riocard911 wrote: ↑April 4th, 2021, 3:25 pm
I watched the match vs Lyon yesterday. I'll tell yiz something for nothing: if we manage to beat that Exeter team on their home patch - and thereafter win the semi and final - there will be no bloomin' asterisk after the fifth star!!!!
They are a serious team. Really well coached, really physical, lots of depth and they have some class operators in Slade, Hogg and the No8 of the brothers [who is greased f*cking lightening!]
Their COHESION is what stands out for me. With fewer international players they are into their flow. We aren’t.
I don’t like the look of Byrne against whichever of their massive international tight heads benches.
mildlyinterested wrote: ↑April 4th, 2021, 5:24 pm
huge game, a loss could be defining for this team, given previous results in europe.
What do you mean by defining?
that this current leinster side would become more known for falling short at the highest level in europe than for successes it has had.
I agree that that would be the direction of travel if they don’t win the competition, however the age profile of the squad to me says that they have another few years before you could call time on them.
that this current leinster side would become more known for falling short at the highest level in europe than for successes it has had.
I agree that that would be the direction of travel if they don’t win the competition, however the age profile of the squad to me says that they have another few years before you could call time on them.
I wouldn't be calling time on them but that would be how they are viewed/talked about until they win europe again.
It's high expectations but I think Leinster team have those expectations on themselves..
and for me any season that doesn't end in a european final is a disappointment given resources/talent available.
Oldschoolsocks wrote: ↑April 4th, 2021, 11:50 am
They looked really really strong yesterday, I’m apprehensive about this one
saw the game too...they are strong, but, I thought lyon made them look better than they are. hill, Hogg, ewell and gray are quality and it showed yesterday. Cowan-Dickie is overrated for me. lineout is worth challenging next week if he's in. Don't understand why their 10 (Sam simmonds) isn't in the english squad. He is a very good 10.
I don't think we should be too worried OSS. keep our penalty count down, which lyon didn't, to avoid their driving mauls and keeping tabs on oflaherty & woodburn in their backline shouldn't be too difficult.
There were a few brain farts by lyon yesterday...especially in defense...I wouldn't expect the same from our lads.
Dave Cahill wrote: ↑April 4th, 2021, 6:56 pm
They'll be just as worried about us are we are about them, and for pretty much the same reasons.
We are going in this extraordinarily undercooked though
A little undercooked maybe but they have put in two huge weeks prep for Munster and Toulon and for 14/16 of the Leinster Squad that followed immediately on from a full 6 Nations campaign. Don't think that the rest will be anything but beneficial, plus we may get James Ryan back and we won't carry any knocks going into a pressure cooker game, unlike Chiefs who certainly will be feeling a little tender (at least) after the Lyon encounter.
Ulster's technical excellence this evening was a very good reminder of the value of team-work and Leinster must remember and repeat.
Dave Cahill wrote: ↑April 4th, 2021, 6:56 pm
They'll be just as worried about us are we are about them, and for pretty much the same reasons.
We are going in this extraordinarily undercooked though
not so sure Dave. thought our intensity was good last weekend against munster from the kick off....exeter looked a little sleepy in the first 15mins when lyon went 0-14 up.
Exeter are a quality side but I think we have enough up front, especially, to take them. not so sure about playing away as being a disadvantage these days with no crowd.
should be a cracking game...there are a few great games next weekend...clermont v toulouse will be on my watch list for sure.
Yeah, I think the walkover is a net positive for us. We are in the middle of an injury crissis and would only have added to that against Toulon.
Maybe we'll get Ryan back, that would be a massive bonus. We can forget about Ringrose, Conners, Doris etc.
You know I'm going to lose,
And gambling's for fools,
But that's the way I like it baby, I don't want to live FOREVER!
I often wonder if there's some universal force or rule of physics that states the EPRC can only be won 4 times by any one team. It might be linked to the fleeting nature of collective hunger within human groups to achieve great things or the life span of a professional rugby players career but there is some evidence to suggest I'm on to something here and that evidence is the lack of any European professional rugby team with five gold stars on their jersey.
There is also evidence to suggest that once a team reaches the peak of European rugby they stay at the top for a period of years.
On Saturday we will have gathered more evidence to reinforce one of my theories so I have orchestrated a win for me no matter what the result but Leinster's (and Exeter's) trajectory within European rugby rankings come into focus so there's more than a trophy to play for.
I will start this week with the absolute conviction we will have our arses handed to us by Exeter (and to be fair, if we have to loose to someone I'd rather it was them) but by Friday I will have hardened my resolve, scanned the team sheet and spent altogether too much time analysing how the game will go before concluding that we will be victorious. I'm usually right, but if we do beat Exeter on Saturday it will be done with learnings from the Saracens defeat.
