Leinster v Wasps Aviva Stadium 1st April KO 3.15 BT

[Munsterboy]

Anyway, very good performance. Really enjoyed watching Carbery making eejits of them. Loads of strong performances but that back row is seriously good and an additional playmaker at 15 makes your backline far more dangerous.

Clermont away is a hell of a challenge but hopefully see you in Edinburgh!

[paddyor]

My favorite moment of the day. Not often Leinster players show emotion like this. Was great to see how much it meant to him!

He has a nearly clearout on Launchbury around 61min on the match clock.

[riocard911]

My favorite moment of the day. Not often Leinster players show emotion like this. Was great to see how much it meant to him!

He has a nearly clearout on Launchbury around 61min on the match clock.

For your delectation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmljSMbsxw4&t=2951s

[curates_egg]

Clears out Launchbury and the prop, immediately after having made a big tackle and almost getting a maul out of it.
He had another big clearout in the centre of the pitch in the second half. Can't remember the time.
He really was back on form. Brings something totally different to Byrne and something I think we will definitely need against Clermont.

[domhnallj]

My favorite moment of the day. Not often Leinster players show emotion like this. Was great to see how much it meant to him!

He has a nearly clearout on Launchbury around 61min on the match clock.

For your delectation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmljSMbsxw4&t=2951s

Cheers for posting the link. I watched the game on the BT app on my Samsung S7. Eye watering stuff.

[erskinechilders]

Anyone know if BT's feature on Leinster will be online or is online? Would love to watch it!

[riocard911]

Anyone know if BT's feature on Leinster will be online or is online? Would love to watch it!

Mise freisin!!!

[RoboProp]

Gonna be calling Ferg Mr. Leinster now, thanks to Hugo. He's a guy who puts everything into the club and the jersey. Other provinces might not get what it is about Ferg...it's a Leinstee thing

[riocard911]

Gonna be calling Ferg Mr. Leinster now, thanks to Hugo. He's a guy who puts everything into the club and the jersey. Other provinces might not get what it is about Ferg...it's a Leinstee thing

Ferg: "My heart is at Leinster." - http://www.independent.ie/style/my-hear ... 20421.html

[R-Dog]

Anyone know if BT's feature on Leinster will be online or is online? Would love to watch it!

Mise freisin!!!

Only a 15min thing. Interview with Niall Woods about how far things have come (2 men and a dog to 80K in croker). Interview with Leo and Lancaster 5mins each and a few snippits from Furlong. Lancaster probably the only one giving a different view to what you would have heard already. He seams happy here with where he fits in and is impressed by the volume of home grown talent and the "Leinster for Life" type attitude

Good interview with Leo last week on Off the Ball (Skip the 1st few minutes!)

[Ruckedtobits]

Burt's interview undoubtedly the mos insightful but a few snippets in Leo's as well. Why Woods (now a Player Agent) was included other than a former school mate of Craig Doyle, is a bit of a mystery. But worth watching and Leinster could do more of it themselves through Blues TV and model it on the Inside the NFL series.

[wixfjord]

Good piece here looking at our first try: http://www.the42.ie/leinster-attack-ana ... itter_self

That Adam Byrne move with a centre coming on a decoy line is something we've made serious hay with all season. If he's out for the SF, that'll be one aspect of the game we'll lose.

[erskinechilders]

That move was great but surprised that Kinsella didn't pick up on the fact that Byrne had his hamstring done / or did it during that move. He didn't seem to be able to turn on that pace he has and hit full throttle. He was down for a while after that move and came off shortly after. With Ringrose and Henshaw working up a proper partnership with Sexton those type of moves will work again and again because defenders have to sit down and watch both centres and Sexton, giving the wingers and fb huge room!

[wixfjord]

Just watching some highlights, a few things stuck out.
Henshaw absolutely butchered a golden opportunity on 11 minutes. Got a pass form Ringrose after some messy play up the right and just needed to give it back. Beale was hovering behind Ringrose but I reckon he would've slide over.

