Leinster v Dragons, Rodney Parade, Sunday 3rd of October at 2pm, RTE

[Oldschool]

The thing about that games is that we imploded and didn't seem to be able to do anything about it.
Not for the first time and it has filtered into the national team too at times.
This is a basic lack of mental toughness. That was a jarring, worrying performance that it could even happen.

[riocard911]

The thing about that games is that we imploded and didn't seem to be able to do anything about it.
Not for the first time and it has filtered into the national team too at times.
This is a basic lack of mental toughness. That was a jarring, worrying performance that it could even happen.

+1

[blockhead]

Well done Leinster, 4 pts away from home.
And as a great sage once said...
"A win is a win is a win is a win is a win is a win is a win"
Plumber will be rubbing their 4 hands together thinking of the punishment they are going to inflict upon all.
The big wooden spoon might even come out of the drawer this week.

[Ruckedtobits]

Leinster now in 3rd place in "Irish Region" and have received a timely reminder that the first requirement for every game is teamwork and concentration on the basics. The Management group will have a strong motivational weapon to prove that past performances aren't worth a spit in selecting for the 'next game.

Dean Ryan is developing Dragons along the same pathway as he did with Worcester - difficult to play against, hard to score against and ultimately, hard to beat. Leinster undoubtedly helped him with a terrible collection of handling errors and terrible tactical choices. Some were caused by defensive pressure, but not many. Leinster players did not show any focus or concentration on beating their opponents on the pitch.

That so many were below par on the same day is a mystery but certainly does not provide a benchmark for James Ryan's future in captaincy for Province or country.

[Blueberry]

That was horrific, endless errors, turnovers and by the end lots of moaning and hand wringing.....and looking into space.....

Absolutely blessed to get out of there with 4 points.

That game was worse than the 3-0 win over Zebre and that is saying something.

Can't point to anything in particular tactically, selection wise or anything specific, just endless brain dead mistakes across all sections of the game.

Did they all sneak in yesterday for a night on the batter in Newport assuming they could just turn up today and run in a half dozen tries....?? At least then I would understand it...

The video review session will be like Rorke's Drift....

[ronk]

That was shocking. Parts of the game were functioning but the errors were perfectly times to rob momentum. It was one of those games where one breakthrough score would have got us back in gear and we would have been able to pull away.

There was one stage where I was crying out for us to score a drop goal just to get things moving.

It wasn't even about changing up tactics, it was just getting out of a funk.

[hugonaut]

A dreadful performance. I think a fairly high number of guys went out there with the idea of using the game as a showcase rather than seeing it as a fixture that they had to win. Nos 9, 10 & 12 did not gel as a midfield at all, and as individuals they were nowhere near their best.

That was a pretty good selection we sent out there, so have to take off my hat to the Dragons' defending. Some good tackling and jackalling from them.

[Blue Man]

Shocking stuff. 22 turnovers is poor against the best of teams but against a side that is very average, it’s unacceptable. My recollection is three relatively unforced knock ons from JGP and COB inside the opposition 22 in the first half, that makes scoring difficult. The Baird shambles has already been flagged. Conditions weren’t great but that’s no excuse for the careless and wasteful play that we saw today. The lineout was also poor, lost seven I think and it wasn’t just throwing, it was a variety of failures.
The only positive is that there seems to be an evolution towards a more expansive game. The passing and running in the backs is crisper and more ambitious, which is good. However, Ross Byrne was a hand break today, He takes the ball too deep and static, doesn’t pix the opposition defense so it just drifts and overall his kicking was bad (I counted three blocks - on off his own player’s back).
I recall the epic 0-3 in Zebre so won’t get too irate over today’s farce but the players need to hold themselves to higher standards and better skills under pressure.
Hopefully this was just a blip, it’s out of the system and the team can return to the standards that they’re capable of.

[leargas]

Curses. That's two hours of my life that I'll never get back.

