James Lowe signs for Leinster

[offshorerules]

Super signing.
A real finisher: something we haven't really had since Hickie.

A certain Luke Fitzgerald springs to mind. How quickly we forget!

Lukie was many things but he wasn't a finisher. He was a skillful footballer, with a great rugby instinct, which made him a whole different type of winger but I doubt even he would describe himself as a real finisher. The Munster hoardes never tire in pointing out how none of our wingers scores tries...and the stats don't lie.

Like the one where Zebo has only scored one six nations try?

[Laighin Break]

FINALLY !!!! Leinster have needed to sign a Second Row and a Winger for three seasons... but it was well worth the wait, two amazing signings !!
Lowe and Byrne on the wings is some extremely exciting stuff!!

Team for 2017-18:
15.Kearney/Nacewa/Carbery
14.Byrne/McFadden/Daly
13.Ringrose/O'Loughlin/Daly
12.Henshaw/Reid
11.Lowe/Kearney
10.Sexton/Byrne
9.McGrath/Park
8.Heaslip/Conan
7.VDF/Murphy
6.O'Brian/Leavy/Ruddock
5.Toner/Molony/Kearney
4.Fardy/Triggs/Nagle
3.Furlong/Bent/Ross
2.Cronin/Leavy/Strauss/Byrne
1.McGrath/Healy/Dooley/Byrne/Porter

I'd like to see Leinster convert either Dooley or Porter into a Tight-Head...

Leavy to hooker? We saw it here first
Think Triggs will be gone by next season, but we're hoping James Ryan might break through.

[curates_egg]

Super signing.
A real finisher: something we haven't really had since Hickie.

Lukie was many things but he wasn't a finisher. He was a skillful footballer, with a great rugby instinct, which made him a whole different type of winger but I doubt even he would describe himself as a real finisher. The Munster hoardes never tire in pointing out how none of our wingers scores tries...and the stats don't lie.

Like the one where Zebo has only scored one six nations try?

Make the case to them! I think there are great wingers in Munster, Ulster and Leinster (I don't buy into the Healy, Adeolokun hype and never did), who bring different things to the game.

I think Luke was great but he wasn't a speedster finisher.

In the context of this thread: I stand by my original point that Lowe is a great signing and a nippy finisher that we haven't had at the province in a while. The idea of him, Isa and Byrne in a back three is pretty exciting.
That is not to take away from the Kearneys and McFadden, who I think are great but who bring a different aspect to the game.

[blockhead]

Looking at a few you-tube clips of Lowe, he cetainly is a very good player with a lovely skill set. Not a speedster though, from what I seen anyways. Hope his battle with arthritis isn't affected by our miserable wet winters.

[jezzer]

Helluva signing. Big kid, powerful, fast and great feet. Great handoff and power to ride the tackle (a la Shaggy in that department) Plays with a smile on his face - is going to love our setup.

Has a few things to learn about defence though - that aspect is going to be a transition for him, coming up here. A bit wild and raw though, the extra discipline of the NH is going to be a learning curve for him but will round him out as a player. He has pace, take a look at his 1st try in R1 of the SR2017 and that should satisfy any doubts.

As unpopular as it might be elsewhere for us to do this, I think it's a sign that Byrne is earmarked for Ireland caps, Zane is off and they want 3/4 help as a result, plus to bed a back three guy in before Isa calls it a day. Ferg won't get renewed, I doubt, certainly not at any salary level that's going to put a dint in our finances/squad. It probably looks a bit excessive this year, but within 12 months it'll be totally obvious that this was needed. I think we're all a bit buzzed by how well out young guys are going, but we still needed both Zane and Isa to keep us competitive in league and cup. We're going to need a James Lowe next year and hopefully he can get his defence up to speed early.

