Leinster's 2nd Row options

[Xanthippe]

Josh Murphy(23) - Signed contract in 2018. Primarily to date a blindside flanker, but may be option at 2nd row.

Mildly what about Ruddock - if Josh is a possible options then would Rhys be an option too?

[mildlyinterested]

Josh Murphy(23) - Signed contract in 2018. Primarily to date a blindside flanker, but may be option at 2nd row.

Mildly what about Ruddock - if Josh is a possible options then would Rhys be an option too?

I suppose so, I don't think he'd ever be an option to start a game but as bench cover..sure.

I don't really view Murphy as a live option, given he hasn't played there much in some time, but as cover.

[Serb]

Will Fardy get a contract renewal? He’s 34 now, 35 by the time next season starts. I’d hope with the World Cup looming, where we’re guaranteed to lose both Toner and Ryan, we’d retain Fardy for at least one more year, but I think at that age, players push for two years, and I’m not sure the IRFU would agree to that.

[mildlyinterested]

Ian Nagle was really a poor signing, he came in and Leinster released Tadgh Beirne and Gavin Thornbury.. what if leinster had stuck with those lads after investing years in their development upto that point.

[Ruckedtobits]

Ian Nagle was really a poor signing, he came in and Leinster released Tadgh Beirne and Gavin Thornbury.. what if leinster had stuck with those lads after investing years in their development upto that point.

At the time they were let go, neither was physically able to play due to injury concerns, apparently chronic in both cases. Thornberry's kneecap was one problem and Beirne also had knee (and possibly shoulder) issues. Nagle was available and fit.

Timing, as always in these matters, was a key factor.

[mildlyinterested]

Ian Nagle was really a poor signing, he came in and Leinster released Tadgh Beirne and Gavin Thornbury.. what if leinster had stuck with those lads after investing years in their development upto that point.

At the time they were let go, neither was physically able to play due to injury concerns, apparently chronic in both cases. Thornberry's kneecap was one problem and Beirne also had knee (and possibly shoulder) issues. Nagle was available and fit.

Timing, as always in these matters, was a key factor.

neither have had chronic injury issues since leaving leinster, with their knees or anywhere else. And both picked up opportunities elsewhere upon leaving, Beirne(Scarlets) and Thornbury in NZ and then Connacht.

Coaches aren't going to get every decision right, but hopefully lessons can be learnt.

[Dave Cahill]

Ian Nagle was really a poor signing, he came in and Leinster released Tadgh Beirne and Gavin Thornbury.. what if leinster had stuck with those lads after investing years in their development upto that point.

Tadhg Beirne was in the Academy for three years, 14 months of which he was injured.
He was then given a further year, during which he got injured.
During that time he made 5 senior appearances totalling about an hour and a half.

With that information in front of you, would you have kept him on?

Thornbury is third choice at Connacht - is he better than our third choice lock or even our fourth and fifth choice locks in Molony and Kearney?

Its very easy to be wise in hindsight - foresight is a lot harder.

[mildlyinterested]

Ian Nagle was really a poor signing, he came in and Leinster released Tadgh Beirne and Gavin Thornbury.. what if leinster had stuck with those lads after investing years in their development upto that point.

Tadhg Beirne was in the Academy for three years, 14 months of which he was injured.
He was then given a further year, during which he got injured.
During that time he made 5 senior appearances totalling about an hour and a half.

With that information in front of you, would you have kept him on?

Thornbury is third choice at Connacht - is he better than our third choice lock or even our fourth and fifth choice locks in Molony and Kearney?

Its very easy to be wise in hindsight - foresight is a lot harder.

Who said it was easy?

doesn't change the fact that Nagle was a poor signing.

[Dave Cahill]

I don't see what one has to do with the other. We didn't release Beirne and Thornbury so we could sign Nagle. We released them because they hadn't made any return on our investment in them and with any reasonable kind of foresight it didn't look like they would. They were getting released no matter what or who was coming down the line.

[OTT]

Ian Nagle was really a poor signing, he came in and Leinster released Tadgh Beirne and Gavin Thornbury.. what if leinster had stuck with those lads after investing years in their development upto that point.

That is such an abstract pov.

What were your expectations of Nagle?

Did he not come cheap and with minimun expectations from the supporters?



The decision on Beirne (only given a contract to cover the RWC 2015 and then extended for the season) and Thornbury (released at the end of 2016 season without ever playing for Leinster) had nothing to do with Nagle signing and probably more to do with Molony (being backed), Ryan coming through behind and the hope that Mick Kearney (signed in 2015 and injured for the first 6 months) would show his Connacht form and then some. Maybe any of these choices were wrong but none of them have anything to do with Nagle.

Nagle was a seriously low percentage punt who at one stage looked like he might have become a bit more but it did not happen.

