Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread VII: The Fan-base Awakens

aimee1 · 16-02-2016 11:53PM

Billysays no wrote: »

Eos said simon zebo had a good game against wales!!!

EoS was right. Zebo wasnt brilliant but he was good.

Clegg · 17-02-2016 12:46AM

Will be an awful fierce battle between Robbie and Noel for the 12 jersey.

Tox56 · 17-02-2016 12:47AM

Clegg wrote: »

Will be an awful fierce battle between Robbie and Noel for the 12 jersey.

I think we can all agree Robbie is just keeping the jersey warm for Tom Daly

typhoony · 17-02-2016 12:56AM

dtpc191991 wrote: »

Hmm not sure I'm happy about this. I fear Henshaw's being there could hold back Ringrose (who has the higher cieling imo) and could lead to Ringrose going abroad.

certainly at centre Ringrose has the potential to rise above Henshaw.

Mahatma Geansai · 17-02-2016 01:46AM

typhoony wrote: »

certainly at centre Ringrose has the potential to rise above Henshaw.

While I'd agree, its a bit early to make that call. Garry Ringrose in 21 and has 11 provincial caps. Robbie Henshaw is 22 and has 65 provincial and 17 international caps.

My only hope for the move is that Henshaw has settled on playing 12.

CatFromHue · 17-02-2016 02:59AM

Leinster chief executive Mick Dawson is understood to have intervened with private investment to top-up a deal that would keep Cian Healy in Dublin after talks with the IRFU stalled.
Healy is expected to decide this week between a three-year contract offered by the Worcester Warriors, worth €750,000 a season, a similarly lucrative move to Toulon, or to remain in Leinster on a national contract worth €170,000 less than signing for the English Premiership club.

I did not think Healy would be in that demand!

swiwi_ · 17-02-2016 07:10AM

The 28-year-old prop has experienced frustrating negotiations with the union as performance director, David Nucifora, was on holidays for most of January and therefore uncontactable.

I wish journalists wouldn't print this crap unless they actually have proof he wasn't contactable. It doesn't take a genius to work out Cummiskey is trying to imply Nucifora is some sort of lazy incompetent git.

Last time I looked video conferencing and all the other modern technological forms of communication are widely available. Unless the IRFU uses telegrams, in which case Nucifora may well have been uncontactable.

If you ask me, it's excellent business by Nucifora not to waste huge amounts of money on a prop who is definitely an injury liability in recent times, and isn't anywhere near the glorious heights off a while back. It's definitely worth taking a punt on Healy with a decent contract, but not an exorbitant one.

stephen_n · 17-02-2016 08:34AM

I wish people would reign in the Ringrose is God sentiments. He's good but is nowhere near Henshaws level at this stage. Unless he develops an awareness for what's around him he never will be either. Ringrose has a high ceiling, so did Madigan doesn't mean he will ever reach it. Henshaw has a high ceiling too and hasn't reached it yet. This is a great signing for Leinster regardless of how the messiah develops.

aimee1 · 17-02-2016 08:54AM

stephen_n wrote: »

I wish people would reign in the Ringrose is God sentiments. He's good but is nowhere near Henshaws level at this stage. Unless he develops an awareness for what's around him he never will be either. Ringrose has a high ceiling, so did Madigan doesn't mean he will ever reach it. Henshaw has a high ceiling too and hasn't reached it yet. This is a great signing for Leinster regardless of how the messiah develops.

Ringrose will not get shoved from pillar to post like madigan. with the signings and how the squad is now he will predominantly get gametime at 13 with sexton and henshaw inside him.

stephen_n · 17-02-2016 09:22AM

aimee1 wrote: »

Ringrose will not get shoved from pillar to post like madigan. with the signings and how the squad is now he will predominantly get gametime at 13 with sexton and henshaw inside him.

Doesn't really matter, we are talking about potential and people suggesting getting a player who is already quality is a bad signing. Because it might affect the potential growth of Ringrose is ridiculous. Madigan had no shortage of individual talent but couldn't convert that to link with others. Ringrose has definitely got a huge amount of individual talent but needs to work on his ability to use that in a team setting. Henshaw already has both but just because he didn't come through our academy he will have to be twice as good, to impress some.

Clegg · 17-02-2016 09:36AM

CatFromHue wrote: »

I did not think Healy would be in that demand!

Worcester are a poor quality side with lots of money. That's a very dangerous combination.

Bazzo · 17-02-2016 09:44AM

Clegg wrote: »

Worcester are a poor quality side with lots of money. That's a very dangerous combination.

According to the article he has also been offered similar money at Toulon. Not sure if anyone has actually linked it yet but it's [URL="http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/six-nations/cian-healy-may-stay-at-leinster-thanks-to-investment-top-up-1.2537263]here[/URl].

former total · 17-02-2016 09:49AM

CatFromHue wrote: »

I did not think Healy would be in that demand!

