Momentum.
Munster's recent run of poor results is gaining momentum, it's conceivable that they could end up in a real dog fight for the last HEC qualifying place.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall who's the greatest player of them all? It is Drico your majesty.
Oldschool wrote:Momentum.
Munster's recent run of poor results is gaining momentum, it's conceivable that they could end up in a real dog fight for the last HEC qualifying place.
If they didn't qualify for the HEC next year the competition is over, rule 4.9 sub clause 7 - 'The HEC must have de passion and de thomond and de miracle match each season or de competition is null and void and pointless'
Conf A
Cheetahs have Kings x 3, Dragons x 2 and both Zebre and Benetton at home.
They have 7 home games left and 2 of the away games are to the Kings.
They are a serious contender for a playoff spot, maybe even 2nd if Cooney gets the calling.
Conf B
Only Kings are out of contention for top spot. It could go any way.
The self loathers may say it's a shite league but they're already dead so their opinion is worthless.
You know I'm going to lose,
And gambling's for fools,
But that's the way I like it baby, I don't want to live FOREVER!
Munster will be grand. They’ll win their conference. They just played a series of games that just about every other team in the league is going to lose too — Ulster away and Leinster at home. The only real shocker for them is losing to Edinburgh at home, awful result. They’ll win their next seven league games in a row from this point imo.
For us, we’ll win the next three but we’ll get spanked away to Cheetahs, I think our conference could end up being a lot tighter in second and third but I’d still expect us to have it wrapped up with a couple of games in hand at least.
ronk wrote:At this rate they'll be lucky to avoid relegation.
Or they'll win a few matches and be back up there soon enough.
To use a cliche.
Other teams will smell blood in the water, remember Dragons beating us in the RDS when MOC was at the helm.
Munster are vulnerable and a lot depends on who their next 2/3 opponents in the Pro14 are and where the matches are being played.
Joey and Beirne are out. POM and Murray are well below par and have been for a while.
Added to that Munster's conference has turned out to be extremely competitive with only one team not in the hunt for a HEC spot.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall who's the greatest player of them all? It is Drico your majesty.
Serb wrote:Munster will be grand. They’ll win their conference. They just played a series of games that just about every other team in the league is going to lose too — Ulster away and Leinster at home. The only real shocker for them is losing to Edinburgh at home, awful result. They’ll win their next seven league games in a row from this point imo.
For us, we’ll win the next three but we’ll get spanked away to Cheetahs, I think our conference could end up being a lot tighter in second and third but I’d still expect us to have it wrapped up with a couple of games in hand at least.
If we get to the Cheetahs away game unbeaten (not an unreasonable possibility at this stage) then a 6/2 split on the bench might just be the difference to beating them and keeping that run going.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall who's the greatest player of them all? It is Drico your majesty.
Serb wrote:Munster will be grand. They’ll win their conference. They just played a series of games that just about every other team in the league is going to lose too — Ulster away and Leinster at home. The only real shocker for them is losing to Edinburgh at home, awful result. They’ll win their next seven league games in a row from this point imo.
For us, we’ll win the next three but we’ll get spanked away to Cheetahs, I think our conference could end up being a lot tighter in second and third but I’d still expect us to have it wrapped up with a couple of games in hand at least.
I wouldn't be so sure r.e. Munster. Their next 7 games in league include away trips to Treviso and .........Leinster
leinsterfan100 wrote:
I wouldn't be so sure r.e. Munster. Their next 7 games in league include away trips to Treviso and .........Leinster
Ah I miscounted, I think they’ll lose to us in Dublin obviously, I have a feeling they’ll win the previous 6 though.
Yeah fair enough. Few tricky away trips but should be manageable if they can find a bit of form again, and improve their luck on injuries
Their "luck" on injuries isn't luck; it's fairly standard. They've lost 2 players at out half, which is not unusual, particularly given the injury profile of those players. The reason they're suffering is because they have failed to give enough gametime to the young replacements when they had the chance. Ben Healy should have been given a lot more minutes by now as this situation was completely foreseeable. Bill Johnston saw this and moved. Conor Fitzgerald's circumstances were different but the result is the same: he left Munster and got minutes; what they'd give for him now. They'll flog Hanrahan and you can guarantee that if Bleyendal comes back at some point he'll play ahead of Healy.
Leinster have given game time in the past few weeks to Harry Byrne, Ross Byrne and Frawley while our first choice 10 is injured. If Ross Byrne had to pull out at some stage in the next fortnight we wouldn't be in the hole that Munster are because we have prepared our squad for just such an eventuality.
Munster's griping is like me complaining that my slim fit shirts no longer fit: it's my fault.
It's still bad luck whether the adverse event was probably or unlikely.
I slagged them off for 5 outhalves last season. I do think they've mismanaged the situation with their current resources. Leinster had Frawley and Sexton missing. We didnt go to a 6-2 bench.
ronk wrote:It's still bad luck whether the adverse event was probably or unlikely.
I slagged them off for 5 outhalves last season. I do think they've mismanaged the situation with their current resources. Leinster had Frawley and Sexton missing. We didnt go to a 6-2 bench.
If you know there is a storm coming and you don't prepare for it then what happens is not bad luck.
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall who's the greatest player of them all? It is Drico your majesty.
Now that the pool stages of the Heineken Champions and Challenge Cups have been completed.
What effect is qualification (or not) likely to have on the prospects of the Irish provinces both in terms of qualifying for the playoffs and the HCC next season.
Both Munster and Connacht will be able to concentrate totally on the Pro14 and that might be just enough to get them into the top four places in their conference which is likely to be a cliffhanger. Making the playoffs is going to be a close run thing as well, Munster might do it but it's hard to see Connacht doing better than 4th spot, IE HCC playoff place.
Leinster and Ulster look good for the playoff spots in the Pro14.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall who's the greatest player of them all? It is Drico your majesty.