[wixfjord]

However, Ross Byrne was a hand break today, He takes the ball too deep and static, doesn’t pix the opposition defense so it just drifts and overall his kicking was bad (I counted three blocks - on off his own player’s back).

Yep, it was a big opp for him given Joey's relatively poor form, but he was worse than Joey if anything. The crossfield kick and the subsequent kick dead were mad stuff. That could've just gone right into the corner and let the forwards do what they did first time around.

He just doesn't threaten the line in any way either unfortunately.

The only positive is that there seems to be an evolution towards a more expansive game. The passing and running in the backs is crisper and more ambitious, which is good.

There's definitely an attempt to get the ball wider, but not sure that works if you're just shipping it on. I thought the alignment in the backs was poor and lots of guys overrunning the ball, COB most notably.

[outcast eddie]

Dragons 4 - 8 were excellent, I thought Ross Moriarity should have received MOTM.
Their front row, particularly their starting tighthead, was poor and we really should have earned some rewards at scrum time.

[Dave Cahill]

That was shocking. Parts of the game were functioning but the errors were perfectly times to rob momentum. It was one of those games where one breakthrough score would have got us back in gear and we would have been able to pull away.

There was one stage where I was crying out for us to score a drop goal just to get things moving.

It wasn't even about changing up tactics, it was just getting out of a funk.

Yeah, at one point yesterday in the second half we got a penalty about 40 out and 10 in from touch - a tricky enough kick in the conditions it must be said - but I was just praying that we'd go for the points, just to act as a disrupter. (we didn't, we kicked for the corner, lost the lineout yadda yadda yadda)

[Flash Gordon]

The thing about that games is that we imploded and didn't seem to be able to do anything about it.
Not for the first time and it has filtered into the national team too at times.
This is a basic lack of mental toughness. That was a jarring, worrying performance that it could even happen.

There might be something in that.

That beings said the 9,10,12 axis was dysfunctional yesterday. We had them on the set piece, their lineout was an absolute mess, we had 65% of territory but just couldn't use the ball and conceded 23 turnovers. Felt O'Brien was trying too hard, someone should have put an arm round his shoulder and told him to calm down and do the basics right. JGP is a very good player but had a poor game and Ross Byrne was very poor. Too deep, kicking poor and no game management. Don't know if anyone saw the Quins game but there was an a massive drop off when Sexton came off an he moved to 10. 10 is a really problem for both us and Ireland, from Sexton Jackson is the only one close to Sexton's level currently.

In mitigation, we are obviously trying to develop an off loading game which obviously comes with higher risk and will take a few games to bed in.

[the spoofer]

Was it 6 dropped balls for R Baird?

[backrower8]

As a collective I suspect that the main flaw was poor mental preparation rooted in a lack of respect for Dragons. If you aren't at the right pitch mentally on game day then nothing you try and do can switch it on in the face of an opposition that are really competing. The malaise set in there and spread.

Baird came on late and his Keystone Cops cameo reflects on him rather than the wider group.

This was another timid and poor day of captaincy from JR. The players didn't build towards this match with the right respect for the opposition and he allowed it to happen. They wouldn't have done so under Sexton - but we need to limit the number of times Jonny captains if we are to develop beyond his career span. Leavy was doing more as a Captain in encouraging team mates and putting pressure on JR and the referee over the engineered 3-pointer against Baird's arse.

[allezlesverres]

Awful performance from Leinster across the board with very few redeeming features. In fairness to the Dragons, that's about as good as they've ever played against an Irish province so they were uncharacteristically good. I though RB was woeful at 10. I didn't see him fix a defender once before shipping it on and when he did ship it on, it was often a hospital pass. The dragons really had the measure of him and it allowed their defence to shoot up on the centres who got clobbered every time with big double tackles. The idea that RB is still considered a viable option at 10 for ireland is worrying.