Jaysus. Those figures are pretty mental. It would also mean IRFU are offering €580k to a guy in poor form, with a terrible injury record and whose understudy is one of Ireland's best performing players.

Hmmm.

Tox56 · 17-02-2016 09:50AM

CatFromHue wrote: »

I did not think Healy would be in that demand!

He's had a drop in form recently but I think people are forgetting just how insanely good Healy was for a long time. McGrath is playing great at the moment, standout at international level, and yet Healy at his best is better. People don't seem to have any faith at all in him coming back to that form but I'm optimistic, he's only 28 and most players have a drop in form at some point in their career

sfbdqc · 17-02-2016 10:04AM

Nice the way some people are just ready to right off Cian Healy.

Podge_irl · 17-02-2016 10:08AM

phog wrote: »

I'm not saying I any answers but I have an opinion but some here prefer to put posters down.

Take it to PM with me and stop the childish replies like the ones quoted.

phog wrote: »

The IRFU had a tricky situation to deal with and I'd like to think they made the right decision for the player and the province. I'm not convinced they have.

thomond2006 wrote: »

What is the decision to make? It's Henshaw's decision, not the IRFU's. You haven't elaborated on what you think the IRFU could have done.

There is absolutely nothing remotely childish about this interaction Phog. You are perfectly entitled to think the IRFU have done something wrong, but that implies they had any other (realistic) choice. Henshaw wanted to leave, the IRFU and Connacht tried to get him to stay - Lam at least seems very happy with their efforts - but ultimately to no avail. Short of not letting him sign for any other province, which would be profoundly unhelpful, what other option did they have?

Henshaw may well have made a poor decision but it was his decision to make. I would rather he stayed in Connacht, Connacht would rather he stayed there and by all accounts the IRFU would rather he stayed there. The only person who matters didn't want to though.

Podge_irl · 17-02-2016 10:10AM

sfbdqc wrote: »

Nice the way some people are just ready to right off Cian Healy.

No one is writing him off, but he has equally shown nothing in the previous two years to justify an extremely large contract. Resources are not infinite and he is still available to Ireland abroad.

If he comes back to his best and has a nice injury free run great. But there is absolutely no reason to expect him to. Fitzgerald took a fairly game by game contract under similarish circumstances.

Buer · 17-02-2016 10:11AM

So does this mean Billy Dardis is being cut loose? I note his absence from the list of contracts and he's in his final academy year.

sfbdqc · 17-02-2016 10:13AM

Buer wrote: »

So does this mean Billy Dardis is being cut loose? I note his absence from the list of contracts and he's in his final academy year.

final decision hasn't been made, heard he might do another year in the academy.. still just 20

vienne86 · 17-02-2016 10:16AM

swiwi_ wrote: »

The 28-year-old prop has experienced frustrating negotiations with the union as performance director, David Nucifora, was on holidays for most of January and therefore uncontactable.

I wish journalists wouldn't print this crap unless they actually have proof he wasn't contactable. It doesn't take a genius to work out Cummiskey is trying to imply Nucifora is some sort of lazy incompetent git.

Last time I looked video conferencing and all the other modern technological forms of communication are widely available. Unless the IRFU uses telegrams, in which case Nucifora may well have been uncontactable.

If you ask me, it's excellent business by Nucifora not to waste huge amounts of money on a prop who is definitely an injury liability in recent times, and isn't anywhere near the glorious heights off a while back. It's definitely worth taking a punt on Healy with a decent contract, but not an exorbitant one.

You're on the money, Swiwi. That's awful stuff from Cummiskey. Certainly we should try to hang on to Healy, but I don't think we should break the bank. He really hasn't been impressive for the last two years. I would be a lot less upset if we were to lose Healy that I was about losing Moore.

former total · 17-02-2016 10:17AM

Podge_irl wrote: »

No one is writing him off, but he has equally shown nothing in the previous two years to justify an extremely large contract. Resources are not infinite and he is still available to Ireland abroad.

If he comes back to his best and has a nice injury free run great. But there is absolutely no reason to expect him to. Fitzgerald took a fairly game by game contract under similarish circumstances.

Exactly. If Healy comes back, stays fit, rediscovers his form and displaces McGrath, then he's worth every penny. Lots of variables there though, and a three-year central contract is a big outlay for what is a significant risk.

17-02-2016 10:22AM

He's not worth that kind of contract to Leinster Rugby unfortunately.

The figure for the offer suggested is mental, and it's still miles off what the mooted 'foreign contracts' are. If I were him I'd be off.

