Pre Season Fixtures

[Xanthippe]

Leinster Rugby Pre-Season Fixtures Confirmed
22 June 2016 11:45
By Marcus Ó Buachalla

Leinster Rugby have this morning confirmed the details of the three pre-season friendlies to be played ahead of the 2016/17 Guinness PRO12 and Champions Cup campaigns.

All three games will be played at home but venues will also include Tallaght Stadium and Navan RFC, as well as the RDS Arena.

The fixture list in full:

• Leinster Rugby v Ulster Rugby, Saturday 13th August 2016, Navan RFC (Kick Off: 3.00pm)
  Leinster Rugby v Gloucester Rugby, Saturday 20th August 2016, Tallaght Stadium (Kick Off: 3.00pm)
  Leinster Rugby v Bath Rugby, Friday 26th August 2016, RDS Arena (Kick Off: 7.30pm)

It has also been confirmed that after the game against Ulster Rugby in Navan RFC, the Leinster Rugby squad will hold a post-match signing session for those in attendance.

Ulster Rugby finished in the Play-Offs for the Guinness PRO12 last season in Les Kiss' first season in charge and lost out in the Play-Offs to Leinster in the RDS. They have eight players on the Irish squad currently in South Africa including captain Rory Best.

Gloucester Rugby, with former Irish outhalf David Humphreys in place as Director of Rugby, play in the Aviva Premiership and won the European Rugby Challenge Cup as recently as 2014/15. They have international players of the caliber of James Hook, Richard Hibbard, Greig Laidlaw, Jonny May and Billy Twelvetrees in their squad and have also recently announced the signing of Leinster Head of Fitness Dan Tobin as well as second row Tom Denton.

Bath Rugby also play in the Aviva Premiership and were in Leinster's Champions Cup Pool last season beating Leinster in the game at the Recreation Ground, before Leinster got the upper hand in the return fixture after Christmas. Bath also have a host of household names in their squad including George Ford, Francois Louw, Jonathan Joseph and Anthony Watson.

With the Champions Cup draw taking place next Wednesday 29th June and with the Guinness PRO12 fixtures to be announced a few weeks later, the 2016/17 season is taking shape.


http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/news/15030.php#.V2p3mhJF9EE

[simonokeeffe]

who was asking for higher calibre pre season games? they got their wish

[LeRouxIsPHat]

who was asking for higher calibre pre season games? they got their wish

Graham Henry?

[simonokeeffe]

who was asking for higher calibre pre season games? they got their wish

Graham Henry?

his impact is being felt already

[cormac]

Wonder if the game in the RDS will have free admission for STH's?

[wixfjord]

The Navan announcement is great news, good way to spread the love other than training sessions.
Wonder why did they choose Navan particularly? What are the facilities like up there?

[Xanthippe]

Wonder if the game in the RDS will have free admission for STH's?

[COYBIB]

Wonder if the game in the RDS will have free admission for STH's?

I reckon it's quite the opposite. An additional home game with a big attendance to try and boost the coffers.

Exciting pre-season fixture list.

[Dave Cahill]

I don't see there being a big attendance - to see one of Englands worst top level teams in a pre-season game? We found it hard enough to draw a crowd to see them in a European Cup game.

What it might do is free up a fixture that can be moved to the Aviva.

[sunshiner1]

Wonder why did they choose Navan particularly? What are the facilities like up there?

I'd imagine that it was chosen as it is an easy enough commute for the Ulster fan's as well as us.

[cormac]

Game against Bath has been moved to Donnybrook.

[ormond lad]

The Navan announcement is great news, good way to spread the love other than training sessions.
Wonder why did they choose Navan particularly? What are the facilities like up there?

Facilities are ok. Will have to be temporary stands I imagine.

Navan announcement is fantastic. All provinces should try every few years to play a pre season game in new location as can help attract new people to games. Same reasoning behind playing A games in different locations...

[the spoofer]

The Navan announcement is great news, good way to spread the love other than training sessions.
Wonder why did they choose Navan particularly? What are the facilities like up there?

Facilities are ok. Will have to be temporary stands I imagine.

Navan announcement is fantastic. All provinces should try every few years to play a pre season game in new location as can help attract new people to games. Same reasoning behind playing A games in different locations...

Yeah, if we play Connacht then Longfords excellent facilities would be perfect!

[Keith]

The Navan announcement is great news, good way to spread the love other than training sessions.
Wonder why did they choose Navan particularly? What are the facilities like up there?

Facilities are ok. Will have to be temporary stands I imagine.

Navan announcement is fantastic. All provinces should try every few years to play a pre season game in new location as can help attract new people to games. Same reasoning behind playing A games in different locations...

I'll be at the game in Navan for sure. I've been calling for Leinster to bring a game down here for years.

[sheepshagger]

Wonder if the game in the RDS will have free admission for STH's?

I reckon it's quite the opposite. An additional home game with a big attendance to try and boost the coffers.

Exciting pre-season fixture list.

Boost the coffers? Err I'd say they barely cover their costs of hosting (security etc).

[Dave Cahill]

One thing that worries me about moving the game to Navan is that despite coming under pressure from the Branch, Cheika, Schmidt and O'Connor all refused to move games like this as they thought they were a complete waste of time with no benefit.

[wixfjord]

One thing that worries me about moving the game to Navan is that despite coming under pressure from the Branch, Cheika, Schmidt and O'Connor all refused to move games like this as they thought they were a complete waste of time with no benefit.

Why does that worry you?

[Dave Cahill]

One thing that worries me about moving the game to Navan is that despite coming under pressure from the Branch, Cheika, Schmidt and O'Connor all refused to move games like this as they thought they were a complete waste of time with no benefit.

Why does that worry you?

Because it could indicate that the current coach isn't strong or secure enough in his position to resist

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[wixfjord]

One thing that worries me about moving the game to Navan is that despite coming under pressure from the Branch, Cheika, Schmidt and O'Connor all refused to move games like this as they thought they were a complete waste of time with no benefit.

Why does that worry you?

Because it could indicate that the current coach isn't strong or secure enough in his position to resist

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

It could, or it could indicate that Leo/others within the branch believe that there's value to a game like this. Why jump to being worried about a hypothetical scenario straight away? Confirmation bias at its finest surely?

Do you think there's value to it?

[Dave Cahill]

It could, or it could indicate that Leo/others within the branch believe that there's value to a game like this. Why jump to being worried about a hypothetical scenario straight away? Confirmation bias at its finest surely?

Do you think there's value to it?

I think (actually to be accurate, I know...) that people who know far more than me, and who are far more successful as coaches than Leo, think there is no value to it, that its a total waste of time and effort and money, that it is detrimental to the teams chances and only serves to stroke local egos.

I'm not jumping to being worried about it straight away, for me its the latest in a series of worrying indications.