Munster Away 26/12 19:35 Eir Sport 1

[Jonny tight lips]

Couldn’t believe they didn’t review that - Daly’s elbow hit Keenan straight in the face - he also jumped in to Keenan in a reckless manner which in today’s rules could have seen him get a red. Would have been harsh in the game but still should have been reviewed

they did review it. I was thinking the same as you but on premiersports coverage you can clearly hear the ref, after discussion with the TMO, indicating it was okay. i.e. it was a "rugby collision".

Joy Neville needs glasses. Clearly made contact with the Hugo's head. Penalty at least.

Maybe she was put off by being ignored by Brace ever time she tried to raise something in previous games

[wixfjord]

Dude, you do this after every game.
Like I can both enjoy a nice robbed win over our biggest rivals *and* see the reality that we didn't play well and probably didn't deserve it!

Deserves got nothin to do with it.

Well yes it does.

It's fairly simple - you can separate the performance (and the form trend line) from the result.

We scraped a win in a game we should've been far further ahead and played quite poorly in.

That's fine, but if you keep putting in mixed performances like that against better sides you'll get caught. Like Sarries.

The league isn't good for us because it lulls us into a sense of being better than we are.

[blockhead]

What do Donald Trump and Munster have in common?

So many things

[elephantman]

Leinster were poor and have regressed, still enjoyed winning that even if it was undeserved.

Weren't you laughing during the week about claims the gap has lessened?

There is some truth in there. We don’t look right.

Will Connors is a terrific player but can’t see how he gets picked ahead of JVDF. Unless Andy Farrell wanted some minutes in Connors.

I have a feeling Sexton may be cut loose at the end of the season. Let the Byrne brothers and Frawley battle it out. I thought Sexton was pretty average again.

Furlong and Leavy getting back to their 2018 form will make a huge difference to the team and the matchday 23. Furlong has a battle on his hands with Porter though unless Porter reverts to loosehead on a permanent basis.

Doris looks like the man at number 8 now for Leinster and Ireland. Conan may have to look elsewhere. More than likely Ulster.

Finishing on a positive note, we still have Ryan Baird and Scott Penny to come into this team.

[blockhead]

Leinster were poor and have regressed, still enjoyed winning that even if it was undeserved.

Weren't you laughing during the week about claims the gap has lessened?

There is some truth in there. We don’t look right.

Will Connors is a terrific player but can’t see how he gets picked ahead of JVDF. Unless Andy Farrell wanted some minutes in Connors.

I have a feeling Sexton may be cut loose at the end of the season. Let the Byrne brothers and Frawley battle it out. I thought Sexton was pretty average again.

Furlong and Leavy getting back to their 2018 form will make a huge difference to the team and the matchday 23. Furlong has a battle on his hands with Porter though unless Porter reverts to loosehead on a permanent basis.

Doris looks like the man at number 8 now for Leinster and Ireland. Conan may have to look elsewhere. More than likely Ulster.

Finishing on a positive note, we still have Ryan Baird and Scott Penny to come into this team.

Don't forget JLO!

[Keith]

Leinster were poor and have regressed, still enjoyed winning that even if it was undeserved.

Weren't you laughing during the week about claims the gap has lessened?

There is some truth in there. We don’t look right.

Will Connors is a terrific player but can’t see how he gets picked ahead of JVDF. Unless Andy Farrell wanted some minutes in Connors.

I have a feeling Sexton may be cut loose at the end of the season. Let the Byrne brothers and Frawley battle it out. I thought Sexton was pretty average again.

Furlong and Leavy getting back to their 2018 form will make a huge difference to the team and the matchday 23. Furlong has a battle on his hands with Porter though unless Porter reverts to loosehead on a permanent basis.

Doris looks like the man at number 8 now for Leinster and Ireland. Conan may have to look elsewhere. More than likely Ulster.

Finishing on a positive note, we still have Ryan Baird and Scott Penny to come into this team.

