Possible golden generation

[ronk]

Given the way the current generation of young players are coming through and either making an impact or threatening to soon, I thought it might be worth looking at them by position

Working off an age cutoff of 24 so Jordi Murphy is out though he possibly belongs

International or clear future international standard (and proven at Leinster)

• Prop: Furlong 24
  Lock: Molony 22
  Backrow:
  van der Flier 23
  Leavy 22
  Conan 24
  Scrumhalf: McGrath 23
  Outhalf: Carbery 21
  Centre: Henshaw 23
  Ringrose 21
  Back 3: A Byrne 22

Few young players who I'd expect to join them like the Byrne twins or Dooley etc., Tracy could probably be considered given the way hookers develop late and he switched positions.

[CiaranIrl]

James Ryan at lock deserves a mention. Locks are a bit slower to come through, but I have no doubt that guy will make it.

[Ruckedtobits]

Always slightly wary of proclaiming a 'golden' group never mind a generation, nonetheless the current crop certainly suggest that the Leinster Way works and that Phil Lawlor across the Club game and Peter Smyth in the Academy are mining a rich seam at present.

Dooley and Porter will graduate to this list shortly. Treacy has almost arrived. Molony and James Ryan are worthy occupants of the second row whilst Deegan may join the back-row illumini. O'Loughlin could join the mid-field crop and Barry Daly and Jordan Larmour could join Adam Byrne on the wing. Nick McCarthy could yet ascend to the top-end of our scrum-half roster and Peader Timmons, (if he could find an appropriate position) has the skills to associate with any of his contemporaries.

[Fan with smartphone]

Those guys are the next golden generation after this golden generation though and with porter, deegan, Ryan and Connors it could be even more eh, goldener. It's the conveyor belt that's golden hopefully!

When it comes to using the term golden generation maybe silence is golden, but Leinster are by some distance the best young team in Europe. I thought it would take 2 years to see the full fruition of it and whilst it still might - second row is just not totally humming yet, there's a team of squad of kids there that have the future very, very bright. It's the main engine behind Irish rugby.

[simonokeeffe]

once again Jordi Muprhy is overlooked by the fans hes our own veritable Jamie Heaslip

[deco]

Best to kill this thread or IRFU will want to share the talent amongst our rivals 'for the good of Irish rugby'

[johng]

Best to kill this thread or IRFU will want to share the talent amongst our rivals 'for the good of Irish rugby'

Cause that's what's happened in the past............

[simonokeeffe]

Best to kill this thread or IRFU will want to share the talent amongst our rivals 'for the good of Irish rugby'

Im reasonably ok with that to some extent, but am assuming most would want to come back if they could

Munster only other structure producing nearly enough players, we're running a surplus, Connacht & Ulster a defecit

[ronk]

Hard to share out the players we're building around.

All these guys are already getting enough action to know they don't need to move to advance their careers.




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[jezzer]

Given what most of these players have achieved this autumn, I don't think it's out of order to start looking at this bunch as a golden generation.

I'd probably put a few of the guys in the list as Silver category, but there us some world class talent in the group of McGrath (I'd still include him at 26 or 27), Furlong (who is a generational talent), JVDF (who's just smashed the backrow door down, put his feet up on the table and ordered a round on Joe Schmidt's tab.
Carbery is a special talent. Amazing to see his maturity and tenacity in so few games and at such a high level of opposition. Henshaw and Ringrose aren't as dazzling a duo as Darce and BOD were, but they're razor sharp sabres to BOD and Gordon's rapiers.

Behind them there's a group headed by Murphy, Conan and Leavy, who themselves are within spitting distance of the Test group. Tracy, Dooley, Molony, McGrath, O'Loughlin, Byrne, Byrne, Daly, Daly.... Then a convoy of Academy talent coming up behind with some exciting players....

We' re on a very rapid upward curve towards NZ as a rugby nation and the Leinster talent pool (plus top class coaching, much of it from SH) is driving us up to the top tier of club rugby (again) but also test rugby.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Ah ronk, you've gone and jinxed it!

Whatever about them being a golden generation (to me that will come down to trophies), I think we're blessed with the number of players who are great to watch. It's been ages since I saw a teamsheet that wasn't exciting.

[dropkick]

It looks like a new golden generation alright. The big difference between this and the last golden generation is that the last one relied more on luck while this is more a result of a good conveyor belt. The standards in underage coaching is now very good, as you can see in the new generation of players.

