Glasgow v Leinster, Sat, 1pm, Sky.

[curates_egg]

Overly tough on scrum-halves and hookers. Once you get into discussions on these positions, everything gets very heated ... and mental.

Madigan vs Gopperth anyone?

[CiaranIrl]

You don't start O'Brien on the bench even if you have every flanker in the world to choose from. He is a freak. Probably the only player the All Blacks would construct a game plan around.

...

Bench: Healy, Tracy, Bent, Ryan, SOB, JGP, Byrne, McFadden or Dave Kearney

Your secretary didn't get the memo

Ha - yeah, Ruddock

[LeinsterLeader]

Stuart Hogg to return for Glasgee on Saturday too apparently (or at least be available for selection anyway)

[kermischocolate]

Stuart Hogg to return for Glasgee on Saturday too apparently (or at least be available for selection anyway)

I'm guessing he'll start on bench. He's not played any rugby at all (most players have a game with one of the club teams to ease them back in) and Jacko hasn't put a foot wrong since he's come back.

[ronk]

Boring people for a while...

We’re overly tough on scrum halves here. If Cooney were here now we’d see exactly the same stuff.

We have decent scrumhalves who are playing reasonably well in a system that asks a lot from them. With the amount that we needed to move around the big Montpellier players they had to take a few risks.

They stood up against two of the best scrumhalves in the world in the last 2 weeks.

Overly tough on scrum-halves and hookers. Once you get into discussions on these positions, everything gets very heated ... and mental.

We understand hookers but are tough on them

We don’t understand 1st centers but we don’t think about them much

We don’t understand scrumhalves and we are tough on them.

[jezzer]

Watched the Exeter Weegies game. Glasgiw would have won it if it weren't for some awful kicking from hand and a few knock ons, most from the LHP. If they kick like that this weekend (straight to the oppo back three in space just beyond the halfway line) then we need to attack them ball in hand in their half all day.

They prefer to ruck over than jackal and they're good at it. Need to put bodies in the breakdown at pace to keep the rhythm. Exeter had a lot of success with the pick and go, direct running and passing out of contact. Glasgow are very good at defending the one-out pods.

With Johnny and Isa to come back in, I'm less worried about Luke's deliberate play in attack. Johnny threatens the line in a way Byrne doesn't, which offsets Luke's speed and passing. Luke is maybe the best defensive 9 in the NH, so he'll be needed against the fastbreak Weegies.

They have a great backline, bar the 13 Grigg, who is a liability. Get up on him and pressure him into decisions and we should make a lot of hay.

[wixfjord]

Watched the Exeter Weegies game. Glasgiw would have won it if it weren't for some awful kicking from hand and a few knock ons, most from the LHP. If they kick like that this weekend (straight to the oppo back three in space just beyond the halfway line) then we need to attack them ball in hand in their half all day.

They prefer to ruck over than jackal and they're good at it. Need to put bodies in the breakdown at pace to keep the rhythm. Exeter had a lot of success with the pick and go, direct running and passing out of contact. Glasgow are very good at defending the one-out pods.

With Johnny and Isa to come back in, I'm less worried about Luke's deliberate play in attack. Johnny threatens the line in a way Byrne doesn't, which offsets Luke's speed and passing. Luke is maybe the best defensive 9 in the NH, so he'll be needed against the fastbreak Weegies.

They have a great backline, bar the 13 Grigg, who is a liability. Get up on him and pressure him into decisions and we should make a lot of hay.

I think there might be a better one on this island, but he's certainly good.

Glas really struggled to contain Exeter's maul and close in attack as you say. Hopefully we can turn our maul into more of a weapon than a liability as it seems to be improving lately.

[mildlyinterested]

Leinster maul is improving? maybe a bit defensively, attacking mauls...

[wixfjord]

Leinster maul is improving? maybe a bit defensively, attacking mauls...

Yep, certainly defensively and got a bit of joy at the weekend going forward too, which we haven't seen in a while.
Hopefully that can continue.

[jezzer]

Watched the Exeter Weegies game. Glasgiw would have won it if it weren't for some awful kicking from hand and a few knock ons, most from the LHP. If they kick like that this weekend (straight to the oppo back three in space just beyond the halfway line) then we need to attack them ball in hand in their half all day.

They prefer to ruck over than jackal and they're good at it. Need to put bodies in the breakdown at pace to keep the rhythm. Exeter had a lot of success with the pick and go, direct running and passing out of contact. Glasgow are very good at defending the one-out pods.

With Johnny and Isa to come back in, I'm less worried about Luke's deliberate play in attack. Johnny threatens the line in a way Byrne doesn't, which offsets Luke's speed and passing. Luke is maybe the best defensive 9 in the NH, so he'll be needed against the fastbreak Weegies.

They have a great backline, bar the 13 Grigg, who is a liability. Get up on him and pressure him into decisions and we should make a lot of hay.

