Munster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread II

athtrasna · 12-04-2013 09:14PM

phog wrote: »

To labour the point, the London branch of the supporters club tweeted a clip of Penney explaining the situation re CJ. CJ's fiancée just retweeted that link.
@Jean-Marie Neethling

And she tweeted during the week about how much she loves her new coach and team at UL. Not the talk of someone expecting to be back in SA next season.

Eod100 · 12-04-2013 09:18PM

Connacht are catching up with us.. Hope they don't overtake us! :P

Swan Curry · 13-04-2013 08:37PM

I remember last year Munster were away to someone and the opposition gave away a penalty in front of their posts.Afterwards,O'Gara said to the ref "Would that have been a yellow in Thomond?".Was Nigel Owens the ref that day?I'm not trying to imply there's some mad Munster-Owens refereeing conspiracy,today just reminded me of that and I was curious.

decisions · 13-04-2013 08:40PM

Swan Curry wrote: »

I remember last year Munster were away to someone and the opposition gave away a penalty in front of their posts.Afterwards,O'Gara said to the ref "Would that have been a yellow in Thomond?".Was Nigel Owens the ref that day?I'm not trying to imply there's some mad Munster-Owens refereeing conspiracy,today just reminded me of that and I was curious.

That was Poite was it not, he said back something like 'but we are not in TP are we '

trouttrout · 13-04-2013 08:40PM

Delighted with the season Archer is having. If he keeps improving we'll have great depth at TH

Swan Curry · 13-04-2013 08:43PM

decisions wrote: »

That was Poite was it not, he said back something like 'but we are not in TP are we '

Thinking back,that was Poite.Funny moment all the same.

13-04-2013 08:45PM

O'Donnell beat Jennings up tonight.

A very very mature display at openside I thought.

thomond2006 · 13-04-2013 08:46PM

For Dragons (assuming Earls and Howlett are fit):
Cronin, Varley, Botha, DOC, Holland, POM, Stander, Butler;
Sheridan, Keatley, Zebo, JJ, Earls, Howlett, Hurley

Bench: AN Other, du Preez, Archer, Nagle, DOCII, Williams, ROG, Dineen

*AN Other: Give one of Casey, Scannell or Rael a go?

Killer, POC, TOD, Coughlan, Downey, Laulala and Jones have all started the last four games so they get the week off. Hopefully Earls and Howlett will be fit and get some gametime. Give Stander a go in the side.

CIARAN_BOYLE · 13-04-2013 08:59PM

decisions wrote: »

That was Poite was it not, he said back something like 'but we are not in TP are we '

Yep that was Poite, I think his exact words were, but are are not in thomond today are we Ronan.

decisions · 13-04-2013 09:12PM

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Yep that was Poite, I think his exact words were, but are are not in thomond today are we Ronan.

In his camp French accent

jacothelad · 13-04-2013 09:34PM

trouttrout wrote: »

Delighted with the season Archer is having. If he keeps improving we'll have great depth at TH

He looked o.k. at times tonight. He has always been decent about the park in the loose. I still have great reservations about him against a hard scrummaging loose head. He tends to rely on either standing up, falling flat on his face or turning in and hoping the ref is on the other side of the scrum.

jamiedav2011 · 13-04-2013 09:38PM

jacothelad wrote: »

He looked o.k. at times tonight. He has always been decent about the park in the loose. I still have great reservations about him against a hard scrummaging loose head. He tends to rely on either standing up, falling flat on his face or turning in and hoping the ref is on the other side of the scrum.

Ah be fair now Jaco, he did well enough tonight, and has come on in leaps and bounds this year.

PhatPiggins · 13-04-2013 10:14PM

jacothelad wrote: »

He looked o.k. at times tonight. He has always been decent about the park in the loose. I still have great reservations about him against a hard scrummaging loose head. He tends to rely on either standing up, falling flat on his face or turning in and hoping the ref is on the other side of the scrum.

Very true Jaco but considering up untill this season he only had the middle option available to him there's surely been progress

buck65 · 14-04-2013 07:18AM

Massive positives last night in Thomond. Yes leinster stole it from us with clinical finishing, yes the ref favoured Leinster massively and cost us 9 points at least but the performance was there.

Munster pack were on top for 60 minutes but tired significantly late on, expected after last weeks highs. Munster scrum more than broke even and seemed to boss things.
Our backrow was good again and Zebo,Jones and Keatley looked sharp. Casey and Downey seem to be gelling.

