Age Grade Interpros

[goreyguy]

Wheres Conor Nash does anybody know?

with the AFL apparently.

[Ruckedtobits]

Reading about Nucifora's plans for age-grade internationals that IRFU is going to treat them as individual trial games, rather than contests for Schools and Youth players, I am appalled and in total disagreement.

Rugby TEAMS played games as teams to win and, an international level, to represent their country. Formally deciding that it is primarily an 'assessment of the progress of individuals', takes from the basic ethos of the game which is focussed on teamwork, not individuals.

So, " f#ck the rest of ye, I'm gonna score here, rather than pass to a better-placed teammate".

This guy has now pissed off Schools and Youth Club rugby by depriving them of representative games amongst their peers. He has now determined to rub-out the fundamental ethos of this team game.

Wrong call and wrong time Mr. N!

[goreyguy]

Ireland u18 & u19 players:

Prop: Richie Mouatt (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Prop: Michael McCormack (St Mary's College/Leinster)
Prop: Eoghan Clarke (CBC Monkstown / Leinster)
Prop: Evin Coyle (Gonzaga / Leinster)
Prop: Cathal Duff (Clongowes / Leinster)
Hooker: Conor Maguire (Boyne RFC/Leinster)
Hooker: Tadgh McElroy (Dundalk RFC/Leinster)
Hooker: Ronan Kelleher (St. Michael's College / Leinster)
Hooker: Stephen McLaughlin (Blackrock College / Leinster)
Lock: Jack Regan (Birr RFC/Leinster)
Lock: Oisin Dowling (St. Michael's College/Leinster)
Lock: Charlie Ryan (Blackrock College / Leinster)
Lock: Aaron Browne (Roscrea / Leinster)
Lock: Jack Dunne (St.Michael's College / Leinster)
Backrow: Tom de Jongh (Belvedere College/Leinster)
Backrow: Paul Boyle (Gorey FC/Leinster)
Backrow: Johnny Guy (St. Andrews/Leinster)
Backrow: Caelan Doris (Blackrock College / Leinster)
Backrow: Richard Dunne (Blackrock College / Leinster)
Backrow: Sean Masterson (Portlaoise RFC/Leinster)
Backrow: JJ O'Dea (Navan RFC/ Leinster)
Backrow: Andrew Murphy (Blackrock College / Leinster)
Scrumhalf: Hugh O'Sullivan (Belvedere College / Leinster)
Outhalf: Ciaran Frawley (Skerries RFC/Leinster)
Centre: Gavin Mullin (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Centre: Michael McDermott (Clongowes Wood/Leinster)
Centre: Tommy O'Brien (Blackrock College / Leinster)
Centre: Liam Turner (Blackrock College / Leinster)
Wing: James McKeown (Belvedere College/Leinster)
Wing: Jordan Larmour (St. Andrew's College/Leinster)
Wing: Thomas O'Callaghan (CBC Monkstown / Leinster)
Fullback: Jack Kelly (St. Michael's College/Leinster)
Fullback: Michael Sylvester (Clongowes Wood College / Leinster)
Fullback: Sam Dardis (Terenure / Leinster)

[ormond lad]

Reading about Nucifora's plans for age-grade internationals that IRFU is going to treat them as individual trial games, rather than contests for Schools and Youth players, I am appalled and in total disagreement.

Rugby TEAMS played games as teams to win and, an international level, to represent their country. Formally deciding that it is primarily an 'assessment of the progress of individuals', takes from the basic ethos of the game which is focussed on teamwork, not individuals.

So, " f#ck the rest of ye, I'm gonna score here, rather than pass to a better-placed teammate".

This guy has now pissed off Schools and Youth Club rugby by depriving them of representative games amongst their peers. He has now determined to rub-out the fundamental ethos of this team game.

Wrong call and wrong time Mr. N!

But the ultimate aim of these games is development. I like how we know have the best 18s playing the one team. Shame we and all the 6 Nations bar the French have pulled out of the Rugby Europe championships.
THese games are ultimately about the progress of individuals and the development of individuals and winning the games is ultimately irrelevant. He hasn't rub out fundamental ethos of the game.

[hugonaut]

Reading about Nucifora's plans for age-grade internationals that IRFU is going to treat them as individual trial games, rather than contests for Schools and Youth players, I am appalled and in total disagreement.

Rugby TEAMS played games as teams to win and, an international level, to represent their country. Formally deciding that it is primarily an 'assessment of the progress of individuals', takes from the basic ethos of the game which is focussed on teamwork, not individuals.

So, " f#ck the rest of ye, I'm gonna score here, rather than pass to a better-placed teammate".

This guy has now pissed off Schools and Youth Club rugby by depriving them of representative games amongst their peers. He has now determined to rub-out the fundamental ethos of this team game.

