Munster Away 26/12 19:35 Eir Sport 1

[roarlad]

Can’t be long now till we see Furlong back playing.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/ ... -1.4461616

It won’t be in time for this weekend’s Guinness Pro14 game against Munster at Thomond Park but McBryde didn’t rule out a potential involvement for Furlong the following weekend when Leinster travel to Parc y Scarlets.

I wonder when his quote/unquote purely speculatory, alleged, no proof here... ban.... comes to an end?
Was it 1 year? what was it for? was there even a ban?

[curates_egg]

I wonder when his quote/unquote purely speculatory, alleged, no proof here... ban.... comes to an end?
Was it 1 year? what was it for? was there even a ban?

Am I understanding correctly? Are you alleging that he was not injured but being internally disciplined by the IRFU for some offence, but they covered it up and claimed he was injured?

The past twelve months have seen some peak conspiracy theorisation, but that is up there. Certainly a bridge further than Paul Kimmage claiming the injury that ended Jamie Heaslip’s career was fake!

Is that you, Paul?

[Blue not red blood]

With the Rainbow Cup highly unlikely to happen it looks like the league will revert to its original format.
This would take a small amount of pressure off this game but still think we will go fully loaded.
Now it is a brave person to say what our fully loaded first 23 is if all were fit

[hugonaut]

Lots of photos of BFT in the Sportsfile set from training: https://www.sportsfile.com/more-images/2101015/

Could be that he's on the comeback trail [finally].

Big Feic’n Tadhg ?

BIG FAT TADHG!

[joooooe]

Can’t be long now till we see Furlong back playing.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/ ... -1.4461616

It won’t be in time for this weekend’s Guinness Pro14 game against Munster at Thomond Park but McBryde didn’t rule out a potential involvement for Furlong the following weekend when Leinster travel to Parc y Scarlets.

Usually, you should worry where a player is approaching a year without playing. Gordon D'Arcy wrote a couple of years ago that the standard IRFU/player contract contains (something along the lines of) a provision whereby the player gets paid 50% less if he doesn't play for 6 months and will stop being paid after 12 months. The incentive for any player with a career-ending injury is to do "rehab" for 12 months while being paid and then retire.

The other side of the coin is a player who has been out longer than 12 months but doesn't retire (c.f. Adam Byrne), for whom you have to presume that the injury isn't career-threatening.

Yeesh, sometimes I'm glad to have a desk job.

[munster#1]

Really looking forward to this game, Munster have improved, but haven’t yet faced the challenge that Leinster will no doubt bring this weekend.

Leinster are in unreal form, and look likely to get a TBP in every game that they play.
I suspect Munster will take the same approach that they did against ulster, quick line speed, attack the breakdown to slow every ball, and try to keep Leinster pinned into their own half.

For me the selection of Toner would be a poor selection, although it would improve the lineout, he is a passenger around the field these days, and offers nothing at the breakdown.

For me Leinster should go for Fardy and Leavy, and look to nullify Munster at the breakdown, and try to ensure fast ball and get it out wide ASAP.

[wixfjord]

Leinster are in unreal form, and look likely to get a TBP in every game that they play.

Heh?

[neill_m]

Andrew Brace confirmed as the referee for Munster vs. Leinster on Saturday. Sean Gallagher and Eoghan Cross are the assistant refs, Joy Neville is the TMO.

https://twitter.com/Murray_Kinsella/sta ... 59136?s=20

[carlow man]

I bet Sexton is happy with that!! Not. Hopefully he keeps his mouth shut and let's his play do the talking. Brace is a cr@p ref at the best of times. What's the crack with the "Biiiiinnnnnnd" when he sets the scrum up?

[carlow man]

Joy Neville will spend 80 mins looking at the offside line against us and shouting in refs ear asap!

[mildlyinterested]

yeah no a fan either, but just gotta get on with it.

have a feeling munster will win this one, will allow the media to write about their glorious return etc. etc.

[Blue not red blood]

yeah no a fan either, but just gotta get on with it.

feeling munster will win this one, will allow the media to write about their glorious return etc. etc.

I believe the 3 Arena is already booked for the play

[curates_egg]

He's not as bad as some of his Munster branch predecessors - in terms of blatant anti-Leinster bias. However, given his last outing against us, I would have thought he, we and the league could have benefited from a different ref. It seems we only have Munster Branch refs but I would have preferred either of the other two: Joy or Frank Murphy.

[mildlyinterested]

Frank Murphy? Christ no.

[Xanthippe]

I wonder when his quote/unquote purely speculatory, alleged, no proof here... ban.... comes to an end?
Was it 1 year? what was it for? was there even a ban?

Am I understanding correctly? Are you alleging that he was not injured but being internally disciplined by the IRFU for some offence, but they covered it up and claimed he was injured?

The past twelve months have seen some peak conspiracy theorisation, but that is up there. Certainly a bridge further than Paul Kimmage claiming the injury that ended Jamie Heaslip’s career was fake!

Is that you, Paul?

Same as the rumour someone started about Conor Murray's neck injury

[leinsterforever]

Brace as ref makes it safer to kick the ball away. His breakdown interpretations against the attacking team can be very frustrating. Going with JOB at 15 and Frawley at 12 as extra kicking options just became more attractive. Keenan chasing kick-offs from the right wing a la Horgan could be good too. He's good at contesting like that, usually going for the slap back rather than the catch. Horgan was especially good at the overhead catch with two hands from Leinster restarts in 2010/2011. Schmidt made good use of his skills.

[munster#1]

yeah no a fan either, but just gotta get on with it.

have a feeling munster will win this one, will allow the media to write about their glorious return etc. etc.

In fairness if Munster do manage to pull off an unlikely victory against a full strength Leinster then it would not be a stretch to say that Munster have made a return.

[Serb]

In fairness if Munster do manage to pull off an unlikely victory against a full strength Leinster then it would not be a stretch to say that Munster have made a return.

The win is more likely than not. A win won’t mean Munster have made a return, it would simply be a good but meaningless result. Munster will have made a return when they win something.

[curates_egg]

I wonder when his quote/unquote purely speculatory, alleged, no proof here... ban.... comes to an end?
Was it 1 year? what was it for? was there even a ban?

Am I understanding correctly? Are you alleging that he was not injured but being internally disciplined by the IRFU for some offence, but they covered it up and claimed he was injured?

The past twelve months have seen some peak conspiracy theorisation, but that is up there. Certainly a bridge further than Paul Kimmage claiming the injury that ended Jamie Heaslip’s career was fake!

Is that you, Paul?

Same as the rumour someone started about Conor Murray's neck injury

Hadn’t heard that one. He certainly made it fairly convincing ruse by also having no form when he returned.

I mean, I love a good conspiracy. But why would they discipline him for an undisclosed offence and do nothing after threesomegate?

What’s Tadgh’s supposed offence? Did he poo in someone’s pint the night SOB peed on their leg?

[Serb]

Hadn’t heard that one. He certainly made it fairly convincing ruse by also having no form when he returned.

I mean, I love a good conspiracy. But why would they discipline him for an undisclosed offence and do nothing after threesomegate?

What’s Tadgh’s supposed offence? Did he poo in someone’s pint the night SOB peed on their leg?

It’s an Irish rugby trope at this point that there’s some kind of substance abuse when there’s a long term absence with no detailed explanation, probably fuelled by the small set of people looking to discredit the game. Wouldn’t give the smears oxygen.