European Rugby Champions Cup

[hugonaut]

One key factor that occurs to me going into this match with Scarlets is that we are a much better team than 12 months ago. Players like Dan Leavy and James Ryan have blossomed into remarkable players, our stalwarts Sexton, Isa, RK, Ferg etc. are bang in form and we have added Fardy and Lowe. Ugo's podcast concluded this Leinster side would beat England. This is a better Leinster than last season by some distance. Can the same be said about Scarlets?

It's worth watching the game again to establish what actually went wrong ... so here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW-x5VVBs9Y

The biggest problem was our defense: a very bad miss by Adam Byrne on JJVD and some non-event defending from Joey at fullback for the first try, and then JGP [admittedly just on the pitch] failing to fill the hole in defense or make any meaningful contact in two tackle situations. Their third try was fantastic, in fairness.

We had an early try scrubbed for a forward pass [it was forward]; their second try was iffy and Patchell took a quick drop-goal conversion to stop the TMO reviewing. The Scarlets players involved [scrumhalf Davies and blindside Shingler] do everything to make it look like it's not a forward pass – Davies shapes his body and then keeps running when the pass is released and Shingler catches the ball behind him – but the ball travelled forward by two metres and the ref missed it. So it goes.

Breakdown turnovers were an issue, but so were simple knock-ons: Sexton, Triggs, van der Flier and Henshaw all knocked on in open play/no contact within the first ten minutes.

Lastly, Sexton had a very poor game. Scrum.com lists him as the source of 7 turnovers [source: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/playerstats ... gue=270557 ] and he had knock-ons, a pass to the ground, a restart which didn't go 10 and a terrible kick straight to the fullback from a good attacking position in the first 25 minutes.

My gameplan would be to do as Joe Schmidt did to Gatland: put his team into the meat-grinder. Run it up the guts - bring Lowe in off the wing, run scrum-half drags with Ryan, Jordi and Leavy, and go for the repeated pick-and goes around the corner. Put Fardy on Tadhg Beirne and tell him simply to be where that blue scrumcap is and smash him every time he gets the chance. Toner, Ryan, Fardy all to start again at Nos 4,5 & 6, with two from Sean O'Brien, Jack Conan and Rhys Ruddock on the bench – whoever is available for selection. Keep on bringing on the heavy cavalry – Big Jack, Porter, O'Brien, Conan/Ruddock – and sew it into them throughout the second half, when our consistent supply of quality players becomes a big factor.

We're the favourites in this one, and we're playing on home turf. We've got to take on those mantles and use them to inexorably take this game away from the Scarlets. Bully them, the way Toulouse bullied us in the 2009-10 semi. Get points on the board from 22 visits, get penalties from set pieces and take their confidence and scrappiness away from them.

[Lar]

Totally agree Hugonaut that we were very flat last year and that our knock on and a poor game from was at least as much a reason why we lost as Scarlets breakdown work. They were so much sharper in attacking also.

I can’t see us being as flat against them in a ECC semi-final this season.

[wixfjord]

My gameplan would be to do as Joe Schmidt did to Gatland: put his team into the meat-grinder. Run it up the guts - bring Lowe in off the wing, run scrum-half drags with Ryan, Jordi and Leavy, and go for the repeated pick-and goes around the corner. Put Fardy on Tadhg Beirne and tell him simply to be where that blue scrumcap is and smash him every time he gets the chance. Toner, Ryan, Fardy all to start again at Nos 4,5 & 6, with two from Sean O'Brien, Jack Conan and Rhys Ruddock on the bench – whoever is available for selection. Keep on bringing on the heavy cavalry – Big Jack, Porter, O'Brien, Conan/Ruddock – and sew it into them throughout the second half, when our consistent supply of quality players becomes a big factor.

We're the favourites in this one, and we're playing on home turf. We've got to take on those mantles and use them to inexorably take this game away from the Scarlets. Bully them, the way Toulouse bullied us in the 2009-10 semi. Get points on the board from 22 visits, get penalties from set pieces and take their confidence and scrappiness away from them.