Wrong call and wrong time Mr. N!

But the ultimate aim of these games is development. I like how we know have the best 18s playing the one team. Shame we and all the 6 Nations bar the French have pulled out of the Rugby Europe championships.
THese games are ultimately about the progress of individuals and the development of individuals and winning the games is ultimately irrelevant. He hasn't rub out fundamental ethos of the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5-iJUuPWis

[goreyguy]

Max Kearney was called upto the Ireland u18 5 nations squad after injury to Richard Dunne but was after going away for easter so someone else is getting called up instead.
Conor Jennings missed out on Ireland u19 due to injury.

[El Diablo]

Max Kearney was called upto the Ireland u18 5 nations squad after injury to Richard Dunne but was after going away for easter so someone else is getting called up instead.
Conor Jennings missed out on Ireland u19 due to injury.

Richard Dunne took a bang to the head in the warm up. Lasted almost to halftime but his tournament is over. No one else called up. Sean Masterson from Portlaoise RFC came on for him but he is more a 6.
It was a gutsy performance by Ireland. Lots of really good performances. Tom O'Toole & Johnny Stewart of Ulster looked good. Captain Caelan Doris carried really well as usual. Daniel Hurley (Crescent in Limerick) took his try really well in the 2nd half. Ronan Kellher the hooker very strong too. Tommy O'Brien had a good 15 minutes when he came on and he will do real damage if he gets to start against Scotland on Tuesday. Considering England had played 3 games leading up to this match, it was amazing that Ireland almost pinched it.

Scroll to about 1 hour and 3 minutes of the live stream to see the start of the match:

http://youtu.be/OB-DbIkdp_c

[goreyguy]

Ireland u19 side for tonights game:

15. Jack Kelly (St Michael’s College/Leinster)
14. Colm Hogan (Dublin University RFC/Munster)
13. Gavin Mullin (Blackrock College/Leinster)
12. Michael McDermott (Dublin University RFC/Leinster)
11. Calvin Nash (Crescent Comprehensive College/Munster)
10. Conor Fitzgerald (Ard Scoil Ris/Munster)
9. Niall Saunders (Epsom College/Exile) (Vice-Captain)
1. Richard Mouatt (Blackrock College/Leinster)
2. Tadgh McElroy (Lansdowne RFC/Leinster)
3. Peter Cooper (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
4. Oisin Dowling (St Michael’s College/Leinster)
5. Jack Regan (UCD RFC/Leinster)
6. Marcus Rea (Ballymena Academy/Ulster) (Captain)
7. Jonny Guy (UCD RFC/Leinster)
8. John Foley (Shannon/Munster)
16. Conor Maguire (Boyne RFC/Leinster)
17. Michael McCormack (St Mary’s College/Leinster)
18. Dylan Murphy (Cistercian College Roscrea/Munster)
19. Gavin Coombes (Bandon Grammar School/Munster)
20. Tom De Jongh (Belvedere College/Leinster)
21. Jack Lyons (Crescent Comprehensive College/Munster)
22. Ciaran Frawley (Skerries RFC/Leinster)
23. Jordan Larmour (St Andrew’s College/Leinster)

[goreyguy]

incomplete leinster u18 schools squad who defeated Canada

Prop: Niall McEniff(St. Marys)
Prop: Sam Kenny(Wesley)
Prop: Ronan Hannon(Clongowes)
Prop: Jonny Bell(Belvedere)
Hooker: Ben Howlett(Newbridge)
Lock: Ronan Waters(Marys)
Lock: Ryan Baird(Michaels)
Backrow: Donnacha Mescal(Blackrock?)
Backrow: Reuben Pim(Kilkenny)
Backrow: David Jeffares(Clongowes)
Backrow: Ruadhan Byron(Belvedere)
Backrow: Adam Corcoran(Castleknock)
Backrow: Adam Fleming(CUS)
Scrumhalf: Elliott Ryan(Pres Bray)
Scrumhalf: Conrad Daly(Clongowes)
Outhalf: Dominic Henry Hayes(Terenure)
Centre: Ben O'Shea(Clongowes)
Centre: David Ryan(Michaels)
Wing: Eoin Barr(Gonzaga)
Wing: Jeff O'Loughlin(Michaels)
Fullback: Conor Kelly(Roscrea)

[goreyguy]