Buer · 17-02-2016 10:30AM

Honestly, I think if Healy stays fit it's simply a matter of when he gets back to form. He was starting to come back to decent form before his latest injury with some strong carrying and work around the field. He's been something of a victim of being rushed back. There was unfair expectation on him to come back into the Irish team in the RWC and be anything close to his normal standard. He had surgery on his neck and hadn't played in 5 months, missing the bulk of pre-season. That's massively debilitating to any prop.

The amounts being mentioned are ridiculous but I'm not surprised in the slightest that he's being chased by teams and being offered serious money. The bloke is proven class and is hitting what should be his peak years. We're hugely fortunate to have such an outstanding player as McGrath to step in but losing Healy would be a big blow and would only serve to increase the sense of discontent with contractual issues within Irish and (particularly) Leinster rugby.

thomond2006 · 17-02-2016 10:32AM

phog wrote: »

I'm not saying I any answers but I have an opinion but some here prefer to put posters down.

Take it to PM with me and stop the childish replies like the ones quoted.

I didn't put you down (if I did, please point out where). I disagreed with you and asked you to elaborate/clarify your 'opinion'.

thomond2006 wrote: »

By doing what though?

Maybe they did do everything to keep him at Connacht. We don't know they didn't at least. TBF these days when foreign clubs are threatening to sign our top players you have tread delicately and not try to mess too much with players (a la Sexton in 2013). It's certainly a far cry from the days when the IRFU lowballed players (particularly at Munster) because they felt the player wouldn't leave.

There's some non-rugby reasons too. Leinster is a far bigger market so there's more non-rugby revenue opportunities. Plus I read somewhere that his girlfriend lives in Dublin.

thomond2006 wrote: »

What is the decision to make? It's Henshaw's decision, not the IRFU's. You haven't elaborated on what you think the IRFU could have done.

Journeyman_1 · 17-02-2016 10:48AM

Clegg wrote: »

Worcester are a poor quality side with lots of money. That's a very dangerous combination.

Toulon were in a similar situation a few years ago....

phog · 17-02-2016 11:13AM

Podge_irl wrote: »

There is absolutely nothing remotely childish about this interaction Phog

Very selective quoting of posts.

phog · 17-02-2016 11:15AM

thomond2006 wrote: »

I didn't put you down (if I did, please point out where). I disagreed with you and asked you to elaborate/clarify your 'opinion'.

I never said you did, I offered you and others the opportunity to take it to PM.

I opted out because of the usual reaction one gets when thay a different pov to the group think on here.

Podge_irl · 17-02-2016 11:24AM

phog wrote: »

Very selective quoting of posts.

You are the one who included thomond's post (one of three) in your denouncement of childish responses and refused to answer his perfectly reasonable question.

It doesn't make any sense to complain about the IRFU's "decision" unless you think they could have done something else.

Zzippy · 17-02-2016 11:51AM

Podge_irl wrote: »

Henshaw wanted to leave, the IRFU and Connacht tried to get him to stay - Lam at least seems very happy with their efforts - but ultimately to no avail. Short of not letting him sign for any other province, which would be profoundly unhelpful, what other option did they have?

Henshaw may well have made a poor decision but it was his decision to make. I would rather he stayed in Connacht, Connacht would rather he stayed there and by all accounts the IRFU would rather he stayed there. The only person who matters didn't want to though.

I'm at ease with Henshaw moving, if he wants to go let him. He's been great for us and Ireland, I'm sure he'll do well at Leinster, and maybe he'll come back some day. The only thing I'm annoyed about is the IRFU giving yet another central contract to a (now) Leinster player. If they want to encourage 4 strong provinces they could have offered him a central contract to stay at Connacht, or let Leinster offer him a provincial contract that they have to fund themselves. Connacht could have had their first ever centrally-contracted player, freeing up some money to spend elsewhere. Instead, they are down their star player, and have to fund a replacement from own resources, while Leinster get a star player for free, which allows them to spend elsewhere the money they would otherwise have to spend on him. It's a double blow to Connacht and double win for Leinster. That's the frustration.

LostArt · 17-02-2016 11:55AM

Zzippy wrote: »

I'm at ease with Henshaw moving, if he wants to go let him. He's been great for us and Ireland, I'm sure he'll do well at Leinster, and maybe he'll come back some day. The only thing I'm annoyed about is the IRFU giving yet another central contract to a (now) Leinster player. If they want to encourage 4 strong provinces they could have offered him a central contract to stay at Connacht, or let Leinster offer him a provincial contract that they have to fund themselves. Connacht could have had their first ever centrally-contracted player, freeing up some money to spend elsewhere. Instead, they are down their star player, and have to fund a replacement from own resources, while Leinster get a star player for free, which allows them to spend elsewhere the money they would otherwise have to spend on him. It's a double blow to Connacht and double win for Leinster. That's the frustration.

What your source that he wasn't offered a central contract with Connacht? Looks like I completely missed that part!

Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread VII: The Fan-base Awakens

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