Leinster v Cardiff Sat 3PM TG4/Sky Sports

[Peg Leg]

Leinster look likely to finish top of the league, and rightly so.

Bwahahaha.

Are you setting that one up to make Munster topping the league look more impressive in a few weeks?

Oh no he didn't....

[paddyor]

Leinster look likely to finish top of the league, and rightly so.

Bwahahaha.

Are you setting that one up to make Munster topping the league look more impressive in a few weeks?

Is that how things work in your mind?

Leinster have went through a phase where most of their first choice players were unavailable without losing a match. Those internationals are now back.

To the cowardly apostate, everything is impossible!

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Sloppy and slow.

Very frustrating performance. I thought that Leavy's try came so easily that we switched off and felt we could turn it on if we needed to. It was an amazing piece of skill though, don't mean to say that part was easy, and it was a sign of a player bang in form.

We had so many opportunities to move the ball quicky and messed them up. The inside players took far too much out of the ball and we were a bit lateral as well. Thought Luke, Reid, and Isa were the exceptions in the backline. They all played well with Isa being on another level and I'm not sure we'd have won without him. Even aside from his skill, his presence upsets the opposition.

Don't mind us rushing up and missing first up tackles, but the cover tackling was shocking. Maybe it was the heat but we just didn't have the usual intensity. Fingers crossed we had one eye on next week but that'd be disappointing given the expected changes for next week.

It was the most error ridden performance I've seen from Carbery. Said a while ago that he looked incapable of dropping a ball but he made a lot of mistakes yesterday. I'm oddly encouraged by Adam Byrne's performance. He was caught out defensively but I liked that he was still confident in attack. He didn't see much ball but I thought it was impressive that he could be struggling a bit and still take a high ball like the one he did in the second half.

Ross Molony's hands are infuriating but if you park those mistakes then I thought he played well outside of that. I'll never forget now impressive he was on his Leinster A debut and thought his first full season was great until the Pro12 final. I get how his mobility could be affected by trying to bulk up but not his handling. One thing I'll say is that he took one really difficult pass under huge pressure in the second half after he'd made the errors earlier on.

Rhys deservedly MOTM. Aside from leaving the ball behind at one scrum he was excellent. Huge appetite for work and looked like a genuine 8.

I'm mostly negative there but we dug out the win and I'd imagine we had one eye on next week. That said, thought Cardiff's subs were poor. Dacey was having a great game and I thought Anscombe could have helped close it out, we were a bit lucky with both of those IMO.

[munster#1]

To the cowardly apostate, everything is impossible!

Again resorting to insults, and this time you insult me for complimenting Leinster.
Am I seeing a trend develop here?

[Cianostays]

It just seemed like we weren't quite at the races yesterday. As others have pointed out, it was as if we just expected the hatfull of tries to come eventually. We didn't seem to have too many players carrying, at pace into contact. Daly did this pretty well when he came on and it did generate a bit more momentum.

Between the re-introduction of some heavy hitters and the high stakes I'm not worried that we'll be as off the boil next week but that's a performance we certainly got away with.

[munster#1]

Is that how things work in your mind?

Leinster have went through a phase where most of their first choice players were unavailable without losing a match. Those internationals are now back.

No. Just trying to guess how yours works. It obviously doesn't include looking at the remaining fixtures for each team.

Look I hope you are right, and Leinster do slip up, or Munster take enough bonus points to pass Leinster, I just can't see it.

Leinster are in great form, and now have a large number of internationals returning, many of whom are being tipped to be Lions this summer.
Top spot is Leinster's to lose, an I personally can not see that happening.

[Cianostays]

To the cowardly apostate, everything is impossible!

Again resorting to insults, and this time you insult me for complimenting Leinster.
Am I seeing a trend develop here?

I think most of us are realistic enough that winning our last 4 games of Ulster, Connacht, Ospreys away and Glasgow at home is unlikely. Not impossible but unlikely. Especially as, hopefully, we'll still have European distractions.

Munster's schedule is much kinder therefore it's far more likely that Munster will top the league.

[blockhead]

Blockhead no care bout 1st or 2nd as long as its 1st or 2nd, semi v Ospreys or Ulster/Scarlets would be equally tough challenge for both of us.