[simonokeeffe]

Cummiskey outdid himself on MNR, right at the end of the part of the show about Lowe and POSSIBILITY of him qualifying for Ireland he said we could have a great team in 5 years of Payne, Lowe, Gibson Park

Payne would be 37, JGP mightnt be here and is behind Ireland's 3rd choice scrumhalf and our first choice is only 27

(am aware of a certain irony at work here )

[paddyor]

The reaction of some Kiwis to this signing is pleasing. Not at all happy to be losing him.

[neiliog93]

Some of them are claiming he's the best left wing in the world (a la Dave Rennie). I think he should be ok with the weather here, New Zealand Winters are quite unpleasant at times.

[blockhead]

From Planet Rugby:

Leinster turning heads with blockbuster signings

Date published: March 7 2017

Recruiting one of the best wingers in Super Rugby in James Lowe and Australia’s hard-working back-row Scott Fardy have thrust the spotlight on Leinster and built anticipation ahead of next season.

Leinster’s current campaign has been far from a failure, top of the PRO12 and with also a home Champions Cup quarter-final ahead against Wasps.

2017 marks five years since the last of their European titles however, having been overtaken by Toulon and now Saracens, and now in a bid to get back to those heights their two new high-profile signings over the last week have been hugely impressive.

Starting with Scott Fardy, it has almost become cliché to describe the Brumby as the underrated member of an extremely talented back row featuring Michael Hooper and David Pocock, because Fardy’s craft is now widely appreciated.

Few players in the sport display a higher work-rate on a weekly basis, regularly powering his way from one breakdown to the next.

Leo Cullen, the Leinster head coach, stressed that Fardy has been signed as a lock, with the move coming a few days before Mike McCarthy’s departure to Narbonne was confirmed. But it would be no surprise to see him also packing down at six, the position he has made his own with the Wallabies.

Fardy’s backstory is also one of remarkable perseverance. Having more or less given up on playing for Australia and moved to play in Japan, he returned home aged 28 and has gone on to win 39 caps and counting for the Wallabies ever since, after sparkling for the Brumbies under Jake White.

Fardy’s resulting depth of experience, combined with his skill as a lineout operator, make him a savvy acquisition. Leinster’s young locks in Ross Molony, Mick Kearney, David O’Connor and James Ryan will all learn plenty from Fardy, as they have from Devin Toner.

His arrival feels similar to the signing of Rocky Elsom, another Australian, who will never struggle to find a free pint in Dublin after his heroics in the province’s run to that first European Cup back in 2009. Should Fardy make a similar impact then Leinster will be well set.

Fardy is the quality veteran recruit whose move almost feels obvious, and a natural fit. The move for James Lowe on the other hand is an out-and-out blockbuster transfer.

Cynics naturally pointed to Lowe becoming the next to follow CJ Stander and Jared Payne as a potential future Ireland international qualifying on residency grounds, but Lowe’s thoughts outlined to Stuff on Tuesday after the move was confirmed proved that there is far more to him than that.

Having watched his team-mate and Chiefs co-captain Charlie Ngatai battle to come back from concussion, and as a sufferer himself of rheumatoid arthritis, Lowe is a 24-year-old with the awareness that his career could come to a premature end at any moment.

Not only that, but Lowe has recognised that with Israel Dagg and Ben Smith re-signing with the NZRU, and taking into account the size of the offer on the table from Leinster, that this was an “awesome opportunity”, in his words, that couldn’t be turned down.

Based on the start of this Super Rugby season and his exploits over the last two years, he will be worth every euro Leinster pay him.

Lowe is frankly a devastating finisher who would be in contention for a starting berth for any Test country were the likes of Smith, Dagg, Julian Savea, Waisake Naholo, Nehe Milner-Skudder and Rieko Ioane not also competing for the same spots.

Rapid, with quick feet and a natural talent to spot gaps in defences before ripping through them, Leinster have arguably made the signing of the season, and one which raised plenty of eyebrows when announced on Monday, more than the confirmation hours earlier than Ian Madigan is one the move to Championship-bound Bristol.

Fardy and Lowe alone it should be said would not turn any club on the continent into cast-iron contenders.