If Thornbury and Beirne were with us still we would have a roster of Toner, Molony, Ryan, Beirne, Thornbury and Kearney (you want Roux as well??) we probably would not have been allowed to sign Scott Fardy and imo we would not have won a 4th star without his contributions last year.

[LeinsterLeader]

Ian Nagle was really a poor signing, he came in and Leinster released Tadgh Beirne and Gavin Thornbury.. what if leinster had stuck with those lads after investing years in their development upto that point.

That is such an abstract pov.

What were your expectations of Nagle?

Did he not come cheap and with minimun expectations from the supporters?



The decision on Beirne (only given a contract to cover the RWC 2015 and then extended for the season) and Thornbury (released at the end of 2016 season without ever playing for Leinster) had nothing to do with Nagle signing and probably more to do with Molony (being backed), Ryan coming through behind and the hope that Mick Kearney (signed in 2015 and injured for the first 6 months) would show his Connacht form and then some. Maybe any of these choices were wrong but none of them have anything to do with Nagle.

Nagle was a seriously low percentage punt who at one stage looked like he might have become a bit more but it did not happen.

If Thornbury and Beirne were with us still we would have a roster of Toner, Molony, Ryan, Beirne, Thornbury and Kearney (you want Roux as well??) we probably would not have been allowed to sign Scott Fardy and imo we would not have won a 4th star without his contributions last year.

Also, if we had a "roster of Toner, Molony, Ryan, Beirne, Thornbury " we probably wouldn't be allowed to keep them all. So TB would have been sent to Munster and we're back we're we are now......

Or worse they might have sent James Ryan down ......

[riocard911]

Ian Nagle was really a poor signing, he came in and Leinster released Tadgh Beirne and Gavin Thornbury.. what if leinster had stuck with those lads after investing years in their development upto that point.

That is such an abstract pov.

What were your expectations of Nagle?

Did he not come cheap and with minimun expectations from the supporters?



The decision on Beirne (only given a contract to cover the RWC 2015 and then extended for the season) and Thornbury (released at the end of 2016 season without ever playing for Leinster) had nothing to do with Nagle signing and probably more to do with Molony (being backed), Ryan coming through behind and the hope that Mick Kearney (signed in 2015 and injured for the first 6 months) would show his Connacht form and then some. Maybe any of these choices were wrong but none of them have anything to do with Nagle.

Nagle was a seriously low percentage punt who at one stage looked like he might have become a bit more but it did not happen.

If Thornbury and Beirne were with us still we would have a roster of Toner, Molony, Ryan, Beirne, Thornbury and Kearney (you want Roux as well??) we probably would not have been allowed to sign Scott Fardy and imo we would not have won a 4th star without his contributions last year.

Also, if we had a "roster of Toner, Molony, Ryan, Beirne, Thornbury " we probably wouldn't be allowed to keep them all. So TB would have been sent to Munster and we're back we're we are now......

Or worse they might have sent James Ryan down ......

Thanks for the glass half full perspective!!!!

[LeinsterLeader]

Or worse they might have sent James Ryan down ......

Thanks for the glass half full perspective!!!!

"Every cloud" .....an all that

[Peg Leg]

Ian Nagle was really a poor signing, he came in and Leinster released Tadgh Beirne and Gavin Thornbury.. what if leinster had stuck with those lads after investing years in their development upto that point.

At the time they were let go, neither was physically able to play due to injury concerns, apparently chronic in both cases. Thornberry's kneecap was one problem and Beirne also had knee (and possibly shoulder) issues. Nagle was available and fit.

Timing, as always in these matters, was a key factor.

neither have had chronic injury issues since leaving leinster.

Well thank goodness they left then, because they are actually good future prospects for Leinster now.

[neiliog93]

The problem with that analysis is that Mick Kearney was never really that good for Connacht (albeit a bit better than he's been for us). We definitely, definitely did the worse out of what was effectively a Quinn Roux-Mick Kearney swap.

[mildlyinterested]

Jack Dunne and Charlie Ryan trained with senior squad this week, no Ryan Baird due to injury of course.

[Jonny tight lips]

Saw Luke ask Bernie how much he enjoyed beating leinster in the Pro12 semi of 2017, forgot to ask him how he felt being hammered in the final 12 months later and of course the semi in the Heineken cup. Shame really because that’s what I wanted to know

[mildlyinterested]

Meh can't blame Beirne of course he would have enjoyed it, shame it didn't work out for him here due to his injuries.

[Jonny tight lips]

True but would of been balanced to ask him both questions, then ask if it drive him to join Munster

[ronk]

True but would of been balanced to ask him both questions, then ask if it drive him to join Munster

Beirne took a pay cut (outbid by Scarlets!!!) to play for Ireland.

He had no interest in joining Munster and would have stayed where he was if he wasn’t in the picture for caps. I have no idea to what extent he choose Munster over other provinces.