year. I think he's stagnated a little at Leinster, maybe that's from lack of game time or because of a knock. He's going to have to move away from Leinster at some stage for the sake of his career if he wants game time as McLaughlin and SOB have 6 wrapped up for Leinster and he's not good enough to oust Auva'a at 8 when Heaslip or SOB are away with Ireland.

Cpt_Blackbeard · 22-05-2012 07:37PM

KJY wrote: »

Anyone else think Ruddock is grossly over rated? He seems all bulk but doesn't seem to use it at all.

He's gone backwards this year. At the start of the season I'd have loved to see him arrive, but I don't think he offers anything more at 6 than someone like DOC2.0 could and he is in the same position at 8 with Butler. He is currently leagues behind POM.

We don't need another youngster in the backrow, we need a big brutish ball-carrying b*stard. We've lost a great defender in Leamy and a great attacker in Wally; we need a Ferris-lite to cover that loss for a few years until the youngsters come up to the level required.

Tox56 · 22-05-2012 07:39PM

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

He's gone backwards this year. At the start of the season I'd have loved to see him arrive, but I don't think he offers anything more at 6 than someone like DOC2.0 could and he is in the same position at 8 with Butler. He is currently leagues behind POM.

We don't need another youngster in the backrow, we need a big brutish ball-carrying b*stard. We've lost a great defender in Leamy and a great attacker in Wally; we need a Ferris-lite to cover that loss for a few years until the youngsters come up to the level required.

Isn't that basically what Ruddock is?

Fishooks12 · 22-05-2012 07:40PM

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

He's gone backwards this year. At the start of the season I'd have loved to see him arrive, but I don't think he offers anything more at 6 than someone like DOC2.0 could and he is in the same position at 8 with Butler. He is currently leagues behind POM.

We don't need another youngster in the backrow, we need a big brutish ball-carrying b*stard. We've lost a great defender in Leamy and a great attacker in Wally; we need a Ferris-lite to cover that loss for a few years until the youngsters come up to the level required.

+1

Fishooks12 · 22-05-2012 07:46PM

Tox56 wrote: »

Isn't that basically what Ruddock is?

Not to the standard required for us atm

He may well be in a year or two but we need a band aid while Butler and DOC2 develop

irishbucsfan · 22-05-2012 07:50PM

Fishooks12 wrote: »

Not to the standard required for us atm

He may well be in a year or two but we need a band aid while Butler and DOC2 develop

But I thought...

Fishooks12 wrote: »

I'd like a project player

I think a Ruddock, POM, Coughlan/Butler back row would be better than anything Munster have right now.

I agree Ruddock hasn't lived up to his hype, but who is out there who is a better option than he WOULD be?

Fishooks12 · 22-05-2012 07:56PM

irishbucsfan wrote: »

But I thought...

I think a Ruddock, POM, Coughlan/Butler back row would be better than anything Munster have right now.

I agree Ruddock hasn't lived up to his hype, but who is out there who is a better option than he WOULD be?

I meant to say I'd rather an NIQ than project player, bit of a brainfart on my part

I don't see a huge diff between DOC2, POM, Coughlan/Butler and Ruddock, POM, Coughlan/Butler

ambid · 22-05-2012 08:02PM

According to the Leinster squad update today, Ruddock is having hip surgery. Maybe that explains his relative lack of performance this year, if he's been carrying a knock.

Bloody hell - Russia's Eurovision entry is a group of seventy year old grannies :eek: What the hell is going on

Weird weird weird...

Fireball07 · 22-05-2012 08:03PM

Fishooks and Captain are right, what we need is an experienced, powerful player who will instantly improve our team. Not that easy to find, particularly since they have to fit into the project player category. What we need is Leamy from 5 years ago...

phog · 22-05-2012 09:23PM

Gutted for Leamy, he still had a few years in him if he stayed fit.

ambid wrote: »

According to the Leinster squad update today, Ruddock is having hip surgery. Maybe that explains his relative lack of performance this year, if he's been carrying a knock.

...

I hope it's not going to be serious for him, he's way too young to be having hip problems. I suppose the knocks these guys are taking nowadays must be huge, you can almost hear the hit in the terraces.

touts · 23-05-2012 07:37AM

ambid wrote: »

According to the Leinster squad update today, Ruddock is having hip surgery.

He'd fit right in at Munster so.

Amazotheamazing · 23-05-2012 10:02AM

Tox56 wrote: »

Isn't that basically what Ruddock is?

that's certainly who Ruddock could become, but it's not who he currently is. Hopefully he's had a poor season because of injury but we need someone who's fit and experienced enough to lead the side when things are going badly wrong in Newport or Glasgow etc, as well as being a HEC standard player.

