Pre-season friendlies

[artaneboy]

I'm not sure what your point is here? Nobody is saying a slow start is inevitable or accepting it. McGrath and Furlong aren't great examples, as they shouldn't be back for a while, they need rest.

Our side for the start of the season will have more than enough quality. Pre-season game results are meaningless.

I think it is clear what my point is. McGrath and Furlong are perfect examples. I won't labour it.


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Examples of what? There's no question of them being back at the start of the season, nor should there be. It's a moot point.

You've creating a strawman about 'accepting a slow start' and then made some obscure argument about two Lions props coming back weeks after they've finished a very long season.

So what exactly is your point?

There's no straw men argument here. Its simple, I want Leinster to be as strong as possible as early as possible in the season. That includes pre-season, but certainly from the first Pro 14 match.

So a loss to Perpignan away may not be a huge concern, but any loss is not without some concerns, as the season will be upon us soon. To be painfully obvious, as it seems necessary, the points gained or lost now are as valuable as those in the run-in. So I can't accept that we ease ourselves in, or accept without question the exclusion of players for anything but injury or 'Ireland team' demands. And to be honest I think the latter demands have been severe enough for us not to be in any way sanguine or relaxed on them.

The idea that we can somehow hold back at the start and therefore benefit from that 'pacing' at the end, doesn't add up. So I don't accept that returning British and Irish Lions tourists should be given extra time to recover. We need them back ASAP, that should be every Leinster fans wish.


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[Dave Cahill]

And Irish tourists? Did you forget them?

[leinsterforever]

There's no straw men argument here. Its simple, I want Leinster to be as strong as possible as early as possible in the season. That includes pre-season, but certainly from the first Pro 14 match.

So a loss to Perpignan away may not be a huge concern, but any loss is not without some concerns, as the season will be upon us soon. To be painfully obvious, as it seems necessary, the points gained or lost now are as valuable as those in the run-in. So I can't accept that we ease ourselves in, or accept without question the exclusion of players for anything but injury or 'Ireland team' demands. And to be honest I think the latter demands have been severe enough for us not to be in any way sanguine or relaxed on them.

The idea that we can somehow hold back at the start and therefore benefit from that 'pacing' at the end, doesn't add up. So I don't accept that returning British and Irish Lions tourists should be given extra time to recover. We need them back ASAP, that should be every Leinster fans wish.


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So you're going to throw your toys out of the pram if players who finished up on July 8 aren't back at the same time as player whose season ended on May 19?

The likes of Furlong and Jack McGrath need longer than five or six weeks for time off and pre-season.

[Laighin Break]

A little bit of tongue in cheek certainly but I believe the core message strongly. Perpignan is in third tier of French rugby if you accept the view of many French commentators that the privately owned, monied, six Clubs are Tier One, followed by the remaining Top 14 Clubs and then the top six in the ProD2.

Wouldn't a British and Irish Cup team also be considered third tier so?

[wixfjord]

There's no straw men argument here. Its simple, I want Leinster to be as strong as possible as early as possible in the season. That includes pre-season, but certainly from the first Pro 14 match.

So a loss to Perpignan away may not be a huge concern, but any loss is not without some concerns, as the season will be upon us soon. To be painfully obvious, as it seems necessary, the points gained or lost now are as valuable as those in the run-in. So I can't accept that we ease ourselves in, or accept without question the exclusion of players for anything but injury or 'Ireland team' demands. And to be honest I think the latter demands have been severe enough for us not to be in any way sanguine or relaxed on them.

The idea that we can somehow hold back at the start and therefore benefit from that 'pacing' at the end, doesn't add up. So I don't accept that returning British and Irish Lions tourists should be given extra time to recover. We need them back ASAP, that should be every Leinster fans wish.


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Everyone wants that! Nobody said they didn't.
Neither did anyone say that we should 'ease ourselves in'. That's your strawman.

Everyone wants our best players back in tow. But it's foolish to want Lions starters to play again after finishing a marathon season in mid July. In fact it's completely unrealistic.
To say you 'don't accept that returning British and Irish Lions tourists should be given extra time to recover' is just nonsense. It's not 'extra time to recover'. It's just 'time to recover'.

[the spoofer]

Is there some specific reason that the Friendly this week is been played in Marys?

[future international]

Is there some specific reason that the Friendly this week is been played in Marys?

This year's branch President is a Mary's man I'm pretty sure.

[the spoofer]

Is there some specific reason that the Friendly this week is been played in Marys?

This year's branch President is a Mary's man I'm pretty sure.

That's fair enough then. There has to be some perk.

[cormac]

Is there some specific reason that the Friendly this week is been played in Marys?

Don't think Donnybrook is available.

[the spoofer]

Is there some specific reason that the Friendly this week is been played in Marys?

Don't think Donnybrook is available.

Grand.

I said it before but I'd love to see the A games toured around the province. It would be a great marketing tool.

[simonokeeffe]

According to presser/Indo

RK back this weekend
DK possibly this weekend
Heaslip not a million miles away

Sexton, Cronin, Carberry have resumed training
Henshaw on track for mid October, Ringrose late October

[Cathalsmart]

The news about Henshaw & Ringrose has brightened up my days.

[the spoofer]

Tom Daly won't enjoy the review of the Perpignan match. Double pump and pass is a hugely risky thing to do.

[simonokeeffe]

The news about Henshaw & Ringrose has brightened up my days.

We get them back just in time for AIs
But yeah that and Lowe arriving at same time is a big bump

[mildlyinterested]

Tom Daly won't enjoy the review of the Perpignan match. Double pump and pass is a hugely risky thing to do.

ripped in tackle too.

[molloyjh]

So I don't accept that returning British and Irish Lions tourists should be given extra time to recover. We need them back ASAP, that should be every Leinster fans wish.

Any Leinster fan utterly divorced from reality maybe. The rest of us recognise that real life has to come into play. If you want to continue living in some fantasy world where this kind of thing is not just acceptable, but demanded, then fire away. But do so armed with the knowledge that back in the real world you'll find yourself very disappointed.

To be honest you're entire position on all of this seems far removed from reality. We sent our A team (i.e. our second tier team) to play their first training game of the season away to a second tier French team who are playing their last training game of the season. And but for 2 soft scores conceded (something that can realistically happen in your first hit out of the season) we probably had the beating of them. You can try and package that up in whatever negative wrapping you want, but there would seem to be a good few positives to take from it too. It was a 3rd/4th choice team FFS.

[molloyjh]

Anyone have an opinion on Perpignans 3rd try in that video? Seems to me that the ball carrier going on the last phase was tackled, went to ground and continued to crawl forward. The ref was playing advantage anyway, but surely he should have blown up there?

[riocard911]

"...that video". What video? This video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5cbt8cl704

[Cathalsmart]

Larmour looks well built, I sort of feared that he would be a little bit of a twink but that he is not, Ed Byrne looks like he is getting back to his best and his twin I think could be a great option for Leinster for the coming season if he can improve on his line out throwing as the rest of his game is very good imo.

[Cathalsmart]

Is it just me or was Marsh really good, he is still 4th choice but he doesn't look anywhere near as bad as he is made out to be granted it wasn't great opposition so he still has a bit to do but he has done his chances no harm.