On the flipside leinster dogged out a win from reflex and memory more than anything else, they really do remind me of us in 2009. Still capable of big performances but they will continue to lose their top players to injury and retirement next season and may well be staring into the abyss when all or some of the following leave in the next year - Cullen (gets away with murder all day long), D'arcy and O Driscoll are only an injury away from the end, Ross, Nacewa and Scmidt probably this season along with losing Sexton and Conway , Carr etc.

ironingbored · 14-04-2013 07:53AM

buck65 wrote: »

Massive positives last night in Thomond. Yes leinster stole it from us with clinical finishing, yes the ref favoured Leinster massively and cost us 9 points at least but the performance was there.

Munster pack were on top for 60 minutes but tired significantly late on, expected after last weeks highs. Munster scrum more than broke even and seemed to boss things.
Our backrow was good again and Zebo,Jones and Keatley looked sharp. Casey and Downey seem to be gelling.

On the flipside leinster dogged out a win from reflex and memory more than anything else, they really do remind me of us in 2009. Still capable of big performances but they will continue to lose their top players to injury and retirement next season and may well be staring into the abyss when all or some of the following leave in the next year - Cullen (gets away with murder all day long), D'arcy and O Driscoll are only an injury away from the end, Ross, Nacewa and Scmidt probably this season along with losing Sexton and Conway , Carr etc.

Are you serious?

1) Kearney "try" not given
2) Varley off his feet for 1st Munster try
3) Kilcoyne not binding correctly all night (yet somehow got a penalty after Owens had penalised him for identical infringement in the scrum before.
4) Downey arguably taking out BOD going for the shoot out
5) POC nearly taking off D. Kearney's head
6) POC avoiding YC with "in from the side" in front of the posts
7) D. Kearney taken out in the air (no penalty)

But ref cost Munster 9 points????

I'm not saying all of the incidents above were stonewall for Leinster but to say the ref cost Munster is beyond ridiculous.

Thought TOD and POM had great games for Munster not to mention Zebo (but criminally underused).

Lelantos · 14-04-2013 08:25AM

People seem to forget that the Kearney "try" was a clear knock on from church at the start of the move. ...but we won't mention that will we

ConFurioso · 14-04-2013 08:31AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupzNKUYkY8

You're right. Very minute, but it was there.

14-04-2013 09:57AM

I might be down as an Earls-basher on this forum, but I think that the distance that Zebo has come in the last year might give rise to explain why I am frustrated with Earls.

Earls was a left winger much in the mould of Zebo (of 18 months back), lethal going forward, picking good lines off of other players, would score anything from the opposition 10 with a half yard of space.

The deficiencies in his game were all defence. He struggled with positioning (but learned to use the touchline as a 16th defender), he struggled with technique (but has slowly improved over much time) and he was a non-passer of the ball, which wasn't actually too big a deal as he was more accustomed to finishing off moves than putting someone else away.

I feel that that describes how some of us might have seen Zebo 18 months ago. All pace and no brains.

But the progress that he has made in learning the game in 18 months is staggering. He's becoming an all-round winger. Picking lines, covering tackles, putting men on their backs. I always thought that Earls could be that guy, but I don't think he's going to ever get the chance now.

Zebo is now a far better winger than Earls is, and Earls is a far better winger than a centre. I don't think he'll find a place on the wing at Munster for big games if Zebo is fit. I also don't know if sticking to the "No seriously, you're all wrong, Keith is an outside centre" routine is going to work for him.

Jones looked pretty useful last night too, so Earls' third option of playing at 15 is looking to be a closing opportunity too.

I think Earls' talents have been pretty poorly managed, and I think that Zebo is the shining example of how a player should develop and thrive given the opportunities open to him. I don't think that Earls at 20 and Zebo at 20 were much different players at all, but them both at 24 is going to be light years apart.

.ak · 14-04-2013 10:14AM

Lelantos wrote: »

People seem to forget that the Kearney "try" was a clear knock on from church at the start of the move. ...but we won't mention that will we

I actually called that at the time. Thought it was going to be called back for it. But then again Owens missed a million things last night, on both sides, but in retrospect Munster got on the lucky side of those calls I thought.

matTNT · 14-04-2013 10:21AM

I agree with what your saying I am no longer an Earls fan after his past 18 months. I'd move Earls or Zebo to FB, Jones is pretty inconsistent. Whichever one doesn't move there should be deployed on the wing along with Conway. Then bring in Stuart Olding as Ulster have two solid centres already and that Munster backline with Hanrahan at 10 would be lethal in about 2 years time. The 12 slot is still an issue. Bring back De Villers!

