Leinster Front Row Options going forward

[mildlyinterested]

Loosehead depth chart for Leinster, ages as start of next season:

Senior
Cian Healy(32/Belvedere/Clontarf)
Ed Byrne(26/Clongowes/UCD)
Peter Dooley(25/Birr RFC/Lansdowne)

Academy
Michael Milne(20/Birr RFC-Roscrea/UCD)

Sub-Academy
Guiseppe Coyne(20/Blackrock/DUFC)
Harry Noonan(19/Greystones RFC/Old Wesley)

[ronk]

5 year gap minimum in the squad, its not new but it puts a bit or urgency around developing. We were solid for a few years. Now if Healy declines, ships an injury or retires we are in a mess.

You can see why Byrne has been promoted lately.

[mildlyinterested]

Leinster looseheads at other provinces next season:

Jack McGrath(30/Ulster)
Jeremy Loughman(24/Munster)
Eric O'Sullivan(23/Ulster)
Jordan Duggan(21/Connacht Academy)

[D4surfer]

5 year gap minimum in the squad, its not new but it puts a bit or urgency around developing. We were solid for a few years. Now if Healy declines, ships an injury or retires we are in a mess.

You can see why Byrne has been promoted lately.

Or gets moved on to another province.

[the spoofer]

Argument for bringing in a furriner although I doubt we would be allowed.

[leinsterforever]

Argument for bringing in a furriner although I doubt we would be allowed.

To fit in where in the Healy, Byrne, Dooley, Milne, Coyne pecking order? Not sure it would make sense to slot an NIQ in there somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised to see one of Dooley or Byrne really go places with the extra exposure they'll get.

[mildlyinterested]

Argument for bringing in a furriner although I doubt we would be allowed.

To fit in where in the Healy, Byrne, Dooley, Milne, Coyne pecking order? Not sure it would make sense to slot an NIQ in there somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised to see one of Dooley or Byrne really go places with the extra exposure they'll get.

I doubt Coyne makes the academy, although they may give him a chance given RWC.

[joooooe]

Argument for bringing in a furriner although I doubt we would be allowed.

To fit in where in the Healy, Byrne, Dooley, Milne, Coyne pecking order? Not sure it would make sense to slot an NIQ in there somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised to see one of Dooley or Byrne really go places with the extra exposure they'll get.

Healy will inevitably miss a big chunk of the season so Dooley and Byrne (and, depending on injuries etc, Milne, Coyne and Bent) will get plenty of time in the 1 and 17 jerseys. At least one of these will kick on to international standard and be selected for the 6 Nations and/or summer tour ahead of, say, Kilcoyne or Cronin or McGrath. Andy Farrell will then face accusations of having a bias towards Leinster players and there will be talk of moving Byrne or Dooley West/North/South.

We've been here before. We'll be here again. We'll win European cups. However annoying it is for us, imagine how annoying it must be for fans of other teams?!

[Ruckedtobits]

What about switching Andrew Porter back to LHP and fast-tratcking the exposure of Vahk?

Porter (and Loughman) were 'chiselled out' of their natural position following Mike Ross retirement. It's quite possible Andrew would be glad to return to a position in which he could be a dominant international in 2 years time, just as Cian calls it a day.

IMO, either Ed Byrne or Peter Dooley might become international LHPs, but I fear it's unlikely either will have a 5-year plus career at the top.

[neiliog93]

What about switching Andrew Porter back to LHP and fast-tratcking the exposure of Vahk?

Porter (and Loughman) were 'chiselled out' of their natural position following Mike Ross retirement. It's quite possible Andrew would be glad to return to a position in which he could be a dominant international in 2 years time, just as Cian calls it a day.

IMO, either Ed Byrne or Peter Dooley might become international LHPs, but I fear it's unlikely either will have a 5-year plus career at the top.

They won't switch Porter back, too much invested at this stage. Bent will be gone in a year or two and with the RWC Vakh will get plenty of game time. His gene pool suggests he can make it to the top. On the loose-head side, we'll need to get Milne exposed earlier than anticipated, but I'm confident Dooley can step up. Bizarrely, I'm less confident about Ed Byrne at H Cup level despite the fact he is currently ahead of Dooley in the pecking order. He strikes me as the guy with a lovely game in the loose who looks great at Pro 14 level but might struggle against bigger, better packs in Euro games, especially knock-out.

