Leinster vs Exeter Sat 16-12-17@3.15PM - BT Sport

[desperado]

As a Fijian passport holder Isa is covered under Kolpak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolpak_ruling Lowe, JGP, Fardy are not; so if the rule is no more than 2 Non European then surely 1 of JGP or Fardy has to be deregistered ? (that's why I was assuming JGP will not be in the Euro squad for this weekend).

[Dave Cahill]

As a Fijian passport holder Isa...

Really? Then why was he denied entry to South Africa when travelling on his New Zealand passport.

Playing for a country and being a national of a country are not the same thing.

[jimbobjoe]

It's matchday squad only that applies to the 2 non-kolpak maximum rule.

http://epcrugby.com/europeanrugbychampionscup/rules.php

[paddyor]

As a Fijian passport holder Isa...

Really? Then why was he denied entry to South Africa when travelling on his New Zealand passport.

Playing for a country and being a national of a country are not the same thing.

Yes and the dispute was specifically between NZ and SA.

[Lar]

I think it is fair to say that none of us have a notion, except of course for Xanthippe who is the font of all knowledge (and stats).

[curates_egg]

Playing for a country and being a national of a country are not the same thing.

I, Franno...

[Hippo]

based on normal rates, that's about 50k's worth of legal advice - hope this forum has deep pockets.

Ha - believe me, in the asylum/immigration area that is definitely NOT the case!

[Oldschool]

Sexton missing from training pics today, while Nacewa looked like he sat out.

That explains everything.
Lowe can/will start if Isa is out.
Sexton with a quad injury is likely to be out too.
As a redult, Fergie will start and is busy practising his kicking as we post.
The odds on this match are tightening all the time.
About evens at the moment.

[joooooe]

Sexton missing from training pics today, while Nacewa looked like he sat out.

That explains everything.
Lowe can/will start if Isa is out.
Sexton with a quad injury is likely to be out too.
As a redult, Fergie will start and is busy practising his kicking as we post.
The odds on this match are tightening all the time.
About evens at the moment.

William Hill have Leinster at 1/4 and 9 point favourites.

[paddyor]

Maybe they Came in from 1/5 and 10 pt favourites

[harblstuff]

Any ticket sale numbers? Ticketmaster's seating map makes for some grim viewing.

I don't like the atmosphere of Lansdowne Road, or rather lack there of. When it's missing 10-12k bums on seats it's even worse.

A mate from Exeter is joining me, he thinks maybe it's down to Chiefs fans not travelling in large numbers.

[Xanthippe]

Sexton missing from training pics today, while Nacewa looked like he sat out.

That explains everything.
Lowe can/will start if Isa is out.
Sexton with a quad injury is likely to be out too.
As a redult, Fergie will start and is busy practising his kicking as we post.
The odds on this match are tightening all the time.
About evens at the moment.

@MI - Isa sitting out training is nothing unusual. From previous picture sets from Inpho and Sportsfile its actually much more unusual to see pictures of Isa actually training. The default training picture of him since his return is standing on the sidelines in a jacket and a bobble hat.

@Oldschool - once more with feeling. Unfortunately Isa missing a game does not allow Lowe to play in his place. Isa is exempt from the two non EU player rule that affects Lowe, Fardy and JGP.

I don't know for certain but I imagine Isa is actually exempt in more than one way:

• He is Fijian citizen (and no Dave, I don't know what passport he travels on) - for the purposes of rugby playing there can be no doubt/argument about this fact as it was definitively ruled on by the then IRB when Nacewa suggested he'd like to have his one Fijian cap annulled so he could play for New Zealand
  
  His youngest daughter was born after Isa had been in Ireland for three years so he qualifies under the Zambrano ruling
  
  He had five consecutive years on a work permit from 2008 to 2013 so now qualifies for a Stamp 4 which gives him EEA equivalent work/movement rights

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Isa missed training because he was up all night trying to figure out where he's from.

[Dundalk 1]

http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/Ap ... A%20Parent

As far as I can see the legislation is covered under European Law not Irish Law and in the attached Immigration information there is no reference to 3 years residency
It just looks like you can apply for the ‘Zambrano’ exemption if you are here legally
The reasons for possible refusal seem to be if you have a criminal record etc
But of course I could be misreading it

In any event Leinster should just make a statement about the situation and then we could stop speculating

[OSS]

Sexton missing from training pics today, while Nacewa looked like he sat out.

