A whiff of Cordite

[ronk]

I probably missed it somewhere but I am still waiting for a balanced report on our loss last weekend. We gambled with a weakened team and lost to a decent Munster team. However listening to some of the reporting you might think this was a big turning point for Munster.

Does anyone think we wouldn't have won comfortably with our first team on the pitch. Good luck to Munster in the final but I would worry for them.

It's a huge turning point for Munster. They had been losing those games and it was their improvement rather than us having a bad day.

Munster haven't really had confidence since the Kidney era. Now they won a semifinal, a semifinal against Leinster and they have a final. They won a knockout game in SA a few weeks ago.

A win next week would energise their fan base and commercial base. There'll be a bit more buzz and a few more season tickets will sell. They'll be giddy for the Derby next year.

[FtD]

I probably missed it somewhere but I am still waiting for a balanced report on our loss last weekend. We gambled with a weakened team and lost to a decent Munster team. However listening to some of the reporting you might think this was a big turning point for Munster.

Does anyone think we wouldn't have won comfortably with our first team on the pitch. Good luck to Munster in the final but I would worry for them.

It's a huge turning point for Munster. They had been losing those games and it was their improvement rather than us having a bad day.

Munster haven't really had confidence since the Kidney era. Now they won a semifinal, a semifinal against Leinster and they have a final. They won a knockout game in SA a few weeks ago.

A win next week would energise their fan base and commercial base. There'll be a bit more buzz and a few more season tickets will sell. They'll be giddy for the Derby next year.

Not as giddy as I'd say some Leinster fans and players will be!

[Degz]

I probably missed it somewhere but I am still waiting for a balanced report on our loss last weekend. We gambled with a weakened team and lost to a decent Munster team. However listening to some of the reporting you might think this was a big turning point for Munster.

Does anyone think we wouldn't have won comfortably with our first team on the pitch. Good luck to Munster in the final but I would worry for them.

It's a huge turning point for Munster. They had been losing those games and it was their improvement rather than us having a bad day.

Munster haven't really had confidence since the Kidney era. Now they won a semifinal, a semifinal against Leinster and they have a final. They won a knockout game in SA a few weeks ago.

A win next week would energise their fan base and commercial base. There'll be a bit more buzz and a few more season tickets will sell. They'll be giddy for the Derby next year.

I'd argue it was both.

[Bigdickenergy]

I probably missed it somewhere but I am still waiting for a balanced report on our loss last weekend. We gambled with a weakened team and lost to a decent Munster team. However listening to some of the reporting you might think this was a big turning point for Munster.

Does anyone think we wouldn't have won comfortably with our first team on the pitch. Good luck to Munster in the final but I would worry for them.

It's a huge turning point for Munster. They had been losing those games and it was their improvement rather than us having a bad day.

Munster haven't really had confidence since the Kidney era. Now they won a semifinal, a semifinal against Leinster and they have a final. They won a knockout game in SA a few weeks ago.

A win next week would energise their fan base and commercial base. There'll be a bit more buzz and a few more season tickets will sell. They'll be giddy for the Derby next year.

What knockout game in SA was this? You mean a regular season game that didn’t have as much on the line for that South African team as it did Munster? That game?

[Bigdickenergy]

I probably missed it somewhere but I am still waiting for a balanced report on our loss last weekend. We gambled with a weakened team and lost to a decent Munster team. However listening to some of the reporting you might think this was a big turning point for Munster.

Does anyone think we wouldn't have won comfortably with our first team on the pitch. Good luck to Munster in the final but I would worry for them.

It's a huge turning point for Munster. They had been losing those games and it was their improvement rather than us having a bad day.

Munster haven't really had confidence since the Kidney era. Now they won a semifinal, a semifinal against Leinster and they have a final. They won a knockout game in SA a few weeks ago.

A win next week would energise their fan base and commercial base. There'll be a bit more buzz and a few more season tickets will sell. They'll be giddy for the Derby next year.

They also got pumped in their last knockout game in SA

[ronk]

I probably missed it somewhere but I am still waiting for a balanced report on our loss last weekend. We gambled with a weakened team and lost to a decent Munster team. However listening to some of the reporting you might think this was a big turning point for Munster.

Does anyone think we wouldn't have won comfortably with our first team on the pitch. Good luck to Munster in the final but I would worry for them.

It's a huge turning point for Munster. They had been losing those games and it was their improvement rather than us having a bad day.

Munster haven't really had confidence since the Kidney era. Now they won a semifinal, a semifinal against Leinster and they have a final. They won a knockout game in SA a few weeks ago.

A win next week would energise their fan base and commercial base. There'll be a bit more buzz and a few more season tickets will sell. They'll be giddy for the Derby next year.