[riocard911]

What about switching Andrew Porter back to LHP and fast-tratcking the exposure of Vahk?

Porter (and Loughman) were 'chiselled out' of their natural position following Mike Ross retirement. It's quite possible Andrew would be glad to return to a position in which he could be a dominant international in 2 years time, just as Cian calls it a day.

IMO, either Ed Byrne or Peter Dooley might become international LHPs, but I fear it's unlikely either will have a 5-year plus career at the top.

They won't switch Porter back, too much invested at this stage. Bent will be gone in a year or two and with the RWC Vakh will get plenty of game time. His gene pool suggests he can make it to the top. On the loose-head side, we'll need to get Milne exposed earlier than anticipated, but I'm confident Dooley can step up. Bizarrely, I'm less confident about Ed Byrne at H Cup level despite the fact he is currently ahead of Dooley in the pecking order. He strikes me as the guy with a lovely game in the loose who looks great at Pro 14 level but might struggle against bigger, better packs in Euro games, especially knock-out.

That's how I see it too. There's was talk a while back of Dooley going/being sent up to Béal Féirste. If I had to choose and thinking long term, I'd rather Jack buail an bóthar than Pete.

[hugonaut]

What about switching Andrew Porter back to LHP and fast-tratcking the exposure of Vahk?

Porter (and Loughman) were 'chiselled out' of their natural position following Mike Ross retirement. It's quite possible Andrew would be glad to return to a position in which he could be a dominant international in 2 years time, just as Cian calls it a day.

IMO, either Ed Byrne or Peter Dooley might become international LHPs, but I fear it's unlikely either will have a 5-year plus career at the top.

They won't switch Porter back, too much invested at this stage. Bent will be gone in a year or two and with the RWC Vakh will get plenty of game time. His gene pool suggests he can make it to the top. On the loose-head side, we'll need to get Milne exposed earlier than anticipated, but I'm confident Dooley can step up. Bizarrely, I'm less confident about Ed Byrne at H Cup level despite the fact he is currently ahead of Dooley in the pecking order. He strikes me as the guy with a lovely game in the loose who looks great at Pro 14 level but might struggle against bigger, better packs in Euro games, especially knock-out.

That's how I see it too. There's was talk a while back of Dooley going/being sent up to Béal Féirste. If I had to choose and thinking long term, I'd rather Jack buail an bóthar than Pete.

I get where you're coming from with Dooley. He's got a bigger frame than Byrne; he's listed as 185cm and almost 117kg and he's lean for a prop [image: https://www.sportsfile.com/id/1659108/ ]. Ed's listed at 180cm and 112kg, so there's a sizeable enough difference.

Jack leaving is undoubtedly good for Dooley. He had a really bright start to his Leinster career: he played 22 games in 2015-16 as a 21 year old, and was one of the young lads [along with Ringrose, Luke McGrath, Molony, van der Flier and Tracy] who started against Bath in the January 2016 European cap. That was on the back of 18 U20 caps over 4 tournaments. He's a talented guy.

Since then he has been squeezed for gametime, especially since Ed Byrne's return. But it's opening up for him again after a quiet 2017-18 season, where he struggled for minutes [285 mins in the Pro14]. No front five player is at his best when he's short on gametime, so his rate of progression stalled a bit. But he's still only 24, and he'll have 60 Leinster appearances under his belt by the end of the season. That's a very solid start to a pro career, considering the guys in front of him. I'm confident that he's going to kick on again.

Michael Milne is also a big, big talent. He didn't have a great U20 Six Nations, but he has another year at that age-grade to go [as does tighthead Tom Clarkson]. I saw Milne play for the 'A' side in the Celtic Cup and the same phrase keeps on coming back to my mind: he's a bull of a man. He's got a bit of growing up to do – he went straight into the Academy from Roscrea, and it's a big change to go from boarding school to living away from home and being in a professional set-up. But he'll come out the other side better for it. In terms of his physical abilities, he's a real talent.

