Zebre v Leinster Sat 17 Sep KO 1pm RTE2

[wixfjord]

End of the first half we took a goal line drop out long and gave them a free shot at a drop goal with time expired.

Hope they learn that lesson.

You can't kick a goal line drop out dead.

[SoupyNorman]

I kind of hate games against Zebre. You can't win, even if you do win, you can't win. And even when they get an absolute walloping they have a way of making a game a really ugly watch. At least we don't have to see them again for a year!

As well as showing great steel in making a comeback, Zebre were extremely entertaining in their style of play. Whether they can carry that through the depth of winter will be interesting to see. Think there is also more for Leinster to take from the game than if Zebre had wilted.

[Dave Cahill]

I kind of hate games against Zebre. You can't win, even if you do win, you can't win. And even when they get an absolute walloping they have a way of making a game a really ugly watch. At least we don't have to see them again for a year!

As well as showing great steel in making a comeback, Zebre were extremely entertaining in their style of play. Whether they can carry that through the depth of winter will be interesting to see. Think there is also more for Leinster to take from the game than if Zebre had wilted.

Thats true, they were enterprising and entertaining - aided by us it must be said - but you have to have the attitude in the first place. But, you still can never win against Zebre (or Dragons or, to a slightly lesser extent, Benetton). If you win, you should have won. If you win well, well you should have won well, and if you lose you're the worst in the world

[Oldschoolsocks]

I kind of hate games against Zebre. You can't win, even if you do win, you can't win. And even when they get an absolute walloping they have a way of making a game a really ugly watch. At least we don't have to see them again for a year!

As well as showing great steel in making a comeback, Zebre were extremely entertaining in their style of play. Whether they can carry that through the depth of winter will be interesting to see. Think there is also more for Leinster to take from the game than if Zebre had wilted.

that's actually a very good point, soft wins teach us nothing

[LeinsterLeader]

I kind of hate games against Zebre. You can't win, even if you do win, you can't win. And even when they get an absolute walloping they have a way of making a game a really ugly watch. At least we don't have to see them again for a year!

As well as showing great steel in making a comeback, Zebre were extremely entertaining in their style of play. Whether they can carry that through the depth of winter will be interesting to see. Think there is also more for Leinster to take from the game than if Zebre had wilted.

that's actually a very good point, soft wins teach us nothing

For the defense m'lud, I offer the following...... Exhibit A
https://www.leinsterrugby.ie/report/mat ... lasgow-14/

Fup, all use that was!

[hugonaut]

End of the first half we took a goal line drop out long and gave them a free shot at a drop goal with time expired.

Hope they learn that lesson.

You can't kick a goal line drop out dead.

The ball has to cross the 5m line from a goal-line drop out. Potentially he could have banged it into the ground like a grubber and sent it into touch 7-8m out to end the half. You can stand anywhere along the goal-line to take the drop-out to the best of my knowledge; you don't have to stand between the posts.

[Xanthippe]

End of the first half we took a goal line drop out long and gave them a free shot at a drop goal with time expired.

Hope they learn that lesson.

You can't kick a goal line drop out dead.

The ball has to cross the 5m line from a goal-line drop out. Potentially he could have banged it into the ground like a grubber and sent it into touch 7-8m out to end the half. You can stand anywhere along the goal-line to take the drop-out to the best of my knowledge; you don't have to stand between the posts.

That, to me, is the most stupid part of a stupid rule. I hate the ruling that a held up try attempt can result in you being 50 metres back down field - how does that reward an attacking team. I understand that there needs to be some reward for the defensive effort but surely they could have come up with something better. And then to add to it the kick can be taken from anywhere! In the old system a scrum would have been awarded in line with where the ball was held up so why not impose that restriction on the goal line drop out (and maybe even restrict how far the ball can be kicked - I.e. it MUST stay within the 22 or kicked into touch within the 22)

[Laighin Break]

I thought it was a bit strange that there was a minute silence for the death of queen Elizabeth before the game, considering it didn't affect either team (or rugby in general). Does anyone know if this was a URC directive?

[Serb]

We have British teams in the league, I’m guessing that’s why.

[Dave Cahill]

Teams from the UK and South Africa is in the Commonwealth

[jezzer]

Teams from the UK and South Africa is in the Commonwealth

Sure, but it's an Irish team versus an Italian one. I thought it was a bit weird .