So:

9 Murray
10 Hanrahan
11 Zebo
12 Olding
13 Lala/NIQ e.g./Adam Ashley Cooper
14 Conway
15 Earls

jacothelad · 14-04-2013 10:28AM

Lelantos wrote: »

People seem to forget that the Kearney "try" was a clear knock on from church at the start of the move. ...but we won't mention that will we

Yes but the point rather is that the TMO ruled out a perfectly good try as far as his remit allows. The A.R. was the one who missed the Healy k.o. but maybe he was unsighted - as he seemed to be for many things.

matTNT wrote: »

I agree with what your saying I am no longer an Earls fan after his past 18 months. I'd move Earls or Zebo to FB, Jones is pretty inconsistent. Whichever one doesn't move there should be deployed on the wing along with Conway. Then bring in Stuart Olding as Ulster have two solid centres already and that Munster backline with Hanrahan at 10 would be lethal in about 2 years time. The 12 slot is still an issue. Bring back De Villers!

So:

9 Murray
10 Hanrahan
11 Zebo
12 Olding
13 Lala/NIQ e.g./Adam Ashley Cooper
14 Conway
15 Earls

You haven't a hope in helll of getting SO. He is possibly the best young player I've seen at Ulster for years. Possibly since Gibson although we have all seen how young players can flatter to deceive - for a while.

decisions · 14-04-2013 10:30AM

9. Muarry
10. Keatly
11. Zebo
12. JJ
13. ?
14. Conway
15. Jones

Why poach Olding when JJ could be the brilliant at 12? 13 will be a problem area tho, any Munster academy players showing promise at 13? What's the story with Barnes? And is LLL around next year?

athtrasna · 14-04-2013 11:28AM

thomond2006 wrote: »

For Dragons (assuming Earls and Howlett are fit):
Cronin, Varley, Botha, DOC, Holland, POM, Stander, Butler;
Sheridan, Keatley, Zebo, JJ, Earls, Howlett, Hurley

Bench: AN Other, du Preez, Archer, Nagle, DOCII, Williams, ROG, Dineen

*AN Other: Give one of Casey, Scannell or Rael a go?

DOC surely won't be fit next week? Haven't heard any update but fear his knee injury might end his season.

thomond2006 · 14-04-2013 11:31AM

athtrasna wrote: »

DOC surely won't be fit next week? Haven't heard any update but fear his knee injury might end his season.

Hopefully it won't, he's had a great season.

Nagle in and Foley onto the bench in that case.

Chabals Beard · 14-04-2013 11:44AM

People putting Conway ahead of Earls is crazy. my back 3 for next year would be Earls and Zebo on the wings with Conway and Jones to battle it out for the 15 jersey.

14-04-2013 11:46AM

Chabals Beard wrote: »

People putting Conway ahead of Earls is crazy. my back 3 for next year would be Earls and Zebo on the wings with Conway and Jones to battle it out for the 15 jersey.

which on the right? Zebo or Earls?

matTNT · 14-04-2013 11:56AM

decisions wrote: »

Why poach Olding when JJ could be the brilliant at 12?/QUOTE]

Olding is like Madigan in that he can play anywhere in the backline. JJ is deployed at 12, play Olding outside him

I know it would be very difficult to poach Olding but there are 3-4 decent centres in Ulster (if you count Trimble as one). They have room to move on one and Munster should try and take what they can get. Any of those Ulster centres Marshall/Olding/Cave/Trimble would start for Munster at this point.

Chabals Beard · 14-04-2013 11:59AM

Deleted User wrote: »

which on the right? Zebo or Earls?

Let Earls adapt, Zebo loves that left wing.

14-04-2013 12:00PM

Chabals Beard wrote: »

Let Earls adapt, Zebo loves that left wing.

The "One Size fits Earls" solution doesn't work.

14-04-2013 12:01PM

matTNT wrote: »

decisions wrote: »

Why poach Olding when JJ could be the brilliant at 12?

Olding is like Madigan in that he can play anywhere in the backline. JJ is deployed at 12, play Olding outside him

I know it would be very difficult to poach Olding but there are 3-4 decent centres in Ulster (if you count Trimble as one). They have room to move on one and Munster should try and take what they can get. Any of those Ulster centres Marshall/Olding/Cave/Trimble would start for Munster at this point.

no idea why anyone would. Guy's had a superb season on the wing, when's the last time he's played at centre!?

Munster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread II

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