Leinster v. Castres

[Morf]

[quote="Donny B."It's clear the IRFU showed no loyalty to Luke, but whatever about their motives Leinster put their money where their mouth was and signed him up for a season (and got five whole games for their trouble). [/quote]

Leinster money is IRFU money.

I really doubt that Leinster could've signed Luke to another contract if the IRFU were dead set against it.

I have no comment on his character. Hope he has an injury-free season though.

[Blue not red blood]

Jaysus Donny was like a bear with a sore head.
Hope he had a good nights sleep

[Donny B.]

I've long been a fan of Luke as a centre, Donny, so not sure where you're going with thst one.

Sorry, may have been suisse I was arguing with on that one

So many rows, hard to keep track of them....

[Donny B.]

Leinster money is IRFU money.

I really doubt that Leinster could've signed Luke to another contract if the IRFU were dead set against it.

Ultimately true but Leinster have more discretion to sign players who are not on central contracts.

[munster#1]

best of luck lads and ladies, i am really looking forward to this game. it will be good to see if moore can put in a good shift again, these new rules could be the making of him, and he has a good chance of leap frogging ross in a short space of time.

leinster by 5.

[Donny B.]

Ah.."self-entitled arsehole". How you could come to that conclusion is baffling. Seriously baffling. Never met Luke, don't know him from Adam but I know lads who play 6 a side soccer with him. Never heard them ever call him "self entitled" or an "arsehole". They do say he's a handy soccer player tough.

Thought he came across as very honest in the interview. It's clear he wants to move off the wing though MOC moved Ferg to 13 and played Luke on the wing against the Ospreys. Going public that you want to play 13 in an interview is not the smart thing to do. Puts more pressure on him when he does get a run there.

And no I wouldn't start him at 13. I'd start him on the wing and play Ferg at 13 tomorrow but I do think Luke, if he stays injury free, is the long term successor to BOD.

My fear is that Macken is prone to defensive lapses. If Castres have done their homework they will target Macken.

Fair point on Macken, but he has improved that aspect of his game massively this season. And Castre targeting would involve executing a backline move, something I doubt in their game plan today.

You may feel he was "honest" in that interview but for me it's more of the same cr@p when he was lobbying to play full back a few years back. And he can hardly be counted on as a long-term successor to anything when we now know there's a decent chance he'll jump ship next time his contract comes up if he hasn't played enough games in his latest fave position.

But nice to know he's a handy soccer player. Maybe League of Ireland is his next port of call, just not on the left wing though!

[JB1973]

I doubt castres will play much running rugby today so I wouldn't worry about them targeting your outside backs.

I don't ever condemn any player for wanting to maximize their income in a occupation where your next game could be your last, but Leinster rugby has been very good to Luke F. He has won trophy's, become a test player and a lions player during this time there and they have provided him with a good living even when he has been injured for large chunks of his career.

A bit more loyalty and a bit less openness to the media regarding his preferred position maybe called for?

[TerenureJim]

I doubt castres will play much running rugby today so I wouldn't worry about them targeting your outside backs.

I don't ever condemn any player for wanting to maximize their income in a occupation where your next game could be your last, but Leinster rugby has been very good to Luke F. He has won trophy's, become a test player and a lions player during this time there and they have provided him with a good living even when he has been injured for large chunks of his career.

A bit more loyalty and a bit less openness to the media regarding his preferred position maybe called for?

Something that hasn't been said JB is that he isn't the first player to be in one or several of these types of articles. Their increasing use IMO is a lot down to journos trying to stir things up and/or put a spin on a few throw away comments in an interview to get their own opinion rather than the players across. Keith Earls has a very similar history of these pieces.

[fourthirtythree]

Again, it was paid for advertorial. Nothing to do with some journalistic agenda. That piece was written for a sponsor. They want something as linkbait in it.

I have long believed Luke would be better served avoiding talk on positions etc. in this case, if he was to, he would have had to not take the sponsors money.

[Stuka]

[/quote] Maybe League of Ireland is his next port of call, just not on the left wing though![/quote]


Ha!

