Leinster v Sharks Sat 8th Oct 17.05pm RTE/Premier Sports

[curates_egg]

Strong side.

Big Mike, JJ, Molony and Luke have started all of our first four games.
Really starting to feel uncomfortable about the reliance on Big Mike and feel it is compounded by us also flogging JJ.
When Vakh finally starts a game, it would be good for him to have JJ behind him.

[Flash Gordon]

Strong side.

Big Mike, JJ, Molony and Luke have started all of our first four games.
Really starting to feel uncomfortable about the reliance on Big Mike and feel it is compounded by us also flogging JJ.
When Vakh finally starts a game, it would be good for him to have JJ behind him.

Jenkins will have a month off in a couple of weeks as will Big Mike. Jenkins seems like he's enjoying finally getting a full preseason and a run of games under his belt - as am I! With JGP inured, Luke has to start, unfortunately there's a drop off behind him.

[arsebiscuits1]

Leinster Rugby (caps in brackets):


16. John McKee (4)
17. Cian Healy (250)
18. Vakhtang Abdaladze (19)
19. James Ryan (59)
20. Rhys Ruddock (211)
21. Cormac Foley (6)
22. Ross Byrne (131)
23. Garry Ringrose

Excited to see how Garry gets on on Debut. Have heard great things about this kid.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Great to see Baird get a run of games, must be a long time since that happened.

[curates_egg]

Strong side.

Big Mike, JJ, Molony and Luke have started all of our first four games.
Really starting to feel uncomfortable about the reliance on Big Mike and feel it is compounded by us also flogging JJ.
When Vakh finally starts a game, it would be good for him to have JJ behind him.

Jenkins will have a month off in a couple of weeks as will Big Mike. Jenkins seems like he's enjoying finally getting a full preseason and a run of games under his belt - as am I! With JGP inured, Luke has to start, unfortunately there's a drop off behind him.

There are reasonable explanations for them all, but the big Mike situation just leaves me feeling uncomfortable.
I think we 100% should have given Vakh at least one start in this opening segment - and home to Treviso with JJ behind him would seem to have been a perfect opportunity.
Hopefully, it doesn't come back to bite us.
At least Clarkson is getting a hit out in South Africa.

[Barry]

Strong side.

Big Mike, JJ, Molony and Luke have started all of our first four games.
Really starting to feel uncomfortable about the reliance on Big Mike and feel it is compounded by us also flogging JJ.
When Vakh finally starts a game, it would be good for him to have JJ behind him.

Jenkins will have a month off in a couple of weeks as will Big Mike. Jenkins seems like he's enjoying finally getting a full preseason and a run of games under his belt - as am I! With JGP inured, Luke has to start, unfortunately there's a drop off behind him.

Samoa play Italy, Georgia and Romania in November so no rest for big Mike

Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk

[wixfjord]

Still no Tadhg is a bit of a worry.

The Foley/McCarthy duel is clearly quite tight, which is good to see.

Russell selected ahead of MOR in the backline. Big chance for him with a senior side around him.

In particular, I'm interested to see how the scrum goes. Du Toit and Sadie are massive challenges for Porter/Healy to try contend with.

[Flash Gordon]

Strong side.

Big Mike, JJ, Molony and Luke have started all of our first four games.
Really starting to feel uncomfortable about the reliance on Big Mike and feel it is compounded by us also flogging JJ.
When Vakh finally starts a game, it would be good for him to have JJ behind him.

Jenkins will have a month off in a couple of weeks as will Big Mike. Jenkins seems like he's enjoying finally getting a full preseason and a run of games under his belt - as am I! With JGP inured, Luke has to start, unfortunately there's a drop off behind him.

Samoa play Italy, Georgia and Romania in November so no rest for big Mike

Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk

cr@p. Yeah, I'd forgotten about Samoa!!

[ronk]

Strong side.

Big Mike, JJ, Molony and Luke have started all of our first four games.
Really starting to feel uncomfortable about the reliance on Big Mike and feel it is compounded by us also flogging JJ.
When Vakh finally starts a game, it would be good for him to have JJ behind him.

Jenkins will have a month off in a couple of weeks as will Big Mike. Jenkins seems like he's enjoying finally getting a full preseason and a run of games under his belt - as am I! With JGP inured, Luke has to start, unfortunately there's a drop off behind him.

There are reasonable explanations for them all, but the big Mike situation just leaves me feeling uncomfortable.
I think we 100% should have given Vakh at least one start in this opening segment - and home to Treviso with JJ behind him would seem to have been a perfect opportunity.
Hopefully, it doesn't come back to bite us.
At least Clarkson is getting a hit out in South Africa.

I'm just happy Vakh is getting a string of games. If he can get through a bit without getting injured we might start seeing more. In any case this weekend isn't the one to start him.

[blockhead]

Jenkins is looking more and more like a very shrewd signing.
Looking forward to a good game.

[RoboProp]

Jenkins is looking more and more like a very shrewd signing.
Looking forward to a good game.

That Cullen fellow knows a good lock forward when he sees one

[limecat]

Match Preview

It's three wins from three and now Leinster get to face some South African opposition.

Ever since Leinster were beaten by the Bulls in the URC semi final in the RDS in June, they've been itching to take on a big South African side again. Because that defeat, coming after the defeat to the big beasts of La Rochelle, re-ignited the criticism that the Leinster pack can't hack it against a hefty pack.

