The Leinster Backrow preview 2021/22

[elephantman]

Vakh and Leavy would be the only surprises there.

Highly doubt Leavy is going anywhere. He signed an extension last year though I don’t think the length of extension was announced.

Makes sense for Deegan to go. He’s 25 and he needs to play more regularly.

[ronk]

Are you talking about the Max Deegan who's played 9 of Leinster's 12 matches this season, was named to start against Montpellier and probably missed more games with all the cancellations?

The guy has never struggled for gametime in his career.

[berliner]

Vakh and Leavy would be the only surprises there.

Highly doubt Leavy is going anywhere. He signed an extension last year though I don’t think the length of extension was announced.

Makes sense for Deegan to go. He’s 25 and he needs to play more regularly.

Given everything Leavy has been through, it's the wrong time to move. Leinster rightly stuck by him by extending the contract when his future was uncertain, his more recent troubles seem to be of a more minor nature. Wait and see, one hopes.

Are you talking about the Max Deegan who's played 9 of Leinster's 12 matches this season, was named to start against Montpellier and probably missed more games with all the cancellations?

The guy has never struggled for gametime in his career.

He started only one of those nine games, and has played just 332 mins so far this season. Admittedly there's plenty of games to come, but in the two years prior to doing his ACL he was doing c.1100 mins. And he'll only start the big games when there are injuries.

Deegan should leave, I just hope he stays in Ireland.

Selfishly, my view is Connacht don't have a specialist number eight and there is a fit. For that team to be attractive to him the front row issues need to be addressed, and we probably won't be in the champions cup next season, but it's not all doom out west.

[elephantman]

Are you talking about the Max Deegan who's played 9 of Leinster's 12 matches this season, was named to start against Montpellier and probably missed more games with all the cancellations?

The guy has never struggled for gametime in his career.

Being selfish, I hope Deegan stays but he has Conan and Doris ahead of him. Conan isn’t even 30 yet.

Against Cardiff, Conan and Doris were both away with Ireland and Penny started at 8 with Deegan on the bench. I think the writing is on the wall.

[Blue not red blood]

Almost Maintain we can never have enough Backrows.
The injury profile of this position is phenomenal.
Nearly all our current backrows have had long term issues with injury.
Already Murphy leaving and now talk about Deegan.
So we lose Conan or Doris to an injury and we have no back up.
Don’t see the logic in losing Deegan

[ronk]

Are you talking about the Max Deegan who's played 9 of Leinster's 12 matches this season, was named to start against Montpellier and probably missed more games with all the cancellations?

The guy has never struggled for gametime in his career.

Being selfish, I hope Deegan stays but he has Conan and Doris ahead of him. Conan isn’t even 30 yet.

Against Cardiff, Conan and Doris were both away with Ireland and Penny started at 8 with Deegan on the bench. I think the writing is on the wall.

Because Penny needed gametime more than him and Connors was back.

If Connors had come back hot then he would have been well up the standby list for the 6N squad. There were other forces at play.

This season has been the tightest one since the start of the Celtic League for gametime and it's coming off the longest season. The squad was stretched further than it ever was and suddenly it snapped back.

Who will Leinster play if they lose players who are playing almost every week?

[mildlyinterested]

Are you talking about the Max Deegan who's played 9 of Leinster's 12 matches this season, was named to start against Montpellier and probably missed more games with all the cancellations?

The guy has never struggled for gametime in his career.

Being selfish, I hope Deegan stays but he has Conan and Doris ahead of him. Conan isn’t even 30 yet.

Against Cardiff, Conan and Doris were both away with Ireland and Penny started at 8 with Deegan on the bench. I think the writing is on the wall.

Because Penny needed gametime more than him and Connors was back.

If Connors had come back hot then he would have been well up the standby list for the 6N squad. There were other forces at play.

This season has been the tightest one since the start of the Celtic League for gametime and it's coming off the longest season. The squad was stretched further than it ever was and suddenly it snapped back.

Who will Leinster play if they lose players who are playing almost every week?

sounds like we will find out next season, but most likely academy players.

[ronk]

Deegan should leave, I just hope he stays in Ireland.

Selfishly, my view is Connacht don't have a specialist number eight and there is a fit. For that team to be attractive to him the front row issues need to be addressed, and we probably won't be in the champions cup next season, but it's not all doom out west.

Connacht have Josh Murphy incoming already and their backrow is pretty competitive right now.

I'm not sure if Connacht fans would be happy to see, say, Butler leave with Deegan incoming.

I don't see why any of the current Leinster backrows would look at the squad next season and decide that they have to move. It's a world cup year and there's no pressure from the academy.

[ronk]

Apologies, Soroka is an academy talent. Wouldn't see Deegan needing to split regardless.

[mildlyinterested]

Deegan should leave, I just hope he stays in Ireland.

