Comparing Leo to MOC

[Blueberry]

Yeah, don't be so harsh, we're trying to get over the trauma of Friday together, so it's all good. Oíche mhaith! Bríonglóidí milse!!

+1 - Gonna take some time to get over Friday night !! Group therapy in full swing !!

[molloyjh]

Johnny Sexton was making the kids in the stands cry, the people in the terrace were afraid to open their mouths because of him. The other players were afraid to catch the ball and execute basic rugby skills like rucking, kicking, passing, tackling etc because of Johnny Sexton.

Or maybe Johnny Sexton had a bad game like the rest of the team?

We love to laud people when things are going well. Sexton sets the standards blah blah blah....Lancaster has brought our unstructured play on ten fold blah blah blah....we fail to live up to our standards and these guys are then the guys who are the problem. FFS this forum has turned into a caricature of a rugby forum.

We were sh!t on Friday, we seem to have managed the last month very badly, we were so flat for such a big game, lets talk about that and question what has gone wrong instead of taking personal cheap shots at two people who have been a big part in getting us back on the road to playing what we describe as the Leinster way. Our disappointment is such because this group have heightened our expectations 10 fold this season.

Probably not the right thread for this but they seem to all amalgamate into the same rubbish.

[molloyjh]

We won one away game against the top six, we drew against Castres and lost in Ulster - two games with massive strategic significance if not immediate importance. We scored a squillion tries all season, but only one in the game that would have put us top of the league and only one in the semifinal.

We are not ruthless enough yet, physically or mentally - on or off the pitch.

Is it ruthlessness, or is it that element of experience or leadership that would get us through big games? I think we missed Heaslip more than anyone else in the last month. A bit more of a calming presence compared to Sexton for example. We seemed to be snatching at the game on Friday and needed someone to just settle us down a bit. Sextons crankiness can be useful in certain situations, but it's harmful in others.

To me ruthlessness is about making opposition sides pay for their inaccuracies and targeting them successfully where they are weak. We couldn't do the basics right on Friday. Our ball protection and retention was truly awful. To me the lads were just trying too hard and needed a guiding hand. Who was there out there to deliver that? And who do we have that can grow into that role? Molony?

[Ruckedtobits]

The fact that this thread has managed to generate three pages of total b*%&!x is beyond me.

@Logorrhea, me thinks you doth protest too much.

Sure, there's been some circular point making and some unproveable contentions but in general, there's been much of the same discussion that going on amongst the broader Squad members who weren't playing on Friday.

Competitive professional sport doesn't produce linear outcomes. There are so many moving parts in the training, selection, game plan, preparation, phychology, execution, reaction and final delivery that it takes a long time to evaluate any battlefield precisely.

If, for those with all the available information (public and private), there will be no concensus of reasons before Friday of this week, it's perfectly reasonable for any keyboard warrior to offer his / her contribution on what has been a traumatic game / week / month, with some validity.

There has been sufficient diversity of opinions on this and other threads to enhance the scope of the analysts brief till at least Friday, and probably beyond.

[Ruckedtobits]

We won one away game against the top six, we drew against Castres and lost in Ulster - two games with massive strategic significance if not immediate importance. We scored a squillion tries all season, but only one in the game that would have put us top of the league and only one in the semifinal.

We are not ruthless enough yet, physically or mentally - on or off the pitch.

Is it ruthlessness, or is it that element of experience or leadership that would get us through big games? I think we missed Heaslip more than anyone else in the last month. A bit more of a calming presence compared to Sexton for example. We seemed to be snatching at the game on Friday and needed someone to just settle us down a bit. Sextons crankiness can be useful in certain situations, but it's harmful in others.

To me ruthlessness is about making opposition sides pay for their inaccuracies and targeting them successfully where they are weak. We couldn't do the basics right on Friday. Our ball protection and retention was truly awful. To me the lads were just trying too hard and needed a guiding hand. Who was there out there to deliver that? And who do we have that can grow into that role? Molony?

+1.
Knock-out professional sport is warfare. Everybody on that battlefield must understand that the loser is usually the less ruthless.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

There has been sufficient diversity of opinions on this and other threads to enhance the scope of the analysts brief till at least Friday, and probably beyond.

It'll go on until Saturday when we watch Munster win by doing everything we failed to do. We've provided them with everything they need to know.

Don't mean to be dismissive of the Scarlets when I say that, they're a good team in great form but I think Munster will win. They'll put the squeeze on in ways that we never managed.

[riocard911]

From ruckedtobits:

"+1. Knock-out professional sport is warfare. Everybody on that battlefield must understand that the loser is usually the less ruthless."

That applies only in cases, where the opposing forces are roughly equal in their capacities. Where an overwhelming disparity however pertains, the ruthlessness and commitment of the inferior side may delay, but will not prevent the inevitable defeat.

[Oldschool]

Two sh!t performances in a row with two different 10s. Blaming the outhalf, or any one player, is to fail to see the bigger picture

What's the bigger picture?

You use broad brush strokes and generalities.

[Oldschool]

Someone mentioned missing Heaslip's experience.
Would agree with this and perhaps not having Toner (more experience missing) could have been a contributory factor.
Losing Luke, more leadership gone.
A young bunch of players who if they listen to Sexton and learn from this experience will realise opportunities when they knock have to be taken.
With hinddight we could have been very close to winning the European Cup and if Scarlets do beat Munster then what cost losing a full second half against 14 men.