Rainbow Cup Rd 1: Saturday, 24 April: Leinster v Munster – KO 7.35pm, RDS Arena

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Not overly exercised about the Rainbow Cup, but the Heineken is a problem, and there is a potential solution - one used by the Champions League, a third country venue.

Sometimes the best solution is a bullet between the eyes.

[OTT]

Could you just imagine if we picked up a positive COVID case off the back of a shitty Rainbow Cup game and had to forfeit a semi or a final of the Heineken.

Things that keep me up at night #789

[neiliog93]

Could you just imagine if we picked up a positive COVID case off the back of a shitty Rainbow Cup game and had to forfeit a semi or a final of the Heineken.

Things that keep me up at night #789

I was thinking about this issue - a bit off topic, but surely if it happened before the final, they would try to reschedule? Of course, they wouldn't be able to do so for a semi-final.

[riocard911]

Sounds to me like friends of the Incredible Power of the Prem - aka BoJo's minions - trying to strangle the new super-duper Pro16 at the birth. Set up a base in the Republic of Ireland: end of problem!!!

[CiaranIrl]

https://twitter.com/Murray_Kinsella/sta ... 196?s=1001

Cancelled?

[mildlyinterested]

“I can’t speak specifically but generally hopefully a good chunk of the guys who are injured will be back for our next game against Munster in round one of the Rainbow Cup. It’ll be a case by case basis, but definitely we’ll have a few of them back.” - Leo

[Twist]

“I can’t speak specifically but generally hopefully a good chunk of the guys who are injured will be back for our next game against Munster in round one of the Rainbow Cup. It’ll be a case by case basis, but definitely we’ll have a few of them back.”

Was this Leo Cullen?

[mildlyinterested]

“I can’t speak specifically but generally hopefully a good chunk of the guys who are injured will be back for our next game against Munster in round one of the Rainbow Cup. It’ll be a case by case basis, but definitely we’ll have a few of them back.”

Was this Leo Cullen?

sorry yes.

[Twist]

“I can’t speak specifically but generally hopefully a good chunk of the guys who are injured will be back for our next game against Munster in round one of the Rainbow Cup. It’ll be a case by case basis, but definitely we’ll have a few of them back.”

Was this Leo Cullen?

sorry yes.

Sounds encouraging. It might be time to start scrutinising the training photographs like an obsessive again!

[mildlyinterested]

Was this Leo Cullen?

sorry yes.

Sounds encouraging. It might be time to start scrutinising the training photographs like an obsessive again!

Ryan and Doris have been pictured training a lot lately.

[mildlyinterested]

THE RAINBOW CUP will kick-off as planned in two weekends’ time, getting underway with three rounds of derby games in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, and South Africa.

Tournament organisers are also understood to still be hopeful that the four new South African teams – the Bulls, Lions, Stormers, and Sharks – may be able to travel north for rounds four to six.

Reports over the weekend suggested that those plans had been cancelled but there remains some hope that a government exemption will be granted in the UK.

Pro14 Rugby is thought to have identified a number of possible UK bases for the four South African teams and it’s understood they will continue to discuss the possibility with UK authorities over the coming days, with no final decision reached yet.

It’s expected that the Pro14 will confirm fixture dates and times for the opening three rounds at some stage this week, when an update on discussions regarding rounds four to six may also be provided.

Munster and Leinster are due to meet on the weekend of 24 April, with Ulster facing Connacht.

The weekend of 8 May will see Leinster visit Connacht, with Munster hosting Ulster.

Connacht travel to Munster on the weekend of 15 May, while Ulster visit Leinster.


It remains to be seen exactly what happens thereafter in the Rainbow Cup, which is due to conclude with a final on the weekend of 19 June.

As with the rest of professional sport during the Covid-19 pandemic, the reality is that governments will make the final decisions around the new competition.

If that decision means the South African sides cannot travel north, it is thought that rounds three to six would still involve cross-border games between the Irish, Welsh, Scottish, and Italian sides.

https://www.the42.ie/rainbow-cup-south- ... 4-Apr2021/

[Lock9541]

So if the South Africans don’t come then it’s basically two pro14 competitions in the same season..