That will and should never happen. Why do I keep seeing this bizarre suggestion regularly on here and other forums? Without even getting into how brain dead it would be from just the domestic side of things, he could easily be one of the highest paid TH's in world rugby by playing abroad.

[Keith]

Weren't you laughing during the week about claims the gap has lessened?

There is some truth in there. We don’t look right.

Will Connors is a terrific player but can’t see how he gets picked ahead of JVDF. Unless Andy Farrell wanted some minutes in Connors.

I have a feeling Sexton may be cut loose at the end of the season. Let the Byrne brothers and Frawley battle it out. I thought Sexton was pretty average again.

Furlong and Leavy getting back to their 2018 form will make a huge difference to the team and the matchday 23. Furlong has a battle on his hands with Porter though unless Porter reverts to loosehead on a permanent basis.

Doris looks like the man at number 8 now for Leinster and Ireland. Conan may have to look elsewhere. More than likely Ulster.

Finishing on a positive note, we still have Ryan Baird and Scott Penny to come into this team.

.

[joooooe]

lineout let us down again

Were we watching the same game? I think we stole 3 Munster lineouts and made a mess of 2 or 3 more. And our own ball was largely secure apart from 2 or 3 ropey ones. Compared to what we have served up recently, and considering the fact that both hookers threw well, and also considering how feted the opposition lineout is, that was a brilliant lineout performance.

[MylesNaGapoleen]

Leinster were poor and have regressed, still enjoyed winning that even if it was undeserved.

Weren't you laughing during the week about claims the gap has lessened?

There is some truth in there. We don’t look right.

Will Connors is a terrific player but can’t see how he gets picked ahead of JVDF. Unless Andy Farrell wanted some minutes in Connors.

I have a feeling Sexton may be cut loose at the end of the season. Let the Byrne brothers and Frawley battle it out. I thought Sexton was pretty average again.

Furlong and Leavy getting back to their 2018 form will make a huge difference to the team and the matchday 23. Furlong has a battle on his hands with Porter though unless Porter reverts to loosehead on a permanent basis.

Doris looks like the man at number 8 now for Leinster and Ireland. Conan may have to look elsewhere. More than likely Ulster.

Finishing on a positive note, we still have Ryan Baird and Scott Penny to come into this team.

disagree about connors. he (and Doris) kept stander quiet tonight. did his job and did it well. standers frustrations came out with his spat with fardy just before half time.
I thought we weren't great tonight but we pinched it. thankfully/hopefully there are not too many injuries on both sides to curb the 6N squad.

[alanair]

Pretty clear that the lineout for our try was crooked imo.

But Marshall got away with another in the first half.

Also not sure how Brace didn't give a pen for that late hit on Daly. No malice in it but clear contact with the face.

I thought the Cronin 'on arms' was fine personally, he made an attempt. Marshall could've been yellowed but he did slip too.

Ref and TMO missed loads in this game ...

[alanair]

Christ, Tadhg Beirne is SO bitter!

[wixfjord]

lineout let us down again

Were we watching the same game? I think we stole 3 Munster lineouts and made a mess of 2 or 3 more. And our own ball was largely secure apart from 2 or 3 ropey ones. Compared to what we have served up recently, and considering the fact that both hookers threw well, and also considering how feted the opposition lineout is, that was a brilliant lineout performance.

Yeah fair enough I was speaking specifically about the 5 metre lineout overthrow, which seems to be a recurring theme.

Other than that we were fine.

Defensive lineout hasn't been an issue really.

[Dexter]

Besides the win, I think again we showed we're not as good a team as perhaps many on here think we are.

That was a scrappy win lit up by a slightly fortunate but well executed try.

Poor start, lineout let us down again and plenty of unforced errors.

I believe we've gone backwards quite a bit since the return of rugby.

We'll only see the truth when we play one of the 4/5 top Euro teams.

Come on man, just enjoy the win.
We may not win any pots this year but let's enjoy what we can.

Dude, you do this after every game.