IRELAND U-19 side:
15. Jack Kelly (St. Michael's College/Leinster)
14. Colm Hogan (Dublin University/Munster)
13. Gavin Mullin (Blackrock College/Leinster)
12. Peadar Collins (Ard Scoil Ris/Munster)
11. Jordan Larmour (St. Andrew's College/Leinster)
10. Conor Fitzgerald (Ard Scoil Ris/Munster)
9. Niall Saunders (Epsom College/Exile)
1. Matthew Burke (Galwegians/Connacht)
2. Tadgh McElroy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
3. Peter Cooper (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
4. Oisin Dowling (St. Michael's College/Leinster)
5. Jack Regan (UCD/Leinster)
6. Marcus Rea (Ballymena Academy/Ulster)
7. Tom de Jongh (Belvedere College/Leinster)
8. Paul Boyle (Lansdowne/Leinster)
16. Conor Maguire (Boyne/Leinster)
17. Richard Mouatt (Blackrock College/Leinster)
18. Dylan Murphy (Cistercian College Roscrea)
19. Gavin Coombes (Bandon Grammar/Munster)
20. Jonny Guy (UCD/Leinster)
21. John Foley (Shannon/Munster)
22. Jack Lyons (Crescent College Comprehensive/Munster)
23. Ciaran Frawley (Skerries/Leinster)
24. Alex McHenry (CBC Cork/Munster)
25. James McKeown (Belvedere College/Leinster)

[El Diablo]

Fair play to the under 19s. Just reading about the 32-21 win against France on irishrugby.ie. Big turnaround from Wednesday's defeat
Overall between the under 18s and under 19s, some very promising performances over the last couple of weeks.

[goreyguy]

Fair play to the under 19s. Just reading about the 32-21 win against France on irishrugby.ie. Big turnaround from Wednesday's defeat
Overall between the under 18s and under 19s, some very promising performances over the last couple of weeks.

Not sure how encouraging it is from a Leinster point of view.. but wait and see what happens over the summer and what replaces the 20's interpros.

Talent wise, Leinster need backs and TH props. The prospective loss of Nash is a big blow.

[dropkick]

Fair play to the under 19s. Just reading about the 32-21 win against France on irishrugby.ie. Big turnaround from Wednesday's defeat
Overall between the under 18s and under 19s, some very promising performances over the last couple of weeks.

Not sure how encouraging it is from a Leinster point of view.. but wait and see what happens over the summer and what replaces the 20's interpros.

Talent wise, Leinster need backs and TH props. The prospective loss of Nash is a big blow.

Hopefully Nash is just having a look. The Aussies invite players down under for a look around before they sign. Still it would be a blow for rugby to lose a player of that talent.


I though Adam Coyle had a good impact when he came on for the U20s. He strengthened the scrum which was good going for Ireland's 4th choice tighthead!

[goreyguy]

Fair play to the under 19s. Just reading about the 32-21 win against France on irishrugby.ie. Big turnaround from Wednesday's defeat
Overall between the under 18s and under 19s, some very promising performances over the last couple of weeks.

Not sure how encouraging it is from a Leinster point of view.. but wait and see what happens over the summer and what replaces the 20's interpros.

Talent wise, Leinster need backs and TH props. The prospective loss of Nash is a big blow.

Hopefully Nash is just having a look. The Aussies invite players down under for a look around before they sign. Still it would be a blow for rugby to lose a player of that talent.


I though Adam Coyle had a good impact when he came on for the U20s. He strengthened the scrum which was good going for Ireland's 4th choice tighthead!

He's been to Oz a few times, they seem to be really targetting him. They can't offer him a contract until he turns 18, which is in the summer.
Would be surprised if Coyle got an academy offer but stranger things have happened I guess.

[Armchair]

Heard Nash is a done deal to Oz

[hugonaut]

Heard Nash is a done deal to Oz

Looks like it. He was over in Australia on a PR exercise to a local school with the Hawthorn Hawks in February: http://www.examiner.com.au/story/374055 ... -students/ [that's him, second from right in the main photo]. And him doing his Leaving Cert etc.

Best of luck to the young fellah in whatever he chooses. Have to say that I'm surprised that a guy who has a career in professional rugby open to him in Ireland – which he obviously does – would choose to travel to the far side of the world to play a different oval ball game that he has never played competitively.

From what I have heard [from a reliable Leinster source, but one who isn't involved with this particular bit of business], he's being offered a very handsome salary from the Hawks, and they have rolled out the red carpet for him ... almost like the type of collegiate recruiting that the big American universities go in for to attract the most talented high-school football players to their program. I suppose you can see that much from the above article. Again, third hand information, although he was front and centre in their training camp when the AFL rolled into town for the International Rules series.

The average AFL salary is over $300,000 Australian [which translates neatly to €200,000; source: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-02-12/a ... first-time ] so there is obviously a lot of money in the league. Not that a rookie would be getting the average salary, but I'm sure that he's being offered a pretty sweet deal. In contrast, the money isn't great in the academies over here [although it just got a hell of a lot better than what it was], but if you're good enough [like Ringrose or Dooley] you can get bumped up to a pro contract ahead of schedule.

