Gloucester Vs Leinster, Saturday 14th January 2023

[RoboProp]

I see Gloucester signed the ex Leinster fave of the Matt O'connor era P. Try.

Why do we pull down the maul when we know result will be man in bin and automatic conversion. Let them score the 5, take the chance at 2 and keep the man on the pitch

[Dave Cahill]

I see Gloucester signed the ex Leinster fave of the Matt O'connor era P. Try.

Why do we pull down the maul when we know result will be man in bin and automatic conversion. Let them score the 5, take the chance at 2 and keep the man on the pitch

I think we believed that we could make the wins in the air - it's a high risk strategy - and when it doesn't come off, you're fecked

[curates_egg]

I see Gloucester signed the ex Leinster fave of the Matt O'connor era P. Try.

Why do we pull down the maul when we know result will be man in bin and automatic conversion. Let them score the 5, take the chance at 2 and keep the man on the pitch

I think we believed that we could make the wins in the air - it's a high risk strategy - and when it doesn't come off, you're fecked

Fool me once, shame on you...

The maul is literally their speciality. The one thing they are known to do well.
We should have set and driven them as far to corner as possible.

[Dave Cahill]

I see Gloucester signed the ex Leinster fave of the Matt O'connor era P. Try.

Why do we pull down the maul when we know result will be man in bin and automatic conversion. Let them score the 5, take the chance at 2 and keep the man on the pitch

I think we believed that we could make the wins in the air - it's a high risk strategy - and when it doesn't come off, you're fecked

Fool me once, shame on you...

The maul is literally their speciality. The one thing they are known to do well.
We should have set and driven them as far to corner as possible.

So if the maul is their speciality, then surely you don't want them setting one because you're not going to drive them as far to corner as possible.

[Ruckedtobits]

It would be unfair to call either of the set-pieces 'bad' by Leinster, but both scrum and line-out wobbled at times. Maul defence was pretty poor, two penalty tries says it all.

It's a reflection of how good the rest of our game is, and how passive the Glaws defence was, that we won so easily...because some aspects of our forward play are leaving a lot to be wanting. Scrum creaky again. Lineout (and maul) defence creaky.
We had some nice variation on our own lineout at least, and those tap-and-go penalties are becoming a real weapon for us.

Looks like we are very dependent on our tight five being fit at the business end of the season

It was always thus in the H Cup.

[LeinsterLeader]

For what it's worth I thought we were great. Not perfect but then I never expect that. Some feel Glaw and by (extension the Prem) are poor anyway and on that basis this type of result is inevitable. I don't. I think we're a super team at the moment and on that basis we're just too good for most teams.

I'm not ignoring we have problems sometimes in the scrum and/or in the lineout but I believe it's part of the ebb and flow of any game. No boxer is gonna stand there and let you punch them in the head regardless how bad they are. They're gonna hit back with whatever they have and they're gonna land a few shots.

Anyway, I'm delighted with the team and where they are at at the moment.

[enby]

14 months ago, after his brilliant performance against NZ in the Aviva, it looked as if Kelliher was destined for a long spell in the no.2 jersey for both province and country. Now he is very much second in line behind the incredible Sheehan who seems to get better in every match. We are so fortunate to have such class in the hooker department that the retirements of Nugget and Treacy have had little impact. I really hope we can hang on to Kelliher in spite of the predatory stalking of him by our turnip cousins

[curates_egg]

I think we believed that we could make the wins in the air - it's a high risk strategy - and when it doesn't come off, you're fecked

Fool me once, shame on you...

The maul is literally their speciality. The one thing they are known to do well.
We should have set and driven them as far to corner as possible.

So if the maul is their speciality, then surely you don't want them setting one because you're not going to drive them as far to corner as possible.

Touche.

I guess we thought we couldn't stop the maul, so had to challenge. But to give away the same penalty try twice seemed a bit much.

[ronk]

A penalty try is a bad result. But a worse result is referees thinking that you are predisposed to penalty tries and they will start giving them very aggressively (if they haven't already).

[neiliog93]

When you're going backwards in a maul, sometimes it's actually impossible for guys not to lose their feet. It's a bit like with a retreating scrum. It can be impossible not to collapse at times.

[RoboProp]

Surely Ross must be in the running for 6N squad...assuredly

[Ruckedtobits]

How well did Cian Healy play today? Thought he was magnificent in scrum, maul and around the field. Looked like a top class THP

[Keith]

I've been glancing on the Gloucester forum to see their take on the game and unfortunetly the same clichés are being trotted out since the tournament began, but one I'm still surprised at seeing is this from one poster:

"I'd also add the fact they play in a mickey mouse domestic league means they can rotate freely and ensure the irish players are fresh for European and International games. The english league players have to fight tooth and nail week in and out"

How ignorant can some fans be? Firstly there's only one "mickey mouse league" in Europe this year and it isn't the URC. It's very easy to lookup the gameplay stats of players online and find out for yourself how many minutes the likes of Porter and VDF have already put in this year. Also this myth that the English sides play their internationals in every league game needs to end. Owen Farrell played 8 regular season league games for Saracens last year, Maro Itoje 12.

