Munster 2015/2016

[cormac]

Munster must surely be expecting a handful of signings to be announced? Looking at their squad for next season, it's absolutely brutal. They have about 6 international quality players and that's it. Depth is their major issue though, front 5 is really bad, decent back-row options, nothing at half-backs beyond Murray and a fingers crossed punt in Holland, back-three is very tame looking, centre not bad with Arnold coming in..but a lot of hope rather than established quality through the first team, let alone the squad.

They just have the one NIQ spot to play with too.

Angry Face being out for the season was massive hit for them leadership wise, coupled with POC going all they had left were Standers heroics. POM will make a difference next season which the new DOR will reap.

Their starting back-row of POM, TOD and CJ is fine but even they'll struggle behind a front-five that lacks any kind of oomph to trouble the better teams in the Champions Cup.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Throw Dillane into that pack and it'd be a different animal regardless of their troubles at TH, they have to go all out to get him ASAP.

[simonokeeffe]

Throw Dillane into that pack and it'd be a different animal regardless of their troubles at TH, they have to go all out to get him ASAP.

they cant outbid Connacht for him though

and if Connacht win a league...

POM TOD PJ Stander is a great backrow, JOD on bench too

[munster#1]

Throw Dillane into that pack and it'd be a different animal regardless of their troubles at TH, they have to go all out to get him ASAP.

they cant outbid Connacht for him though

and if Connacht win a league...

POM TOD PJ Stander is a great backrow, JOD on bench too

When it comes to players like Dillane, outbidding another team financially is not always necessary.
He is a Munster player playing for connacht, so the opportunity of starting for a team you grew up supporting may well be enough to bring him back to Munster.

This talk of Munster having a poor front 5 is fairly exaggerated. Imo if we could add in an international standard tight head then the options a very good.

[blockhead]

Throw Dillane into that pack and it'd be a different animal regardless of their troubles at TH, they have to go all out to get him ASAP.

they cant outbid Connacht for him though

and if Connacht win a league...

POM TOD PJ Stander is a great backrow, JOD on bench too

When it comes to players like Dillane, outbidding another team financially is not always necessary.
He is a Munster player playing for connacht, so the opportunity of starting for a team you grew up supporting may well be enough to bring him back to Munster.

This talk of Munster having a poor front 5 is fairly exaggerated. Imo if we could add in an international standard tight head then the options a very good.

You could be right about Dillane, our Robbie came back to us.

[simonokeeffe]

He could fall in love with Connacht like Jones did at Munster or Ross at Leinster

Plus playing for Connacht must be a fun place to be at the moment

[munster#1]

He could fall in love with Connacht like Jones did at Munster or Ross at Leinster

Plus playing for Connacht must be a fun place to be at the moment

That is true, and without knowing the lad, or his feelings about Munster I can't be sure.

But if I were in charge at Munster, he would be a target long before any niq second row.
Then again, who knows, with o Shea coming back and Madigan coming through, we may not need Dillane this time next season.
That is the joy of sport.

[simonokeeffe]

He could fall in love with Connacht like Jones did at Munster or Ross at Leinster

Plus playing for Connacht must be a fun place to be at the moment

That is true, and without knowing the lad, or his feelings about Munster I can't be sure.

But if I were in charge at Munster, he would be a target long before any niq second row.
Then again, who knows, with o Shea coming back and Madigan coming through, we may not need Dillane this time next season.
That is the joy of sport.

True

He'd have to be a target, has carrying, dynamism, tackling, and youth that Ryan, Holland, Foley dont have. Plus hes Irish

[rooster]

Munster need to seriously tighten up their finances and dump the farcical arrangement of playing in Cork and Limerick, it's draining them financially

[blockhead]

Munster need to seriously tighten up their finances and dump the farcical arrangement of playing in Cork and Limerick, it's draining them financially

Sounds obvious on paper but it isn't that simple. Cork supplies a lot of players and fans to the Munster project. Moving everything to Limerick could and is isolating the Cork rugby scene. Munster and Ireland could lose out badly if Cork rugby diminished. Ireland has really only 4 rugby strongholds, Dublin, Belfast, Limerick and Cork. We need them all.

