Babbling 'brook

Are you now or have you ever been.... a legend

Thought it was time for a thread.

Matfield has big (BIG) praise for our Joe.

https://www.planetrugby.com/news/victor ... tion-packs

I think the point (when pushed) for a lot of the contract qouta believers is that yes Leinster players should be offered contracts after they have filled their quota but it should be accompanied with a move to a province were a contract vacancy exists. They either take it or leave it. I’m not sayin...

Cutting Billy Burns to save money and signing Aaron Cruden would be even more Ulster.

Or they could double down on making central contracts more obscure and stop having to deal with nit-picking bullshit. Ultimately I care that we have players like Sheehan and Gibson Park, it doesn't actually matter to me whether their salaries are attributed to Leinster or the Irish team or whether t...

Absolutely. But I want them to be well run (us) rather than badly run and always needing help (Welsh regions). Connacht's turnaround was tied to more direct control by the IRFU. I don't think Munster are there, but the fact they chafing against the Irish teams interests is something that the IRFU ca...

Gerry breaks down central deals: https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/2024/04/17/blue-bloods-irfu-national-contract-system-will-continue-to-load-the-dice-in-leinsters-favour/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter reveals JGP going to get bumped up. Nobody told Gerry that we were going to sign...

Oh dear. I remember hearing stories about Foley and players too.

It's not something you want a lot of.

Whatever happened to the needing-to-do-the-right-thing-for-my-family trope?

It's a nice statement. Positive about Leinster and Bath.

by Colmodon Agree with this. Jackman was talking about the potential Jordie signing on the 42 and said he thought other provinces need more budget. In principle I don't really disagree, but I just don't really understand what they would do with that budget? What does another million get for Ulster ...

Despite the claim above that he was released early because he needed knee surgery, he played a couple of AIL games for Young Munster post being released by Munster too. Interesting. Not the first time I've heard false stories to make decisions look more palatable. (I'm not accusing any posters in a...

mildlyinterested wrote: ↑April 17th, 2024, 9:26 am ROC saying Jared Payne heavily linked with a move to Ulster as Head Coach.

Makes sense that they'd go for him. Things fell apart a bit when he left and it's a good time for him to be looking to step up.

Hawkshaw has 8 starts at 13 this season.

artaneboy wrote: ↑April 16th, 2024, 9:43 pm
So, what’s Leinster’s annual budget?

What would you like it to be?

Given the extent to which we provide the bulk of the Irish team our finances are hopelessly intertwined. Our budget is just an accounting decision.

Cool.

Now let's just hope that Rowntree doesn't get himself sacked in a year. It's not just players they'd poach.

Now that you say it, Jordie Barrett Leinster jerseys could be quite a money-spinner.... Take that into account and even another is say Leinsters link with Syracuse university, again nothing to back this up but its not unthinkable that there has been an additional 1,000 jerseys sold into the US (Or ...

I was saying I didn't have any issue with him

JIFF is smarter that way. Use averages so teams can go over temporarily if there are positional squeezes.

It also has the deliberate loophole that you use away games to develop kids.

Knox got 8 caps at 21, it's no guarantee of anything.

It's odd to cite Clarkson, Leinster were forced to play him early when Munster poached Salanoa.

McSweeney wouldn't be playing if he was a year or two more mature. Do people forget that there's a reason Archer is Munsters most capped player.

Molony isn't going play for Ireland so he's dead right to get experiences in other ways, he owes us nothing and with the guys coming up behind him and the ones already ahead of him, then he's caught in a squeeze. Good for him getting a contract with a fine club where he will quickly become a fan-fa...

Now you're talking. Similar to the attractiveness of the UCD-Leinster Academy hook-up, there's nothing stopping the other three provinces offering Leinster school-leavers, who don't make the sub-academy in Dublin, places and getting them fixed up to pursue their third level studies at QUB, UU, UCG,...