I think there might be a better one on this island, but he's certainly good.

Glas really struggled to contain Exeter's maul and close in attack as you say. Hopefully we can turn our maul into more of a weapon than a liability as it seems to be improving lately.

I really think Luke is better defensively (if not in all the other stuff).

I'd give us the edge in the front row, them the edge at lock, us the edge in the backrow (buy not by much - Ashe was everywhere), evens at halfback, us the edge in the centre and Glasgow the edge in the back three. Will be a tasty matchup - two teams who know each other well and play well away from home against each other.

Our team picks itself, if the fitness reports are to be believed.

[wixfjord]

I really think Luke is better defensively (if not in all the other stuff).

Jaysus I wound't agree there Jezzer! Some of the defensive performances Murray has put in at test level have been heroic. South Africa springs to mind immediately. Have never seen McGrath at that level yet.

[olaf the fat]

I really think Luke is better defensively (if not in all the other stuff).

Jaysus I wound't agree there Jezzer! Some of the defensive performances Murray has put in at test level have been heroic. South Africa springs to mind immediately. Have never seen McGrath at that level yet.

Based only on the highlights of last weekend's game - Cooney is going well in Ulster. Things are getting crowded in the queue for Ireland's sub scrum half.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Yeah and the Cooney call is looking like a good one from Nucifora's POV.

[curates_egg]

Yeah and the Cooney call is looking like a good one from Nucifora's POV.

Think he is better than Marmion (and Blade), so didn't understand why he didn't really get a proper look in out west.
Always regretted us letting him go. Think he would be there or thereabouts if he had stayed.

McGrath is - pound for pound - a superb defensive option at 9. Possibly technically better than Murray...but Murray is more of a unit, and therefore more effective.

[El Diablo]

The good news is that so long as he avoids a knock in training this week, Johnny will be fine for Saturday. I'm afraid that is all the good news I have. It is not looking good for SOB & Isa. Noel Reid to start at 12.
Adam Byrne might pay the price for all those missed tackles.
Dan Leavy fit and back in contention but unlikely to start.

[Leinsterlunatic]

The good news is that so long as he avoids a knock in training this week, Johnny will be fine for Saturday. I'm afraid that is all the good news I have. It is not looking good for SOB & Isa. Noel Reid to start at 12.
Adam Byrne might pay the price for all those missed tackles.
Dan Leavy fit and back in contention but unlikely to start.

Byrne needs to be dropped, his defence is getting worse and worse as the season goes on.

[curates_egg]

The good news is that so long as he avoids a knock in training this week, Johnny will be fine for Saturday. I'm afraid that is all the good news I have. It is not looking good for SOB & Isa. Noel Reid to start at 12.
Adam Byrne might pay the price for all those missed tackles.
Dan Leavy fit and back in contention but unlikely to start.

Reid missed more tackles though and certainly more per minute. Presume that means ROL is also still injured?
I'd be happy enough with Sexton-Reid-Henshaw. We could test their midfield I think...and Reid should be ok in between two very good defenders.

[Dave Cahill]

Yeah and the Cooney call is looking like a good one from Nucifora's POV.

According to a piece in the indo a couple of weeks ago it was Cooney who got the move to Ulster - he saw on SSN that Pienaar wasn't been renewed and rang his agent straight away to get him in there

[arsebiscuits1]

The good news is that so long as he avoids a knock in training this week, Johnny will be fine for Saturday. I'm afraid that is all the good news I have. It is not looking good for SOB & Isa. Noel Reid to start at 12.
Adam Byrne might pay the price for all those missed tackles.
Dan Leavy fit and back in contention but unlikely to start.

Who comes in for Byrne? Kearney or McFadden?

Would be extremely harsh on Murphy to lose the 20 shirt to Leavy, think he has been pushing Ruddock for a start

[Leinster Lout]

Watched the Exeter Weegies game. Glasgiw would have won it if it weren't for some awful kicking from hand and a few knock ons, most from the LHP. If they kick like that this weekend (straight to the oppo back three in space just beyond the halfway line) then we need to attack them ball in hand in their half all day.

They prefer to ruck over than jackal and they're good at it. Need to put bodies in the breakdown at pace to keep the rhythm. Exeter had a lot of success with the pick and go, direct running and passing out of contact. Glasgow are very good at defending the one-out pods.

With Johnny and Isa to come back in, I'm less worried about Luke's deliberate play in attack. Johnny threatens the line in a way Byrne doesn't, which offsets Luke's speed and passing. Luke is maybe the best defensive 9 in the NH, so he'll be needed against the fastbreak Weegies.

They have a great backline, bar the 13 Grigg, who is a liability. Get up on him and pressure him into decisions and we should make a lot of hay.

The few times I've seen him he has looked v dangerous with the ball. Hard to put down.