Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread X: [****]

stephen_n · 09-12-2018 8:29pm

stephen_n wrote: »

Noel Reid apparently made 13 tackles and missed 4, VDF made 15 and missed 5. Does this mean VDF is a poor defender like Noel Reid is :eek:

Just to clarify, that was sarcasm, I thought Reid was fine yesterday. I only remember him falling off in one tackle during the game, was surprised to see he missed 4 but still think he did ok at handling Roberts. I certainly don’t think VDF is a poor defender by any means.

Stout Warrior · 09-12-2018 9:26pm

Shefwedfan wrote: »

He was actually fairly restrained. The breakdown was a mess and Bath got the edge, then he pinged Leinster for something he let Bath away with. Every other captain in the World would point it out like he did....what happened next, Leinster got a penalty....you have to pick your moment and not be in the ref ear all game and he picked his moment and made his point very clearly

Also in terms of the McGrath beheading.....even the commentators said he held back.... even the touch judge told the ref it was a yellow card and he still went with his first decision before the replays, which is great and it speeds up the game but if Sexton was a bad captain that was a stage he could of went nuts

his method when he does talk to them is lets just say forcefull but lets take Heaslip for example, he was too much of a mate to the ref and couldnt get his point across.

Don't think Sextons method of getting across his point is OTT. I know it's not soccer where players crowd around refs but a forceful point put across reminds the ref to get it right and not let borderline decisions slide.

McGraths incident was borderline the tackler flew in with no arms but McGrath had started to slide early so he just flew over him. As I said he had no arms so was a yellow for me so no arguments with Sexton questioning the refs decision

Former Former · 10-12-2018 1:48am

Clegg wrote: »

An interesting conundrum for next week is what we do with Fardy. We missed his grunt this weekend but he's gotten a rest. Do we start him in place of Toner or Ruddock?

Can't drop Toner. Ruddock, maybe, but bringing in Fardy means dropping Lowe and we aren't flush with fit backs right now.

crisco10 · 10-12-2018 10:17am

Clegg wrote: »

IIRC VdF made a very important tackle yesterday. We'd kicked the ball into the Bath 22 and pushed up hard to pressure the defence. But there was a huge space out wide with a Bath receiver awaiting the pass. VdF scragged his man just before the pass went out. Stopped them making 60 metres.

Yeah, he made a few big plays on Saturday. There was that one, which was a vital fingertip tackle but he also was key in winning two penalties that lead to 10 points.

It was him and Larmour chasing Reid's kick and competing on the deck that won the penalty for the first try, then it was him/jgp/Lowe that worked together to win the holding on penalty for Byrne's penalty. Massive workrate in both situations to chase 50 yards at a "backs" pace.

Ruddock and Leavy struggled to make an impact in anyway shape or form.

errlloyd · 10-12-2018 10:23am

Clegg wrote: »

An interesting conundrum for next week is what we do with Fardy. We missed his grunt this weekend but he's gotten a rest. Do we start him in place of Toner or Ruddock?

Fardy would have been so good at the weekend. But next weekend is a new match, a new pitch, a new ref. I'd expect they know they were bullied and embarrassed. They're probably as motivated as they'll ever be. So I reckon start Conan, bench one of the others. And give them another shot.

[Deleted User] · 10-12-2018 10:26am

Stout Warrior wrote: »

Don't think Sextons method of getting across his point is OTT. I know it's not soccer where players crowd around refs but a forceful point put across reminds the ref to get it right and not let borderline decisions slide

Far too many refs and TMOs are making incorrect decisions at the moment, I think we can all agree on that. I’d far prefer Sexton questioning the referee it’ll help keep them honest and point out when they are wrong. I don’t expect any time so he will change.

jonok28 · 10-12-2018 11:05am

Deleted User wrote: »

Far too many refs and TMOs are making incorrect decisions at the moment, I think we can all agree on that. I’d far prefer Sexton questioning the referee it’ll help keep them honest and point out when they are wrong. I don’t expect any time so he will change.

