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

DGRulz · 31-03-2016 09:44AM

brokenhooker wrote: »

Wasps, Saracens, Toulon, Racing to begin with..

I'll give you Wasps, but only this year and I think a lot of that has to do with the World Cup. Saracens and Toulon generally bully and over-power to get the win and Racing are only playing decently this season because they bought Carter.

dub_skav · 31-03-2016 09:44AM

brokenhooker wrote: »

Munster have won their last three, Leinster have lost their last two.

Leinster have scored 1 try in 3 games, Munster have scored 12 tries in 3 games.

But Munster have scored 0 points against teams in the top half of the table in their last 3 games.
They have no chance.

CMOTDibbler · 31-03-2016 09:46AM

Deleted User wrote: »

To be totally fair to brokenhooker and Connacht in particular, this is a very important metric!

More losing bonus points => When Connacht got beaten it was close
More Tries scored bonus points => When Connacht beat teams they beat them well.

I think they are equal on LBPs. I can't agree on the beating well comment. Getting TBPs doesn't equate to hammering teams if you're leaking tries at the other end. :pac:

brokenhooker · 31-03-2016 09:48AM

DGRulz wrote: »

I'll give you Wasps, but only this year and I think a lot of that has to do with the World Cup. Saracens and Toulon generally bully and over-power to get the win and Racing are only playing decently this season because they bought Carter.

They'd all beat Leinster and in the case of Wasps/Toloun did.
Leinster are miles off their peak and don't look like getting back there under the current setup. Hopefully Sexton can give the team some direction again because they are floundering at the moment, often lacking basic skill and rugby intelligence. The bluntness in how Leinster attack is depressing as a fan of attractive rugby played at high intensity and with skill.

brokenhooker · 31-03-2016 09:50AM

dub_skav wrote: »

But Munster have scored 0 points against teams in the top half of the table in their last 3 games.
They have no chance.

Leinster only managed 12 points, against a Glasgow B side and a defensively poor Connacht side who recently conceded 34 points to Zebre.

CMOTDibbler · 31-03-2016 09:50AM

brokenhooker wrote: »

Munster have won their last three, Leinster have lost their last two.

Leinster have scored 1 try in 3 games, Munster have scored 12 tries in 3 games.

Oh look. You've picked three games where Munster played two of the bottom feeders (barely in one case) and were at home for two of them while Leinster played the league leaders and Glasgow away. :rolleyes:

brokenhooker · 31-03-2016 09:51AM

CMOTDibbler wrote: »

Oh look. You've picked three games where Munster played two of the bottom feeders (barely in one case) and were at home for two of them while Leinster played the league leaders and Glasgow away. :rolleyes:

A glasgow B side and a defensively poor team.

I can't see how anyone with any ambition for leinster rugby can defend our recent attacking performances.

Deano7788 · 31-03-2016 09:52AM

brokenhooker wrote: »

Munster have won their last three, Leinster have lost their last two.

Leinster have scored 1 try in 3 games, Munster have scored 12 tries in 3 games.

Not really through, considering the Cardiff game Munster lost was just before the Zebre game.

So in the last 2 games, Leinster have lost to Glasgow and Connacht and Munster have lost to Cardiff and beaten Zebre (who Leinster beat 52 0 in February).

Hard to say Munster are in better form (and I say that as a Munster fan).

thomond2006 · 31-03-2016 09:52AM

Honestly Zebre were so bad I wouldn't read anything into it.

CMOTDibbler · 31-03-2016 09:52AM

brokenhooker wrote: »

Leinster only managed 12 points, against a Glasgow B side and a defensively poor Connacht side who recently conceded 34 points to Zebre.

That was Leinster B as well against Glasgow and for 60 minutes against Connacht. :rolleyes:

neelia11 · 31-03-2016 09:53AM

brokenhooker wrote: »

Both are decent sides but nothing great in comparison to club sides throughout europe. Leinster are just as average, better in defense but worse in attack. Just as poor skill wise as Munster, worse than Connacht.