I am intrigued by your ideas and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

[Cianostays]

We also probably underestimated these guys last year. Not a hope of that this time.

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[curates_egg]

All this is true: we underestimated them last year, some players had a mare (e.g. Sexton) and we are a better team.
I would argue they are also a better team this year (when they have a fully fit and available squad - they've had more Wales call-ups this year).
We need to resource our rucks, like we did against Sarries, and cut out the loose kicking.
If we can do that, I think we will have a very good platform.
When are the match officials announced? That will have a bearing on the game.

[mildlyinterested]

One key factor that occurs to me going into this match with Scarlets is that we are a much better team than 12 months ago. Players like Dan Leavy and James Ryan have blossomed into remarkable players, our stalwarts Sexton, Isa, RK, Ferg etc. are bang in form and we have added Fardy and Lowe. Ugo's podcast concluded this Leinster side would beat England. This is a better Leinster than last season by some distance. Can the same be said about Scarlets?

It's worth watching the game again to establish what actually went wrong ... so here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW-x5VVBs9Y

The biggest problem was our defense: a very bad miss by Adam Byrne on JJVD and some non-event defending from Joey at fullback for the first try, and then JGP [admittedly just on the pitch] failing to fill the hole in defense or make any meaningful contact in two tackle situations. Their third try was fantastic, in fairness.

We had an early try scrubbed for a forward pass [it was forward]; their second try was iffy and Patchell took a quick drop-goal conversion to stop the TMO reviewing. The Scarlets players involved [scrumhalf Davies and blindside Shingler] do everything to make it look like it's not a forward pass – Davies shapes his body and then keeps running when the pass is released and Shingler catches the ball behind him – but the ball travelled forward by two metres and the ref missed it. So it goes.

Breakdown turnovers were an issue, but so were simple knock-ons: Sexton, Triggs, van der Flier and Henshaw all knocked on in open play/no contact within the first ten minutes.

Lastly, Sexton had a very poor game. Scrum.com lists him as the source of 7 turnovers [source: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/playerstats ... gue=270557 ] and he had knock-ons, a pass to the ground, a restart which didn't go 10 and a terrible kick straight to the fullback from a good attacking position in the first 25 minutes.

My gameplan would be to do as Joe Schmidt did to Gatland: put his team into the meat-grinder. Run it up the guts - bring Lowe in off the wing, run scrum-half drags with Ryan, Jordi and Leavy, and go for the repeated pick-and goes around the corner. Put Fardy on Tadhg Beirne and tell him simply to be where that blue scrumcap is and smash him every time he gets the chance. Toner, Ryan, Fardy all to start again at Nos 4,5 & 6, with two from Sean O'Brien, Jack Conan and Rhys Ruddock on the bench – whoever is available for selection. Keep on bringing on the heavy cavalry – Big Jack, Porter, O'Brien, Conan/Ruddock – and sew it into them throughout the second half, when our consistent supply of quality players becomes a big factor.

We're the favourites in this one, and we're playing on home turf. We've got to take on those mantles and use them to inexorably take this game away from the Scarlets. Bully them, the way Toulouse bullied us in the 2009-10 semi. Get points on the board from 22 visits, get penalties from set pieces and take their confidence and scrappiness away from them.

can the game be tomorrow?

[riocard911]

One key factor that occurs to me going into this match with Scarlets is that we are a much better team than 12 months ago. Players like Dan Leavy and James Ryan have blossomed into remarkable players, our stalwarts Sexton, Isa, RK, Ferg etc. are bang in form and we have added Fardy and Lowe. Ugo's podcast concluded this Leinster side would beat England. This is a better Leinster than last season by some distance. Can the same be said about Scarlets?

It's worth watching the game again to establish what actually went wrong ... so here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW-x5VVBs9Y

The biggest problem was our defense: a very bad miss by Adam Byrne on JJVD and some non-event defending from Joey at fullback for the first try, and then JGP [admittedly just on the pitch] failing to fill the hole in defense or make any meaningful contact in two tackle situations. Their third try was fantastic, in fairness.

