Mike Ross Appreciation Thread!

[Donny B.]

Hey that's some good news at last. Sense prevailed.

[mikey]

Mike Ross has signed a new central contract with the IRFU that will keep him at Leinster for two more years - great news!

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/spo ... 26219.html

Great news in what has felt like quite a bleak week...

Come on miiiiiiiike

[cormac]

Good stuff, that's all our tight-head props tied down until the end of next season.

[Donny B.]

Good stuff, that's all our tight-head props tied down until the end of next season.

If Munster lose Botha, there's going to be pressure from the IRFU to send one of them down there. Won't be Rossy now thankfully, but Bent or Hagan may have to be sacrificed, contract or no contract.

Would prefer that to losing Moore or Furlong though.

[cormac]

Good stuff, that's all our tight-head props tied down until the end of next season.

If Munster lose Botha, there's going to be pressure from the IRFU to send one of them down there. Won't be Rossy now thankfully, but Bent or Hagan may have to be sacrificed, contract or no contract.

Would prefer that to losing Moore or Furlong though.

As long as they fork over some cash they can have one of Hagan or Bent.

[Donny B.]

Ah no, hang on, they're grand apparently.....(from the same article)

"While there is concern in Munster BJ Botha may take up a longer, more lucrative offer in France after merely being offered a one-year deal with Munster, at least their concerns are offset somewhat by the emergence of Stephen Archer."

[Offiah]

Ah no, hang on, they're grand apparently.....(from the same article)

"While there is concern in Munster BJ Botha may take up a longer, more lucrative offer in France after merely being offered a one-year deal with Munster, at least their concerns are offset somewhat by the emergence of Stephen Archer."

GT is living in a dream world. Archer couldn't look down my bike never mind a scrum. Ulster got a great deal by offloading Botha for Afoa and apparently saved money!

[Donny B.]

In fairness he's not the only one, Toland was spouting shite about Archer too in his column a week back. They all seem to be sipping the Archer cool-aid over there!

[hugonaut]

In fairness he's not the only one, Toland was spouting shite about Archer too in his column a week back. They all seem to be sipping the Archer cool-aid over there!

Archer has made progress this season. He's coming from a low base, but he has made progress. Fair's fair.

What is disappointing to read in Thornley and Toland's columns is that they seemingly disregard the opposition he has faced – for all his progress this season, he has played a grand total of three minutes of HEC rugby this season, coming off the bench for Botha in the 77th minute against Saracens in Vicarage Road.

His seven starts this season have come against Zebre, Cardiff [x2], Scarlets, Connacht, Ulster [a largely third string Ulster pack, whose front five was Black/Herring/Macklin/Stevenson/McComb] and the Ospreys. Bar the Ospreys – in a game that Munster lost 30-15 – none of those scrums are any good by HEC standard; none of them are even that good by Pro12 standards.

This isn't picking on the player – you'd want to have no clue about rugby not to acknowledge it as a pretty fair appraisal. More to the point, Archer hasn't done anything that Jamie Hagan hasn't done for the last four seasons. I'm not a particular Hagan fan, but he has had his good days in the Pro12 as well as poor days, and he has certainly had more good days in the Pro12 with both Connacht and Leinster than Archer has had for Munster.

[Donny B.]

In fairness he's not the only one, Toland was spouting shite about Archer too in his column a week back. They all seem to be sipping the Archer cool-aid over there!

Archer has made progress this season. He's coming from a low base, but he has made progress. Fair's fair.

That may be technically true but going from "utterly appalling" to just "really poor" is still nothing to be proud about.
As you point out he's never looked even remotely comfortable except any sort of a decent scrum and that seems to elude the great minds at the Times.

[Morf]

Great news about Rossy.

I'd like to give the man a big hug and a pat on the back.

The offer is open, Mike.

[Blue Voodoo]

http://www.sportsfile.com/winshare/w540 ... 692670.jpg :happy clapper:great news hes great

[PCASEY]

interesting that it's a leinster contract though and not a central one.

[LeinsterLeader]

interesting that it's a leinster contract though and not a central one.

Nope, its an International contract!

"Although there is still no sign of an end to the impasse in the negotiations between the IRFU and Jonathan Sexton’s agents, Leinster will at least have been heartened by the news Mike Ross has agreed a two-year international contract to remain with the province."

[PCASEY]

ah, my mistake. that makes a lot more sense that what i had read earlier in the day

[suisse]

What is disappointing to read in Thornley and Toland's columns is that they seemingly disregard the opposition he has faced.

Or......they didn't bother with the research. I'd say if you presented your stats to both men, they'd be surprised. Or.....as many here claim, there's an agenda going on.

Edit. Bitched up quoting.

[blockhead]

Agenda?
What would that agenda be? There's no hiding place at TH. If Archer is as bad as the scrum experts on here think (and I'm not a scrum expert), (or an expert at anything to be honest) , then he will be quickly found out and so his cheerleaders will be found out too.
Is the agenda to get him an int contract so as to help the Munster branch save some desperately needed cash?

[ronk]

Agenda?
What would that agenda be? There's no hiding place at TH. If Archer is as bad as the scrum experts on here think (and I'm not a scrum expert), (or an expert at anything to be honest) , then he will be quickly found out and so his cheerleaders will be found out too.
Is the agenda to get him an int contract so as to help the Munster branch save some desperately needed cash?

The agenda is simple, keep in Kidney's good books. If Botha goes, then it's all part of the plan. There has to be good PR so people buy tickets (for Munster and Ireland).

[Blue not red blood]

Heres one for the scrum nerds.

watching Bent last night very closely. He just doesnt have the same physique as other tight heads. His is built more like Fionn Carr ie skinny waist and and big arms. Doesnt appear to have any weight around midrift ?

Could this be a reason why he is not able to hold up scrum.

Also, did we switch second rows during the game at scrums?

Over to you scrum nerds!!!

[Apocrypha]

The more I look at him the more he reminds me of Borlaise. NPC props are a joke.