Babbling 'brook

Unfortunately I know all too well the feeling that you are all going through right now. Leinster came out all guns blazing and looked like they would have the game won by half time. The first try was a masterclass. However, after 20 minutes of looking like the best team in the world, Leinster went ...

We're in trouble at loosehead, as presumably Cian Healy is retiring. Milne is a good carrier but we need better scrummaging. Jack Boyle was outstanding for the Irish u-20s and is legitimately a great hope, but guys don't always make the step up to senior level as you might expect. At 6'1" and 1...

Re the drop goal, I think they were trying to get go through phases to set up a ruck near the line slightly to the left or right of the posts, allowing Byrne to attempt the drop goal from directly in front of the posts, probably just outside the 22. You also need to keep the defence guessing that yo...

Most disappointing game I've ever watched. Tops Ireland losing to France in Croke Park in 2007, Ireland losing to New Zealand in 2013, and the previous final losses vs Saracens and La Rochelle. Absolutely gut-wrenching, awful. At the moment I just feel like giving up. It hurts too much. Can easily e...

Blue Man wrote: ↑May 20th, 2023, 11:53 am Let’s just hope he can start and do the basics for 60 minutes

Lock down the scrum, make his tackles, and even a few of his nice little passes for 60 mins, and we've done well.

That's absolutely disgusting. They should be stripped of the preferential 9 per cent VAT rate, as was mooted for budget 2022, but ultimately didn't happen.

Sick with nerves just thinking of this one. Will be massive. Surprised the bookies have Leinster as much as 8 or 9 point favourites, even with home advantage I think it's basically exactly 50:50.

If we want to promote the URC as the premium competition that it is, we need to give it space to breathe and flex it's muscles. Squeezing in so many knockout rounds of multiple competitions week on week doesn't do either competition any favours. We need to leave two weeks lead-in to the semi-finals...

Bigdickenergy wrote: ↑May 14th, 2023, 2:15 pm The Munster turnover right on the goal line as Leinster were about to score was the one REALLY egregious one from Murphy. 7 points were a near certainty right there and Archer blatantly charges in offside. Absolute stone wall yellow card.

Yeah this one was unbelievable. Changed the game.

I think what we've learnt is.. don't sweat about finishing the league on top, as it's tough to win it twice in the same season. You can win the league without winning the trophy and you can win the league trophy by finishing 3rd or 5th in the league. 8 teams qualifying for the play-offs really is r...

The relatively easy conversion miss from Frawley probably cost the match. I'm not sure, given their lack of clinical edge throughout the match, that Munster would have been able to get a try near the end. Munster did get more of the rub-of-the-green from the ref, but you can't fault their effort, it...

Stormers in the final, 43-25 winners over Connacht ultimately. It was a one score game with 5 minutes left but some awful kick fielding gifted Stormers a late try. Super game and final score flatters the Stormers. Based on that game, you'd think Leinster would beat Stormers in Dublin, and even that...

Peyper is lenient on dirty play and loves a dominant scrum (whether legal or not) from a heavier pack. Not good news for Leinster IMO.

glenageary wrote: ↑May 9th, 2023, 1:44 pm Does anyone know when the Irish World Cup jersey will be released??

In 2019, they released it around 10 July.

Most of the times when Leinster went for 3 points in last year's final, it did actually make sense in the context of the game at the particular time of the given penalty. The exception (as noted above) was the final penalty to move 4 points ahead, with about 15-20 minutes to go, when La Rochelle wer...

Saffers won't dominate Europe. The French have sorted out their act with limits on foreign players in club teams, strong underage and senior-level national sides, and big t.v. and private sector money. Not to mention a huge population where rugby is the second most popular sport.

I'm not sure I agree with all of your conclusions, but I would say there is a noticeably greater concentration of ability in a smaller number of clubs (and, actually, international teams) in the last few years. Gone are the days when a strong Leinster team might fear a real possibility of defeat aga...

Bosch is a big loss. They'll be lacking even more control now. Relieved that he is unavailable. He gives them a lot of their shape. As the linked article above states, they really crumbled against Munster when he was off the pitch. The thing about the SA sides is that they will [figuratively] keep ...

Would it be such a disaster if, say, four Welsh teams merged into two or three, and they all joined the Premiership? I think the Scots are much less likely to move and have been more competitive in any case (and have less financial trouble). We could probably add in the Cheehtahs and possibly anothe...

What about benching/resting guys who have had a lot of gametime, but playing some other first-teamers who have fewer recent/overall minutes on the clock? Something like this: 1.C.Healy 2.McKee 3.Furlong (looks to need more game time to get back to his best, could possibly be taken off after 50 minut...