[Peg Leg]

What about switching Andrew Porter back to LHP and fast-tratcking the exposure of Vahk?

Porter (and Loughman) were 'chiselled out' of their natural position following Mike Ross retirement. It's quite possible Andrew would be glad to return to a position in which he could be a dominant international in 2 years time, just as Cian calls it a day.

IMO, either Ed Byrne or Peter Dooley might become international LHPs, but I fear it's unlikely either will have a 5-year plus career at the top.

Wasn't Vakh playing loosehead when he scored that wonder try off a lineout steal a couple of weeks back?

"It was Mrs. O'Leary's cow"

[mildlyinterested]

Michael Milne is also a big, big talent. He didn't have a great U20 Six Nations, but he has another year at that age-grade to go [as does tighthead Tom Clarkson]. I saw Milne play for the 'A' side in the Celtic Cup and the same phrase keeps on coming back to my mind: he's a bull of a man. He's got a bit of growing up to do – he went straight into the Academy from Roscrea, and it's a big change to go from boarding school to living away from home and being in a professional set-up. But he'll come out the other side better for it. In terms of his physical abilities, he's a real talent.

Milne doesn't have another year at u20, he is U20. His irish rugby profile DOB is incorrect. I agree that he is a talent, but his lack of gametime at LH during the 20's was a disappointment. I think he will be going to RWC at TH cover as opposed to at LH and he is well behind Clarkson at TH.

[mildlyinterested]

Leinster have a glut of TH Props at U19 level:

Tom Clarkson(Blackrock/DUFC) - starting TH for Ireland U20 this season.

Show Spoiler:

Charlie Ward(Tullow RFC/Clontarf) - starting TH for Ireland U19 earlier in the season, injured now.

Show Spoiler:

Fionn Finlay(St. Michaels College) - sub prop for Ireland u19 this easter.

Show Spoiler:

Ryan McMahon(Clongowes Wood College) - sub prop for Ireland u19 this easter.

Show Spoiler:

Clarkson you'd assume will join the academy this summer, Ward will do another year in the sub-academy and be joined by Finlay and McMahon. Finlay played for Connacht when he was younger, so can't rule out a return for him to the west.

Below that at U18 level i'd be interested to see where the following props line up for Ireland u18 next week:

Sam Illo(Wesley College)

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Hugo O'Malley(Blackrock College)

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Rory McGuire(Blackrock College)

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At Loosehead leinster have the following underage internationals:

Michael Milne(Birr RFC-CC Roscrea/UCD) - u20

Show Spoiler:

Guiseppe Coyne(Blackrock/DUFC) - u20

Show Spoiler:

Harry Noonan(Greystones RFC/Old Wesley) - u19

Show Spoiler:

Jack Boyle(St. Michael's College) - u17

Show Spoiler:

[mildlyinterested]

A number of players leave Leinster at the end of the season and, in Jack McGrath, one to whom Healy is close and who drives the Clontarf man on to be a better player. “Jack and I are tight. We’ve worked together, battled together and gone head-to-head for shirts. The pressure from each other pushed us on and we probably achieved things we wouldn’t have achieved without each other."

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/ ... -1.3898660

[ronk]

The Cian-Heinke rotation was pretty good too and worked well for the squad.

Let’s hope one of Byrne or Dooley take their opportunity and raise their game.

[mildlyinterested]

The Cian-Heinke rotation was pretty good too and worked well for the squad.

Let’s hope one of Byrne or Dooley take their opportunity and raise their game.

next season is a huge one for Dooley.

[Oldschool]

The Cian-Heinke rotation was pretty good too and worked well for the squad.

Let’s hope one of Byrne or Dooley take their opportunity and raise their game.

next season is a huge one for Dooley.

Let's hope so and I don't say that flippantly.

[mildlyinterested]

Ireland international loose head Cian Healy has signed a new two year IRFU contract until the end of the 2020/21 season.

https://www.leinsterrugby.ie/cian-healy ... -leinster/