The likes of Richie McCaw, Stephen Moore and to a lesser extent Rory Best bought a lot of goodwill with refs over the years through being diplomatic and picking and choosing when to push the refs on certain issues, Johnny has very little to no good will with the refs for being overly vocal and pressing the refs every chance he can get, that's why they don't listen to him and don't like giving him 50/50 decisions. You can see that he is trying to let stuff go but he can't seem to bite his tongue on things going against him.

Rugby refs want to maintain a certain level of control in the match, they don't want it to be like football were every player can come up to them and read them the riot act for getting a decision wrong. They see Johnny pressing them and they have no interest in entertaining him because he isn't talking to them the "right way". Such a silly and petulant way the refs go on, if you're the captain and you truly feel your team is on the end of some poor decisions you should be able to voice it.

Clegg · 10-12-2018 11:58am

Just on areas where Leinster need to improve the return fixture. It was very windy last weekend but that doesn't entirely excuse how poor Leinster were at fielding Bath's restarts. Need to tighten up there as well as the lineout.

thomond2006 · 10-12-2018 12:02pm

I would look at starting Fardy at 6. JGP to drop out.
Conan at 8.

scott1974 · 10-12-2018 12:03pm

Clegg wrote: »

Just on areas where Leinster need to improve the return fixture. It was very windy last weekend but that doesn't entirely excuse how poor Leinster were at fielding Bath's restarts. Need to tighten up there as well as the lineout.

I'm not sure if it was mentioned but I thought the floodlights were poor, there seemed to be a lot of shadows.
Not really an excuse but I was wondering if may have caused some of the issues at the restarts!!

arsebiscuits1 · 10-12-2018 12:14pm

thomond2006 wrote: »

I would look at starting Fardy at 6. JGP to drop out.
Conan at 8.

Wouldn't be mad keen on O'Sullivan to be asked to step up for this one.

Buer · 10-12-2018 12:20pm

thomond2006 wrote: »

I would look at starting Fardy at 6. JGP to drop out.
Conan at 8.

Ideally, yes...but we cannot go into this game with Paterson or HOS as our back up 9. If Nick McCarthy was available, it would make sense but he's not.

This game is a season too early for one of the two academy lads to sit on the bench.

Kevski · 10-12-2018 12:51pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Far too many refs and TMOs are making incorrect decisions at the moment, I think we can all agree on that. I’d far prefer Sexton questioning the referee it’ll help keep them honest and point out when they are wrong. I don’t expect any time so he will change.

Agreed. Sexton is one of the most clues in players on the pitch so I’m happy for him to question the referee.

Let’s not forget that Nigel Owens had awarded Willie le Roux’s try in the QF v Wasps 2 seasons ago and only went to TMO after Sexton questioned him and showed him on the screen.

AdamD · 10-12-2018 12:53pm

Not sure if it came across on TV but the wind was swirling all over the place, the conditions were awful.

scott1974 · 10-12-2018 1:15pm

AdamD wrote: »

Not sure if it came across on TV but the wind was swirling all over the place, the conditions were awful.

Yeah, you could see all the Leinster flags blowing all over the place...lol...

Interested Observer · 10-12-2018 1:23pm

Henshaw out for another 8 weeks. Disastrous.

thebaz · 10-12-2018 1:28pm

Interested Observer wrote: »

Henshaw out for another 8 weeks. Disastrous.

he really has become injury prone - I worry will he make it for Japan next year - no doubting best 12 in Ireland , but these injuries are a major worry.

scott1974 · 10-12-2018 1:42pm

Interested Observer wrote: »

Henshaw out for another 8 weeks. Disastrous.

You'd wonder how they got this initial prognosis so wrong, or did just not let the public know.

Clegg · 10-12-2018 1:52pm

Huge blow doubly so because Tomane won't be back until near tye end of the season. Reid was ok on Saturday but he's just not big enough to get us over the gain line like Henshaw does.

Shefwedfan · 10-12-2018 2:07pm

Time to do a Munster on it and get a centre in on a short term contract?

