Pro 16

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Yep, I don't understand why it wasn't a bigger deal at the time. From my own POV I didn't talk about it on here partly because I'm just fed up with the constant changes over the years so it led to me being apathetic about the whole thing, but this news today (not that the Rainbow Cup has actually been cancelled/amended yet of course but it's inevitable) has made me angry about the mess that's been caused.

[Dexter]

Terrible game in Galway. Entirely predictable from Connacht after their performance last week. Can't back it up.

[mildlyinterested]

Terrible game in Galway. Entirely predictable from Connacht after their performance last week. Can't back it up.

Are you surprised? Leinster is their cup final every season

Leinster were poor last week and could have still pulled it out IMO.

[Dexter]

Terrible game in Galway. Entirely predictable from Connacht after their performance last week. Can't back it up.

Are you surprised? Leinster is their cup final every season

Leinster were poor last week and could have still pulled it out IMO.

No, not surprised at all. Totally predictable like I said, happens every time. Don't think I'll last the 80 with this one!

[mildlyinterested]

Well then...

Edit: or not

[Dexter]

Well then...

Edit: or not

I didn't last till the end but heard it ended up pretty close...

[hugonaut]

Terrible game in Galway. Entirely predictable from Connacht after their performance last week. Can't back it up.

Are you surprised? Leinster is their cup final every season

Leinster were poor last week and could have still pulled it out IMO.

Pretty significant difference in the strength of the teams as well. That's as strong a team as Munster can pick at the moment, and it is really strong.

Really liked Dillane at No6 for Connacht during the second half. It gets him doing more of what he is good at, carrying and tackling. Playing three second rows instead of three backrows [or a second row-sized blindside, to put it another way] is a really pragmatic way to play the game in the NH under current law interpretations. We play so much of our season in the winter on heavy ground. Nobody is putting together regular 20+phase possessions in different parts of the pitch, so most teams don't need as two super-mobile flankers.

[leinsterforever]

Munster are good at stifling teams. They're a difficult team to break down, with good maul defence, good defensive lineout, and strong tackling and post-tackle efforts at disruption. Connacht were struggling to get much go forward until the last 5 minutes. The one low and one high tackling strategy worked well for Munster. I thought it was a bit reminiscent of Saracens' tackling against Munster in the semi when Erasmus was there.

Key for Leinster if the postponed match is on in the next two weeks will be generating go-forward somehow, and having a smart kicking game when the space is in behind.

[neiliog93]

Yeah, it's interesting to see more teams copying England and South Africa, who play PS du Toit and Lawe/Itoje at flanker. We can have the same with Ryan Baird long-term, Munster have Beirne, Connacht have Dillane.

[leinsterforever]

It's not exactly a new thing, is it? SA had Danie Rossouw, the Aussies played Fardy at 6, Martin Corry played lock, blindside and 8 iirc. Kaino was 6'5'' and could fill in in the row. Munster have done it a fair bit in the past, selecting Donnacha Ryan and Billy Holland at blindside. Henderson used to play 6 mostly. Kidney and Smal viewed him as a 6, and I think Eddie O'Sullivan said he saw him more as a backrower.

[neiliog93]

No, it's not new but it's becomingly much more prevalent.

[mildlyinterested]

PRO14 Rugby have confirmed details for fixtures in rounds 12 to 16 of the 2020/21 Guinness PRO14.

Leinster Rugby will travel to face Dragons Rugby in Round 12 on Friday, 19 February (KO 7.35pm).

There will be a nine-day turnaround until Leo Cullen’s men play again at home to Glasgow Warriors in Round 13 on Sunday, 28 February (KO 5.30pm).

The following Friday, 6 March, Leinster will travel to face Ulster in Belfast in what promises to be another massive interprovincial derby encounter (KO 7.35pm).

Leinster will travel to Italy to face Zebre on Friday, 12 March (KO 5.45pm), before welcoming Ospreys to the RDS Arena on Friday, 19 March (KO 8.15pm).