Beyond that, Leinster offer a very reasonable holistic package in terms of a third level qualification [the HETAC award], encouraging and working around university degrees, providing accommodation, mentorship from established individuals in different industries etc. outside of excellent S&C, medical and coaching facilities.

From my reading of the situation [and I could be totally wrong], I think Leinster would have had to offer him a professional contract straight from school in order to compete financially. That would a] put the guy under huge pressure to perform immediately and b] totally distort the situation for academy prospects for the next decade ... leading to a sh*tload of headaches.

Big decision for a young man to make, and it's good to see that his sense of adventure isn't lacking. Best of luck to him!

[dropkick]

Good luck to him. Australia isn't the worst place in the world to live!


He can always do a Folau and come back to rugby.

[goreyguy]

Heard Nash is a done deal to Oz

Looks like it. He was over in Australia on a PR exercise to a local school with the Hawthorn Hawks in February: http://www.examiner.com.au/story/374055 ... -students/ [that's him, second from right in the main photo]. And him doing his Leaving Cert etc.

Best of luck to the young fellah in whatever he chooses. Have to say that I'm surprised that a guy who has a career in professional rugby open to him in Ireland – which he obviously does – would choose to travel to the far side of the world to play a different oval ball game that he has never played competitively.

From what I have heard [from a reliable Leinster source, but one who isn't involved with this particular bit of business], he's being offered a very handsome salary from the Hawks, and they have rolled out the red carpet for him ... almost like the type of collegiate recruiting that the big American universities go in for to attract the most talented high-school football players to their program. I suppose you can see that much from the above article. Again, third hand information, although he was front and centre in their training camp when the AFL rolled into town for the International Rules series.

The average AFL salary is over $300,000 Australian [which translates neatly to €200,000; source: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-02-12/a ... first-time ] so there is obviously a lot of money in the league. Not that a rookie would be getting the average salary, but I'm sure that he's being offered a pretty sweet deal. In contrast, the money isn't great in the academies over here [although it just got a hell of a lot better than what it was], but if you're good enough [like Ringrose or Dooley] you can get bumped up to a pro contract ahead of schedule.

Beyond that, Leinster offer a very reasonable holistic package in terms of a third level qualification [the HETAC award], encouraging and working around university degrees, providing accommodation, mentorship from established individuals in different industries etc. outside of excellent S&C, medical and coaching facilities.

From my reading of the situation [and I could be totally wrong], I think Leinster would have had to offer him a professional contract straight from school in order to compete financially. That would a] put the guy under huge pressure to perform immediately and b] totally distort the situation for academy prospects for the next decade ... leading to a sh*tload of headaches.

Big decision for a young man to make, and it's good to see that his sense of adventure isn't lacking. Best of luck to him!

They offered Luke Fitz a pro contract around a decade ago too.
But times have changed. Bad situation when Leinster rugby can't or won't compete for homegrown elite talent.
Maybe AFL won't work out and in three years he will be playing catch up.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Wasn't Luke Fitz famously just in the academy for one day before getting a pro deal?

Agree with Hugo about it opening a can of worms to offer him one straight off the bat but I'd have thought it was obvious that a regular academy place wouldn't cut it for this guy and I know of others clubs who were after him too so I would hope that Leinster realised that and weren't stubborn about the type of contract on offer.

It's fairly worrying that he's been targeted from such a young age, I wonder what kind of scouting processes they have in place? Who knows, maybe he'll end up coming back but I'd guess that if he's not overly fussed on rugby now then he never will be. There are guys like Jack Kelly and even Dardis who will be relieved at this news and hopefully they can take their opportunities now.

[goreyguy]

Wasn't Luke Fitz famously just in the academy for one day before getting a pro deal?

Agree with Hugo about it opening a can of worms to offer him one straight off the bat but I'd have thought it was obvious that a regular academy place wouldn't cut it for this guy and I know of others clubs who were after him too so I would hope that Leinster realised that and weren't stubborn about the type of contract on offer.

It's fairly worrying that he's been targeted from such a young age, I wonder what kind of scouting processes they have in place? Who knows, maybe he'll end up coming back but I'd guess that if he's not overly fussed on rugby now then he never will be. There are guys like Jack Kelly and even Dardis who will be relieved at this news and hopefully they can take their opportunities now.

Don't think Leinster have so much talent in the back three that Nash would have blocked anyone. Leinster need all the talent they can get in those positions.

On the topic of Dardis, does he even have a contract for next season with Leinster?

The AFL have a whole scouting setup for 16-18 year old GAA players. Tadhg Kennelly is in charge of it. Hopefully it will be a Ciaran Kilkeny situation and he comes home pretty quickly but somehow I doubt it. Shame as Nash had the potential to be a real star player from the club game in the province ala Sean O'Brien.