[mildlyinterested]

So how much rotation do we see in this game?

healthy senior players who have been unused lately: Dooley, Cronin, Bent, Josh M, Harry Byrne, Cian Kelleher

possible injury returnees for this game: Ryan, Doris, Penny, JGP, Frawley, JOB, TOB

[Twist]

So how much rotation do we see in this game?

healthy senior players who have been unused lately: Dooley, Cronin, Bent, Josh M, Harry Byrne, Cian Kelleher

possible injury returnees for this game: Ryan, Doris, Penny, JGP, Frawley, JOB, TOB

Is three weeks too much rest for the front liners we'll need in La Rochelle?

This isn't a rhetorical question, I honestly don't know.

[mildlyinterested]

So how much rotation do we see in this game?

healthy senior players who have been unused lately: Dooley, Cronin, Bent, Josh M, Harry Byrne, Cian Kelleher

possible injury returnees for this game: Ryan, Doris, Penny, JGP, Frawley, JOB, TOB

Is three weeks too much rest for the front liners we'll need in La Rochelle?

This isn't a rhetorical question, I honestly don't know.

yeah it's a difficult one to balance.

[Theleinsterlad]

So how much rotation do we see in this game?

healthy senior players who have been unused lately: Dooley, Cronin, Bent, Josh M, Harry Byrne, Cian Kelleher

possible injury returnees for this game: Ryan, Doris, Penny, JGP, Frawley, JOB, TOB

Is three weeks too much rest for the front liners we'll need in La Rochelle?

This isn't a rhetorical question, I honestly don't know.

yeah it's a difficult one to balance.

Putting it this way do you want to give French teams a 14-0 lead due to being cold?? I’d be very worried if we did thay

[Twist]

So you'd start the first choice XV against Munster? Or even the first choice XXIII?

[joooooe]

Anyone returning from injury needs a half (at least) against Munster if they're going to start against La Rochelle. Someone like Henshaw has been flogged for the past couple of months and could be wrapped up for the Euro semi but some fellas (Kelliher, Baird) look like duracell bunnies (and if they were injured we have a replacement) and will probably play to keep them ticking over.

[Jonny tight lips]

So how much rotation do we see in this game?

healthy senior players who have been unused lately: Dooley, Cronin, Bent, Josh M, Harry Byrne, Cian Kelleher

possible injury returnees for this game: Ryan, Doris, Penny, JGP, Frawley, JOB, TOB

Is three weeks too much rest for the front liners we'll need in La Rochelle?

This isn't a rhetorical question, I honestly don't know.

yeah it's a difficult one to balance.

La Rochelle have a tricky one home against Lyon this week then what you would imagine is a pretty straightforward match away to Brive where they should be able to rest up for us so I wouldn’t be putting too much into Munster the week before the Semi, particularly considering the game could up being classified as little more than a friendly.

[cormac]

Tricky decision. In 2019 we had three weeks between the quarter-final v Ulster and the semi-final v Toulouse. We had two league games in between, both at home, against Treviso and then Glasgow.

Team that lined up for the semi-final and whether they played in between the qf and sf

1. Cian Healy (sub v Glasgow - 40 minutes)
2. Sean Cronin (sub v Glasgow - 40 minutes)
3. Tadhg Furlong (sub v Glasgow - 25 minutes)
4. Devin Toner (start v Glasgow - 80 minutes)
5. James Ryan (didn't play either game - 0 minutes)
6. Scott Fardy (start v Treviso - 80 minutes)
7. Sean O'Brien (start v Glasgow - 58 minutes)
8. Jack Conan (didn't play either game - 0 minutes)

9. Luke McGrath (start v Treviso - 75 minutes)
10. Johnny Sexton (didn't play either game - 0 minutes)
11. James Lowe (start v Treviso - 80 minutes)
12. Robbie Henshaw (start v Glasgow - 58 minutes)
13. Garry Ringrose (didn't play either game - 0 minutes)
14. Jordan Larmour (start v Glasgow - 80 minutes)
15. Rob Kearney (start v Glasgow - 61 minutes)

Reckon it'll be a case of trying to get some of the walking wounded back on the pitch, anyone with a niggle won't feature, but we'll still field a strongish side IMO.