Munster Rugby - Semi Conscious, the Series Finale??? - 2020/21

[ronk]

Looks like a waste of private financing if that's the case.

Private financing means taken from budget of other provinces, so it’s never really wasted.

[deco]

https://www.the42.ie/jason-jenkins-muns ... 9-Mar2021/

Where's Deco?

I feel sorry for fans like Munster1 as he comes across as a decent fan with opinions that are measurably more restrained than my own. The manner of Saturdays loss must be hard to take.

It has to be said that Munster aren't fulfilling their primary role of bringing young players through for Ireland. The IRFU need to re-boot them and stop feeding their frenzy. Munster and their fans need to sit down and reassess rather than stand up and fight.

With Fitzgerald's retirement, a best-in-world coaching ticket, massive investment in NIQ players, getting the cream of IQ talent from Leinster and abroad, I really thought that Munster would be difficult to beat at the business end of this season.

My Munster pal, who watches them week in week out thought differently. He hasn't seen enough or any of the Larkham Effect or the Van Gran Bounce this season or last. Oh, sure they bate Clermont at home in a one off, they hammered most pro-14 teams and Flake made a break or something against a disinterested Welsh side the other week. But....he reckoned that when it comes to it, Munster haven't the balls to get over the line in a knockout match against Leinster or the likes of Leinster. He reckons Munster have a losing mentality when it comes to Leinster or the business end of the season (as a few journo's have been saying that over the weekend). He thinks there's a problem in the coaching set-up - that it's not a happy camp and that Van Gran is like Stan "I'm the Gaffer" Staunton.

So he isn't upset, or gutted as I would have been had Leinster lost. He is resigned that this is Munster's level - I can't even slag him anymore. He may be right, but I think he's missing the obvious: He slags Leo as being only a figure-head. As many Munster fans do. He reckons Lancaster is the real coach.

What he's missing is that this is exactly what makes this Leinster team great: the humility of Leo.

In Cullen's Leinster (and it is Cullen's Leinster) no-one is more important than the club. All the way to the top. For me the greatest example of this is who lifts the Leinster trophies. It's not the Mr Thorns or the Rocky Elsoms. It's not necessarily even the captain. It's the Jennings, the Bents, the McFaddens, the Whitakers, the Fardy's. A statement of fact - no room for ego's here.

Munster don't have that. Their fans don't have it. They have no humility. They think they deserve to be at the top table. It's their right because they were good 12 years ago. They can't admit they're at the level of the Glasgow's and Edinburgh's. They can't admit they're not a level above Ulster. They can't admit they've been propped up for a decade to stop them slipping to the next level down.

Could a Keatley, a Sweetman or a Buckley ever have dreamt of lifting a trophy had Munster won one? Nah.

Instead Munster put individual players on pedestals. Whether they're brought in from outside - Flake, Stander, DDA and Synham's 7 minutes. Even better if they're from Munster: they think POM has a bit of what POC had; they give players names like "Killer" to pretend they're really, really good.

They keep the myth alive by talking about the 16th man in a half full Thomond. They believe the shite pedaled out by journalists and pundits to a willing audience of Munster fans that are only too happy to buy into the myth that Dave Cahill so eloquently described earlier. Judas is still god-like; they talk about O'Gara as if he retired recently; they eulogise POC and insist that he never actually "played" for Toulon. They try to forget how unpopular Foley when he was head coach.

If only the dream team of ROG & POC would come back and coach them to glory.

I really don't care about Munster, except I'd like them to be bringing a decent crop of Ireland players through. I was at an U20's game in headquarters a couple of seasons ago and happened to be sitting next to family of Bill Johnson I'm not sure if they were his parents or not. Anyway, they were so proud and enthusiastic about Bill and to be fair there was a lot of talk about him.

I remember thinking of them and him when Munster parachuted in a shiny new 10 from Leinster. This is why the signing of yet another BOK at the expense of another Munster player is not a joking matter.

If it was a joke it'd be funny.

[Oldschoolsocks]

Who is Flake?

[ronk]

Who is Flake?

