Leinster v Connacht - 1 January 2023 - RDS - RTÉ2

[Blue Man]

The Laighin Out is a great facility and a really welcome investment in the match day experience. However two things really annoyed me tonight:

1) everyone was happily watching the Ulster match but despite the mood music they insisted on turning off the match and doing (bad / rushed) player interviews (lesson: don’t be a slave to the playbook, play what’s in front of you)

2) they have tried to bring some order in terms of entrance and exits but stupidity, when everyone was leaving to head for their seats, at the end of the Ulster vs Munster match, there was only one tiny exit door and a big ‘entrance’ that we weren’t allowed to use. It got to the point where the build up at the exit was becoming dangerous so people just pushed through the idiotic stewards and left via the big wide ‘entrance’ (lesson: plan for people not structures and have someone in control who’s sufficiently empowered / intelligent to make a responsible call)

[Blueberry]

Hope J10 is okay, looked nasty and I hope it isn't a broken cheekbone but that indent looked nasty. Fingers crossed for him.

Thought the game was very good entertainment, we played within ourselves and romped away in the end without giving too much away !! Job done. Yes lineout was a mess but saw lots of positives in Baird, Larmour, JOB and Milne. Larmour endlessly running rings around people.

Really really stupid re the music, can't imagine anything malicious , more likely to be incompetent stupidity. Apology made, won't happen again move on. Suspect closer scrutiny on play list in future !!

[enby]

The speed of Baird for his try was a wonder to behold. Great seeing Larmour looking for work and looking so sharp. Let's hope he gets a good injury free spell.

Hawkshaw injury looked nasty. Hopefully he'll be alright. He took his try brilliantly and Carty must be looking over his shoulder assuming that DH gets over the injury.

Ref was ok.

[Ruckedtobits]

We can't expect the impossible. We selected a team with 12 changes. The front-row have never started a game together. The second-row had never started a game together and the centres had never started a game together. Anybody expecting such a selection to play their best rugby in the first 30 minutes is dreaming.

Connacht played well and have many very good players. This was a good contest until Connacht lost Carty and then Butler and few, if any, teams could contain this Leinster team with those handicaps. Larmour & Baird did all they could to demand starting positions in Leinster strongest team. So also did Charlie N'gatui and so the complications grow for LeoCaster. A great position to be in.

[curates_egg]

Not sure what to make of the game. The back line looked very slick at times, with J10 and Ngatai pulling the strings. Great to see Larmour back to his best, when you remember how we were struggling to pick a back line earlier in the season.

Baird is really starting to deliver consistently and rounding out his game. Hopefully he keeps going.

Difficult to judge Milne: he was blown up a few times in the scrum (early engagement and pushing) but seemed to have a good game in general.

I hope they know what went wrong with the lineout. It was a weakness last season I thought we had fixed. It looked like Connacht knew our calls maybe?

Forgot to mention Deeny. I was very impressed with him in the first half.
I had a feeling he might start the game, and he delivered. Physical but accurate.

Great that we used the opportunity afforded by a home game against a weakened Connacht side to give the younger squad members a chance: Milne, Deeny, Turner, Russell.
Really good selection to help them too: the experience in the pack and in the backline meant they got a relatively easy ride, despite it being a scratch selection.

We really need Milne, in particular, to show he can become a starter in the URC.
Shame that Hanan had to cry off: it would have been a useful test for him too.

[OTT]

Looking back on the game this morning and the lineout.

1st half

1). 2mins to Baird at the back, quick ball out the back leads to Turner try. 1/1

2). 5mins Baird in the middle, Baird does a little run from the front, everything else stationary, Connacht waiting and turnover 1/2

3). 7-8mims little bit of inconsequential movement at the front, thrown to Deeney at the back, turnover. 1/3

4). 8-9mins, no movement, throw to Deeney at the front, turnover. 1/4

5). 10-11mins, no movement, Deeney seems to get up late at the front and/or ball is overthrown by Kelleher, Connacht gain possession. 1/5

6). 13-14mins shortened lineout 5 metres from our line, JR’s movement pulls the Connacht players to the front and Baird gets free ball to setup a maul. 2/6

7). 20-21mins Sexton talks to JR and asks does he want to go to the corner or take the shot at goal, JR says corner, JR pulls the Connacht lineout onto him with some good movement and allows Baird go up unopposed in the middle, maul formed, after a attempts Deeney ultimately gets over. 3/7

8 ). 29-30mims Baird in the middle, clean. 4/8

9). 34-35mins, Baird does a little bit of movement at the front but inconsequential, Kelleher throw a bit iffy, Connacht number 5 jumps across the lineout and Ryan subsequentially misses it. Could have been given as a crooked throw, could have been given as a penalty against Connacht. 4/9


2nd half

10). 43-44mins, clean ball to Baird at the front, no contest. 5/10

11). 52 mins, messy ball with contest just about won at the front by Doris, no movement in the lineout. 6/11

12). 53-54mins, bit of a hurried and laboured looking lineout by Kelleher that Connacht nearly snag but Ryan manages to get up and take it and set up an attacking maul 7/12.

