Borders last night

[Malahide Mullet]

Bit of a beating handed out. They could at least have made a game of it

[TheRugbyDude]

Even yourself and your malahide muppets could have given them borderers a beating. Teams like them, glasgow, and connacht devalue the celtic league, and should be booted.

[Duff Paddy]

Even yourself and your malahide muppets could have given them borderers a beating. Teams like them, glasgow, and connacht devalue the celtic league, and should be booted.

Don't agree with that. Especially not in the case of Glasgow, who gave us a memorable hammering of Munster not so long ago.

[cj]

definitely don't agree - teams like Connacht and Borders are capable of taking scalps...leinster lost to borders last year, didn't they? anyway the celtic league is their means of qualification for the hc now.

[epaddy]

Even yourself and your malahide muppets could have given them borderers a beating. Teams like them, glasgow, and connacht devalue the celtic league, and should be booted.

They came up against the best side in the competition and one of the best in Europe last night

[hambone]

thats a little harsh on the Borders, they're obviously not the greatest team in the world but they did try to play some football when they managed to get hold of the ball. Leinster are on the crest of a wave, every player in the squad seems to be on the same wavelength at the moment, even the young lads who were thrown in last night continued to illustrate the Cheika/Knox vision and kept playing and scrapping til the end despite the score on the board.

PS. Congratulaions to Felipe on the birth of his daughter yesterday morning !!

[Colm]

I seem to remember Connacht handing out a well rounded THRASHING to Ulster a few weeks ago! The only way these teams (Borders, Connacht etc etc) will get better is to keep playing in the Celtic League. Practice makes perfect etc etc etc ...

[Malahide Mullet]

I cannot understand why Connacht went so badly off the boil this year. Apart from the thing with Warick the squad is almost unchanged. Is it the coach?

[Colm]

Maybe it's the fact the other teams just got better?

[Malahide Mullet]

Yeah because the Welsh and Scots on fire

[Colm]

Well ... Look how well Edinburgh are doing in the Celtic League. I seem to remember both Llaneli and Edinburgh BOTH win at home against Wasps in the H-Cup this season.

[Malahide Mullet]

And then promptly get knocked out.

If you think it is OK to finish bottom then maybe the IRFU should take another look

[Colm]

Point taken ... But to be honest ... Every league has teams that you'd expect to beat. In every sport!

[epaddy]

Wasps are also a pretty average side these days. Their pack is lightweight and their hafl backs are poor and old

[Malahide Mullet]

Why have Connacht not improved then might be a better question

[epaddy]

Lack of money, not an attractive place to play rugby. Coach falling out with players. Connacht as a full time professional rugby team is unworkable. The sooner its shut down the better

[Leinsterman]

Why have Connacht not improved then might be a better question

Injuries and loss of key players.
They lost Jackman and Bracken - we've seen that Jackman hasn't been greta for us but he was pivotal for Connacht. They've also lost O'Sullivan. Elwood has retired, the likes of Downey, Robinson, Slemen, Hearty and Yapp have been injured.

Take a look at the players they've lost in the last 2 years:
Front row: Jackman, Bracken
Lock: Browne
Back row: McCarthy, O'Sullivan
Half backs: Elwood

Injuries to the backs: O'Loughlin, Slemen, Robinson, Downey, Hearty, McHugh, Yapp.

The squad is paper-thin at the best of times but when you combine those injuries with losing players and the PAG's policy of only allowing them to sign players the other 3 provinces don't want, then you see the uphill struggle they face.

[Malahide Mullet]

That still does not explain why they sit bellow the Borders

[Leinsterman]

That still does not explain why they sit bellow the Borders

[Malahide Mullet]

Head in the sand