Carbery was immense going forward. His balance is something to behold. However, I would again worry about him under pressure. Besides the Wade try, he was caught in first half out of position too.

Conan was immense throughout. Lineout, tackling and breaking. Our POTY for me.

Luke McGrath was mixed as usual. Some shocking kicking with some good breaking threat and quick ball.

Isa was poor for the Wade try. Had men inside but didn't trust them. If Adam Byrne had done that we'd be crucifying him this week.
Also, the amount of times that Ross Molony gets caught out for tries can't be a coincidence. McGrath might've missed the tackle on Gopperth, but Molony was stumbling around and got done badly.

Our willingness to hold the ball was noticeable from the 1st minute. We really backed our backline to attack.

Overall, there's a huge improvement to be made for the rest of the year. Sexton's kicking, silly penalties, the lineout and maul all obvious areas that we can improve 10-15%. Getting Cronin back would be huge too. If our close in carriers like SOB, Henshaw, Triggs etc can get us moving forward, I really think guys like Conan, Leavy, VDF, Ringrose, Carbery can unlock Clermont with footwork, pace and smart lines.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Molony has copped a lot of flack this season so I'll stick up for him again here, totally disagree with him having any fault for the Gopperth try. As I said after the game, Molony and Luke spot that we're in trouble out wide so they both try to get wide as quickly as possible. Tracy is very slow to get up off the ground and into the line so Luke briefly fills the gap that he leaves but then tries to get wide again when Tracy is back in the line and it looks like Wasps will go wide, but that leaves a gap that Gopperth spots. Quick feet into a big space leaves Molony for dead but you can't blame him in the slightest. I wouldn't blame Luke either because he was working his arse off and had to gamble on going wide and hope that Tracy filled the gap. IMO Tracy is the one at fault and then the others are unlucky. Good play by Gopperth too, really good feet and an excellent finish.

[ronk]

Pace of the game meant mistakes were inevitable. Heroes were most culpable.

I thought Molony showed well in the time he was on. He's not perfect but he's developing. Toner and Triggs were both brilliant.

[Dave Cahill]

Molony has copped a lot of flack this season so I'll stick up for him again here, totally disagree with him having any fault for the Gopperth try. As I said after the game, Molony and Luke spot that we're in trouble out wide so they both try to get wide as quickly as possible. Tracy is very slow to get up off the ground and into the line so Luke briefly fills the gap that he leaves but then tries to get wide again when Tracy is back in the line and it looks like Wasps will go wide, but that leaves a gap that Gopperth spots. Quick feet into a big space leaves Molony for dead but you can't blame him in the slightest. I wouldn't blame Luke either because he was working his arse off and had to gamble on going wide and hope that Tracy filled the gap. IMO Tracy is the one at fault and then the others are unlucky. Good play by Gopperth too, really good feet and an excellent finish.

Also, Joey's attempt at a tackle owed more to Freddie Mercury in front of a sold out Wembley than to any previously published tackle technique

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

[LeRouxIsPHat]

That can happen...under pressure.

[Dave Cahill]

The rest of his game was a kind of magic though

[cormac]

Molony has copped a lot of flack this season so I'll stick up for him again here, totally disagree with him having any fault for the Gopperth try. As I said after the game, Molony and Luke spot that we're in trouble out wide so they both try to get wide as quickly as possible. Tracy is very slow to get up off the ground and into the line so Luke briefly fills the gap that he leaves but then tries to get wide again when Tracy is back in the line and it looks like Wasps will go wide, but that leaves a gap that Gopperth spots. Quick feet into a big space leaves Molony for dead but you can't blame him in the slightest. I wouldn't blame Luke either because he was working his arse off and had to gamble on going wide and hope that Tracy filled the gap. IMO Tracy is the one at fault and then the others are unlucky. Good play by Gopperth too, really good feet and an excellent finish.

McGrath was unlucky with the Gopperth try, had he not slipped I'd be confident he would have tackled him.