The Leinster Front Row preview 2021/22

[Serb]

Sheehan will almost certainly be approached for a move to Munster. Their tight 5 is a mess, with hooker probably the weakest of all positions.

Their first choice front row are all getting on, Scannell is the youngest at 29. They have prospects in Salanoa and Knox at tighthead, and Whycherly and French at loose, but they only really have Barron coming through at hooker. They need some quality there imo.

[ronk]

Apparently he already has.

Munster haven't had a good hooker in over 10 years and Flannery wasn't all that special. Munster are so stocked at hooker that they were able to cut Marshall and they're rolling the dice on Declan Moore.

Scannell is perfect for them. He's durable, hard working, accurate, reliable, fits into their expectations, (probably) cheap and just about good enough that he's not off with the international side all the time.

O'Byrne is a serviceable backup who's a bit of a baller and is entertaining enough. Both are at their peak. Barron is doing okay.

The question mark we have is keeping hold of James Tracy.

There's always a spare hooker on the bench. There are almost twice as many games (match day squad places) in a season as there might be for a specialist outside back. It's easy to hold depth.

The other problem with hooker is that there are loads of okay ones, a few good ones and hardly any who are dominant matchwinners. If you gave Munster €400k and said go buy a top class hooker the options would look like bad value.

But offer Munster a destructive loosehead or tighthead, another huge South African lock, a ball carrying 7 or a really good counterattacking fullback and they'd be much more interested.

[wixfjord]

Apparently he already has.

Munster haven't had a good hooker in over 10 years and Flannery wasn't all that special. Munster are so stocked at hooker that they were able to cut Marshall and they're rolling the dice on Declan Moore.

Scannell is perfect for them. He's durable, hard working, accurate, reliable, fits into their expectations, (probably) cheap and just about good enough that he's not off with the international side all the time.

O'Byrne is a serviceable backup who's a bit of a baller and is entertaining enough. Both are at their peak. Barron is doing okay.

The question mark we have is keeping hold of James Tracy.

There's always a spare hooker on the bench. There are almost twice as many games (match day squad places) in a season as there might be for a specialist outside back. It's easy to hold depth.

The other problem with hooker is that there are loads of okay ones, a few good ones and hardly any who are dominant matchwinners. If you gave Munster €400k and said go buy a top class hooker the options would look like bad value.

But offer Munster a destructive loosehead or tighthead, another huge South African lock, a ball carrying 7 or a really good counterattacking fullback and they'd be much more interested.

I think I disagree with pretty much every word of that!


Sheehan would be a brilliant signing for Munster by the way.

[blockhead]

But not brilliant for Leinster right?
I mean, you would hate to see that happen, wouldn't you?

[mildlyinterested]

it would be terrible for leinster..

[Oldschoolsocks]

Apparently he already has.

Munster haven't had a good hooker in over 10 years and Flannery wasn't all that special. Munster are so stocked at hooker that they were able to cut Marshall and they're rolling the dice on Declan Moore.

Scannell is perfect for them. He's durable, hard working, accurate, reliable, fits into their expectations, (probably) cheap and just about good enough that he's not off with the international side all the time.

O'Byrne is a serviceable backup who's a bit of a baller and is entertaining enough. Both are at their peak. Barron is doing okay.

The question mark we have is keeping hold of James Tracy.

There's always a spare hooker on the bench. There are almost twice as many games (match day squad places) in a season as there might be for a specialist outside back. It's easy to hold depth.

The other problem with hooker is that there are loads of okay ones, a few good ones and hardly any who are dominant matchwinners. If you gave Munster €400k and said go buy a top class hooker the options would look like bad value.

But offer Munster a destructive loosehead or tighthead, another huge South African lock, a ball carrying 7 or a really good counterattacking fullback and they'd be much more interested.

I think I disagree with pretty much every word of that!


Sheehan would be a brilliant signing for Munster by the way.

why? so they can have him sit on a bench and sign another SA second row?

