Enforcer Second-Row Options

[fourthirtythree]

When your winning so often It must be a kick in the teeth to lose games but you need to keep in perspective where you are , there is not a single team in the pro 14 that wouldn't want to swop playing squads or coaching staff with you.

Certainly no need to panic just yet folks, let's see how things are in 12 months when you have a full crowd behind you and a fully fit sexton at ten

Honestly I think it was easier for me to take than if we hadn't been around the block. Played poorly, didn't deserve to win, coaching issues have for me now become apparent (I back the lads to sort that out though, I'm just surprised they haven't), and we would be extraordinarily unlucky to have a season like this injury wise in the near future.

Sorry for the guys who won't go on the Lions who have been jinxed by injury and the team's form this last year but on the other side we are always ripe for plucking straight after a Lions' tour or World Cup. Next season time to reload, hopefully with a couple of players breaking through, a couple more consolidating and putting pressure, and a couple of those that would be pressurised regaining form and fitness. A knockout competition is not like a league, you need luck and things to go right on sequential weekends rather than it evening out over the course of a season.

DIdn't happen this year. We weren't the best, but the best doesn't always win a knockout competition which is part of why it can be more exciting. We could have won the thing even without being the best!

[Ruckedtobits]

It's hard to win any game of rugby if your losing the collisions it's even harder when your set piece is struggling

However your pack had guys like Furlong Healy and Ryan in it, these are top class front 5 forwards who have delivered at test level let alone European cup level, guys like Kellher Conan and Ruddock are big physical players to so it's not like your going out there with a powder puff undersize pack and it's not like you get blown away on a regular basis even at this level of European rugby. The game before this you went to the defending champions and beat them handily enough . Sometimes even the best sides just play badly

You could look to get a giant NIQ lock to replace fardy and if you can get dan leavy back to full form and fitness he brings a real presence to the breakdown that would help, you could also look to bring in some genuine top level pace out wide, if your really pushing the boat out an du plessis size hooker of the bench would also be nice!.

That's hardly massive surgery to the squad and it should be something you should be able to manage easily enough

Your 3 defeats in Europe in the last 3 years have been in a final to a side that was basically financially doping, a qf defeat to the same side where you didn't turn up (and tbh that was a real bad performance) and to a top French side away from home who could easily do a t14 and European double.

When your winning so often It must be a kick in the teeth to lose games but you need to keep in perspective where you are , there is not a single team in the pro 14 that wouldn't want to swop playing squads or coaching staff with you.

Certainly no need to panic just yet folks, let's see how things are in 12 months when you have a full crowd behind you and a fully fit sexton at ten

Good post, perspective, where many of us are still too emotional invested!

[berliner]

There is a rumour (attributed to Bernard Jackman) that Quinn Roux is off to Toulon. That would be a major blow to Connacht, but also a setback for the Irish squad, where I would have had him at third choice after Ryan and Henderson. It would strike me as weird for the IRFU to let him go.

[king]

I'm so disappointed with this, Roux is one of the most important players at Connacht, turns our scrum into a weapon, adds some spine to ruck and maul defence, provides leadership and is just coming into his prime.

If I'm honest I thought he was going to Munster or Leinster which I wouldn't have been happy with but at least it would have been player choice based on equal earnings. But going to tulon makes no sense for Irish rugby when we are importing niqs at a similar and lower level. Jenkins, snyman, carter, fardy.

Pay the man the going rate ya cheapskates instead of wasting money on more fullbacks for the fullback retirement province.

[ronk]

At least Connacht have talent at lock and up and coming talent. Murray looks promising and there's still Thornbury and Dillane.

I'd say Roux is getting a reasonable offer, but he might be willing to forego international selection. Or he might still be negotiating

[Dave Cahill]

Maybe he's had a conversation with Farrell and knows that he won't be in the reckoning unless there's a major 2nd row crisis. He was brought into Irish rugby and first capped by Joe Schmidt, but maybe Farrell has a different pecking order. I like him as a player, hes the only player of his type really in the Irish game, but if he's not in the Irish reckoning, why not make a few bob for himself.

