Leinster v Dragons Fri 7.35 TG4

[artaneboy]

Don't think I have ever been so cold at a match. Larmour the man!

You must have missed Clermont at Lansdowne 2010/2011 season pre-Christmas match, now that's proper cold

That Clermont match was by far the coldest: brass money stuff. But last night night was nippy.

I was delighted for Ross Byrne- okay it was only the Dragons, but he gave a masterclass. A timely one too, given the commentary on Joey’s position.

I thought Fardy was great all match. Great leadership in all aspects. As if we didn’t know it before, we have a real gem there.


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[Keith]

How hard will it be to hang onto Deegan? The guy already looks like he'd be comfortable at European level.

[TimD]

The time Fardy was complaining to the ref about them clearing beyond the ruck and the ref said something along the lines of you’re not the captain and Fardy said yeah but he is out on the wing he doesn’t see it happening was quite funny. They were quite blatantly doing it for the lead up to their try I thought.
Fardy was really good I thought. Even aside from his strong carries just his basics are so good.
I know Ferg isn’t a very sexy winger but some of his clear outs last night were so aggressive
I thought Nagle put in a good shift for someone just back from injury and having to come on so early.

[TerenureJim]

Far day has been a revelation, I knew he'd be class but he's definitely that old school enforcer style engine room guy we've missed since the days of Hines, Cullen and super short Thorn stint

[TimD]

Far day has been a revelation, I knew he'd be class but he's definitely that old school enforcer style engine room guy we've missed since the days of Hines, Cullen and super short Thorn stint

He brings a nice bit of niggle which we have been missing I think. However he is a very good player outside of that. Was there any update on the injuries to Maloney or Nagle?

[Oldschoolsocks]

My favorite moment was Noel Reid adding another no.8 to his trophy cabinet. C’mon the wall!!

[desperado]

The time Fardy was complaining to the ref about them clearing beyond the ruck and the ref said something along the lines of you’re not the captain and Fardy said yeah but he is out on the wing he doesn’t see it happening was quite funny. They were quite blatantly doing it for the lead up to their try I thought.
Fardy was really good I thought. Even aside from his strong carries just his basics are so good.
I know Ferg isn’t a very sexy winger but some of his clear outs last night were so aggressive
I thought Nagle put in a good shift for someone just back from injury and having to come on so early.

Agree on Fardy. Cool customer. Thought he was close to being MOTM; although in fairness to Ross it was his break I think that ignited the team collective to push on.

[wixfjord]

Larmour has absolute jet heels, lovely balance.

One of the things that Leinster players seem to do better than any other province is footwork. From the academy to guys like Furlong, Ruddock, Reid, Conan etc we excel at it. Must be a lot of work done in that area.

Impressed with Josh Murphy. I wonder is he big enough to play second row? Looks in the Kevin McLoughlin mould to me, albeit a little more dynamic of a runner.

Nagle had a good game too, good to see him back.

ROL's form must be a bit of a worry. Hasn't had a great season so far after last year.

Fardy could go down as one of our best ever signings by the way. Couldn't believe how vocal he was at the game. You had this constant Aussie roar towards guys in the defensive line that went above the crowd noise most of the time! Potential captain material next year I reckon.

[neilinboston]

Larmours balance is incredible. He gets hit and bounces backwards in contact and somehow escapes the tackle.

[COYBIB]

I thought Dooley was absolutely superb when he came on. I really hope he's being retained and happy to stay. Ridiculously good for a third choice loose-head, sometimes players jump ship because of the talent ahead of them, but Healy isn't getting any younger and there will be plenty of opportunity for him with both Healy and McGrath on international duty.

This is a perfect example of the player backing himself or jumping ship, you really hope a guy like him will back himself, there was a lot of traffic ahead of Jack McGrath when he was coming through and at the time arguably the best loose head in the world, he's now a Lions test starter and nailed on international.

Somebody suggested Ed Byrne starting ahead of him may be a sign that he's signed somewhere else for next season which I really hope isn't the case. The Byrne twins came through with a fair bit of hype but sadly neither has ever impressed me that much.

[wixfjord]

I thought Dooley was absolutely superb when he came on. I really hope he's being retained and happy to stay. Ridiculously good for a third choice loose-head, sometimes players jump ship because of the talent ahead of them, but Healy isn't getting any younger and there will be plenty of opportunity for him with both Healy and McGrath on international duty.

This is a perfect example of the player backing himself or jumping ship, you really hope a guy like him will back himself, there was a lot of traffic ahead of Jack McGrath when he was coming through and at the time arguably the best loose head in the world, he's now a Lions test starter and nailed on international.

Somebody suggested Ed Byrne starting ahead of him may be a sign that he's signed somewhere else for next season which I really hope isn't the case. The Byrne twins came through with a fair bit of hype but sadly neither has ever impressed me that much.

Ah it isn't really. If he leaves it'll be a case of a good player backing himself and being pragmatic with a very short career.