What knockout game in SA was this? You mean a regular season game that didn’t have as much on the line for that South African team as it did Munster? That game?

Yeah. It was a regular season game. Mea culpa

[Lithiumtherapy]

United Rugby Championship exploring draft system to improve competition
By Chris Jones BBC rugby union correspondent Last updated 6 hours ago
https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/65694650
"Chief executive Martin Anayi says the URC needs to "think laterally" about improving the weaker teams' standards.
"There might be an ability to draft in players from the other unions who aren't getting game time," he told BBC 5 Live. "That is 100% [a conversation]."
""Ireland have so much talent they are trying to work out how does everybody get game-time, while Scotland have two teams so that creates a bottleneck for them."
...
"They have been beaten twice in play-off format in the URC, and that's what we need, not for Leinster to be beaten, but to have jeopardy," Anayi added."We are going to have a team that isn't Leinster winning it [for the last] two years, after they won the previous four.
"I think it's good to see a different name on the trophy each year."

Geez, as if the last couple of weeks haven't been bad enough, now this sh!t...
I don't get the impression that he is contemplating Zebre picking up players from Munster or the Stormers either...
I'd like to give this clown some 'jeopardy' alright, for giving the green light to a knockout match, a SF no less, reffed by a guy who used to play for one of the teams, and who has a long and inglorious track record of trying to ride the other team...
But then again, Anayi is cool with that because he wants to see us ridden too, this article pretty much implies as much...

[Dexter]

This week we've really been hit with a Pandemic of Pr1cks....

[ronk]

He should be sacked.

That's straight out deranged stuff. The lack of understanding is troubling. Leinster losing 1 match isn't a big deal. Connacht coming 7th is a much bigger one.

Getting Zebres off the floor doesn't fix any of the other problems. Whereas Treviso continuing to grow could actually lead to something.

Leinster dominance is out of date.

There are 2 huge issues in URC right now. Getting the Welsh clubs to bounce back and the quarter finals.

[the spoofer]

He should be sacked.

That's straight out deranged stuff. The lack of understanding is troubling. Leinster losing 1 match isn't a big deal. Connacht coming 7th is a much bigger one.

Getting Zebres off the floor doesn't fix any of the other problems. Whereas Treviso continuing to grow could actually lead to something.

Leinster dominance is out of date.

There are 2 huge issues in URC right now. Getting the Welsh clubs to bounce back and the quarter finals.

I think he has overstepped the mark here and will get a kicking from IRFU. The kicking might be with silk slippers but there will be enough force to ensure that he doesn't do it again.

[the spoofer]

Does anyone know is that Stephen Wall w&%ker on Twitter a real person or a troll?

Real person, apparently. He was a part of the42 WhatsApp chat group until he was booted out of there. Seems to be a thoroughly unpleasant person from what I've seen.

Nah, he's a troll. I reckon he could be from another province dressing up as a Leinster supporter.

[artaneboy]

He should be sacked.

That's straight out deranged stuff. The lack of understanding is troubling. Leinster losing 1 match isn't a big deal. Connacht coming 7th is a much bigger one.

Getting Zebres off the floor doesn't fix any of the other problems. Whereas Treviso continuing to grow could actually lead to something.

Leinster dominance is out of date.

There are 2 huge issues in URC right now. Getting the Welsh clubs to bounce back and the quarter finals.

I think he has overstepped the mark here and will get a kicking from IRFU. The kicking might be with silk slippers but there will be enough force to ensure that he doesn't do it again.

And what will that silk slipper kicking achieve then? He may not say it publicly again, but he’s still thinking that way, and acting on it most likely… just with slightly more subtlety and even more deceit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dave Cahill]

The draft idea is daft beyond comprehension, however another idea from the colonies might not be the worst, and that is the combine. There are always a significant number of players out of contract, mainly not by choice, at the end of a season. A preseason combine for those players, where they get professional athletic support and testing, to allow other sides to evaluate them could have value

[Ruckedtobits]

United Rugby Championship exploring draft system to improve competition
By Chris Jones BBC rugby union correspondent Last updated 6 hours ago
https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/65694650
"Chief executive Martin Anayi says the URC needs to "think laterally" about improving the weaker teams' standards.
"There might be an ability to draft in players from the other unions who aren't getting game time," he told BBC 5 Live. "That is 100% [a conversation]."
""Ireland have so much talent they are trying to work out how does everybody get game-time, while Scotland have two teams so that creates a bottleneck for them."
...
"They have been beaten twice in play-off format in the URC, and that's what we need, not for Leinster to be beaten, but to have jeopardy," Anayi added."We are going to have a team that isn't Leinster winning it [for the last] two years, after they won the previous four.
"I think it's good to see a different name on the trophy each year."

