MOC finally admits Gopperth is his guy.

[goreyguy]

“Ian has to play rugby. He has played significantly more games for us this year because he needs to develop his ability to run the front end of a game because he sat behind Johnny for a long time and he hasn’t had that kind of exposure.
“There has been a conscious effort from us to give him that exposure at the front end of games so that he becomes a better player.”
Did O’Connor feel that Madigan was not ready, in terms of experience and maturity, to start Leinster’s season-defining contest away to Toulon?
“No,” he responded. “The decision was that Jimmy was better for the team in the front instance.”
O’Connor was also asked if constantly alternating outhalf – Madigan has played in 21 games, registering 133 points over 1,158 minutes to Gopperth’s 23 games and 178 points over 1,128 minutes – was the best way to run his team.
“If you want it to be different you’d make it different, but that’s the cards that we got, that’s the squad that we’ve got.
“The reality is that Jimmy is a very experienced bloke who provides us with X. Ian is a young player who needs to get better at managing the front end of the game. It’s no bigger issue than that.”

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/m ... -1.1754886

[[Jackass]]

Jesus....what a piece of sh*t article...

"The inference here is that O’Connor is forced to select Madigan, as an Irish international, ahead of Gopperth to keep Leinster aligned to IRFU policy."

Um, no, no it's not.

What I read was that he was giving game time to Mads to develop him but felt Gopperths experience was better suited to Toulon.

Not that I agreed with the decision to pick Gopperth, but this sort of sh*t stirring journalism is just laughable at this stage. How these guys are actually employed to do this job and guys like Hugo post here for free or Murray Kinsella writes for a small website instead of a national paper is beyond me.

Conor George. That guy got a job. I mean, come on...

Fat Franno, Gerry "Can I be your buddy" Thornley...

the list is endless, but I don't ever read independent or times and haven't done for years unless directed to an article of interest.

I've read a couple of Quinlans pieces which to my surprise weren't half bad when he got over his initial need to bring everything back to a dressing room story about John Hayes. That says a lot about journalism when an amateur writer can compose something far more insightful than UCD English and History graduates who go straight into national sports journo jobs, where the job description is "Rugby knowledged preferred, but not essential, training will be provided"

[bluemad]

I heard from a friend recently that all those ex rugby players like Quinlan don't write any of their articles. What they do is give a quick phone call and sometimes just a tx about their opinions that week and an actual journalist writes the article.

[mtleinster]

I heard from a friend recently that all those ex rugby players like Quinlan don't write any of their articles. What they do is give a quick phone call and sometimes just a tx about their opinions that week and an actual journalist writes the article.

i always read alan quinlan articals with his voice in my head

I hope that doesnt change now that i know this

[Exley]

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 views as Madigan's weaknesses (and agree that the inference that he is forced to pick Madigan is pure horseshit).

I think they are reasonable criticisms and I hope Madigan is paying attention and seeking to work on them. He has sadly regressed this year - he needs to buckle down, focus on these points and come back stronger next year.

[Fireworks]

It is hardly news that he prefers JG at the moment.

What I thought was more notable was the reference to the restriction on being able to sign foreign talent. It sounds to me like someone getting there excuse in early. I cannot get the results with this team but it is not my fault because you will not let me sign the guys I need to do the job.

Not a good sign from a coach. It did not hamper Joe getting results and while it is a hurdle it is one he was aware of when taking the job.

[hugonaut]

It is hardly news that he prefers JG at the moment.

What I thought was more notable was the reference to the restriction on being able to sign foreign talent. It sounds to me like someone getting there excuse in early. I cannot get the results with this team but it is not my fault because you will not let me sign the guys I need to do the job.

Not a good sign from a coach. It did not hamper Joe getting results and while it is a hurdle it is one he was aware of when taking the job.

I don't think that's fair on O'Connor.

Whatever about some of the performances this season, I think he has really handled himself well in public and been as open and engaging with the media [and thus with us] as I would have wanted or expected. I know that some people think that the injury updates are obfuscatory, but to be honest, that doesn't bother me in the slightest. Joe Schmidt and Peter Breen were doing the same thing last year.

He seems like a very decent guy to me, and I wouldn't consider that he has been reaching for excuses at all.