[cormac]

I doubt castres will play much running rugby today so I wouldn't worry about them targeting your outside backs.

I don't ever condemn any player for wanting to maximize their income in a occupation where your next game could be your last, but Leinster rugby has been very good to Luke F. He has won trophy's, become a test player and a lions player during this time there and they have provided him with a good living even when he has been injured for large chunks of his career.

A bit more loyalty and a bit less openness to the media regarding his preferred position maybe called for?

I think part of the issue people have with the "Luke to Munster" saga is that he wouldn't be earning any more money there as the provinces aren't allowed to outbid each other.

[PCASEY]

link anyone for those who couldnt get there?

[tate]

http://firstrownow.eu/watch/215104/1/wa ... pique.html

[fourthirtythree]

ref was my man of the match. Gopperth was a liability from about 30 minutes in.

[Flash Gordon]

ref was my man of the match. Gopperth was a liability from about 30 minutes in.

Jimmy was very poor, I can only assume the man of the match award was chosen by O'Connor. When the announcement went out you could hear the laughter. By the way, someone should tell mr O'connor that Leinster is not spelt with a C. We are Leinster and that was not Leinster rugby, the gameplay today was low risk percentage rugby with zero guile - our backrow and church showed more ingenuity than our back line and I think that started with the coach picking the wrong half backs. We could and should have beaten that castres team with a bonus point, I thought they'd be a tough nut to crack before the game but in the first quarter they didn't look up for it at all.

[fourthirtythree]

you're right. The lack of nous was shocking. At one point they had a one legged winger and a Georgian who appeared to have been felled by a sniper defending their wing. Nobody had the cop on to get it out there. We had no creativity again.

I thought Gopperth should have started but he would have been first off. Couldn't believe he stayed till the end.

[Castres]

home bias...but castres players not really inteligent... i think returms if it 'll good arbitre, a bonus offensive for us is posible.
see you

[Raydollard]

Jimmy Gopperth is a journeyman. O'Connor was a slightly better Journeyman as a player.

[LENSTA]

ref was my man of the match. Gopperth was a liability from about 30 minutes in.

Jimmy was very poor, I can only assume the man of the match award was chosen by O'Connor. When the announcement went out you could hear the laughter. By the way, someone should tell mr O'connor that Leinster is not spelt with a C. We are Leinster and that was not Leinster rugby, the gameplay today was low risk percentage rugby with zero guile - our backrow and church showed more ingenuity than our back line and I think that started with the coach picking the wrong half backs. We could and should have beaten that castres team with a bonus point, I thought they'd be a tough nut to crack before the game but in the first quarter they didn't look up for it at all.

It was Shaggy who gave Gopperth MOTM, he must be going a bit soft now he is with Sky. It's inexplicable. When the french changed their prop after 20mins the scrums went very much in Castres favour and they came into the match in that period and put Leinster under pressure.

How did Gopperth, the master of game management, help Leinster out of this tough 15mins. He lobbed a pass that was intercepted, he missed a kick at goal and he left a kick-off short for a scrum back on the half way line, a schoolboy error.

I know Mads came on in the centre, but why wasn't he introduced at 10 when Reddan came on, the game was set up for him to come in and change the pace of the game? SOB was my MOTM, another great performance, maybe a bit overly ambitious with his off-loads sometimes if u want to be pedantic.

If I was from Castres the ref wouldn't be on my xmas card list.

[bluemagic]

It may be winning rugby but it's not played in anywhere resembling a good style. That might be good enough for the Aviva premiership but it's not going to win you a Heineken cup in this day and age. Don't think I've seen one good attacking game from Leinster this season bar Cardiff at home, no coincidence Madigan played 10 (not counting game against Scarlets, it being the first match of the season and all).

Our defense has been good in fairness to MOC but the attack has been no where near good enough. It's all pass from a ruck to a forward to smash up and repeat. Or else just kick the ball away with rediclously poor kicks. Need to see redser madser Kirchner next week.