Babbling 'brook

[tickets now sold]

Terrible news. Poor Luke.

Will be hugely missed.

Re centre development - have we had the raw materials to work with? Reid has gotten a lot of game time and looked ok sometimes. Injury goosed him a bit last year. Macken was given a number of opportunities and failed to step up as well. I agree with the comment that it is folly to give Te'o less gam...

Minimum expectations - Top 4 finish, Top 2 in ECC group Realistic expectations - Top 2 finish, qualify from ECC group Anything above the realistic expectaions will signal a good first season under Leo. Yes we will be missing players due to RWC, but we are not unique in that situation. We still have ...

Letting Hines go still rankles. I recall us not offering a longer term deal and that's why he left, but was that IRFU driven?

I know we got Brad in at the end of 11-12 season and it worked ok, but we could have gotten a couple more good years out of Hines.

Ok, this will probably not happen but.... Pat Lam anyone? I'd be happy out (but can't see the IRFU screwing Connacht that way.... yet)

The right call, though I didn't think we would actually make it.

I would love Gibbes back, but I would be surprised if he came.

Jamie for me. Shone amongst the shite and was generally immense in Europe.

More in goreyguy's line of thinking on Jordi.

Furlong for me.

That MOC interview is a bit of a joke. He is aware Munster lost that game by more than a score right?!?

I don't want to join in the group cluster-fu*king he is getting on here, but he rarely (if ever) say something ineligible in the media.

Is it a surprise Steffon Armitage is benched? Haven't been following Toulon much, but sore recollections of him destroying us at the breakdown last year, so I am a bit surprised.

So the question has to be asked. Is Mick Dawson a sensible business man? I previously estimated that season tickets would be down 3,000 next year costing about €1.1m. This is a real cost as we are not filling those seats with walk ups. I now reckon that season tickets will be down to around 8,000 a...

Thought Jimmy did alright the last day and still think Reid is raw at this level. No qualms at that pick.

Less so on the Boss pick. Anyone remember his last good game?

I thought Redden had a decent game, though was occasionally guilty of Stringeritis (waving at the ref rather than trying to get the ball out and away)

I'd flip that a bit and say what has Mads done to deserve selection. Shag all is my answer. His worst hasnt been as bad as Gopperths worst and his best is far out of sight of Gopperths, he more upside, can play a wider game, has pace, can attack the gainline. Gopperth was awful last week. What does...

I'd flip that a bit and say what has Mads done to deserve selection. Shag all is my answer.

We're not underdogs - we're at home, we've beaten them twice, we have a much better pack and better impact off the bench.

That said, I expect it'll be close. But I think we will win.

It's pretty clear from Quinlan's articles that they are based on conversations he has with someone, who then types it up. I don't have a particular issue with that, it is still his opinion and his voice does come across in it. As for this article, I think MOC gives an honest assessment of what he vi...

I would cut him a slight bit of slack given that it was game chasing time and he had to try a kick that we could compete for. But his kicking out of hand has been weak all season, truth be told. I would love to have him over Jimmy if he was the Mads of last year. And I don't truck with those saying ...

Nah need to mix it up a bit, that would have taken a serious toll on bodies.

Would be inclined to start: Cronin, Leo, Jordi, Boss, Mads, Lukey, Zane. Possibly even give Reid a run too.