Yet add them into a squad already brimming with Ireland internationals new and old – a mixture of the Tadgh Furlong, Jack McGrath, Josh van der Flier, Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose with Johnny Sexton, Toner, Jamie Heaslip and Rob Kearney – and Leinster, the team leading the PRO12 and with a home quarter-final in the Champions Cup, automatically move up a level.

Next season, with Fardy and Lowe turning out at the RDS, they will be a fasincating watch.

by Ben Coles

[ronk]

Scoring over 100 tries in all competitions this early in the season may have helped in securing his services. If it works out he'll be super for us

[Oldschoolsocks]

Scoring over 100 tries in all competitions this early in the season may have helped in securing his services. If it works out he'll be super for us

Lowe has scored 100 tries this season?

Janey Mack - how can we afford him...

[erskinechilders]

Scoring over 100 tries in all competitions this early in the season may have helped in securing his services. If it works out he'll be super for us

We've 107

Who's scored everything ? do we have anybody in double figures yet?

[hugonaut]

Scoring over 100 tries in all competitions this early in the season may have helped in securing his services. If it works out he'll be super for us

We've 107

Who's scored everything ? do we have anybody in double figures yet?

Nobody in double figures as far as I'm aware - AB+ has 9, Carbery has 8, Luke McGrath has 8, Rory O'Loughlin has 8, Conan has 7, Isa has 6, JGP and Ringrose have 5 each.

[limecat]

I will once again remind posters of the forum rules.

Instead of responding to posts that you think are WUMming in a similar vein or with personal abuse, report the post or ignore the post or add the poster to your "foe" list, so that you don't see their posts any more.

I don't want to be the big, bad moderator handing out warnings and bans, but will continue to do so when it's deemed necessary.

[MunsterSugar]

I will once again remind posters of the forum rules.

Instead of responding to posts that you think are WUMming in a similar vein or with personal abuse, report the post or ignore the post or add the poster to your "foe" list, so that you don't see their posts any more.

I don't want to be the big, bad moderator handing out warnings and bans, but will continue to do so when it's deemed necessary.

Again to Limecat I'm happy if you show which post of mine was Wumming. Happy to be out in open.

Back on Lowe he has confirmed there was a pay gap off €100k and between that and lengthy que in front for all blacks he was convinced to try a new challenge

[Logorrhea]

Again to Limecat I'm happy if you show which post of mine was Wumming. Happy to be out in open.

I think if the Limecat was to respond to you it would be in breach of the forum rules causing it to warn and eventually ban itself. We don't want that.

[Peg Leg]

Again to Limecat I'm happy if you show which post of mine was Wumming. Happy to be out in open.

I think if the Limecat was to respond to you it would be in breach of the forum rules causing it to warn and eventually ban itself. We don't want that.

Of course it also said posts "that you think" are wumming ergo not everyone does.

And generally not one to jump to defend a poster on here, even elderly ones, but to call Johng a bully mistakes his sense of humour.

[limecat]

Again to Limecat I'm happy if you show which post of mine was Wumming. Happy to be out in open.

When you come back in a week's time, please make yourself familiar with the forum rules.

[MunsterSugar]

Again to Limecat I'm happy if you show which post of mine was Wumming. Happy to be out in open.

When you come back in a week's time, please make yourself familiar with the forum rules.

All I asked was example as I've read rules and no rule broken

[cormac]

Scoring over 100 tries in all competitions this early in the season may have helped in securing his services. If it works out he'll be super for us

We've 107

Who's scored everything ? do we have anybody in double figures yet?

Nobody in double figures as far as I'm aware - AB+ has 9, Carbery has 8, Luke McGrath has 8, Rory O'Loughlin has 8, Conan has 7, Isa has 6, JGP and Ringrose have 5 each.

As an addendum to Hugonaut's post, we've had 32 different players score tries for us this season, plus perennial fan favourite P Try has chipped in with two.