[wixfjord]

At least Connacht have talent at lock and up and coming talent. Murray looks promising and there's still Thornbury and Dillane.

I'd say Roux is getting a reasonable offer, but he might be willing to forego international selection. Or he might still be negotiating

As we saw last night though, Roux is a vital part of that Connacht pack, he offers something none of those three do.

He'd be a big loss.

[Oldschool]

At least Connacht have talent at lock and up and coming talent. Murray looks promising and there's still Thornbury and Dillane.

I'd say Roux is getting a reasonable offer, but he might be willing to forego international selection. Or he might still be negotiating

As we saw last night though, Roux is a vital part of that Connacht pack, he offers something none of those three do.

He'd be a big loss.

Plus One

[Oldschool]

QR off to Toulon.
Should L'einster have been allowed to make him an offer?

[Twist]

QR off to Toulon.
Should L'einster have been allowed to make him an offer?

Yeah, I think we should

[Dave Cahill]

We could only offer what Connacht were offering, the provinces aren't allowed to outbid each other.

[Ruckedtobits]

Not in quantum but no prohibition re duration of contract.

[LeinsterLeader]

I'd say even if we could have gone for him I'd say Toulon have offered him serious money which we would have had to match and if we had that much cash on hip could we not get more bang for our buck elsewhere?

Also, Conn still have not got over Robbie H coming here, If QR had of shown up here I think they might just have marched on the RDS.

All things considered, it might be for the best.

Edit: If anyone hasn't seen Bill Baileys bit in stand-up on the phrase "All things considered", do yourself a favor and look it up

[Dave Cahill]

Not in quantum but no prohibition re duration of contract.

True, but he's only 30 so that wouldn't be an issue.

He's been here 9 years and has achieved a huge amount. A couple of Celtic Leagues, a Challenge Cup, a Grand Slam, has played for two provinces and the national team. I'd say only more caps could keep him and he's probably looked at the current roster of Irish locks and thought there won't be too many more of them - so why not get a good payday

[Twist]

Has this thread reached a conclusion and whether Leinster should be investing in a second-row enforcer? I'm sure Leo and Mick Dawson want to know.

For what its worth (which is nothing), I think there's been some good arguments made here fur us not needing one, but the argument for having one is stronger. It frees up James Ryan to play a more natural game, and it gives us something we simply don't have otherwise. Sometimes you need to fight like with like and I think a Leinster team containing Lood de Jager (for example) would've had a good chance of negating Saracens in 2019 and La Rochelle most recently. It creates a whole other way we can hurt the opposition, and prevent them hurting us.

[Dave Cahill]

Has this thread reached a conclusion and whether Leinster should be investing in a second-row enforcer? I'm sure Leo and Mick Dawson want to know.

For what its worth (which is nothing), I think there's been some good arguments made here fur us not needing one, but the argument for having one is stronger. It frees up James Ryan to play a more natural game, and it gives us something we simply don't have otherwise. Sometimes you need to fight like with like and I think a Leinster team containing Lood de Jager (for example) would've had a good chance of negating Saracens in 2019 and La Rochelle most recently. It creates a whole other way we can hurt the opposition, and prevent them hurting us.

I think you always have every arrow in your quiver and its one we don't have, but given the amount of current Irish international locks we have, and that Munster and Ulster both have overseas locks, and that cash is very tight right now, and that we are actually more in need in other positions, then I don't think its a priority or even an option. For me, I'd rather we found coaching solutions than personnel ones to the problem.

[tingman]

Not wishing to get viscous rumors going ( all right - maybe!) but George Kruis spotted on a Dublin bound flight yesterday.

[John23]

That the best rumour I read since Robbie Deans was spotted in Ranelagh a few years ago.

[FLIP]

Not wishing to get viscous rumors going ( all right - maybe!) but George Kruis spotted on a Dublin bound flight yesterday.

Probably on his way to New Pretoria

[mildlyinterested]

I wouldnt be getting my hopes up though, his brother lives in dublin.