If he's as good as we think he is, and he feels the same, then it makes complete sense to go to Ulster or somewhere he'll be guaranteed gametime, instead of battling it out with Healy and McGrath, both of whom have a lot of years left yet.

[curates_egg]

Just rewatched. First things first: Dragons do not have good enough players. Not a great career move for Birch.
That said, a few things that stuck out from our players:
- Fardy is a really, really good player, who is actually playing to his potential for us and, as such, is a great signing.
- Larmour looks world class. I'm not sure when I was last as optimistic/excited about an outside back.
- JGP had a top class game: apart from enabling us to play with pace, he acts as an extra receiver and created numerous breaks/tries with his passing. His kicking was relatively good too. I simply do not understand the bile that gets directed his way on here.
- McFadden should become a rucking coach: an absolute animal for the grunt.

That was a really good selection. A mix of experience, youth and form. It will be interesting to see how the Treviso game is used.
We need to reintegrate our internationals but a couple of guys (esp Larmour) have really put a strong hand up for selection.
I would have liked to see McCarthy get a start over this period but McGrath will need to play next week.

[TerenureJim]

Larmour vs a rejuvenated Kearney is a mouthwatering battle for the 15 jersey as we head towards the close out of the euro group stages

[riocard911]

Just rewatched. First things first: Dragons do not have good enough players. Not a great career move for Birch.
That said, a few things that stuck out from our players:
- Fardy is a really, really good player, who is actually playing to his potential for us and, as such, is a great signing.
- Larmour looks world class. I'm not sure when I was last as optimistic/excited about an outside back.
- JGP had a top class game: apart from enabling us to play with pace, he acts as an extra receiver and created numerous breaks/tries with his passing. His kicking was relatively good too. I simply do not understand the bile that gets directed his way on here.
- McFadden should become a rucking coach: an absolute animal for the grunt.

That was a really good selection. A mix of experience, youth and form. It will be interesting to see how the Treviso game is used.
We need to reintegrate our internationals but a couple of guys (esp Larmour) have really put a strong hand up for selection.
I would have liked to see McCarthy get a start over this period but McGrath will need to play next week.

+1. I also noticed with appreciation how willing JGP was to clear out rucks and get stuck in to maintaining ball possession. He had very good match, IMO. Also his box kicking has improved.

[paddyor]

It was the Cows in November. Once we woke up, we put 54 unanswered points on the board. It's not worth reading into too much.

[curates_egg]

It was the Cows in November. Once we woke up, we put 54 unanswered points on the board. It's not worth reading into too much.

I'm with you. Let's wait until the final of Heineken Cup to discuss the merits and performances of different players after games. In the meantime, we could turn this forum into beer forum maybe?

It's not all that long ago we lost to Dragons at home. Thankfully, we have moved on a bit. It is now a good fixture to try out players like Byrne, Nagle, Murphy, Deegan, Larmour, O'Brien...and test the fitness of guys like McFadden, Strauss, Isa.
Of the first bunch, Larmour could well play a prominent role in the rest of our season. Deegan looked like he could come on quickly if he gets the exposure and Murphy showed flashes that he could too.
Of the latter, they looked in decent nick.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

I kind of forgot about Deegan because Byrne and Larmour were so good, he's improving at a rate of knots though. His carrying is getting much better, he really works hard to keep going in contact and makes yards that he has no right to get. His support play is great, he just reads the game so well and works really hard to make sure it counts. He can be unlucky that others don't spot him but he seems to always be on the shoulder of the ball carrier. He has a great workrate in defence too, particularly in terms of covering back after we've conceded a line break. I do think he falls off tackles but like everything else in his game it looks like that's improving all the time and he's developing really nicely.

[paddyor]

It was the Cows in November. Once we woke up, we put 54 unanswered points on the board. It's not worth reading into too much.

I'm with you. Let's wait until the final of Heineken Cup to discuss the merits and performances of different players after games. In the meantime, we could turn this forum into beer forum maybe?

It's not all that long ago we lost to Dragons at home. Thankfully, we have moved on a bit. It is now a good fixture to try out players like Byrne, Nagle, Murphy, Deegan, Larmour, O'Brien...and test the fitness of guys like McFadden, Strauss, Isa.
Of the first bunch, Larmour could well play a prominent role in the rest of our season. Deegan looked like he could come on quickly if he gets the exposure and Murphy showed flashes that he could too.
Of the latter, they looked in decent nick.

I've made the important part bigger for you. This game was great for some of the younger players like Deegan, Murphy and Larmour but it's not a great metric for more established players such as JGP or even McFadden.

[bronxbull]

I noticed Bernard gave Gavin Henson the hook after his two footed "attempt" to secure an over thrown line out ball in the second half.
Dragons may have limited resources but I can't see them accomplishing too much this season with Henson as their playmaker.
Drop goal aside, he was pretty anonymous.