The 4 Irish sides are in the top 5 in the pro 12. Connacht have managed a total of 28 points in 4 games. They have conceded 41. For all the talk of connacht's attacking prowess, they have struggled against the other irish sides so far this season. Averaging 7 points a game.

whatawaster · 31-03-2016 09:59AM

brokenhooker wrote: »

A glasgow B side and a defensively poor team.

I can't see how anyone with any ambition for leinster rugby can defend our recent attacking performances.

Glasgow B side perhaps, but did Leinster have all their star names, or where they perhaps missing as many if not more first team players?

DGRulz · 31-03-2016 10:00AM

brokenhooker wrote: »

They'd all beat Leinster and in the case of Wasps/Toloun did.
Leinster are miles off their peak and don't look like getting back there under the current setup. Hopefully Sexton can give the team some direction again because they are floundering at the moment, often lacking basic skill and rugby intelligence. The bluntness in how Leinster attack is depressing as a fan of attractive rugby played at high intensity and with skill.

Ah yes, the Toulon games where we had the beating of them for 90% of the match only to be over powered by their bench. Definitely speaks to the attractive rugby played at high intensity and skill they showed in those game.

brokenhooker · 31-03-2016 10:03AM

neelia11 wrote: »

The 4 Irish sides are in the top 5 in the pro 12. Connacht have managed a total of 28 points in 4 games. They have conceded 41. For all the talk of connacht's attacking prowess, they have struggled against the other irish sides so far this season. Averaging 7 points a game.

Never said Connacht were a great side, they are average. But at least they play with some ambition and skill.

Leinster are a blunt attacking team who try to overpower teams and often fail against teams that are half decent, we are lucky we played a weakened glasgow side because we would have likely been exposed. Our attack was exposed last weekend against a poor defensive side where we looked clueless and played dumb one out rugby with little skill on show.

brokenhooker · 31-03-2016 10:03AM

DGRulz wrote: »

Ah yes, the Toulon games where we had the beating of them for 90% of the match only to be over powered by their bench. Definitely speaks to the attractive rugby played at high intensity and skill they showed in those game.

Morale victories, yay.. what a great time to be a leinster fan.

sydthebeat · 31-03-2016 10:07AM

brokenhooker wrote: »

Leinster are struggling for form all year,

??

they are in much the same position as they were in 2014 when they won the league ?? only won one less game at this stage of the season....

neelia11 · 31-03-2016 10:08AM

brokenhooker wrote: »

Never said Connacht were a great side, they are average. But at least they play with some ambition and skill.

Leinster are a blunt attacking team who try to overpower teams and often fail against teams that are half decent, we are lucky we played a weakened glasgow side because we would have likely been exposed. Our attack was exposed last weekend against a poor defensive side where we looked clueless and played dumb one out rugby with little skill on show.

And for all connachts supposed skill and ambition they scored ONCE in two games against leinster. In the last three inter pros they played they have scored one try (converted) and one penalty. Leinster have issues in attack but a lot of it comes down to a lack of continuity. I expect that to change next season with the squad together through pre season and playing together a lot more.

31-03-2016 10:15AM

Being Frank (can I still be Garth?) we have been pretty meh this year. I don't see any issue in pointing that out.

We've had some scores out of nothing from good individual moments, and we've scored some good team tries, but I don't think we've been particularly prolific at anything really!

We're currently second in the Pro12 with a decent run in and should be making the play offs. Still in with a shot at silverware even though we've not really hit any real heights for the season.

Which for an optimist bodes well for next season if you think that we can get going. And as a pessimist bodes poorly for next season if you think that we face more of the same, but probably not quite the results we've had this.

31-03-2016 10:16AM

I'm convinced some posters use this forum as an outlet to practice their debating skills. They choose a motion and have to find any piece of evidence to support it, often twisting statistics.

I've been happy enough with Leinster this season. There was a massive downward curve that has plateaued. We couldn't compete in Europe unsurprisingly but we've been far better in the league this year. There has been a handful of vintage performances that reminded me of Leinster of old. I'm optimistic.

DGRulz · 31-03-2016 10:21AM

Personally, I've seen enough from us this season to be positive enough about the Pro12 and Europe next season. If Leo and Co. can get a good pre-season with the majority of our top and new guys we should be well up there in both competitions. Keep in mind that we basically only had the As and wider senior squad for pre-season this year.

dub_skav · 31-03-2016 10:42AM

"You are what your record says you are" - Bill Parcells

In a season hugely disrupted by World Cup and 6 nations, with an entirely new coaching staff in place, Leinster are one of the best teams in the league and in fine position to finish strong with all players finally available to choose from.