CatFromHue · 23-05-2012 10:55AM

According to Gerry Thornley Borlase is heading back to NZ .

touts · 23-05-2012 11:04AM

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2012/0523/1224316551936.html

Does anyone know if Dougie will be fit to play next season given he is holding onto such a critical slot?

Lelantos · 23-05-2012 11:12AM

CatFromHue wrote: »

According to Gerry Thornley Borlase is heading back to NZ .

I think that was confirmed before he left on his hols, its his b'day today :b
It does mean we have a spot open for a project player & surely there is nobody better qualified than Penney to discover uncapped talent in NZ?

thomond2006 · 23-05-2012 11:25AM

CatFromHue wrote: »

According to Gerry Thornley Borlase is heading back to NZ .

He and Gleeson are both released.

Amazotheamazing · 23-05-2012 01:34PM

Darragh Hurley has had to retire due to injuries too. He never got a bit of luck to go with his talent.

Fishooks12 · 23-05-2012 01:37PM

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Darragh Hurley has had to retire due to injuries too. He never got a bit of luck to go with his talent.

He was the first person I ever interviewed so I was always rooting for him to come through

Pity he never managed to shake off the injuries because he seemed a decent prospect and a real nice guy too

Amazotheamazing · 23-05-2012 01:39PM

Fishooks12 wrote: »

He was the first person I ever interviewed so I was always rooting for him to come through

Pity he never managed to shake off the injuries because he seemed a decent prospect and a real nice guy too

He was once listed as one of the ten best prospects in underage rugby worldwide (europewide?) by planetrugby, iirc, massive talent but just couldn't get fit.

Fishooks12 · 23-05-2012 01:41PM

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

He was once listed as one of the ten best prospects in underage rugby worldwide (europewide?) by planetrugby, iirc, massive talent but just couldn't get fit.

He was actually injured when I was interviewing him too if I recall, I'll try and dig up the pdf of it

Amazotheamazing · 23-05-2012 01:42PM

Fishooks12 wrote: »

He was actually injured when I was interviewing him too if I recall, I'll try and dig up the pdf of it

I genuinely can't recall a long period in his career when he wasn't injured, bizarre stuff too, eye injuries etc. Just had no luck.

touts · 23-05-2012 01:46PM

thomond2006 wrote: »

He and Gleeson are both released.

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Darragh Hurley has had to retire due to injuries too. He never got a bit of luck to go with his talent.

Holy **** and they just keep coming.

So that makes the turnover from the 2011/2012 squad.

Out
Jerry Flannery - Hooker
Denis Fogarty - Hooker
John Hayes - Prop (Started the season but retired mid way)
Peter Borlase - Prop
Daragh Hurley - Prop
Mick O'Driscoll - 2nd Row
David Wallace - Backrow
Denis Leamy - Backrow
Tomás O'Leary - Scrum Half
Declan Cusack - Outhalf
Lifeimi Mafi - Inside Centre
Tom Gleason - Centre
Will Chambers/Save Tokula - Outside Centre (lets count them as one as Toluka replaced Chambers mid season)

One more and with some positional switches we could put together a full 15 retired/departed now.

In
Sean Dougall - Backrow
James Downey - Inside Centre
Casey Laulala - Outside Centre
Plus promotions from the Academy and underage setup.

padraig.od · 23-05-2012 01:59PM

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

He was once listed as one of the ten best prospects in underage rugby worldwide (europewide?) by planetrugby, iirc, massive talent but just couldn't get fit.

Played a few HC matches a few years back. Gave Castro an awful time in a pre-season friendly a few years ago too. I know its only a friendly... but he definitely had the potential. Shame.:(

thomond2006 · 23-05-2012 02:02PM

The loss of Hurley, Borlase, Cusack and Gleeson doesn't hurt Munster as they've been barely fit for the last 2 seasons. You could Flannery in that list too but he was epic before that. Micko, while a fantastic servant, won't be missed if any of Foley, Nagle, Holland or Hayes step up.

Kev_2012 · 23-05-2012 02:29PM

Would take Luke Fitz in a heartbeat seeing as he is out of contract.

Nearly take Ruddock because of that weird Dublin/Welsh valleys concoction of an accent he's cultivating. :eek:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNQV9XCZfMs

Monty Burnz · 23-05-2012 02:33PM

Kev_2012 wrote: »

Would take Luke Fitz in a heartbeat seeing as he is out of contract.

That would be a great move from Munster's perspective - Fitz really is first class when he's fit, and can play anywhere after 10 in the backline. I wonder would he play for any other Irish province though?

CIARAN_BOYLE · 23-05-2012 02:40PM

Kev_2012 wrote: »

Would take Luke Fitz in a heartbeat seeing as he is out of contract.

I would hope Leinster gets to offer him a contract before he signs with Munster. They haven't yet apparently

Munster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

Comments