Thanks lads, what a season......

Blueberry · Post by **Blueberry** » May 27th, 2018, 12:08 am

Just in from the match after a celebratory slap up feast, knackered, lost the voice and totally happy.......

It has been an absolute pleasure following Leinster this year, the perfect season in so many ways.

Thanks to them all, Leo, Stuart and every single one of the squad and backroom. It has been perfect and rarely in life can we say that.

Enjoy the celebrations you deserve every bit of it and 2018 will live long in the Leinster memory bank.

Thanks Lads !!

Blue Voodoo · Post by **Blue Voodoo** » May 27th, 2018, 12:26 am

Totally agree

Great send off for Isa too

Worth every cent going to Bilbao as well as today

Just Brilliant !

enby · Post by **enby** » May 27th, 2018, 2:04 am

A season to remember for us all. What a magnificent group of players led by a hero for the ages, Isa.

outcast eddie · Post by **outcast eddie** » May 27th, 2018, 7:47 am

We have witnessed a lot this season, the joys of witnessing the renaissance of Ferg, Church, RK and ISA; the emergence of Ryan, Leavy, Larmour and Porter and the welcoming of Fardy and Lowe. We also had the sadness of saying farewell to some real stalwarts, some of whom must view this season with a whistful pleasure.

The results and big arena performances will live long in the minds of Leinster fans but Leinster Rugby's 17/18 season will also attract attention from sports psychologists for achieving a standard of what Matthew Syed calls 'The Collective Zone' where all squad members play with an immeasurable sensory harmony or higher state of common mental functionality.

It was a magnificent team effort and for that we have to thank Stuart Lancaster for his deep understanding of winning sports culture and Leo for giving him the latitude to instill his knowledge into the staff and squad.

I never thought I'd witness a better Leinster season than 2011 but this year will take some beating.

Fantastic

tingman · Post by **tingman** » May 27th, 2018, 8:10 am

love it....love it.....love it.....

Oldschool · Post by **Oldschool** » May 27th, 2018, 8:54 am

Spare a thought too for Jamie Heaslip and Sean O'Brien.

outcast eddie · Post by **outcast eddie** » May 27th, 2018, 10:29 am

outcast eddie wrote:We have seen a lot this season, the joys of witnessing the renaissance of Ferg, Church, RK and ISA; the emergence of Ryan, Leavy, Larmour and Porter and the welcoming of Fardy and Lowe. We also had the sadness of saying farewell to some real stalwarts, some of whom must view this season with a whistful pleasure.

The results and big arena performances will live long in the minds of Leinster fans but Leinster Rugby's 17/18 season will also attract attention from sports psychologists for achieving a standard of what Matthew Syed calls 'The Collective Zone' where all squad members play with an immeasurable sensory harmony or higher state of common mental function.

It was a magnificent team effort and for that we have to thank Stuart Lancaster for his deep understanding of winning sports culture and Leo for giving him the latitude to instill his knowledge into the staff and squad.

I never thought I'd witness a better Leinster season than 2011 but this year will take some beating.

Fantastic

artaneboy · Post by **artaneboy** » May 27th, 2018, 10:35 am

Oldschool wrote:Spare a thought too for Jamie Heaslip and Sean O'Brien.

Oh yeah- plenty of thoughts: more poignant for Jamie. Also for Strauss and, of course Isa.

Hopefully Seanie will come back next season to one where we reinforce our dominance- and (whisper it), O’Brien and many others are part of a very special year for Ireland.

Carbery and Larmour demonstrated that they definitely have that magic ingredient too. Delighted for them too

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Hornet · Post by **Hornet** » May 27th, 2018, 3:04 pm

A wonderful journey to have been on. Great to see Isa lift the trophy, and to see all those who have contributed to a great season get their just rewards. Chapeau lads.

icebaby · Post by **icebaby** » May 27th, 2018, 3:07 pm

Well said all , a great long season

mildlyinterested · Post by **mildlyinterested** » May 27th, 2018, 3:12 pm

Great, great, great season.

Cianostays · Post by **Cianostays** » May 27th, 2018, 4:12 pm

Phenomonal stuff this season. It'll be very difficult to replicate. We all need to enjoy what the team achieved.

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riocard911 · Post by **riocard911** » May 27th, 2018, 7:13 pm

The one word that sums up this Leinster season for me is irrepressible. They couldn't stop up us - none of them. Encapsulated i think in this one magnificent moment of three Scarlets tackling Ferg just short of the try-line in the ERCC semi. How he managed to prevent them shoving him into touch, I will never know. By this heroic act he established the beachhead from which followed the James Ryan try. And we all know how things went from there.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/ ... lets#img-1

Thanks to all involved for a fabulous season!!!!!!

riocard911 · Post by **riocard911** » May 27th, 2018, 7:15 pm

p.s. maybe someone could make that photograph appear instead of just the link. Limecat b'fhéidir? If so, I'd appreciated it.

LeinsterLeader · Post by **LeinsterLeader** » May 27th, 2018, 7:59 pm

riocard911 wrote:p.s. maybe someone could make that photograph appear instead of just the link. Limecat b'fhéidir? If so, I'd appreciated it.

riocard911 · Post by **riocard911** » May 27th, 2018, 8:06 pm

LeinsterLeader wrote:
riocard911 wrote:p.s. maybe someone could make that photograph appear instead of just the link. Limecat b'fhéidir? If so, I'd appreciated it.

Thanks, dude

neiliog93 · Post by **neiliog93** » May 27th, 2018, 10:28 pm

Thanks to everyone involved for as astonishingly good season. Keep it up.

riocard911 · Post by **riocard911** » May 28th, 2018, 12:12 am

This is funny: "So can anyone stop Leinster?"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iy8oRRkE55c

hugonaut · Post by **hugonaut** » May 28th, 2018, 7:12 am

An amazing season, undoubtedly Leinster's best ever – the double at last! Huge congratulations to everyone involved, and a fitting send off to three retiring greats, Isa, Richardt & Jamie.

LeinsterLeader · Post by **LeinsterLeader** » May 28th, 2018, 10:38 am

Some great interviews with Leo over the weekend but I thought this quote was the most telling about the man himself:

“I’m very thankful to Matt [O'Connor] as well, because Matt gave me the opportunity to step in when I stopped playing, and obviously taking over from Matt after that was a reasonably turbulent period for the club, so to see the work that has gone in behind the scenes to get the club to this point, it probably makes it all a little bit better in many ways, because it hasn’t been straightforward."

It would have been easy for him to row in behind the popular narrative that MOC had been a disaster (rightly or wrongly) but instead he took the high road and thanked him.

For various reasons I had to be at the stadiums (particularly the Aviva) early this year, usually before the teams arrived, and I noticed that at every game Leo arrived in suit and the first thing he did was make his way onto the pitch and stroll over to the other teams coaches to shake hands, always smiling. Usually a joke or too followed and a serious conversation too and you couldn't help feel that this guy represents the team really well. The guy has a touch of class about him and as we've seen with other teams you can have all the money in the world but you can't buy class.

As someone who thought throwing Leo into the hot seat after MOC left was a panic move (i'm still not sure it wasn't to be honest), i'm delighted to say that I'm glad they did. It has been a great move for Leinster mainly because Leo knew he couldn't do it all himself and it was all about the team. He knew he'd need help, he wasn't afraid to ask for it and he went after the best.

At the end of a season where ther are too many people to thank, for me anyway, Leo is certainly near the top of the pile.

Babbling 'brook