Connacht vs. Leinster, 28/04/2018, 15.05 IST

[desperado]

Absolutely disgraceful performance. And all this shite, because that's what it is - about not committing themselves physically to save themselves (those with notions) for Bilbao? Gimme a break; they're professional rugby players with state of the art facilities for strength and conditioning and recovery. You're actually more at risk of injury being half committed vs fully committed. It was noticeable the difference in physical commitment of Healy when he came on. When you wear the blue jersey you should wear it with pride and leave everything on the field. So many players not up to in today. Kearney and Molony were the worst for me'; and McGrath is not a captain.

[alanair]

I will be writing to Leo on Monday , and asking that Leinster Rugby refund the money that I wasted on the ticket and the petrol I spent to get up and down to Galway And I would suggest that anyone else unlucky enough to be there do likewise. Leinster need to know that quite simply today’s performance is just not good enough.

[suisse]

The game was on too late for me, so I didn't bother staying up for it. But that's okay, cos it looks like the players didn't bother showing up. After the Treviso game I had a suspicion this could be a sloppy night, so took a punt on Connacht +2. I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who went to this. That's utterly unacceptable.

[blaker]

I think the last few games have highlighted the loss that some key guys will be or have been because they’re injured/unexpectedly elevated to the A team.
ISA would usually play these
Strauss
McFadden
Dave Kearney
Backrowers like VDF or Leavy would have been expected to be here

Taking those out clearly hurts the team. While injuries will bring some back in, the experience and standard setting will be harder to replace

[Blueberry]

Jeepers lads, this result was entirely predictable. So totally obvious to me anyway that players were watching themselves, we know that some of those on the pitch ain't good enough, what do you expect the coaches to do? Risk James Ryan and Henshaw two weeks out from a final in a pointless dead rubber. Yes it would be nice to have a second/third string team that can beat anyone but what planet are some of you living on ? Connacht came out with a strong rabble rousing performance pumped up to play in the last game of a great Connacht legend and we had a team composed of largely bench players for Bilbao who really needed this game like a hole in the head, couple of lads who have barely played this year and a few other lads who are third string and we know ain't good enough. Mix it all up and you get this, it's not unacceptable, it's just reality. Wr

[wwed]

Don't accept that this was inevitable or should be dismissed as meaningless. We had 10 or 11 who will be in the 23 for Bilbao. Most others were reasonably experienced pro players who are an injury away from the first 23. A good culture means turning up every time. We were humiliated, beaten in every aspect of play. Should have seen more, even just from individual player pride.

[curates_egg]

McGrath is not a captain.

Have thought this on each occasion. I seem to recall us underperforming in the games where he has been captain, with one obvious exception. He is also really off form. Classic post-Lions blip; needs time off to sort himself out.
If the captain is dialling a performance in, what kind of message does that send to the rest?

[Blueberry]

Don't accept that this was inevitable or should be dismissed as meaningless. We had 10 or 11 who will be in the 23 for Bilbao. Most others were reasonably experienced pro players who are an injury away from the first 23. A good culture means turning up every time. We were humiliated, beaten in every aspect of play. Should have seen more, even just from individual player pride.

Look it's not fun to watch and of course you'd like to see a closer game and a better performance. Just think we need a touch of perspective about the reality of playing at these levels. The difference between pro teams is quite narrow in most games. When we rock up in Connacht (A province who always seems to reserve their best game of the year for us...and then add Muldoon's last game into the mix) with our mind on bigger prizes and with a very mixed team with some of our weakest squad players starting I just can't see how anyone could really have expected much else. I didn't. Yes it was a shambles, yes it's not ideal but it is reality. People calling it unacceptable, wanting to write to Leo etc etc is just daft. If we can get over the line in Bilbao we will have had arguably the greatest European cup run of any team, with the results and teams we have beaten this year and with a solid league performance and hopefully a trophy there too we would have had our greatest ever season. I think Leocaster should be trusted now to manage things as they see fit, they have earned this and we are in a sweet place ATM. End results are all that matters.Watching us dismantle Saracens and Scarlets and our pool performance has been stunning and a pleasure to watch. The next month will determine how great this year will be, not this dead rubber in Connacht. Most other teams fans would bite off their left hand to be where Leinster are now and I can't imagine many other teams fans are seriously looking at this Leinster result being of any significance. Yes question and discuss the performance of some of our second string and third players, they need to be looked at to see where our squad depth is but to question culture and for others to call it unacceptable and be giving out yards is off the mark and disrespects our opposition. A motivated first string team at home from another Irish province should be beating our a second/third string Leinster mix, if not Nucifora would be moving the lot anyway !!!

[Oldschool]

In summary.
You can please some of the fans all the time and all our the fans some of the time but you can't please all of the fans all of the time.
Good luck John Muldoon, live long and prosper.

[footrush]

Thought Shane had a really great game in green, it’s interesting next year there will be three Kilkenny College past pupils playing for them Shane, Craig and now Robin. Peter Lydon is featuring for Ealing against us in the other final lots of divided loyalties for me !.

[Dexter]

For me today’s game was an insult to the supporters. Players all shiteing on last week about how important we are to them but today’s performance tells a different story. If they weren’t going to bother turning up they should have just stayed in Dublin and given Connacht the walkover - would have saved supporters their hard earned cash

+1
Well said.
The only positive about being there was that the weather was nice!

[TerenureJim]

It's games like this that make me realise just how important Isa was for Leinster. Driving standards and making sure lads never let the province down. We need someone in these second teams to step up as a leader.

Well that's Fardy and Lowe for the coming seasons really. More so Fardy.