We had an early try scrubbed for a forward pass [it was forward]; their second try was iffy and Patchell took a quick drop-goal conversion to stop the TMO reviewing. The Scarlets players involved [scrumhalf Davies and blindside Shingler] do everything to make it look like it's not a forward pass – Davies shapes his body and then keeps running when the pass is released and Shingler catches the ball behind him – but the ball travelled forward by two metres and the ref missed it. So it goes.

Breakdown turnovers were an issue, but so were simple knock-ons: Sexton, Triggs, van der Flier and Henshaw all knocked on in open play/no contact within the first ten minutes.

Lastly, Sexton had a very poor game. Scrum.com lists him as the source of 7 turnovers [source: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/playerstats ... gue=270557 ] and he had knock-ons, a pass to the ground, a restart which didn't go 10 and a terrible kick straight to the fullback from a good attacking position in the first 25 minutes.

My gameplan would be to do as Joe Schmidt did to Gatland: put his team into the meat-grinder. Run it up the guts - bring Lowe in off the wing, run scrum-half drags with Ryan, Jordi and Leavy, and go for the repeated pick-and goes around the corner. Put Fardy on Tadhg Beirne and tell him simply to be where that blue scrumcap is and smash him every time he gets the chance. Toner, Ryan, Fardy all to start again at Nos 4,5 & 6, with two from Sean O'Brien, Jack Conan and Rhys Ruddock on the bench – whoever is available for selection. Keep on bringing on the heavy cavalry – Big Jack, Porter, O'Brien, Conan/Ruddock – and sew it into them throughout the second half, when our consistent supply of quality players becomes a big factor.

We're the favourites in this one, and we're playing on home turf. We've got to take on those mantles and use them to inexorably take this game away from the Scarlets. Bully them, the way Toulouse bullied us in the 2009-10 semi. Get points on the board from 22 visits, get penalties from set pieces and take their confidence and scrappiness away from them.

100%! The meatgrinder it is, so!!!!!

[desperado]

One key factor that occurs to me going into this match with Scarlets is that we are a much better team than 12 months ago. Players like Dan Leavy and James Ryan have blossomed into remarkable players, our stalwarts Sexton, Isa, RK, Ferg etc. are bang in form and we have added Fardy and Lowe. Ugo's podcast concluded this Leinster side would beat England. This is a better Leinster than last season by some distance. Can the same be said about Scarlets?

It's worth watching the game again to establish what actually went wrong ... so here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW-x5VVBs9Y

The biggest problem was our defense: a very bad miss by Adam Byrne on JJVD and some non-event defending from Joey at fullback for the first try, and then JGP [admittedly just on the pitch] failing to fill the hole in defense or make any meaningful contact in two tackle situations. Their third try was fantastic, in fairness.

We had an early try scrubbed for a forward pass [it was forward]; their second try was iffy and Patchell took a quick drop-goal conversion to stop the TMO reviewing. The Scarlets players involved [scrumhalf Davies and blindside Shingler] do everything to make it look like it's not a forward pass – Davies shapes his body and then keeps running when the pass is released and Shingler catches the ball behind him – but the ball travelled forward by two metres and the ref missed it. So it goes.

Breakdown turnovers were an issue, but so were simple knock-ons: Sexton, Triggs, van der Flier and Henshaw all knocked on in open play/no contact within the first ten minutes.

Lastly, Sexton had a very poor game. Scrum.com lists him as the source of 7 turnovers [source: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/playerstats ... gue=270557 ] and he had knock-ons, a pass to the ground, a restart which didn't go 10 and a terrible kick straight to the fullback from a good attacking position in the first 25 minutes.