I genuinely believe our front rows will be the difference, maybe in the set pieces but mostly in the loose, so we just need parity elsewhere on the pitch to get ahead, although I do believe we have a slight edge in the 1/2 backs and defo at full back. I hope our hunger is greater than theirs.
Everything has an ending except sausages, which have two.
Leinster Rugby Head Coach Leo Cullen has issued a squad update ahead of the trip to Sandy Park this Saturday for the Quarter-Final of the Heineken Champions Cup against Exeter (Kick Off: 5.30pm – live on BT Sport & RTÉ Radio).
There was hugely positive news for Vakh Abdaladze who has recovered from a long-standing back injury and is available for selection this week.
The tighthead prop made the last of his 11 Leinster Rugby senior appearances in October 2019 and the 25-year-old is now available once again to Cullen and his coaches.
In other injury news, Jamison Gibson-Park was ruled out of the game at the weekend against Toulon having sustained a hamstring injury at training last week and he will be further assessed this week ahead of selection for Exeter.
There was some good news also for Tommy O’Brien who is due to increase his training load as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.
However lock Jack Dunne sustained an ankle fracture at training last week and will be unavailable for 16 weeks as a result.
There was no new injury news on a number of other player who remain unavailable for selection:
Scott Penny (hand), Jimmy O’Brien (hamstring), Garry Ringrose (ankle), Will Connors (knee), James Ryan (concussion), Rowan Osborne (hand), Adam Byrne (quad), Caelan Doris (concussion), Dan Leavy (knee), Conor O’Brien (knee) and Max Deegan (knee)
outcast eddie wrote: ↑April 5th, 2021, 1:38 pm
Here's how I see this:
I often wonder if there's some universal force or rule of physics that states the EPRC can only be won 4 times by any one team. It might be linked to the fleeting nature of collective hunger within human groups to achieve great things or the life span of a professional rugby players career but there is some evidence to suggest I'm on to something here and that evidence is the lack of any European professional rugby team with five gold stars on their jersey.
There is also evidence to suggest that once a team reaches the peak of European rugby they stay at the top for a period of years.
On Saturday we will have gathered more evidence to reinforce one of my theories so I have orchestrated a win for me no matter what the result but Leinster's (and Exeter's) trajectory within European rugby rankings come into focus so there's more than a trophy to play for.
I will start this week with the absolute conviction we will have our arses handed to us by Exeter (and to be fair, if we have to loose to someone I'd rather it was them) but by Friday I will have hardened my resolve, scanned the team sheet and spent altogether too much time analysing how the game will go before concluding that we will be victorious. I'm usually right, but if we do beat Exeter on Saturday it will be done with learnings from the Saracens defeat.
I genuinely believe our front rows will be the difference, maybe in the set pieces but mostly in the loose, so we just need parity elsewhere on the pitch to get ahead, although I do believe we have a slight edge in the 1/2 backs and defo at full back. I hope our hunger is greater than theirs.
Everything has an ending except sausages, which have two.
As much as I love Keenan Im not sure I’d choose him over Hogg!
At their peaks I was afraid of the dominance of Toulan and Saracens, especially some world class stars who seemed unplayable. Exeter are a really excellent team and they might beat us. But I don’t see them as having the same level of players.
mildlyinterested wrote: ↑April 5th, 2021, 2:05 pm
Leinster Rugby Head Coach Leo Cullen has issued a squad update ahead of the trip to Sandy Park this Saturday for the Quarter-Final of the Heineken Champions Cup against Exeter (Kick Off: 5.30pm – live on BT Sport & RTÉ Radio).
There was hugely positive news for Vakh Abdaladze who has recovered from a long-standing back injury and is available for selection this week.
The tighthead prop made the last of his 11 Leinster Rugby senior appearances in October 2019 and the 25-year-old is now available once again to Cullen and his coaches.
In other injury news, Jamison Gibson-Park was ruled out of the game at the weekend against Toulon having sustained a hamstring injury at training last week and he will be further assessed this week ahead of selection for Exeter.
There was some good news also for Tommy O’Brien who is due to increase his training load as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.
However lock Jack Dunne sustained an ankle fracture at training last week and will be unavailable for 16 weeks as a result.
There was no new injury news on a number of other player who remain unavailable for selection:
Scott Penny (hand), Jimmy O’Brien (hamstring), Garry Ringrose (ankle), Will Connors (knee), James Ryan (concussion), Rowan Osborne (hand), Adam Byrne (quad), Caelan Doris (concussion), Dan Leavy (knee), Conor O’Brien (knee) and Max Deegan (knee)
Hugely disappointing, James Ryan and Doris especially will be massive losses
**** LEINSTER Champions Of Europe 2009/2011/2012/2018 ****