Best to kill this thread or IRFU will want to share the talent amongst our rivals 'for the good of Irish rugby'

It will be player driven. By now it's clear that there's not a lot the IRFU can do although for your sake you better hope they don't change the bidding process because as an example, if the provinces could outbid each other, Ulster would be throwing money at the likes of Leavy and Conan.

[goreyguy]

It looks like a new golden generation alright. The big difference between this and the last golden generation is that the last one relied more on luck while this is more a result of a good conveyor belt. The standards in underage coaching is now very good, as you can see in the new generation of players.

Best to kill this thread or IRFU will want to share the talent amongst our rivals 'for the good of Irish rugby'

It will be player driven. By now it's clear that there's not a lot the IRFU can do although for your sake you better hope they don't change the bidding process because as an example, if the provinces could outbid each other, Ulster would be throwing money at the likes of Leavy and Conan.

Munster would't be far behind.

Also provinces can outbide each other, for instance one province can offer a dev contract and the other a full senior contract. same with academy vs dev deals etc. Also one province can offer more years than another afaik.

[rdsblue]

There is now a very strong possibility that James Ryan may have to retire altogether from rugby. His injury is similar to Paul O'Connor's career ending one. It would be an absolute tragedy for someone so young as Ryan who has looked a fantastic prospect since his early schooldays in Michaels. He seemed to be the natural successor to Mal O'Kelly & Dev Toner. Hopefully this situation does not come to pass and James recovers and goes on to play with Dev in Leinster & Ireland's row.

[Xanthippe]

There is now a very strong possibility that James Ryan may have to retire altogether from rugby. His injury is similar to Paul O'Connor's career ending one. It would be an absolute tragedy for someone so young as Ryan who has looked a fantastic prospect since his early schooldays in Michaels. He seemed to be the natural successor to Mal O'Kelly & Dev Toner. Hopefully this situation does not come to pass and James recovers and goes on to play with Dev in Leinster & Ireland's row.

But didn't Cian Healy have the exact same injury and look at him now. Surely Paulie's age and the miles on the clock would have had a much greater effect than the same injury to a lad only starting out.

[lotmc]

POC could not do the rehab that would have been required due to the ongoing problems he was having with his back. James Ryan hopefully won't have that complication, so he should be fine. Just takes time and a lot of rehab to get back to form, but when he does there should not be any weakness in the hamstring.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Supposedly there's no concerns about James Ryan, and Franno's article was based on him thinking Leinster were covering it up...because he had missed the statement about it a while back. I believe he actually had the type of injury wrong too.

[Oldschoolsocks]

Supposedly there's no concerns about James Ryan, and Franno's article was based on him thinking Leinster were covering it up...because he had missed the statement about it a while back. I believe he actually had the type of injury wrong too.

In fact, Franno almost appears to be the polar opposite of Noel "the Wall" Reid.

Reid - relatively slight, swift of foot, intelligent, evasive, accomplished rugby brain, has learned to relish the physical challenge that his sport presents him with, has stood up to prove his detractors (me included) wrong.

Franno - a snivelling coward of a man, blessed with all of the physical attributes to be a world class great of the game who I seem to remember crying when being walked off an international pitch.

[simonokeeffe]

Supposedly there's no concerns about James Ryan, and Franno's article was based on him thinking Leinster were covering it up...because he had missed the statement about it a while back. I believe he actually had the type of injury wrong too.

In fact, Franno almost appears to be the polar opposite of Noel "the Wall" Reid.

Reid - relatively slight, swift of foot, intelligent, evasive, accomplished rugby brain, has learned to relish the physical challenge that his sport presents him with, has stood up to prove his detractors (me included) wrong.

Franno - a snivelling coward of a man, blessed with all of the physical attributes to be a world class great of the game who I seem to remember crying when being walked off an international pitch.

Most of Franno's articles could be replaced with the sentence 'hugging your children makes them gay'

[arsebiscuits1]

I don't buy it. He is young and hasn't had a proper shot at pro rugby.

Johnny Holland had horrendous trouble with his hammer but he still gave it a proper shot at the highest level.

If I were James Ryan and I had dedicated most of my short life to making it, I would.

With the resources available to him and the quality of S&C these days he will get back to a level where he can compete and then he can decide.

All you need is is 10 minutes of him on a pitch to see he is not the sort of player to just give up like that. We will see him next season no doubt!