That explains everything.
Lowe can/will start if Isa is out.
Sexton with a quad injury is likely to be out too.
As a redult, Fergie will start and is busy practising his kicking as we post.
The odds on this match are tightening all the time.
About evens at the moment.

Shirley Ross Nyrne would be kicking if JS is out?

[Ruckedtobits]

So put yourself in Rob Baxter's shoes last Sunday night. With his Coaching team of Ali Hepher, Rob Hunter and Richie Pellow, all of their focus will have been about why didn't their team function the way they expected? Not good enough under the box kicks of McGrath and Sexton, too many poor passes in mid-field, their reknowned scrum and maul dominated or at least nullified when they expected dominance.

The training week was always going to be short, with a six-day gap compounded by travelling on Friday morning. Tuesday's sub-zero temperature further reduced pitch-time but sore bodies were a problem anyway. Phil Dollman, an almost ever present full-back, with over 600 minutes already this season, is out with an intercostal rib injury. Lacky Turner is his likely replacement and the experienced Australian has all the necessary experience to face Leinster in front of an energised Aviva crowd.

So all the focus is on what can the Chiefs do differently this time? The first objective is possession. Possession is the key in a big away game. Leinster dominated the first 15 mins on Sunday with almost constant possession. So, do we ask them to kick-off and give us the ball.

Next Baxter and his coaching group will probably have focussed on "How do we keep possession and try and dominate territory and thus quieten their crowd and get the referee to watch their defenders rather than ours?"

If they have figured out the answer to this challenge, and can execute it, the crowd in the Aviva on Saturday will be in for an anxious 90 plus minutes.

Hopefully, from a Leinster perspective the expected 40,000 crowd will not include the customary 10,000 Aviva corporate-punters who attend for the event as observers, rather than supporters, and spend their afternoon ferrying pints from the bars to their seats and checking their smart phones for the latest trending tweet. No, Saturday's crowd must be engaged and noisy and supportive.

Hopefully, they'll know the difference between a turnover and a sliced pan. Better still if they can recognise (and loudly appreciate) a crunching tackle compared to a Crunchy bar. And best of all, if they understand the significance of a ball against the head, or a splintered opposition scrum, during the first quarter of this crucial match -up.

The performance this week of Exeter's coaching team will be almost as important as that of their playing Squad for Saturday's game. The same comparison could almost be made about Leinster's supporters. The hard core 13,000 regulars can be raucous when required in the RDS arena. Let's hope that the 20,000 extras, who have been attracted to the game in support of Leinster's cause, don't just sit and watch. The 5,000 Chiefs fans certainly won't be silent - unless their favourites are under the cosh from the outset.

So Exeter's homework this week was remedial not preventive. On the other hand Cullen, Dempsey and Lancaster will have delved into their collective experiences to ensure Sunday's momentum and relentless pressure can be maintained. A big ask, but with a huge potential reward for a repetition.

Nothing easy then. But nothing worthwhile is ever easy and therein lies the real dividend of a top class sports contest. Almost unfair to think we've almost three more days to endure before kick-off.

[Oldschool]

Sexton missing from training pics today, while Nacewa looked like he sat out.

That explains everything.
Lowe can/will start if Isa is out.
Sexton with a quad injury is likely to be out too.
As a redult, Fergie will start and is busy practising his kicking as we post.
The odds on this match are tightening all the time.
About evens at the moment.

@MI - Isa sitting out training is nothing unusual. From previous picture sets from Inpho and Sportsfile its actually much more unusual to see pictures of Isa actually training. The default training picture of him since his return is standing on the sidelines in a jacket and a bobble hat.

@Oldschool - once more with feeling. Unfortunately Isa missing a game does not allow Lowe to play in his place. Isa is exempt from the two non EU player rule that affects Lowe, Fardy and JGP.