[Flash Gordon]

Awful performance from Leinster across the board with very few redeeming features. In fairness to the Dragons, that's about as good as they've ever played against an Irish province so they were uncharacteristically good. I though RB was woeful at 10. I didn't see him fix a defender once before shipping it on and when he did ship it on, it was often a hospital pass. The dragons really had the measure of him and it allowed their defence to shoot up on the centres who got clobbered every time with big double tackles. The idea that RB is still considered a viable option at 10 for ireland is worrying.

Doesn't look like he is by Farrell as he hasn't included him in the extended training squad but has included his brother who has only played 20 times for Leinster. I think he has proven himself a very good player at Pro 14 level but for Ireland and the latter stages of the Champions Cup he's not really made an impact (aside from that game against Toulouse at the RDS when he had a stormer).

Every year you hope he steps up because he's one of our players and we want him to do well but every year he doesn't it becomes more dangerous for both Leinster and Ireland.

[TMC]

Posters not giving Dragons much credit, they play like this for the rest of the season they’ll surprise a few people. They made the breakdown a complete mess, once you do that its game on. Their defence 13 against 15 was fantastic and not getting the credit it deserves. Much smarter in terms of adapting to the referee too.
I am a huge fan but RB had a complete shocker, may well have blown his chances of Irish involvement this season. I’d go with Frawley ahead of him never mind his brother on this form.
In mitigation the handling conditions were poor, but no team has a right to win, has to be earned. Team not at the right pitch mentally yesterday, that’s on Leo & Co IMO. Bad day at the office for them too.
Give Ringer the captaincy, Ryan not proving great as a captain at senior level, its like watching a bad POM impersonation glowering at referees & posturing, not enough leadership.

[Flash Gordon]

Posters not giving Dragons much credit, they play like this for the rest of the season they’ll surprise a few people. They made the breakdown a complete mess, once you do that its game on. Their defence 13 against 15 was fantastic and not getting the credit it deserves. Much smarter in terms of adapting to the referee too.
I am a huge fan but RB had a complete shocker, may well have blown his chances of Irish involvement this season. I’d go with Frawley ahead of him never mind his brother on this form.
In mitigation the handling conditions were poor, but no team has a right to win, has to be earned. Team not at the right pitch mentally yesterday, that’s on Leo & Co IMO. Bad day at the office for them too.
Give Ringer the captaincy, Ryan not proving great as a captain at senior level, its like watching a bad POM impersonation glowering at referees & posturing, not enough leadership.

Fair point on the Dragons, they'd done their homework and were well set up for sure. That being said, we just didn't ask too many questions, we really struggled to keep hold of the ball through the phases. Normally that works for us and we bully Pro 14 teams, when that didn't work we seemed to struggle to respond.

It's not just the coach and skipper, in my view you need leaders all over the park and the half backs are crucial of course.

On Ross, he has proven himself a good player at this level but it doesn't look like he's going to step up to international or latter stages of the Champions Cup level so there's a decision for the coaches. Sexton is 36 the succession plan needs to happen now.

[ronk]

.

On Ross, he has proven himself a good player at this level but it doesn't look like he's going to step up to international or latter stages of the Champions Cup level so there's a decision for the coaches. Sexton is 36 the succession plan needs to happen now.

Now as in sign a player for this season or now as in sign someone for next season?

Either way I think that's wrong. We have Sexton for this season and possibly next. Harry is developing and may be ready to challenge by then, if he's not there are still other options.

If Harry bolts then Ross is a great backup. If he crashes and burns then we sign someone.

What sort of signing could we make with Sexton around or looming? No one good enough would come to fight for a jersey with him, among possibly other reasons.

Our succession plan is that we have our long term guy improving and a short term guy who's a legend. Panicking now messes with a generational talent and/or the best player in the pipeline.

With a few games under his belt Ross may carry the team fine. Worst case he's already shown that he can be a useful backup and none of the other provinces want him.