[the spoofer]

Teams from the UK and South Africa is in the Commonwealth

Sure, but it's an Irish team versus an Italian one. I thought it was a bit weird .

Agreed Jezzer. I wouldn’t expect a minutes silence if our President popped his clogs. I’m a bit sick of it all to be honest with BBC jokingly referred to as Mournhub!

[Flash Gordon]

Teams from the UK and South Africa is in the Commonwealth

Sure, but it's an Irish team versus an Italian one. I thought it was a bit weird .

Generally, the whole thing has gone a bit North Korea to be honest. Very odd. Really don't understand the minute's silence in our game.

Otherwise, we played some very good rugby in the first half and Jenkins was really excellent, the pack really dragged us away with that win our backline were as poor as I've seen. Hopefully that was a sign of things to come from Jenkins who was excellent. Our defensive work was really poor as the stats show. I see Max O'Reilly and Rob Russell getting a lot of criticism here Ngatai also looked a bit lost in the system. Hopefully the collective performance was down to a lack of game time and pre-season games.

[hugonaut]

Otherwise, we played some very good rugby in the first half and Jenkins was really excellent, the pack really dragged us away with that win our backline were as poor as I've seen. Hopefully that was a sign of things to come from Jenkins who was excellent. Our defensive work was really poor as the stats show. I see Max O'Reilly and Rob Russell getting a lot of criticism here Ngatai also looked a bit lost in the system. Hopefully the collective performance was down to a lack of game time and pre-season games.

Ngatai ran for the most metres, beat the most defenders, made the most offloads, carried the most, passed the most and made the most tackles of any of our three quarters.

Some of those are as a function of the position he plays [you are very likely going to make more tackles at No12 in any game than you are as a winger or an outside centre], but most of them were as a result of him simply playing better than the players around him. He wasn't the problem. He had a very young player outside him having a mixed game and two players further outside who were playing like drains.

We had practically no threat in the outside backs. Dave Kearney in his 30s has become a great finisher and try-scorer [something which he wasn't in his 20s] but he's not going to make multiple line-breaks for you over the course of the game.

[wixfjord]

Otherwise, we played some very good rugby in the first half and Jenkins was really excellent, the pack really dragged us away with that win our backline were as poor as I've seen. Hopefully that was a sign of things to come from Jenkins who was excellent. Our defensive work was really poor as the stats show. I see Max O'Reilly and Rob Russell getting a lot of criticism here Ngatai also looked a bit lost in the system. Hopefully the collective performance was down to a lack of game time and pre-season games.

Ngatai ran for the most metres, beat the most defenders, made the most offloads, carried the most, passed the most and made the most tackles of any of our three quarters.

Some of those are as a function of the position he plays [you are very likely going to make more tackles at No12 in any game than you are as a winger or an outside centre], but most of them were as a result of him simply playing better than the players around him. He wasn't the problem. He had a very young player outside him having a mixed game and two players further outside who were playing like drains.

We had practically no threat in the outside backs. Dave Kearney in his 30s has become a great finisher and try-scorer [something which he wasn't in his 20s] but he's not going to make multiple line-breaks for you over the course of the game.

That's interesting. He certainly had a few nice impacts in attack. Albeit it wouldn't be hard to have better stats than our 11-15 at the weekend either.

He did look absolutely gassed at times in second half and was struggling to get into position.

Where are you getting your stats from btw? ESPN have stopped doing them!

[wixfjord]

One thing I did notice about Ngatai is that if we can get him in space in the outside centre channel on an attack that's sweeping left to right he has a lovely step inside.

Reminds me of Ben Te'o in that sense. His power makes it a very hard position to defend him.

He did it on 31 mins (match clock) at the weekend and beat two guys coming inside.

[Laighin Break]

Ngatai does have a nice step alright, and looks like a powerful guy. I'll have to see more of him but the first thing I thought when he carried was that he looked quite slow.

[Dave Cahill]

How was his post-match handshaking?

[wixfjord]

Ngatai does have a nice step alright, and looks like a powerful guy. I'll have to see more of him but the first thing I thought when he carried was that he looked quite slow.

He has a sort of Ferg McFadden running style I think which might make him look slower than he is.

But definitely not agile over the ground, which we don’t necessarily need him to be playing at 12, but will if he’s 13 or certainly 15.

[riocard911]

How was his post-match handshaking?

An-ghreannmhar!!!