Even BrokenHooker admits (indirectly) that Leinster are a better attacking team with Sexton in place. So, having had; no Sexton, an out of form Sexton and no Sexton for most of the season, we now get to start him for the run in and he looked good in his last few games for Ireland.

We have given significant playing time and exposure to Van der Flier, Leavy, Ringrose, Molony, Byrne, McGrath etc and are now going to re-integrate McGrath, Strauss, Ross, Toner, Heaslip, Reddan, Sexton and Rob.

I am very optimistic, both for the end of this season and for next year. We get to see what Dempsey, Fogarty, McQuilkin and Cullen can do with newly battle hardened youngsters plus seasoned internationals.

I love rugby in all its forms; from free-flowing end to end try fests, through tactical defensive battles, scrum masterclasses, pinpoint accurate kick tennis all the way to the unrivalled beauty of a well executed rolling maul.
Great rugby offers something for everybody, a single style is not really for me.

I see plenty of scope for optimism that we will be able for a multi style game being executed by young up and comers and familiar faces all operating together.

Sure, we fell a bit flat in the Heineken Cup, but that really came a bit too early for Cullen and even at that we pushed Toulon close twice, beat Bath at home and were very close to them away and while we were well beaten by Wasps twice, the home game is the only one that we should regret and that was less than a month removed from a gutting World Cup for the majority of the squad.
I have confidence that we will be far more competitive in that next year too.

I am a hopeless optimist that will always see the positives in my team. But to be honest, I'd rather that than be the Chicken Lickin sky is falling type for whom the next disaster just hasn't been spotted yet.

DGRulz · 31-03-2016 10:51AM

Not to mention that we should end up with a pretty decent seeding for Europe.

31-03-2016 11:02AM

I'm not sure we really made much of a run at Europe this year. I doubt we discounted it, but I think the focus was a good league finish.

With so many former champions and Wasps in terrific form this season, it's probably the most competitive group in European Rugby history and by a bit of a margin as well.

If we get a good seeding this year we might get a softer run in and maybe even (if were really lucky) get a group with one of the Italian teams where there are always guaranteed two qualifiers.

brokenhooker · 31-03-2016 11:16AM

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm not sure we really made much of a run at Europe this year. I doubt we discounted it, but I think the focus was a good league finish.

With so many former champions and Wasps in terrific form this season, it's probably the most competitive group in European Rugby history and by a bit of a margin as well.

If we get a good seeding this year we might get a softer run in and maybe even (if were really lucky) get a group with one of the Italian teams where there are always guaranteed two qualifiers.

Since when should Leinster be relying on getting an Italian team to ensure qualification from the group?

How we have fallen.

31-03-2016 11:27AM

brokenhooker wrote: »

Since when should Leinster be relying on getting an Italian team to ensure qualification from the group?

How we have fallen.

Relying on? No one said anything like this. Actually Leinster typically did well when we had tougher groups.

But it's logical to want a better seeding and ultimately an easier group.

Anyway, you're only interested in attacking and not discussing so will leave it there with you.

brokenhooker · 31-03-2016 11:42AM

Shame Murray can't write something similar about leinster

http://www.the42.ie/analysis-connacht-leinster-guinness-pro12-2688369-Mar2016/

sheep? · 31-03-2016 11:49AM

You need to change the 'hooker' part of your name to 'record' mate.

brokenhooker · 31-03-2016 11:50AM

sheep? wrote: »

You need to change the 'hooker' part of your name to 'record' mate.

sorry if im not some sheep who refuses to acknowledge reality.

31-03-2016 11:51AM

I really,really,really hope that The Lost Sheep or Dave_The_Sheep are the next posters in this thread.

31-03-2016 11:58AM

brokenhooker wrote: »

Since when should Leinster be relying on getting an Italian team to ensure qualification from the group?

How we have fallen.

Yes, Leinster have fallen. Nobody is denying that.

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

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