My gameplan would be to do as Joe Schmidt did to Gatland: put his team into the meat-grinder. Run it up the guts - bring Lowe in off the wing, run scrum-half drags with Ryan, Jordi and Leavy, and go for the repeated pick-and goes around the corner. Put Fardy on Tadhg Beirne and tell him simply to be where that blue scrumcap is and smash him every time he gets the chance. Toner, Ryan, Fardy all to start again at Nos 4,5 & 6, with two from Sean O'Brien, Jack Conan and Rhys Ruddock on the bench – whoever is available for selection. Keep on bringing on the heavy cavalry – Big Jack, Porter, O'Brien, Conan/Ruddock – and sew it into them throughout the second half, when our consistent supply of quality players becomes a big factor.

We're the favourites in this one, and we're playing on home turf. We've got to take on those mantles and use them to inexorably take this game away from the Scarlets. Bully them, the way Toulouse bullied us in the 2009-10 semi. Get points on the board from 22 visits, get penalties from set pieces and take their confidence and scrappiness away from them.

I like the cut of your jib. JS was truly awful in that match - can't see that being repeated. One possible fly in z ointment on the plan: if Luke isn't fit, does JGP start - and if so who of Fardy/Crazyhorse doesn't play. Me I'd stick with Fardy, and we may have to anyway if SOB/Ruddock/Conan are all out. If Larmour is fit - would it be insane to have him in place of Lowe? (if it came to it). I do think the team that started v Sarries should be the model to put them through the meatgrinder as you say - but I'd be really worried about Luke if he's having ankle issues. From experience with an ankle injury 2 weeks to be 100% is a stretch; (obviously it depends on the exact nature of it).

[Ruckedtobits]

One key factor that occurs to me going into this match with Scarlets is that we are a much better team than 12 months ago. Players like Dan Leavy and James Ryan have blossomed into remarkable players, our stalwarts Sexton, Isa, RK, Ferg etc. are bang in form and we have added Fardy and Lowe. Ugo's podcast concluded this Leinster side would beat England. This is a better Leinster than last season by some distance. Can the same be said about Scarlets?

It's worth watching the game again to establish what actually went wrong ... so here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW-x5VVBs9Y

The biggest problem was our defense: a very bad miss by Adam Byrne on JJVD and some non-event defending from Joey at fullback for the first try, and then JGP [admittedly just on the pitch] failing to fill the hole in defense or make any meaningful contact in two tackle situations. Their third try was fantastic, in fairness.

We had an early try scrubbed for a forward pass [it was forward]; their second try was iffy and Patchell took a quick drop-goal conversion to stop the TMO reviewing. The Scarlets players involved [scrumhalf Davies and blindside Shingler] do everything to make it look like it's not a forward pass – Davies shapes his body and then keeps running when the pass is released and Shingler catches the ball behind him – but the ball travelled forward by two metres and the ref missed it. So it goes.

Breakdown turnovers were an issue, but so were simple knock-ons: Sexton, Triggs, van der Flier and Henshaw all knocked on in open play/no contact within the first ten minutes.

Lastly, Sexton had a very poor game. Scrum.com lists him as the source of 7 turnovers [source: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/playerstats ... gue=270557 ] and he had knock-ons, a pass to the ground, a restart which didn't go 10 and a terrible kick straight to the fullback from a good attacking position in the first 25 minutes.

My gameplan would be to do as Joe Schmidt did to Gatland: put his team into the meat-grinder. Run it up the guts - bring Lowe in off the wing, run scrum-half drags with Ryan, Jordi and Leavy, and go for the repeated pick-and goes around the corner. Put Fardy on Tadhg Beirne and tell him simply to be where that blue scrumcap is and smash him every time he gets the chance. Toner, Ryan, Fardy all to start again at Nos 4,5 & 6, with two from Sean O'Brien, Jack Conan and Rhys Ruddock on the bench – whoever is available for selection. Keep on bringing on the heavy cavalry – Big Jack, Porter, O'Brien, Conan/Ruddock – and sew it into them throughout the second half, when our consistent supply of quality players becomes a big factor.