[rooster]

Munster need to seriously tighten up their finances and dump the farcical arrangement of playing in Cork and Limerick, it's draining them financially

Sounds obvious on paper but it isn't that simple. Cork supplies a lot of players and fans to the Munster project. Moving everything to Limerick could and is isolating the Cork rugby scene. Munster and Ireland could lose out badly if Cork rugby diminished. Ireland has really only 4 rugby strongholds, Dublin, Belfast, Limerick and Cork. We need them all.

Don't think it is that simple, the financial wizards in the IRFU will put more pressure on Munster to sort themselves out, Belfast is not the stronghold you think, large numbers of Ulster fans travel for an hour or more for matches

[munster#1]

The general cost of running Munster rugby will be reduced this coming season with the introduction of a single training facility in limerick.
This is pure assumption, but you would have to think that the number of support staff will be greatly reduced, as will the cost of equipment and other costs of running a second training centre.

The second big positive about the single base of course is players training together more regularly, and coaches getting to see all the players all the time. The dual training base was the last link to the amateur era, and thank God that situation is gone.

Bernard jackman said it recently, that you can't treat a team like a business, when you lose money you sometimes you have to increase costs to get back to making money.

If Munster cut costs in the wrong place, for example on the field, and they have a repeat of this season's results, that will mean even more money lost.

Bringing in 2 big names at a cost of 800k, may mean the difference between a home semi in the league or coming 7th, which in turn would cost Munster massively, not only on money earned from said semi final, but also from ticket and merchandise sales leading up to the end of the season.

You just have to look and Leinsters gates to see that when a team plays poor fans stay home, this is not something confined to Munster.

[rooster]

The general cost of running Munster rugby will be reduced this coming season with the introduction of a single training facility in limerick.
This is pure assumption, but you would have to think that the number of support staff will be greatly reduced, as will the cost of equipment and other costs of running a second training centre.

The second big positive about the single base of course is players training together more regularly, and coaches getting to see all the players all the time. The dual training base was the last link to the amateur era, and thank God that situation is gone.

Bernard jackman said it recently, that you can't treat a team like a business, when you lose money you sometimes you have to increase costs to get back to making money.

If Munster cut costs in the wrong place, for example on the field, and they have a repeat of this season's results, that will mean even more money lost.

Bringing in 2 big names at a cost of 800k, may mean the difference between a home semi in the league or coming 7th, which in turn would cost Munster massively, not only on money earned from said semi final, but also from ticket and merchandise sales leading up to the end of the season.

You just have to look and Leinsters gates to see that when a team plays poor fans stay home, this is not something confined to Munster.

Correct in all that, player quality in all sides has to stay high and corner cutting there is counter productive, this forcing sides to try and compete with all Irish players is a nonsense and if pushed too far will lead to a serious downward spiral in competitiveness and thus gate receipts and so it goes on. Yes there is a balance to be struck but both Provinces and Ireland have to stay strong.
Double costs in Munster need sorting and the training is part of that.

[Peg Leg]

Bernard jackman said it recently, that you can't treat a team like a business, when you lose money you sometimes you have to increase costs to get back to making money.

That is exactly how business works.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Bernard jackman said it recently, that you can't treat a team like a business, when you lose money you sometimes you have to increase costs to get back to making money.

That is exactly how business works.

Was thinking that!

[Oldschool]

While these discussions are entertaining it would be interesting to know what the geographical breakdown of season ticket holders, sponsor and indeed squad nembers is?
ie gather the data and do some cost benefit analysis.
Attendance figures at club games would be of interest too.
Cork Con getting to the league final suggests........

[simonokeeffe]

via @threeredkings

leading Munster try scorers this season

7- Sherry, Stander, Zebo
5- Kilcoyne
4- Conway, ROM, Saili, Scannell
3- Copeland, Murray

[Fireworks]

Bernard jackman said it recently, that you can't treat a team like a business, when you lose money you sometimes you have to increase costs to get back to making money.

That is exactly how business works.

Was thinking that!

In sport and business it is about cutting the right bits and spending wisely. Are these teams not already businesses anyway???

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Just saw on the back of the Indo that Felix Jones will probably be the Munster backs coach next season. I get the impression that he's a very clever guy with a future in coaching, but in the circumstances it'd be extraordinary to give him the role now.

[wixfjord]

Just saw on the back of the Indo that Felix Jones will probably be the Munster backs coach next season. I get the impression that he's a very clever guy with a future in coaching, but in the circumstances it'd be extraordinary to give him the role now.

Replace a guy with some experience in backs coaching at AIL level with a guy with no backs coaching experience! Brilliant!