Geez, as if the last couple of weeks haven't been bad enough, now this sh!t...
I don't get the impression that he is contemplating Zebre picking up players from Munster or the Stormers either...
I'd like to give this clown some 'jeopardy' alright, for giving the green light to a knockout match, a SF no less, reffed by a guy who used to play for one of the teams, and who has a long and inglorious track record of trying to ride the other team...
But then again, Anayi is cool with that because he wants to see us ridden too, this article pretty much implies as much...

Any detailed analysis of Zebre's performances this season would come to the forthright conclusion that their results were fixable. In many of their games they scored numerous excellent tries and only when they were depleted by injuries and National call-ups were they hammered.

https://www.google.com/search?q=URC+-+Z ... l9;mt;fp;1;;;

Zebre, with additional quality defence coaches and possibly about 4/5 more senior players, could be competitive in the URC. Ideally, they would get priority selection (in preference to Benniton) of Italian Academy players for 3 years.

Altering the format, or fundamental structure, of the league to cater for the current inadequacies of one, or two (Dragons) teams is not logical. Instead the Board should look at what they could do, on a benevolent basis for those perennially at the bottom of the log. The IRFU & Connacht Board have shown clearly how progressive improvement is possible.

[Observingprop123]

The IRFU would never accept the idea of a draft, neither would the players. You can't send a 20 year old kid from Dublin to live down in Johannesburg. The American sports drafts works because there is quite abit if mobility around the country, yes there are big markets but, moving from US city to city is completely different to moving someone to Italy etc.

[enby]

The IRFU would never accept the idea of a draft, neither would the players. You can't send a 20 year old kid from Dublin to live down in Johannesburg. The American sports drafts works because there is quite abit if mobility around the country, yes there are big markets but, moving from US city to city is completely different to moving someone to Italy etc.

Never mind Jo'burg, you could never send the poor fella to Limerick.

[sunshiner1]

Young up-coming player: Wait your telling me I have to move to Parma in sunny Italy? NOOOOOOO!!!!

[The Doc]

The draft idea is daft beyond comprehension, however another idea from the colonies might not be the worst, and that is the combine. There are always a significant number of players out of contract, mainly not by choice, at the end of a season. A preseason combine for those players, where they get professional athletic support and testing, to allow other sides to evaluate them could have value

I quite like that idea and it also gives an avenue for someone not in a pro squad who thinks they have it... To pitch up against the pros and try to make an impression.

Would also give some better data for teams looking for squad members than match clips sent by agents

Sent from my LE2123 using Tapatalk

[FLIP]

There seems to be a lot of revisionist and outright slanderous journalism going on over since the final.

In the immediate aftermath of the final we've had Aldritts lies about James Ryan and Leinster being taken as truth by the media

Then you had the nonsense in the tunnel and all of the wild speculation being flung around about that.

In the weeks since the dreggs over at SportsJoe have been running hit pieces against Sexton, not even based on the match, but instead because he overhauled O'Gara a decade ago.

And now the latest tripe coming out of South Africa regarding Sexton, based solely on a few seconds interaction post match and the word of a journalist who wasn't even there.

For all the talk about Cullen's media connections we don't seem to use them at all. LR seem ok with allowing lies to be spread about us and our players in the media unchallenged and it doesn't sit right with me at all.

[riocard911]

There seems to be a lot of revisionist and outright slanderous journalism going on over since the final.

In the immediate aftermath of the final we've had Aldritts lies about James Ryan and Leinster being taken as truth by the media

Then you had the nonsense in the tunnel and all of the wild speculation being flung around about that.

In the weeks since the dreggs over at SportsJoe have been running hit pieces against Sexton, not even based on the match, but instead because he overhauled O'Gara a decade ago.

And now the latest tripe coming out of South Africa regarding Sexton, based solely on a few seconds interaction post match and the word of a journalist who wasn't even there.

For all the talk about Cullen's media connections we don't seem to use them at all. LR seem ok with allowing lies to be spread about us and our players in the media unchallenged and it doesn't sit right with me at all.

I agree. RO'G is a master at spinning yarns, with the pundits lapping it up. And why wouldn't they? He's doing their job for them. They don't have to think, but merely relay his spoofery. I don't think Leinster can afford anymore the luxury of allowing the likes RO'G or anyone else dominate the media space pre- or post-match. They need to go on the offensive, think up their own little scéals and get the media rooting for us. Boilerplate like "The lads have worked very hard to get here" or "We're focussing on the next match" is a total switch-off at this stage. Nobody wants to hear it anymore.