[JohnB]

Reading Shedweb, the Gloucester MB is an eye watering experience. Leinster and the other Provinces are apparently manufactured and financed and have no history beyond the last 25 years, the Provinces are not clubs and the HEC was set up for clubs (it wasn’t of course having been set up for ‘representative sides’), the Irish sides have an unfair advantage in having so many Internationals, play in a Micky Mouse league where we can rest players I.e. rotate them and we should not be allowed select players in our Champion Cup teams unless a set majority of them helped us qualify for the HEC in the URC - I think I’ve paraphrased all their whingeing!

[Logorrhea]

I've been glancing on the Gloucester forum to see their take on the game and unfortunetly the same clichés are being trotted out since the tournament began, but one I'm still surprised at seeing is this from one poster:

"I'd also add the fact they play in a mickey mouse domestic league means they can rotate freely and ensure the irish players are fresh for European and International games. The english league players have to fight tooth and nail week in and out"

How ignorant can some fans be? Firstly there's only one "mickey mouse league" in Europe this year and it isn't the URC. It's very easy to lookup the gameplay stats of players online and find out for yourself how many minutes the likes of Porter and VDF have already put in this year. Also this myth that the English sides play their internationals in every league game needs to end. Owen Farrell played 8 regular season league games for Saracens last year, Maro Itoje 12.

Why not respond to that on their forum rather than here?

There are plenty of posters offering balance there.

[artaneboy]

For what it's worth I thought we were great. Not perfect but then I never expect that. Some feel Glaw and by (extension the Prem) are poor anyway and on that basis this type of result is inevitable. I don't. I think we're a super team at the moment and on that basis we're just too good for most teams.

I'm not ignoring we have problems sometimes in the scrum and/or in the lineout but I believe it's part of the ebb and flow of any game. No boxer is gonna stand there and let you punch them in the head regardless how bad they are. They're gonna hit back with whatever they have and they're gonna land a few shots.

Anyway, I'm delighted with the team and where they are at at the moment.

Glad to see someone say it. Many here seem to think that only perfection is acceptable. That was a great performance.

Yes, the scrum was a bit ropey, but any club that is missing its world class tight head prop and quality tractor second row behind him will suffer by times.

On the maul defence; I don’t object to us competing in the air, but I do think that conceding penalty tries and yellow cards if we fail in the air is silly. Resist as legally as possible on the ground, but don’t offend. That’s a form of discipline too.


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[Dave Cahill]

I've been glancing on the Gloucester forum to see their take on the game and unfortunetly the same clichés are being trotted out since the tournament began, but one I'm still surprised at seeing is this from one poster:

"I'd also add the fact they play in a mickey mouse domestic league means they can rotate freely and ensure the irish players are fresh for European and International games. The english league players have to fight tooth and nail week in and out"

How ignorant can some fans be? Firstly there's only one "mickey mouse league" in Europe this year and it isn't the URC. It's very easy to lookup the gameplay stats of players online and find out for yourself how many minutes the likes of Porter and VDF have already put in this year. Also this myth that the English sides play their internationals in every league game needs to end. Owen Farrell played 8 regular season league games for Saracens last year, Maro Itoje 12.

What did you say in reply?

[Oldschoolsocks]

I had a glance over at their forum too and most of it was admiration of the Leinster back line play.

There were some comments that you could take umbrage at, but it’s their playground and they make the rules of play so I’m OK with that.

Also they’re not wrong when they say they’re effectively playing against a tier 1 nation, but it was acknowledged that the bulk of our players came through our academy too.

Overall I would give their forum a mark of probably great craic to go for pints with and the slagging would be good natured and on point…

[wwed]

How well did Cian Healy play today? Thought he was magnificent in scrum, maul and around the field. Looked like a top class THP

Agreed. What a legend - 100th Euro cap, coming on as a tighthead for us having played LH for almost his entire career, getting the job done again.

[Keith]

I had a glance over at their forum too and most of it was admiration of the Leinster back line play.

There were some comments that you could take umbrage at, but it’s their playground and they make the rules of play so I’m OK with that.

Also they’re not wrong when they say they’re effectively playing against a tier 1 nation, but it was acknowledged that the bulk of our players came through our academy too.

Overall I would give their forum a mark of probably great craic to go for pints with and the slagging would be good natured and on point…

Fair, I suppose they are hurting a bit too, I certainly hold Gloucester in high regard as a club. A word once again to our sizable away support, you were heard throughout the game.