13). 57-58mins, Kelleher to Ryan in the middle, Connacht try to contest but Ryan takes and sets up maul. 8/13

14). 59-60mins, Kelleher to Doris at back of line, won cleanly, maul set up, Connacht look like they collapse it and get a turnover but anyway the lineout was good. 9/14

15). 64-65mins, McKee first lineout, Looks good Soroka gets up but misses it in the middle, Connacht turnover. 9/15

16). 67-68 mins, clean ball to Baird at the front. 10/16

17). 70-71mins, clean ball to Ryan in the middle. 11/17


Baird 6/7
Ryan 3/4
Doris 2/2
Deeney 0/3
Soroka 0/1

Interesting when you break it down into where the lineouts were lost. Our goal was obviously to try and get Baird used a lot. We turned to Ryan when things weren’t working with Deeney but still used him sparingly. The disaster wasn’t as big a disaster when you see where our lineouts were lost. Games like this will stand to Deeney I think it was just his second start for us? Kelleher is still finding himself but at least his darts were mostly where they should be. Good to see Baird take the burden in the lineout also when it was struggling early on.

[offshorerules]

Good win all the same.

[hugonaut]

I thought Milne did well, happy with his performance. There were very few scrums in the game, and that was where he struggled for Emerging Ireland in South Africa, but I was impressed that his ball carrying was impactful and his handling was reliable. Vakh did well when he came on as well. Connacht at home isn't a huge test for props, but you have to play who is in front of you.

James Ryan had a really good game, he was excellent. Carried more ball and more effectively than he has done in a while. It would not surprised me if, like JVDF a couple of years ago, he has been challenged by the coaching staff to prioritise that element of his game.

Baird's performance this week at No6 versus his performance last week at No4 is worth comparison. Playing him at No6 allows him to do the things that he's good at, and the things that set him apart, more often. I think it's the right position for him. Obviously it's great to have the versatility, specifically the physical height and the experience, of playing in the second row in terms of competing for an international place and getting into the RWC23 squad.

It was good for him to go head-to-head with Cian Prendergast, who got the nod at No6 for the Maori games on the summer tour and played for Ireland during the AIs in the exact spot that Baird is vying for [my memory is that Prendergast replaced Treadwell in the second row against Fiji]. Baird won that contest hands down.

[ronk]

I really liked Deeny's try. We were going open, open, open into a completely dug in defence.

We can be a bit stubborn that way sometimes. It was just Prendergast and Blade on the blindside. As soon as Prendergast dived into the ruck Deeny ran right at the space vacated. Good awareness.

And poor defensive discipline from Connacht. Do your job!

[Dave Cahill]

I really liked Deeny's try. We were going open, open, open into a completely dug in defence.

We can be a bit stubborn that way sometimes. It was just Prendergast and Blade on the blindside. As soon as Prendergast dived into the ruck Deeny ran right at the space vacated. Good awareness.

And poor defensive discipline from Connacht. Do your job!

I must admit to chortling at that one - prendergast dives in, Blade turns to give out to prendergast for diving in taking his eyes off the play, and Deeny just wanders through!

[RoboProp]

Good win all the same.

It was aye. Any time you can achieve a BP win and deny the opposition any points is a good un, more so in an Interpro

[wixfjord]

I think over the two Xmas interpros, almost all of the guys given a chance to step up have taken it.

Baird, McCarthy, Penny, Osborne last week.

Russell, Turner, Milne, Deeny this week.

There were varying levels of performance quality in there, but all had really good moments and stepped up.

Deegan is probably the unlucky one who might've damaged his chances a bit, along with Nick McCarthy.

I also thought Foley and Harry had a nice cameo last night. Foley's passing is really good and he has clearly worked very hard on it.

[Barry]

Thought I saw Tommy O'Brien taking part in the warm up last night, would be great to see him back soon.

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[the spoofer]

Thought I saw Tommy O'Brien taking part in the warm up last night, would be great to see him back soon.

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We could have Furlong and Connors back fit soon too. Tommy is a super player, he’d be a multi capped player by now if he could stay fit.

[wixfjord]

Looking at TOB's Instagram he's back running and on the training pitch. Would imagine we won't see him for next block of games but should be targeting the Dragons game in Feb for a comeback at least (or possibly Cardiff at end of Jan).

That would be a massive boost for squad depth.

I'd wager he's the type of guy who'd be very diligent with rehab etc too so hopefully he'll be back and raring to go.

[limecat]

Apologies for being slow to do anything here - discussion of "That Song" moved.

[Workhorse]

Apologies, as i posted I saw the post above so have removed it

[alanair]

Apologies for being slow to do anything here - discussion of "That Song" moved.

Indeed- not before time either
the lads can work it out between themselves in the echo chamber

[berliner]

Apologies for being slow to do anything here - discussion of "That Song" moved.

Yes, thank you.

[IanD]

Seems to have passed most by but why was Sexton not carded for Contact to the Head when he received his injury.

Could he be looking at a citing? Any suspension will probably last less than his recovery time.