Leinster v Embra RDS Sat 7.35 Eir/Premier

[wixfjord]

Interesting to see what mix we put out for this.

Something like:

Healy, Byrne, Tadhg, Toner, Molony, Rhys, VDF, Doris, McGrath, Byrne, Lowe, Tomane, ROL, Ferg, DK
Dooley, Tracy, Bent, Kearney, Deegan, JGP, Reid/Frawley, Byrne

[Theleinsterlad]

Leavy is fit for selection this week. Also SOB seems to be getting ever closer to playing

[curates_egg]

Also SOB seems to be getting ever closer to playing

If I'd a quid for every time I heard that over the past 5 years...
It would be fantastic if it were true this time, and he plays a dozen games for us this season.

[molloyjh]

VDF was available for selection against Scarlets. Fool me once....

[wixfjord]

Good to see Frawley and Nick McCarthy taking part in training. Don't think it's contact, but neither look too encumbered by their injuries.

[arsebiscuits1]

The lack of strapping on their arms is a hugely promising sign. As you said, it is unlikely it is contact. But still to be able to take part in passing drills without any significant strapping indicates to me that they're pretty close

[deco]

Looking forward to seeing more of this

http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2018/09/ ... ve-262.mp4

[leinsterforever]

It'll be interesting to see how selection goes for this. I suppose it'll be full strength for Europe, near full strength for Munster, and then work out Connacht and Edinburgh lineups from that

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Leavy is fit for selection this week. Also SOB seems to be getting ever closer to playing

To me it would make sense to start VDF again and bench Leavy this week, then start Leavy against Connacht and have SOB on the bench. That's assuming SOB isn't ready this week, but if he is then it would be great to have himself and Leavy starting in Galway in what would be a second string side.

I'd be starting Rob again this weekend too, very much looked like he needs games.

[hugonaut]

Looking forward to seeing more of this

http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2018/09/ ... ve-262.mp4

That was a phenomenal piece of work.

The counter-ruck [and what happens directly after it] is an area I would like to see clarified by World Rugby. In my opinion, there is far too much variety in what decisions the referee makes after a counter-ruck that is effective but less than 100% successful [i.e. picture perfect - drive a player straight backwards off the ball, remain supported solely by your two feet until the ball is well clear on your side and picked up by another player]. In my opinion the counter-rucking team is too often penalised for an indiscretion that would be waved through if they were the team in possession, when they were clearly the more effective team at that particular contest.

Counter-rucking should be encouraged so as to make the ruck a more meaningful contest for the ball, cut down on the importance of jackalling – which anecdotally seems to be an invitation to serious injury – and to provide for more space on the pitch by encouraging forwards to hit the ruck in numbers. I understand why they had to ban kicking the ball out of rucks [not least the Paul O'Connell/Dave Kearney incident], but it has meant that rucks are more one-sided than they were previously.

How can you encourage counter-rucking by tweaking the laws?

[curates_egg]

I understand why they had to ban kicking the ball out of rucks [not least the Paul O'Connell/Dave Kearney incident]

There was no ruck formed in that incident: O'Connell just kicked the head of a prone player, who had been taken out in the air while catching the ball. Yes BOD had taken out a few players, but Kearney was lying alone, prone on the ground.
There was no defence for what O'Connell did. Don't think Kearney has ever been fully right since.

That counter-rucking from Church, which he was also perfecting last season, was absolutely perfect. None of this lazy, dangerous dropping the shoulder into prone players in a ruck.

[outcast eddie]

Looking forward to seeing more of this

http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2018/09/ ... ve-262.mp4

Great work from Church but the immediate support from Porter and the quick minded reaction from the other players is what make this counter ruck a success.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

How can you encourage counter-rucking by tweaking the laws?

Enforce the law about shoulders having to be above hip height. That puts the jackaler in a safer position because there's a better target to aim for and encourages people to counter ruck for the same reason. I reckon that I've seen two penalties for that in almost 20 years of watching rugby.

[wixfjord]

There was no defence for what O'Connell did. Don't think Kearney has ever been fully right since.

What?!
You can't be feckin serious

Besides the ridiculousness of pointing to a situation from five years ago and proclaiming that the player has 'never been fully right since', Dave K had his best periods for Ireland after this incident!

By that logic maybe the kick did him good!

[curates_egg]

There was no defence for what O'Connell did. Don't think Kearney has ever been fully right since.

What?!
You can't be feckin serious

Besides the ridiculousness of pointing to a situation from five years ago and proclaiming that the player has 'never been fully right since', Dave K had his best periods for Ireland after this incident!

By that logic maybe the kick did him good!

Eh, I think you are misinterpreting what I wrote (again... *insert appropriate smiley*). I was not referring to his game or form, but his body.
He was out for months after that (he was still injured at the beginning of the following season) and has had a couple(?) of neck/back problems since then, which have interrupted his flow. He's been unlucky with injuries in general since then but clearly the ankles were not related to POC's assault.

[wixfjord]

There was no defence for what O'Connell did. Don't think Kearney has ever been fully right since.

What?!
You can't be feckin serious

Besides the ridiculousness of pointing to a situation from five years ago and proclaiming that the player has 'never been fully right since', Dave K had his best periods for Ireland after this incident!

By that logic maybe the kick did him good!

Eh, I think you are misinterpreting what I wrote (again... *insert appropriate smiley*). I was not referring to his game or form, but his body.
He was out for months after that (he was still injured at the beginning of the following season) and has had a couple(?) of neck/back problems since then, which have interrupted his flow. He's been unlucky with injuries in general since then but clearly the ankles were not related to POC's assault.

Ah will you stop! You're some armchair doctor if you can correlate DK's various injuries to a head knock 5 years ago!

His recent injuries were toe and two ankle problems, plus he did his shoulder against Ospreys.
His other major injury was a shoulder/arm against France in the 6N.

Are you saying POC kicking him in the head led to those?
When were the neck/back problems?

He also wasn't injured until the start of the next season, he played against Stade in the Amlin a month after the Munster incident and played the first few games of the next season!

The incident was bad enough without the 'he has never been right since' stuff!

[curates_egg]

He also wasn't injured until the start of the next season, he played against Stade in the Amlin a month after the Munster incident and played the first few games of the next season!

Oops: you're right. I just checked - I was at the game, but obviously my memory has chosen to create a different narrative of events

[TrapperChamonix]

https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ ... 38618.html

Bizarre article from Costello. He obviously didnt like him as a player but some of the other stuff seem a stretch........ "There is a clear lack of connection between Cockerill and his players and most likely his coaching staff."

[mildlyinterested]

That weekly article from costello is shite.

[wixfjord]

Leinster have a long and positive history with Edinburgh

Victor obviously doesn't remember our troubles with Embra in Europe in the late 00s. They became a bit of a bogey side.