PRO14 Rugby have also confirmed that no play-off games will be required for European qualification and that rankings after Round 16 will be used to determine which teams will participate in next season’s Heineken Champions Cup once EPCR have confirmed the format.

Leinster are back in action this Saturday to take on Scarlets in Llanelli (KO 7.35pm, live on eir Sport) in a rescheduled meeting from November.

https://www.leinsterrugby.ie/guinness-p ... nds-12-16/

no mention of rainbow cup.. basically league semi final to be played in the middle of 6 nations..

[mildlyinterested]

it would appear they are going to try and go forward with the rainbow cup...

league final the week after 6 nations end.. joke.

[riocard911]

Stade Francais: a partnership with the Stormers

By Arnaud Beurdeley
On 17/01/2021 at 11:11Updated On 17/01/2021 at 16:08
www.rugbyrama.fr

PRO 14 - Stade Francais are about to sign a strategic partnership with the South African province of the Stormers. A partnership that will cover several sectors. Thus, the Western Province could well play its Pro 14 matches next season in Paris, at the Stade Jean-Bouin.

Last December, the Pro 14 made official the integration of the four South African Super Rugby franchises (Sharks, Bulls, Lions and Stormers). They will challenge the Celtic and Italian teams in the next Pro 14 season. But that's not all. The Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions will also be taking part in the Rainbow Cup, a competition over a few weeks, bringing together 16 teams - four Irish provinces (Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht) + four South African franchises + four Welsh regions (Blues, Dragons, Ospreys, Scarlets) + two Italian franchises (Zebre and Benneton) + two Scottish clubs (Glasgow and Edinburgh), starting on 17 April and ending on 19 June.

With this in mind, the management of the Stade Francais and the Stormers have come closer together and are currently finalising a strategic partnership covering several areas of development. First of all, a bridge will be established between the technical staff of the professional teams and the academies in order to multiply exchanges. Secondly, the Stade Jean-Bouin could well become the Stormers' base camp for their Pro 14 meetings in Paris, at the Stade Jean-Bouin.

https://www.rugbyrama.fr/rugby/pro-14/s ... tory.shtml

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[Dexter]

it would appear they are going to try and go forward with the rainbow cup...

league final the week after 6 nations end.. joke.

So if there's no Rainbow Cup, we've no domestic rugby after March.... until September??

[heno]

So if there's no Rainbow Cup, we've no domestic rugby after March.... until September??

Officially we only have plan A (or plan D at this stage). But it's likely if the rainbow Cup is cancelled they will add on extra games to flesh out the pro14/12. There is enough weekends to play a complete home and away pro12 with qf, SF and final.
I'm sure there would be a lot of pressure from both sides to keep fixtures on the tv. It's the only source of revenue we have.
It's probably why they were waiting so long to announce the fixtures, waiting to see if the lions tour would be cancelled, and then if the SA teams would pull out of the RC.

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[elephantman]

it would appear they are going to try and go forward with the rainbow cup...

league final the week after 6 nations end.. joke.

It seems utterly bizarre.

[The Doc]

it would appear they are going to try and go forward with the rainbow cup...

league final the week after 6 nations end.. joke.

It seems utterly bizarre.

I heard somewhere that there was the possibility of a Eupean lions series with South African teams coming up for mid week / warm up games while being based in Europe.

I wonder if they are looking at combing so the teams are based up here for months... Would be a long stint



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[ronk]

Don’t the SA teams need games more than us, regardless of whether the Lions goes ahead?

[Serb]

Personally think there’s no chance we’ll host a Lions tour in Europe. There’s a mutation of Covid doing the rounds there and the country has a non-existent vaccine program, I certainly wouldn’t be comfortable with potentially hundreds of people travelling to Europe for those games — and that’s just the coaches and playing staff.

If anything, it makes more sense to send one group of 50, or however big the Lions entourage would be, to South Africa. Get them vaccinated beforehand so they are less likely to contract and spread the disease and play the games out there.