Cadbury

[Oldschoolsocks]

Who is Flake?

Cadbury

Oh right, pretty good actually

[mildlyinterested]

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/ ... 7?mode=amp

Thornley says Jenkins deal is true, 1 year contract.

[blockhead]

Who is Flake?

Cadbury

Oh right, pretty good actually

Everyone knows who Flake is OSS. Your spending to much time down on MFS, down there he's known as Time Out!

[blockhead]

I really hope it's not bad news about Snyman, for him personally.
On the JJ thing. Are Munster going to sign a 10? If yes, then who?
Joey, if fit and playing well, will be away with ireland a lot. And if thats the case then Ross probably wont. And if that's the case then will someone else get an offer they dare not refuse?

[ronk]

I really hope it's not bad news about Snyman, for him personally.
On the JJ thing. Are Munster going to sign a 10? If yes, then who?
Joey, if fit and playing well, will be away with ireland a lot. And if thats the case then Ross probably wont. And if that's the case then will someone else get an offer they dare not refuse?

An offer they dare not accept. Look how well it worked out for Ross Byrne even in spite of him coming out the wrong side of some close international selection calls.

[mildlyinterested]

I rather they signed a saffa than try poach another leinster player.

Going to take more than SA brutes to stop this leinster team.

[ronk]

I rather they signed a saffa than try poach another leinster player.

Going to take more than SA brutes to stop this leinster team.

It’s not 1 or the other; they’ll happily try both. Neither is the right answer.

[TrapperChamonix]

https://www.the42.ie/jason-jenkins-muns ... 9-Mar2021/

Where's Deco?

So he isn't upset, or gutted as I would have been had Leinster lost. He is resigned that this is Munster's level - I can't even slag him anymore. He may be right, but I think he's missing the obvious: He slags Leo as being only a figure-head. As many Munster fans do. He reckons Lancaster is the real coach.

What he's missing is that this is exactly what makes this Leinster team great: the humility of Leo.

In Cullen's Leinster (and it is Cullen's Leinster) no-one is more important than the club. All the way to the top. For me the greatest example of this is who lifts the Leinster trophies. It's not the Mr Thorns or the Rocky Elsoms. It's not necessarily even the captain. It's the Jennings, the Bents, the McFaddens, the Whitakers, the Fardy's. A statement of fact - no room for ego's here.

As an aside, the great Toulon side of Wilko, Botha, Ali Williams, Lobbe et al was made possible not by great coaching but by the excellent man management of Laporte.

[Dave Cahill]

I have a feeling that there will be a lot more South African accents among the Celtalian sides in the Pro16. With the South African sides joining, a lot of south african players who came north may see a season or two in the Pro16 as a stepping stone to a contract with one of those sides

[mildlyinterested]

Peter O’Mahony will be assessed over the week after sustaining a deep laceration to his thigh against Leinster and his availability will be determined later in the week.

There is good news for Dan Goggin as he has returned to training after recovering from a hand injury sustained against Benetton at the end of January.

Fineen Wycherley (neck) will progress his rehab this week and his availability will be determined later in the week.

Paddy Patterson has undergone surgery on his ankle injury and will begin rehabilitation under the care of the medical department.

Continuing to rehab: Neil Cronin (knee), RG Snyman (knee).

[jimbobjoe]

Has there been a South African coach in europe who hasn't stacked their team with journeymen mates from the homeland? And have any of them left these teams better than they found them?

[Peg Leg]

Has there been a South African coach in europe who hasn't stacked their team with journeymen mates from the homeland? And have any of them left these teams better than they found them?

Montpelier look in relatively good shape

[ronk]

Saracens did ok

[fourthirtythree]

But aside from the viniculture, the aquaducts, the roads....

[mildlyinterested]

Larkham says Munster spoke a lot about "belief" at their team meeting this morning as they reviewed the defeat to Leinster.

"It was fairly evenly matched throughout the game. We've got the skillset and game plan."

[Keith]

Genuinely thought the media were just stirring things but the Jenkins signing has been confirmed.