[Oldschool]

Munster seems to be a graveyard for local transfers.
There has to be a reason for this.
Part of it would appear to be that any players moving to Munster has to prove themselves all over again.
Or worse Munster think that they have to re-engineer then and teach them the Munster way.
Either way this results in stalled player development.
Connacht and Ulster seem to integrate local imports much more quickly.
In addition Leinster, Connacht and Ulster play with a similar style.
So Munster are the outlier and there doesn't seem to be any realisation or acceptance for the need to change.
The clearance evidence for this is the type of coaches they are signing.
Only Penney looked to push Munster into the 21st century and they got rid of pdq.
As a result there is going to be continuing resistance to moving to Munster because it's like committing career Hari Kari.

[ronk]

Because it would make it harder for us to get a fifth star

[ronk]

why? so they can have him sit on a bench and sign another SA second row?

They'd play him. He's an exciting and explosive young player.

I'd be more concerned about Nick Williams type issues. They signed Williams to change how they play but the problem was they expected him to fit into them and add the ball carrying impact.

When Williams showed what he could do in good positions they pivoted to overuse him and he was easily shut down.

Kelleher and Sheehan are both players who can and should be put in positions that many hookers shouldn't. Especially in a pod outside a winger as many backrows are used. Extra players who can do that some of the time make it really hard to defend against unless you have defenders who can compete on mobility.

That's the sort of thing that I'd see Munster as less likely to do if they took on Sheehan at this stage of his career (he's still learning the ropes at this level). Munster would use him for carrier but a lot of them out be attritional one out carries, it's how they've played for the pro era. He can do that but he can do so much more. Leinster have a decent history with try scoring mobile hookers and getting them into good positions.

[mildlyinterested]

getting a bad vibe on Dan Sheehans leinster future...

[LeinsterLeader]

getting a bad vibe on Dan Sheehans leinster future...

Tell us more!

[mildlyinterested]

getting a bad vibe on Dan Sheehans leinster future...

Tell us more!

not much more to say, usual stuff IRFU/Nucifora want him elsewhere.

[LeinsterLeader]

Oh okay! Well we can only hope he can see what's gone before him and hopefully do the right thing

[deco]

Apparently he already has.

Munster haven't had a good hooker in over 10 years and Flannery wasn't all that special. Munster are so stocked at hooker that they were able to cut Marshall and they're rolling the dice on Declan Moore.

Scannell is perfect for them. He's durable, hard working, accurate, reliable, fits into their expectations, (probably) cheap and just about good enough that he's not off with the international side all the time.

O'Byrne is a serviceable backup who's a bit of a baller and is entertaining enough. Both are at their peak. Barron is doing okay.

The question mark we have is keeping hold of James Tracy.

There's always a spare hooker on the bench. There are almost twice as many games (match day squad places) in a season as there might be for a specialist outside back. It's easy to hold depth.

The other problem with hooker is that there are loads of okay ones, a few good ones and hardly any who are dominant matchwinners. If you gave Munster €400k and said go buy a top class hooker the options would look like bad value.

But offer Munster a destructive loosehead or tighthead, another huge South African lock, a ball carrying 7 or a really good counterattacking fullback and they'd be much more interested.

I think I disagree with pretty much every word of that!


Sheehan would be a brilliant signing for Munster by the way.

Keeping Sheehan would be a brilliant for Leinster.

[mildlyinterested]

Oh okay! Well we can only hope he can see what's gone before him and hopefully do the right thing

fingers crossed.

[LeinsterLeader]

Oh okay! Well we can only hope he can see what's gone before him and hopefully do the right thing

fingers crossed.

Yes indeed. Doesn't sound like you're too hopeful though

[mildlyinterested]

Oh okay! Well we can only hope he can see what's gone before him and hopefully do the right thing

fingers crossed.

Yes indeed. Doesn't sound like you're too hopeful though

I could see it going either way. Wait and see.

[LeinsterLeader]

fingers crossed.

Yes indeed. Doesn't sound like you're too hopeful though

I could see it going either way. Wait and see.

I won't sleep now

Anyway, let us know if you hear anything good bad or indifferent! cheers

[the spoofer]

Yeah, I'd say the pressure will tell. First choice, more money and caps v's possibility of winning something shiny at the end of a season.

[mildlyinterested]

Yeah, I'd say the pressure will tell. First choice, more money and caps v's possibility of winning something shiny at the end of a season.

Yeah the IRFU pressure is the issue.