We're the favourites in this one, and we're playing on home turf. We've got to take on those mantles and use them to inexorably take this game away from the Scarlets. Bully them, the way Toulouse bullied us in the 2009-10 semi. Get points on the board from 22 visits, get penalties from set pieces and take their confidence and scrappiness away from them.

can the game be tomorrow?

+1 on the last suggestion.

Delighted the question was asked in the first place, but even more delighted to get such a well-researched confirmation of initial instincts.

[CiaranIrl]

Might be time for a match thread...

[mildlyinterested]

Romain Poite to referee Leinster vs. Scarlets.

[LeinsterLeader]

Romain Poite to referee Leinster vs. Scarlets.

Not a man you'd ever accuse of being a 'homer'

[BlueStreak]

Romain Poite to referee Leinster vs. Scarlets.

Not a man you'd ever accuse of being a 'homer'

Look on the bright side. At least we didn't get JP Doyle!

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

[Made Of Ale]

Romain Poite to referee Leinster vs. Scarlets.

Breakdown chaos guaranteed.

[curates_egg]

Scarlets resting players this week in Pro14 with an eye on the semi: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/ ... mpions-cup

[Ruckedtobits]

The best six refs in NH at present (based on calibre of 6N appointments) are comprised of three French, two English and one Welsh.

That means four Refs are ineligible for one or other of the S/F games. At this point only Barnes & Pearce are certain to be eligible to do the Final. However, Rolland (as head of NH refereeing) would be loath to give any side the (perceived) advantage of the same referee again. Ergo, Barnes is unlikely to do Racing v Munster and Pearce is unlikely to do Scarlets again. Owens is 'ineligible' to do Lein v Scarlets so it could go to Poite or Gauzere, but probably not Garces, who reffed our Q /F.

So, my bets are on:

Lein v Scarlets: Poite or Gauzere
Racing v Munster: Luke Pearce

Final: Wayne Barnes

We could get Barnes but unlikely as its very unusual for Ref to get a semi and the Final because of the perceived advantage one team would have of familiarity in successive rounds of the competition. If Scarlets win, Owens can't do Final and if Racing win, none of the three French guys will get it.

Got that one wrong.

Well the rumour was that JP Doyle was out of the picture, not having got a 6N game. Good for him and Munster & Racing won't have a Ref to blame.

[mauler72]

With only one round of the Pro14 left, and 2 rounds to go in the AP and Top 14, it looks like there will be lots of 'new' faces in next years ERCC. I make it seven of this years 20 teams dropping out.

Definitely gone are Clermont, Harlequins, Northampton and Bath. Along with them, we won't see 2 of Ospreys/Treviso/Ulster, and probably either La Rochelle or Castre.

The 'new' guys will be, Cardiff, Embra, Newcastle, Toulouse, Lyon and Gloucester (or outside chance of Sale). I think Pau are likely to get the last spot by being the only Challenge Cup Semi-Finalist not already qualified, but a bit unsure if I've interpreted the qualification process properly.

After Saturday, I'm rooting for Treviso to get the last Pro14 slot. If only to annoy the Nigel's.

[curates_egg]

After Saturday, I'm rooting for Treviso to get the last Pro14 slot. If only to annoy the Nigel's.

By sod's law, we'd finally get an Italian team in our group, only they'd be good.

[neill_m]

Okay not strictly the H Cup, but the 2nd legs of the Continental Shield SFs are this weekend. The 2 finalists will play in the Challenge Cup next year. 1st leg scores in brackets.

Krasny Yar (22) v Enisei STM (47)
Heidelberger RK (20) v Timisoara Sarries (26)

We have the Krasnoyarsk derby, so there will be a one team from Russia in. Would be fun to see the Germans get in ahead of Sarries Romanian cousins.

[Oldschool]

Okay not strictly the H Cup, but the 2nd legs of the Continental Shield SFs are this weekend. The 2 finalists will play in the Challenge Cup next year. 1st leg scores in brackets.

Krasny Yar (22) v Enisei STM (47)
Heidelberger RK (20) v Timisoara Sarries (26)

Do you know which countries each team is from?