Read more...

[cormac]

Still no Tadhg is a bit of a worry.

The Foley/McCarthy duel is clearly quite tight, which is good to see.

Russell selected ahead of MOR in the backline. Big chance for him with a senior side around him.

In particular, I'm interested to see how the scrum goes. Du Toit and Sadie are massive challenges for Porter/Healy to try contend with.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/united-rugby-c ... -connacht/

Furlong trained fully this week. Expected to feature against Connacht next week.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Still no Tadhg is a bit of a worry.

The Foley/McCarthy duel is clearly quite tight, which is good to see.

Russell selected ahead of MOR in the backline. Big chance for him with a senior side around him.

In particular, I'm interested to see how the scrum goes. Du Toit and Sadie are massive challenges for Porter/Healy to try contend with.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/united-rugby-c ... -connacht/

Furlong trained fully this week. Expected to feature against Connacht next week.

Maybe it’s his turn to step in when someone pulls out before kick off? Can’t wait to see who it is this week!

[Blue Man]

I’m very happy with this team In terms of Baird, Connor’s, Conan in the back row getting game time. I’d like to see Foley, Ryan and Abdaladze get at least 30 mins off the bench. The sharks don’t have their internationals but should present a big physical challenge. I really hope we can match them physically and show sufficient attacking flair to beat them.

Side thought, I’ll be disappointed if Damien Browne isn’t towed out in his rowing boat, at half time, wearing a Leinster jersey…

[hugonaut]

Strong side.

Big Mike, JJ, Molony and Luke have started all of our first four games.
Really starting to feel uncomfortable about the reliance on Big Mike and feel it is compounded by us also flogging JJ.
When Vakh finally starts a game, it would be good for him to have JJ behind him.

I don't think we're anywhere near 'flogging' Jenkins.

We've subbed him off in two of the three games he has played; he only played 230 minutes over the course of the 2021-22 season for Munster; we're only in the first month of the season; we have no games scheduled from the 28 October until the 26 November.

No doubt in my mind that we want to be in the position where we have already qualified for a home knock-out match in the league before we have to send a squad out to SA for the final two matches of the regular season. That means putting strong teams out every match from here to the end of March.

I pretty much expect Rassie to select him for SA 'A' against Munster, but what are you going to do about that?

[hugonaut]

We've got seven players in the pack over 191cm/6'3" tall [the odd man out being Andrew Porter], with the shortest man in the back five being 193cm/6'4" Jack Conan. Seven out of eight starting pack members break the 110kg mark, with Will Connors the exception.

That's one of the bigger packs that we have fielded. We got very good returns with it for the first 50 against Ulster, and built as big a score as we needed to win in that time frame. It will be interesting to see how the Sharks pack compares to Ulster.

The Sharks gave our youngsters a very hard time, particularly with their maul, over in Natal last season. I remember thinking during that match how much I was looking forward to seeing them again in Dublin next season when we could put out a stronger, more experienced and more rugged outfit. They are missing Ox Nche, Bongo Mbonambi, Le Roux Roets, Gerbrandt Grobler, Siya Kolisi and Henco Venter from that pack, and Buthulezi is on the bench this time out. It's a huge personnel change. I would say that Leo and Stuart and Robin McBride and Seanie were rolling the tapes of the last match during the week anyway ... as much for motivation as research.

In the backs, Fassi is their obvious weapon: a really gifted open field runner with blazing pace and great balance. Werner Kok is extremely abrasive, in the mould of the late James Small. Rob Russell needs to be a lot more tigerish than he was against Zebre and run that 80s wrestler looking kn*b into the boards the first chance he gets. These Natal lads liked playing the hammer last year, let's see how they like being the nail.

[Hoofhearted]

We've got seven players in the pack over 191cm/6'3" tall [the odd man out being Andrew Porter], with the shortest man in the back five being 193cm/6'4" Jack Conan. Seven out of eight starting pack members break the 110kg mark, with Will Connors the exception.

That's one of the bigger packs that we have fielded. We got very good returns with it for the first 50 against Ulster, and built as big a score as we needed to win in that time frame. It will be interesting to see how the Sharks pack compares to Ulster.

The Sharks gave our youngsters a very hard time, particularly with their maul, over in Natal last season. I remember thinking during that match how much I was looking forward to seeing them again in Dublin next season when we could put out a stronger, more experienced and more rugged outfit. They are missing Ox Nche, Bongo Mbonambi, Le Roux Roets, Gerbrandt Grobler, Siya Kolisi and Henco Venter from that pack, and Buthulezi is on the bench this time out. It's a huge personnel change. I would say that Leo and Stuart and Robin McBride and Seanie were rolling the tapes of the last match during the week anyway ... as much for motivation as research.

In the backs, Fassi is their obvious weapon: a really gifted open field runner with blazing pace and great balance. Werner Kok is extremely abrasive, in the mould of the late James Small. Rob Russell needs to be a lot more tigerish than he was against Zebre and run that 80s wrestler looking kn*b into the boards the first chance he gets. These Natal lads liked playing the hammer last year, let's see how they like being the nail.

Someone needs to read this out to the Leinster players before they go out of the changing rooms tonight

[Dave Cahill]

Maybe it’s his turn to step in when someone pulls out before kick off? Can’t wait to see who it is this week!

Jack Conan!

Rhys comes in

[mildlyinterested]

ffs its joke