Ulster v. Leinster Sat 30th 3pm

[simonokeeffe]

Healy stood down for the season to get over neck and knee niggles according to Indo

[Dave Cahill]

Healy stood down for the season to get ready for South Africa

[rooster]

Kearney feels the need to do things like that because he's lost is confidence, and is older, slower, and generally worse. He's 30, emerged young so has high mileage, and has had his injury issues. Over the hill. Payne to 15 for Ireland, Luke and Henshaw in centres, or McCloskey and Henshaw (L.Marshall a dark horse as others have said)..

Payne is playing his last, at most, three games at 15 in Irish rugby barring a huge injury crisis. Ulster were allowed sign a world class full back because Payne will be playing at 13.

That's one school of thought but with Bowe being in dodgy shape there is potential for Piteau to play on wing and Payne at fullback, guess we will have to wait and see, we also have Nelson to cover fullback providing he makes full recovery from his nasty foot injury.
Next season we have serious options right through the backs and in fact backrow is our weakest position.

[Oldschoolsocks]

Never, ever seen Rob give up. You'll need to do better than that.

I'd love to see Zebo flourish at 15, his ego is just getting in his way

[simonokeeffe]

Healy stood down for the season to get ready for South Africa

Nope being reported reported as we're not seeing him on a pitch til September

[LeRouxIsPHat]

I find that very annoying about Healy. I'd heard before the world cup that he was struggling with his neck and then again around Christmas that it was still at him. Once the World Cup was over and we were out of Europe it wasn't a particularly important season really, so why keep playing him when he was blatantly in awful form? It would have been the perfect time to give him a sabbatical and hope that we reap the benefits in a few years time.

[simonokeeffe]

I find that very annoying about Healy. I'd heard before the world cup that he was struggling with his neck and then again around Christmas that it was still at him. Once the World Cup was over and we were out of Europe it wasn't a particularly important season really, so why keep playing him when he was blatantly in awful form? It would have been the perfect time to give him a sabbatical and hope that we reap the benefits in a few years time.

Youre dead right, think we might and should see a rise in sabbaticals

[neiliog93]

The right call to give him a shot at a full recovery and a full pre-season heading into 2016-17. Still late 20s so hopefully he rediscovers his best form.

I'm optimistic Joe will call up Denis Buckley as his replacement in the preliminary Ireland squad for South Africa tour. J.McGrath, Kilcoyne and D.Buckley is a good roster, J.Cronin has had injury problems, has been inauspicious in his Ireland appearances to date and seems to have (justifiably) fallen out of favour.

Denis Buckley is probably the third best player in Europe at getting holding on penalties after Steffon Armitage and Bastareaud. Saw a ridiculous stat somewhere that he averages three successful ruck turnovers or holding on penalties in their place per game? Most importantly, he's a solid scrummager. Just such a low centre of gravity and so low down to the ground that it's very difficult for a tight-head to push him back. Like many Conancht forwards he also has very soft hands. He's not big enough to be a truly impactful ball carrying prop like a Debaty and not powerful enough to pull off being a short, fatty-type prop ball carrier like Thomas Domingo, but he doesn't need to be given his other attributes. He's still only 25 too. Surely he deserves a run?