[Scooby Shaggy Swerve]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/h ... 68308.html

Indo article treads the same ground as the IT piece.

MOC does sound somewhat confusing.. he played Madigan a lot this as he needed development as he spent too long on Sexton's shadow.. does leaving Jimmy undercooked for the Toulon game.

Surely this is MOC's fault?

Is he insinuating the he gambled and tried to get Madigan up to speed, failed and had to revert to JG?

Doesn't inspire a whole load of confidence in MOCs decision making.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

It is hardly news that he prefers JG at the moment.

What I thought was more notable was the reference to the restriction on being able to sign foreign talent. It sounds to me like someone getting there excuse in early. I cannot get the results with this team but it is not my fault because you will not let me sign the guys I need to do the job.

Not a good sign from a coach. It did not hamper Joe getting results and while it is a hurdle it is one he was aware of when taking the job.

I don't think that's fair on O'Connor.

Whatever about some of the performances this season, I think he has really handled himself well in public and been as open and engaging with the media [and thus with us] as I would have wanted or expected. I know that some people think that the injury updates are obfuscatory, but to be honest, that doesn't bother me in the slightest. Joe Schmidt and Peter Breen were doing the same thing last year.

He seems like a very decent guy to me, and I wouldn't consider that he has been reaching for excuses at all.

I agree Hugonaut.

Plus didn't Joe give out about the signing restrictions too? Hines for example.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/h ... 68308.html

Indo article treads the same ground as the IT piece.

MOC does sound somewhat confusing.. he played Madigan a lot this as he needed development as he spent too long on Sexton's shadow.. does leaving Jimmy undercooked for the Toulon game.

Surely this is MOC's fault?

Is he insinuating the he gambled and tried to get Madigan up to speed, failed and had to revert to JG?

Doesn't inspire a whole load of confidence in MOCs decision making.

I keep saying this but once more is a charm.

The situation is very like the way Kidney treated Sexton and Rog. Madigan started off with a mixed first half against Munster but grew into it very well and finished strongly, yet finds himself out of the team the next week. That can't be good for him or the team.

If MOC has such an issue with Madigan controlling games from the start, why did he bother keeping him on until the end against Munster instead of giving Jimmy some game time the week before the toughest game of the season? He'd already failed his audition before half time so no point persisting with him.

[Scooby Shaggy Swerve]

I keep saying this but once more is a charm.

The situation is very like the way Kidney treated Sexton and Rog. Madigan started off with a mixed first half against Munster but grew into it very well and finished strongly, yet finds himself out of the team the next week. That can't be good for him or the team.

If MOC has such an issue with Madigan controlling games from the start, why did he bother keeping him on until the end against Munster instead of giving Jimmy some game time the week before the toughest game of the season? He'd already failed his audition before half time so no point persisting with him.

Agreed, playing Madigan against Munster for 80 makes no sense if he even suspected Jimmy was undercooked.

Is MOC arguing that we lost the HEC QF because he's failing to develop Madigan and the game invested in this develop has hindered the match sharpness of his preferred choice?

[ceemec]

What I always find interesting and often overlooked is that Schmidt signed Gopperth, not MOC.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

What I always find interesting and often overlooked is that Schmidt signed Gopperth, not MOC.

On a slightly related point, you could argue that Reddan and Gopperth are similar in style to Youngs and Flood. MOC had some serious power and bulk outside them that we just don't. Wouldn't surprise me if he wanted to add that this summer.

[Edna Kenny]

I'm sure MOC went into the job with his eyes open but Joe said it himself that it does take a bit of getting used to working within the IRFU's policies. It's not like any other club. I doubt very much he is getting excuses in. This season is virtually a no win situation for him as unless he won the Heineken cup it would be seen as a worse season than the previous 3. I am sure there may be things he would have done differently but he doesn't come accross as someone who shirks responsibility. He's come from a club that has built success on hard work. Hopefully with the lessons learned this season he can really impliment his philosophy next season. Munster have improved significantly from last season with Penney, I would expect similar from us.

I think we would have lost on Sunday regardless of who was playing at 10.

[OTT]

What I always find interesting and often overlooked is that Schmidt signed Gopperth, not MOC.