Selfishly, my view is Connacht don't have a specialist number eight and there is a fit. For that team to be attractive to him the front row issues need to be addressed, and we probably won't be in the champions cup next season, but it's not all doom out west.

Connacht have Josh Murphy incoming already and their backrow is pretty competitive right now.

I'm not sure if Connacht fans would be happy to see, say, Butler leave with Deegan incoming.

I don't see why any of the current Leinster backrows would look at the squad next season and decide that they have to move. It's a world cup year and there's no pressure from the academy.

They may not have the option to stay.

[ronk]

That's different.

But then I had assumed Murphy was leaving by choice. He did didn't he.

[berliner]

Deegan should leave, I just hope he stays in Ireland.

Selfishly, my view is Connacht don't have a specialist number eight and there is a fit. For that team to be attractive to him the front row issues need to be addressed, and we probably won't be in the champions cup next season, but it's not all doom out west.

Connacht have Josh Murphy incoming already and their backrow is pretty competitive right now.

I'm not sure if Connacht fans would be happy to see, say, Butler leave with Deegan incoming.

I don't see why any of the current Leinster backrows would look at the squad next season and decide that they have to move. It's a world cup year and there's no pressure from the academy.

Well the terrible news about Connors knee changes the equation, presuming there was something to this speculation in the first place. One less mouth to feed at openside means more minutes for Penny there, which in turn relieves the pressure on Max at Number 8.

As regards Mildly's intimations about forced moves, South (Coombes) and North (Vermeulen) don't make sense. Out west there's no true 8, Jarrad 's popularity doesn't change that. Don't know how things will be re-jigged with Murphy's arrival. My assumption was that he'd end up mixing lock/blindside.

[ronk]

I think Mildly was talking about cut and soft landing rather than forced move, but maybe the distinction is sometimes muddy.

Deegan is versatile, he’s been about 5th choice but with 3 Irish starters ahead of him. Connacht have Boyle, Oliver, Butler, Prendergast. Deegan wouldn’t be a cert to get more high quality rugby.

[mildlyinterested]

I think Mildly was talking about cut and soft landing rather than forced move, but maybe the distinction is sometimes muddy.

Deegan is versatile, he’s been about 5th choice but with 3 Irish starters ahead of him. Connacht have Boyle, Oliver, Butler, Prendergast. Deegan wouldn’t be a cert to get more high quality rugby.

the suggestion is that there wasnt contract offers from leinster, if thats true or not, I don't know.

would fit into the narrative that leinster had to bring down their wage budget.

[CiaranIrl]

I assume some of this is a financial decision. We've surely been hit really hard this last two years. The question is, can we afford 6 figure salaries for lads who probably won't play in the champions cup? Deegan and Leavy are both at stages of their career where they deserve that salary level. The cost of living in Dublin is an issue for every employee now.

Vakh is a different case though. We quite obviously don't want to play him unless we're 20+ points in front. It could be a case of us just giving up on him. Who do we play instead though? It doesn't look like anyone else is ready. Would we try and sign an IQ tighthead from somewhere?

[mildlyinterested]

Vakh is a different case though. We quite obviously don't want to play him unless we're 20+ points in front. It could be a case of us just giving up on him. Who do we play instead though? It doesn't look like anyone else is ready. Would we try and sign an IQ tighthead from somewhere?

presumably Tom Clarkson.

[CiaranIrl]

I have to say, I'd be gutted if Leavy leaves Leinster. I could live with the rest of the names leaving, but there's something about Leavy that really wants me to see him at Leinster for his whole career. He just seems like he bleeds blue, that he cares about the team down to his core. Pure passion and belief, and that intangible stuff is more important to me than the cold hard stats sometimes. I don't care if Connors or Penny or whoever would play more often, or if his injury history means he won't ever play a long run of games. He's just an inspirational figure. The kind of lad that when he lifts a trophy you get a buzz out of just seeing the look on his face.

[mildlyinterested]

Yeah i'd be gutted to see Leavy leave.

that reckless clearout really ruined his career.

[CiaranIrl]

Vakh is a different case though. We quite obviously don't want to play him unless we're 20+ points in front. It could be a case of us just giving up on him. Who do we play instead though? It doesn't look like anyone else is ready. Would we try and sign an IQ tighthead from somewhere?

presumably Tom Clarkson.

I guess you're right. It just seems like we're going to be in huge trouble if we ever get an injury.

[mildlyinterested]

Vakh is a different case though. We quite obviously don't want to play him unless we're 20+ points in front. It could be a case of us just giving up on him. Who do we play instead though? It doesn't look like anyone else is ready. Would we try and sign an IQ tighthead from somewhere?

presumably Tom Clarkson.

I guess you're right. It just seems like we're going to be in huge trouble if we ever get an injury.

if the rumours are true, it would appear so yes.