I don't know for certain but I imagine Isa is actually exempt in more than one way:

• He is Fijian citizen (and no Dave, I don't know what passport he travels on) - for the purposes of rugby playing there can be no doubt/argument about this fact as it was definitively ruled on by the then IRB when Nacewa suggested he'd like to have his one Fijian cap annulled so he could play for New Zealand
  
  His youngest daughter was born after Isa had been in Ireland for three years so he qualifies under the Zambrano ruling
  
  He had five consecutive years on a work permit from 2008 to 2013 so now qualifies for a Stamp 4 which gives him EEA equivalent work/movement rights

If Isa is out then JGP would become the sacrificial lamb to facilitate Lowe.
Either that or start one of D Kearney or Larmour and bench the other. If either are unavailable then Lowe comes into the equation.

[Oldschool]

Sexton missing from training pics today, while Nacewa looked like he sat out.

That explains everything.
Lowe can/will start if Isa is out.
Sexton with a quad injury is likely to be out too.
As a redult, Fergie will start and is busy practising his kicking as we post.
The odds on this match are tightening all the time.
About evens at the moment.

Shirley Ross Nyrne would be kicking if JS is out?

His success rate from the tee is still a bit on the low side.
Wouldn't want to add all that kicking pressure on top of what will be a tough ask against Exeter.

[Oldschool]

So put yourself in Rob Baxter's shoes last Sunday night. With his Coaching team of Ali Hepher, Rob Hunter and Richie Pellow, all of their focus will have been about why didn't their team function the way they expected? Not good enough under the box kicks of McGrath and Sexton, too many poor passes in mid-field, their reknowned scrum and maul dominated or at least nullified when they expected dominance.

The training week was always going to be short, with a six-day gap compounded by travelling on Friday morning. Tuesday's sub-zero temperature further reduced pitch-time but sore bodies were a problem anyway. Phil Dollman, an almost ever present full-back, with over 600 minutes already this season, is out with an intercostal rib injury. Lacky Turner is his likely replacement and the experienced Australian has all the necessary experience to face Leinster in front of an energised Aviva crowd.

So all the focus is on what can the Chiefs do differently this time? The first objective is possession. Possession is the key in a big away game. Leinster dominated the first 15 mins on Sunday with almost constant possession. So, do we ask them to kick-off and give us the ball.

Next Baxter and his coaching group will probably have focussed on "How do we keep possession and try and dominate territory and thus quieten their crowd and get the referee to watch their defenders rather than ours?"

If they have figured out the answer to this challenge, and can execute it, the crowd in the Aviva on Saturday will be in for an anxious 90 plus minutes.

Hopefully, from a Leinster perspective the expected 40,000 crowd will not include the customary 10,000 Aviva corporate-punters who attend for the event as observers, rather than supporters, and spend their afternoon ferrying pints from the bars to their seats and checking their smart phones for the latest trending tweet. No, Saturday's crowd must be engaged and noisy and supportive.

Hopefully, they'll know the difference between a turnover and a sliced pan. Better still if they can recognise (and loudly appreciate) a crunching tackle compared to a Crunchy bar. And best of all, if they understand the significance of a ball against the head, or a splintered opposition scrum, during the first quarter of this crucial match -up.

The performance this week of Exeter's coaching team will be almost as important as that of their playing Squad for Saturday's game. The same comparison could almost be made about Leinster's supporters. The hard core 13,000 regulars can be raucous when required in the RDS arena. Let's hope that the 20,000 extras, who have been attracted to the game in support of Leinster's cause, don't just sit and watch. The 5,000 Chiefs fans certainly won't be silent - unless their favourites are under the cosh from the outset.

So Exeter's homework this week was remedial not preventive. On the other hand Cullen, Dempsey and Lancaster will have delved into their collective experiences to ensure Sunday's momentum and relentless pressure can be maintained. A big ask, but with a huge potential reward for a repetition.

Nothing easy then. But nothing worthwhile is ever easy and therein lies the real dividend of a top class sports contest. Almost unfair to think we've almost three more days to endure before kick-off.

The Exeter coaching team have to trust in themselves, their team and in the way they've been playing the game that has got them to the top of their league and enabled them to beat Montpellier on the road.
There may be a few weaknesses that they have noticed about Leinster that they can ecploit.
But the main focus has to be to persuade their players that last Sunday was just one of those days.
Focus on motivation and belief in their own abilities.
They should emphasise the need to get out of the blocks quickly and if they win the toss take the kick off.

[Oldschool]

No point in repeating myself.