Pro 14 Final vs Munster, March 27th. 5pm. @ The RDS.

[riocard911]

Credit, where credit is due. CJ is a class act; that's a fabulous press statement:

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rug ... 45200.html

The announcement of his impending retirement will give Munster added motivation to finish their Pro14 campaign with a victory against the Auld Enemy.....

[LeinsterLeader]

Confirmed: Sat 27th 5PM RDS

[backrower8]

Credit, where credit is due. CJ is a class act; that's a fabulous press statement:

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rug ... 45200.html

The announcement of his impending retirement will give Munster added motivation to finish their Pro14 campaign with a victory against the Auld Enemy.....

I am sure if they win it will be renamed the CJ Stander Memorial Trophy

The emotional reverence accorded to Stander (long before today's announcement) and the likes of POM, Earls and lately even Johnny, is OTT

[blockhead]

Credit, where credit is due. CJ is a class act; that's a fabulous press statement:

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rug ... 45200.html

The announcement of his impending retirement will give Munster added motivation to finish their Pro14 campaign with a victory against the Auld Enemy.....

I am sure if they win it will be renamed the CJ Stander Memorial Trophy

The emotional reverence accorded to Stander (long before today's announcement) and the likes of POM, Earls and lately even Johnny, is OTT

When you don't have silverware you need emotional reverence.
CJ is worth his weight in gold though.

[Morf]

We have 6 of the top 10 for carries. Other countries have at most 1. I think that shows how different a game we are playing.

Dumb? Unable to convert it into attacking opportunities?

[mildlyinterested]

Furlong, JVDF, Conan, Sexton, Henshaw and Keenan all start for Ireland.

Healy, Porter, Kelleher, Baird, JGP and Larmour on bench.

[LeinsterLeader]

Furlong, JVDF, Conan, Sexton, Henshaw and Keenan all start for Ireland.

Healy, Porter, Kelleher, Baird, JGP and Larmour on bench.

A Fair chance we'll have E.Byrne, Ross Byrne, RR for the final. Possibly Jlo and Will C? Outside chance of get the guys off the bench?

Delighted for JVDF but didn't see it coming. Though Connors was a cert

Edit: just hearing Will C has a knee injury

[wixfjord]

Connors is injured according to the journos. Knee injury in training.

I'd assume we won't see any of the starters and or Ciano or JGP for the final, and maybe not Porter, but the other three should be fresh enough to start along with Lowe possibly.

Looks like Munster will be without Kilcoyne, Beirne, Stander, Earls, Murray then too. You'd imagine POM will play.

[mildlyinterested]

Connors is injured according to the journos. Knee injury in training.

I'd assume we won't see any of the starters and or Ciano or JGP for the final, and maybe not Porter, but the other three should be fresh enough to start along with Lowe possibly.

Looks like Munster will be without Kilcoyne, Beirne, Stander, Earls, Murray then too. You'd imagine POM will play.

i'd be surprised if Stander isn't playing, as he is retiring.

Murray too given he hasn't played much recently.

[LeinsterLeader]

Connors is injured according to the journos. Knee injury in training.

I'd assume we won't see any of the starters and or Ciano or JGP for the final, and maybe not Porter, but the other three should be fresh enough to start along with Lowe possibly.

Looks like Munster will be without Kilcoyne, Beirne, Stander, Earls, Murray then too. You'd imagine POM will play.

i'd be surprised if Stander isn't playing, as he is retiring.

Murray too given he hasn't played much recently.

I think if there is a 'laissez faire' position on selection like that taken by the IRFU (anything's possible) then in all likelihood the IRFU will take a total "We'll leave it up to you" stance right across the board and in that case all of Munsters big players will play. JVG has shown in the past that he has no qualms about throwing players straight from international duty back into a starting team, even for big back to back games

Leocaster on the other hand are, in my opinion, unlikely to.

[joooooe]

Connors is injured according to the journos. Knee injury in training.

I'd assume we won't see any of the starters and or Ciano or JGP for the final, and maybe not Porter, but the other three should be fresh enough to start along with Lowe possibly.

Looks like Munster will be without Kilcoyne, Beirne, Stander, Earls, Murray then too. You'd imagine POM will play.

i'd be surprised if Stander isn't playing, as he is retiring.

Murray too given he hasn't played much recently.

I think if there is a 'laissez faire' position on selection like that taken by the IRFU (anything's possible) then in all likelihood the IRFU will take a total "We'll leave it up to you" stance right across the board and in that case all of Munsters big players will play. JVG has shown in the past that he has no qualms about throwing players straight from international duty back into a starting team, even for big back to back games

Leocaster on the other hand are, in my opinion, unlikely to.

Munster will put out their strongest team (on paper) for this final. They have shown before (as you noted above) that they are willing to put Ireland players straight into the team the week after an international. There would be uproar down South if there was any indication from the IRFU that players might be rested for a final. I think a lot of people in Leinster underestimate the yearning in Munster for silverware.

Whether their strongest team on paper is actually their strongest team for the match (considerations include a bruising international calendar, re-acclimatising from Irish box-kick-chasing to Munster box-kick-chasing, and the effect on a squad where dirt-trackers are abandoned for the big games) is another question, and one with JVG is best-placed to consider, and ignore.

[johng]

I wonder will we see Harry Byrne v Joey Carbery in a shootout to replace Sexton?

[riocard911]

I wonder will we see Harry Byrne v Joey Carbery in a shootout to replace Sexton?

That would be the dream scenario, IMO.

[munster#1]

With regards to the Munster players involved with Ireland, I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that there wouldn’t be a massive issue in staring the likes of killer, Murray and POM, those 3 have not had a massively taxing workload over the last few weeks.

POM has been training with Munster since his suspension, so he is probably well integrated.

I would be surprised to see Beirne or Earls start as they are likely to be in need of a break, and I am not really sure what they will do with Murray.

Stander for me has to start. It’s likely to be his last ever final in a Munster shirt, and he is more than likely no longer a concern for the IRFU.

[alanair]

Would it be safe to say that Lowe will prob now start this one ?
Love to see him in, and he should be nicely wound up ...

[joooooe]

Would it be safe to say that Lowe will prob now start this one ?
Love to see him in, and he should be nicely wound up ...

Start all the try machines: Sheehan, Penny, McGrath, Lowe and Kearney.

[erskinechilders]

I think we'll see a lot of our Irish contingent playing. I can see Sexton, Henshaw, Ryan & Healy rested. The rest I would imagine will play a role in the final.

[the spoofer]

Doris seems to be doing a lot more in training. Delighted to see it.

[alanair]

Doris seems to be doing a lot more in training. Delighted to see it.

Doris should not be rushed / fast tracked in any way

[wixfjord]

We're going to have to patch together a team for next week. Frawley, Fardy and a few others who were unlikely to feature all went off.

We definitely need some power in the pack. Hopefully Baird, Porter & Rhys are available.

No idea who we're going to put in the centre if Frawley is unavailable.

Could be Harry, Ross and ROL at 10/12/13.