[Oldschool]

Blockhead no care bout 1st or 2nd as long as its 1st or 2nd, semi v Ospreys or Ulster/Scarlets would be equally tough challenge for both of us.

+1

[Donny B.]

Blockhead no care bout 1st or 2nd as long as its 1st or 2nd, semi v Ospreys or Ulster/Scarlets would be equally tough challenge for both of us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKRma7PDW10

I know I haven't been around here so much lately, but when did Blockhead start talking like Mongo?

[riocard911]

Whereas the training photos this season thus far were full of players passing, I'd hope to see the tackle bags make a dramatic appearance this week!!!!

[blockhead]

Blockhead no care bout 1st or 2nd as long as its 1st or 2nd, semi v Ospreys or Ulster/Scarlets would be equally tough challenge for both of us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKRma7PDW10

I know I haven't been around here so much lately, but when did Blockhead start talking like Mongo?

blockhead ghobe' rur, fun chenmoH!

[curates_egg]

That was brutal. So many missed tackles and dropped balls. Would've lost without Isa.
The kick-chase-miss tackle strategy was shocking.

Clancy is a thundering disgrace; they should've had a few players binned.

The main positive was that I could start working on my tan; glorious weather for Leinstertainment...
Oh, and we won a game we almost shouldn't have.
The scrum was great. Isa was excellent. Ruddock got through serious work.
McGrath and Leavy had good games; McGrath is a classy little cover defender.
Byrne was poor at outhalf but Carbery wasn't much better.
Moloney was good in the lineout but I was embarrassed for him for his handling.

I hope this was some kind of ruse performance.

[cormac]

Hopefully yesterday's performance will concentrate a few minds for the task ahead.

[simonokeeffe]

Hopefully yesterday's performance will concentrate a few minds for the task ahead.

A Schmidt esque engineered dip in form?

[artaneboy]

Is that how things work in your mind?

Leinster have went through a phase where most of their first choice players were unavailable without losing a match. Those internationals are now back.

No. Just trying to guess how yours works. It obviously doesn't include looking at the remaining fixtures for each team.

Look I hope you are right, and Leinster do slip up, or Munster take enough bonus points to pass Leinster, I just can't see it.

Leinster are in great form, and now have a large number of internationals returning, many of whom are being tipped to be Lions this summer.
Top spot is Leinster's to lose, an I personally can not see that happening.

Ospreys' slip up to Treviso increases our chances of finishing in the top two (that's all that matters), but we still have the toughest run-in of the top four candidates. Yeah, we will get internationals back, theoretically- but that doesn't mean we will able to field them as we want.

Rotation and injuries haven't gone away ye know. Yesterday's match against Cardiff showed the limits of playing a lot of young second liners as a group. Inconsistency is the flaw that invariably raises it head. Talent and promise is something to admire in the sunshine- well maybe not yesterday!; nous and experience is what you want with away matches against your direct rivals. I'm guessing second place is achievable- but it'll be squeaky.


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[Dave Cahill]

Another dreadful crowd on Saturday - just over 10k

[goreyguy]

Another dreadful crowd on Saturday - just over 10k

and the weather can't be used as an excuse..

[curates_egg]

Another dreadful crowd on Saturday - just over 10k

and the weather can't be used as an excuse..

It kind of can: it was so good, a lot of people might have spent the day doing something else outside.

I have to say it again though: ticket pricing is excessive. That surely has an impact on people's decision.

They were looking for north of 60 Euro for a seat on the 22 in the Anglesea Stand...in a Pro12 game against Cardiff. There is simply no justification for that. I can't imagine any club in Europe charges that much for tickets into - what was - a pretty bog standard league match.
I know the boom is back with a vengeance and Dublin, and it's almost as boomy as ten years ago...but the sales and marketing crew are clearly getting something wrong.

[BlueWheels]

Lucky to get the win as we did our best to make a mess of it.

Byrne needs to remember that if selected as a winger it means when you defend you do it on the wing, he kept getting drawn in and leaving gaps.

Also think Carbery is getting messed about to much and his game is suffering because of it. At times on Saturday when defending he was way out of position.


Footnote. A huge thanks to Benetton Treviso for their 13-5 win over Ospreys ....... it certainly is appreciated