He also has a lot of faith in Madigan as evidenced in his selection in Paris despite the tumultuous season he has had at Leinster. I reckon both JG and Madigan would have seen similar game time this season if Schmidt was Leinster coach but it would have been in very different matches. Let us be real here the form of Madigan and Gopperth is not a million miles away from each other, neither are pulling up trees. Maybe blindly, but I believe Madigan would have had a better time of things this season under Schmidt then he has under MOC. But it is all unprovable opinion obviously.

[Scooby Shaggy Swerve]

I'm sure MOC went into the job with his eyes open but Joe said it himself that it does take a bit of getting used to working within the IRFU's policies. It's not like any other club. I doubt very much he is getting excuses in. This season is virtually a no win situation for him as unless he won the Heineken cup it would be seen as a worse season than the previous 3. I am sure there may be things he would have done differently but he doesn't come accross as someone who shirks responsibility. He's come from a club that has built success on hard work. Hopefully with the lessons learned this season he can really impliment his philosophy next season. Munster have improved significantly from last season with Penney, I would expect similar from us.

I think we would have lost on Sunday regardless of who was playing at 10.

Fair point, although for me it's the manner of the loss rather than the loss itself that has rankled with me. There is no shame to losing in Toulon when Toulon play to their full potential as they did against us on Sunday.

The lineout, the breakdown and our stale back play all were so unlike the Leinster teams we've built over the last 5 years, I haven't seen us played off the park to such a degree in a very long time.

And yes, Schimdt signed JG, but he also selected Madigan for this years 6 Nations squad,

[ormond lad]

I heard from a friend recently that all those ex rugby players like Quinlan don't write any of their articles. What they do is give a quick phone call and sometimes just a tx about their opinions that week and an actual journalist writes the article.

That's the way it usually is. Malachy Clerkin used to write Quinny's articles but im not sure if he still does.
Quinlan would text Malachy a few ideas of what he intends to write about a few days prior to his column going in paper and then they'd spend an hour or two on phone actually discussing what would go in paper.
This is the same with most articles by former players

[curates_egg]

I'm sure MOC went into the job with his eyes open but Joe said it himself that it does take a bit of getting used to working within the IRFU's policies. It's not like any other club. I doubt very much he is getting excuses in. This season is virtually a no win situation for him as unless he won the Heineken cup it would be seen as a worse season than the previous 3. I am sure there may be things he would have done differently but he doesn't come accross as someone who shirks responsibility. He's come from a club that has built success on hard work. Hopefully with the lessons learned this season he can really impliment his philosophy next season. Munster have improved significantly from last season with Penney, I would expect similar from us.

I think we would have lost on Sunday regardless of who was playing at 10.

Fair point, although for me it's the manner of the loss rather than the loss itself that has rankled with me. There is no shame to losing in Toulon when Toulon play to their full potential as they did against us on Sunday.

The lineout, the breakdown and our stale back play all were so unlike the Leinster teams we've built over the last 5 years, I haven't seen us played off the park to such a degree in a very long time.

And yes, Schimdt signed JG, but he also selected Madigan for this years 6 Nations squad,

Plus one to that. Not forgetting our leaky midfield defense this year, which has been a persistent problem all season, regardless of the personnel.

There is nothing to be gained in calling for MOC out, as he will need time, but he clearly also is struggling in his first frontline coach job. He seems to need help in the form of a defense coach at the very least (and maybe then he can actually get our backs back on track). We also do need an NIQ signing or two (second row, scrum half, centre could all be bolstered). Unfortunately, failure to secure a home semi in Landsdowne may undermine aspirations to this end.

[AwayTheWell]

This season is virtually a no win situation for him as unless he won the Heineken cup it would be seen as a worse season than the previous 3.

On a pure results level, if O'Connor goes on to win the RABO (and possibly with finishing top of the League), I would consider it a more succesful season than Schmidt's final one. Qualifying for the Quarter finals of the Heineken Cup has to also be seen as better than not qualifying - which would negate the Amlin Cup victory on a relative level.

[AdamK]

“The reality is that Jimmy is a very experienced bloke who provides us with X. Ian is a young player who needs to get better at managing the front end of the game. It’s no bigger issue than that.” - MOC

Have to say I agree with MOC there.