Like I can both enjoy a nice robbed win over our biggest rivals *and* see the reality that we didn't play well and probably didn't deserve it!

I know yeah, I must stop enjoying our wins and try to pick out every negative thing I can....until we inevitably lose a game some time and then I can say "I told you so"...

[wixfjord]

Our try is worth a re-watch.

Brilliant line from Ringer to sit down two Munster defenders and incredible dexterity from Keenan to pick and pass.

[alanair]

Besides the win, I think again we showed we're not as good a team as perhaps many on here think we are.

That was a scrappy win lit up by a slightly fortunate but well executed try.

Poor start, lineout let us down again and plenty of unforced errors.

I believe we've gone backwards quite a bit since the return of rugby.

We'll only see the truth when we play one of the 4/5 top Euro teams.

I believe on balance , that our line out was much better than Munster ??

[elephantman]

Weren't you laughing during the week about claims the gap has lessened?

There is some truth in there. We don’t look right.

Will Connors is a terrific player but can’t see how he gets picked ahead of JVDF. Unless Andy Farrell wanted some minutes in Connors.

I have a feeling Sexton may be cut loose at the end of the season. Let the Byrne brothers and Frawley battle it out. I thought Sexton was pretty average again.

Furlong and Leavy getting back to their 2018 form will make a huge difference to the team and the matchday 23. Furlong has a battle on his hands with Porter though unless Porter reverts to loosehead on a permanent basis.

Doris looks like the man at number 8 now for Leinster and Ireland. Conan may have to look elsewhere. More than likely Ulster.

Finishing on a positive note, we still have Ryan Baird and Scott Penny to come into this team.

That will and should never happen. Why do I keep seeing this bizarre suggestion regularly on here and other forums? Without even getting into how brain dead it would be from just the domestic side of things, he could easily be one of the highest paid TH's in world rugby by playing abroad.

I suppose the logic behind it is getting Furlong and Porter on the pitch together for the majority of the game. Porter at loosehead obviously. They could potentially be incredibly destructive at scrum time and in the loose.

You do realise that Porter is a converted loosehead? One of the reasons he went over to tighthead is because he had Healy and McGrath ahead of him at Leinster.

Porter will be very well rewarded financially on either side of the scrum. Any prop who makes 24 tackles missing only 1 and 8 carries making 17 metres is gold standard. He’s a good scrummager at tighthead but he could be very destructive at loosehead.

[mildlyinterested]

lineout let us down again

Were we watching the same game? I think we stole 3 Munster lineouts and made a mess of 2 or 3 more. And our own ball was largely secure apart from 2 or 3 ropey ones. Compared to what we have served up recently, and considering the fact that both hookers threw well, and also considering how feted the opposition lineout is, that was a brilliant lineout performance.

Yeah thought it was improved but still work to be done.

[wixfjord]

I know yeah, I must stop enjoying our wins and try to pick out every negative thing I can....until we inevitably lose a game some time and then I can say "I told you so"...

Sorry man that's a load of cr@p. You seem to constantly respond with sarcasm and strawmen arguments.

As I've said, that was a very enjoyable win.

What's your issue with actually analysing the performance? Would you rather everyone just be a cheerleader?

[wixfjord]

Besides the win, I think again we showed we're not as good a team as perhaps many on here think we are.

That was a scrappy win lit up by a slightly fortunate but well executed try.

Poor start, lineout let us down again and plenty of unforced errors.

I believe we've gone backwards quite a bit since the return of rugby.

We'll only see the truth when we play one of the 4/5 top Euro teams.

I believe on balance , that our line out was much better than Munster ??

Yes it was, sorry should've been clearer I meant let us down with the 5m overthrow (which for some reason is a recurrence), not in terms of the overall performance.

We turned down a lineout directly after that to go for a scrum, which is an indication we're not comfortable in that particular scenario.

[Oldschoolsocks]

Biggest improvement for me was focus on our own ruck ball. Too many times in recent seasons we have taken our ruck for granted and given away silly turnovers to aggressive counter rucking.