LostArt · 10-12-2018 2:14pm

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Time to do a Munster on it and get a centre in on a short term contract?

and then extend the contract for the rest of the season?

crisco10 · 10-12-2018 2:17pm

Leinster really missed him on Saturday. ON a day when our attack kept getting pushed inside, he would have made all the difference.

Shefwedfan · 10-12-2018 2:37pm

LostArt wrote: »

and then extend the contract for the rest of the season?

Exactly.....then try to sign him at end of season.....

Buer · 10-12-2018 2:44pm

thebaz wrote: »

he really has become injury prone - I worry will he make it for Japan next year - no doubting best 12 in Ireland , but these injuries are a major worry.

He has played a serious amount of top end rugby for a guy who only turned 25 over the past summer. He's pushing 150 professional matches already and a large number of those are top level games either in Europe or at test level.

His body has taken a serious amount of bashing already at his relatively young age given he was starting European Cup rugby at 20. Compare him to someone like Conor O'Brien who has looked very good this season but is almost 23 and has only a few senior starts under his belt.

Henshaw could do with a break from the game. Unfortunately, it looks to be enforced now at this point rather than next summer when he might have had 6 weeks off without any test series to deal with.

It looks very much like they were seeing how the injury progressed and are now looking to take a different approach and focus on the 6N as a return target.

case885 · 10-12-2018 2:45pm

Nick McCarthy out for 12 weeks, did ye knee cap him when he signed for Munster?

Buer · 10-12-2018 2:47pm

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Time to do a Munster on it and get a centre in on a short term contract?

It wouldn't be approved nor should it. We've just demonstrated that we have someone who can play at 12 in the European Cup pool stages and it's a guy who has done so several times before. We've a strong squad and, whilst Henshaw is a key player, we should be able to absorb his loss and qualify without him comfortably.

The silver lining is that I hope to see more of Conor O'Brien playing at 12 now and perhaps have him starting 2 of the 3 interprovincial games over the Christmas period.

Shefwedfan · 10-12-2018 2:48pm

thebaz wrote: »

he really has become injury prone - I worry will he make it for Japan next year - no doubting best 12 in Ireland , but these injuries are a major worry.

Hardly injury prone....last season that injury was a freak accident when the Italy player was trying to do, I don't actually know.

Really he should of had more time off, even BOD said it, but he came back and played more rugby. No real rest. Then back into it again this season.

This is hamstring injury, not much you can do about that. Probably just some wear and tear.

The decision is, do they rush him back like last season and risk another injury.

Or as WC year, Ireland say for him to get a good rest and come back after the 6 nations. Then he has the run in for Leinster to get up to speed and well rested for the WC

Personally I would go with option 2. Ireland know what he can do, let Ringrose, Aki, Addison and Farrell cover the centre spots.....

Shefwedfan · 10-12-2018 2:50pm

Buer wrote: »

It wouldn't be approved nor should it. We've just demonstrated that we have someone who can play at 12 in the European Cup pool stages and it's a guy who has done so several times before. We've a strong squad and, whilst Henshaw is a key player, we should be able to absorb his loss and qualify without him comfortably.

The silver lining is that I hope to see more of Conor O'Brien playing at 12 now and perhaps have him starting 2 of the 3 interprovincial games over the Christmas period.

I dont want a short term contract, I was only joking.....

Let Reid have a chance and some of the younger players might deserve a chance, thats for the management to decide.

We won't have Henshaw for large part of the rest of this season and next season so time for squad to step up.....

Clegg · 10-12-2018 2:50pm

Wonder if we'll register Conor O'Brien for the Champions Cup side now. After Reid he's the only fit 12 we have.

Buer · 10-12-2018 2:50pm

case885 wrote: »

Nick McCarthy out for 12 weeks, did ye knee cap him when he signed for Munster?

He's just trying to fit in with the other great signings Christian Cullen, Tyler Bleyendaal and Mark Chisolm.

Leinster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread X: [****]

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