[CiaranIrl]

It's games like this that make me realise just how important Isa was for Leinster. Driving standards and making sure lads never let the province down. We need someone in these second teams to step up as a leader.

Well that's Fardy and Lowe for the coming seasons really. More so Fardy.

Well, that's the thing. It's definitely not Lowe. He was there and cr@p yesterday. Fardy will be here for 1 more year, and his age means he will never play all these games.

[Logorrhea]

To be honest, as dissapointing as this result was, if we win the semi, and the HEC final I wont remember any of this.

I will however assocuate these players with these types of performances.

[Gearzbox2]

It's games like this that make me realise just how important Isa was for Leinster. Driving standards and making sure lads never let the province down. We need someone in these second teams to step up as a leader.

Well that's Fardy and Lowe for the coming seasons really. More so Fardy.

Well, that's the thing. It's definitely not Lowe. He was there and cr@p yesterday. Fardy will be here for 1 more year, and his age means he will never play all these games.

Lowe was a direct result of 3 connacht scores yesterday
Bit in twice stupidly when we were numbered up and thought he was in his back garden in NZ with his no loom pass
Wouldn't have him near the HC team tbh

[RoboProp]

In summary.
You can please some of the fans all the time and all our the fans some of the time but you can't please all of the fans all of the time.
Good luck John Muldoon, live long and prosper.

Speaking of Mr Muldoon. My sister and her pals all gatecrashed his retirement bash. He said they could stay took snaps with the lot of them. Seems a good egg. Good luck to him

[Oldschool]

In summary.
You can please some of the fans all the time and all our the fans some of the time but you can't please all of the fans all of the time.
Good luck John Muldoon, live long and prosper.

Speaking of Mr Muldoon. My sister and her pals all gatecrashed his retirement bash. He said they could stay took snaps with the lot of them. Seems a good egg. Good luck to him

Nice one.

[wwed]

Don't accept that this was inevitable or should be dismissed as meaningless. We had 10 or 11 who will be in the 23 for Bilbao. Most others were reasonably experienced pro players who are an injury away from the first 23. A good culture means turning up every time. We were humiliated, beaten in every aspect of play. Should have seen more, even just from individual player pride.

Look it's not fun to watch and of course you'd like to see a closer game and a better performance. Just think we need a touch of perspective about the reality of playing at these levels. The difference between pro teams is quite narrow in most games. When we rock up in Connacht (A province who always seems to reserve their best game of the year for us...and then add Muldoon's last game into the mix) with our mind on bigger prizes and with a very mixed team with some of our weakest squad players starting I just can't see how anyone could really have expected much else. I didn't. Yes it was a shambles, yes it's not ideal but it is reality. People calling it unacceptable, wanting to write to Leo etc etc is just daft. If we can get over the line in Bilbao we will have had arguably the greatest European cup run of any team, with the results and teams we have beaten this year and with a solid league performance and hopefully a trophy there too we would have had our greatest ever season. I think Leocaster should be trusted now to manage things as they see fit, they have earned this and we are in a sweet place ATM. End results are all that matters.Watching us dismantle Saracens and Scarlets and our pool performance has been stunning and a pleasure to watch. The next month will determine how great this year will be, not this dead rubber in Connacht. Most other teams fans would bite off their left hand to be where Leinster are now and I can't imagine many other teams fans are seriously looking at this Leinster result being of any significance. Yes question and discuss the performance of some of our second string and third players, they need to be looked at to see where our squad depth is but to question culture and for others to call it unacceptable and be giving out yards is off the mark and disrespects our opposition. A motivated first string team at home from another Irish province should be beating our a second/third string Leinster mix, if not Nucifora would be moving the lot anyway !!!

No one is saying that Leo\Stu should be sacked! and obviously the game will be completely forgotten if we win in Bilbao. But I think supporters deserve more effort and fight, especially against a provincial rival, even in defeat. I also doubt that a performance like that bodes well for the future, both short and longer-term. Haven't seen any comments by Leinster management team, but can't believe they will be sanguine about what happened.

[Raydollard]

Snouts and troughs always come to mind when we get these scandalous performances every so often. Money for nothing etc.
However those who think Lowe is not good enough for Leinster are completely wrong. He is a rare talent.

[Laighin Break]

Calm down time all round.

Lads were taking it handy from the off, anyone with half a chance of making the Bilbao 23 was minding themselves

Oh well, if they weren't trying their best then thats okay.

Do you seriously expect any of the lads to 'fully go at it' two weeks out from the big one ? Porter, McGrath and Conan I could clearly see were 'staying out of it' and even Dev when he was on for his cameo was taking it handy. Today was a dead rubber and bigger fish to fry. If we win in Bilbao and possibly even then go onto win the double who cares ? I couldn't care less. Trophies are what it's all about. Not the result v Treviso or Connacht in minor league games with a mixed up squad and lads watching every bit of contact.

Lads we are in the European Final, Top of our Pool in the PRO 14 and playing the best rugby I've seen us play since 2012 and arguably a better and more rounded team than 2012. We have seen the likes of James Ryan, Larmour, Leavy and Porter come through this year to very high standards and personally I'm as excited by hell with this team. And we've weathered no Heaslip, little or no O'Brien, VDF and Ruddock MIA lately and no problems.

Yes we have issues with some of our reserves and yes work is to be done but some of the reactions on here today are a little OTT - we are in a great place.

A little bit of squad juggling and we could be in an even better place next year.

Leavy came through last year.
I think it's fair to expect higher standards of our 2nd/3rd choice players. Remember how insulted Munster fans and the media were about Leinster sending a 2nd string side to Thomond to play a full strength Munster, and how that game went? Can't expect that every time, but can certainly expect at least a LBP in every game.