Cian Kelleher rejoins Leinster

[mildlyinterested]

Kelleher move confirmed by Connacht:


https://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2019/010 ... xt-season/

[tomthefan]

Leinster still treating Connacht as a development province I see.

[mildlyinterested]

Leinster still treating Connacht as a development province I see.

a development province that has won more silverware in recent years than Munster.

of course munster may change that this season with the help of saffers and leinster men.

[tomthefan]

Leinster still treating Connacht as a development province I see.

a development province that has won more silverware in recent years than Munster.

of course munster may change that this season with the help of saffers and leinster men.

Like you we have people form outside the province, unlike you we don't adopt a holier than thou
attitude to it.

[wixfjord]

Like you we have people form outside the province, unlike you we don't adopt a holier than thou
attitude to it.

Dude, any chance you'd reign in the trolling a bit please? You make some good points in the midst of it and it's getting a bit boring now.

[arsebiscuits1]

Leinster still treating Connacht as a development province I see.

Keeping it Irish at least

How are those South Africans fitting in in Munster?

Hopefully them and the former Leinster players are all getting along

[Jonny tight lips]

Leinster still treating Connacht as a development province I see.

a development province that has won more silverware in recent years than Munster.

of course munster may change that this season with the help of saffers and leinster men.

Like you we have people form outside the province, unlike you we don't adopt a holier than thou
attitude to it.

Give us back Joey and you can have all the staffers you want, tell cowboy that’s our final offer.

I’ll even throw in a massive bounty .... red one and two snowballs

[Jonny tight lips]

Wait to see who were loosing to make up for this good fortune.

[FLIP]

Irish From somewhere by birth, Munster Not Munster by the grace of God.

[tomthefan]

Leinster still treating Connacht as a development province I see.

Keeping it Irish at least

How are those South Africans fitting in in Munster?

Hopefully them and the former Leinster players are all getting along

All getting on well just now, thanks for asking

[tomthefan]

Give us back Joey and you can have all the staffers you want, tell cowboy that’s our final offer.

I’ll even throw in a massive bounty .... red one and two snowballs

After the way your namesake treated him over the Christmas? No chance!

[tomthefan]

Irish From somewhere by birth, Munster Not Munster by the grace of God.

I like to think that they all become more Munster than the Munstermen themselves.

[Blueberry]

Irish From somewhere by birth, Munster Not Munster by the grace of God.

I like to think that they all become more Munster than the Munstermen themselves.

Whatever........Munster in a sad place at the moment no matter what way you try to ice the cake......

[fourthirtythree]

The up side of us not being able to force them to stay in the event of sweet nothings being whispered in their ears by other provinces is that the other provinces can't force them to stay either when they realise the turf of the RDS really is the greenest of the provinces...

Obviously it's too late for Conway but he should, looking back on his career, be sick. Always the wrong move, at the wrong time. Decide in haste, repent at leisure.

[ronk]

He's a returner who was developed here and had a somewhat unsuccessful move (relative to expectations). His brother is in the academy.

I'm not a hyge fan if the move but it's hardly a raid.

[backrower8]

That will bring to 11 the number of St Michael's players (Molony, Ryan, Leavy, Murphy, Deegan, McGrath, McCarthy, (Marsh), Byrne, ROL, Kelleher from the 2011, '12 & '13 teams alone who have played together since they were nippers and gone on to senior contracts with Leinster. Two more also played pro-rugby for a while (Adam Leavy & Denis Coulson)making it 13 pros from 3 years with 10 alone from the 2013 team that were beaten in the final by some Garry Ringrose magic (and Michael's not closing out the game).

Of course McCarthy will be leaving as Kelleher returns, so leaving aside any other potential joiners-leavers, Michael's will still have 17 contracted players wth Leinster, 10 of whom are currently in the senior squad.

Notwithstanding the irritation of some with private schools/ Michael's/ my-postings-in-this-regard, this has to be a good bi-product for team-Leinster. Sure on Second Captains yesterday, Shane Horgan himself was only commenting on the importance of the understanding between players that comes from playing many times together. We will likely see Kelleher emulate Adam Byrne in collecting many of Ross Byrne's kickpasses in seasons to come.

I am temporarily removing my tie and hanging up my blazer on this topic until the Schools Cup campaigns.

[OTT]

Ah so it is not a massive bubble of dependency that has you very worried (in every thread) anymore. Great stuff.

[dropkick]

Leinster still treating Connacht as a development province I see.

It's the players choice. It might have been his plan all along which is fair enough. They're not owned by anyone.


Connacht had a good player for 3 years so they can't be too unhappy.

[backrower8]

Ah so it is not a massive bubble of dependency that has you very worried (in every thread) anymore. Great stuff.

I still go to and enjoy San Francisco but I would not invest in a house/property there or anywhere else near the San Andreas fault.

Given the context of the ever-worsening safety profile of rugby (4 (young) player deaths this season in France alone, etc), do you disagree that there is a particularly serious systemic risk for Leinster Rugby given their very heavy reliance on sub-academy type "rugby feeder schools" (that they do not govern or control and whose primary function is not the perpetuation of rugby) but who produce over 70% of their current senior squad and over 75% of their Academy intake?

Do you see a serious risk for Leinster Rugby in the fact that presently 22% (senior squad) & 37% (academy) of Leinster players come from just 1 school that they do not control and that has settled a €2.75 million legal case in the last 5 years for a former pupil who sustained a brain injury playing rugby?

One more injury from any such feeder school would lead to a stampede reaction across many schools to dial-down rugby programmes and remove children from the sport. Even a series of lesser serious injuries in a place like Michael's or Rock over a season would likely lead to a serious reset button being pushed by parents and school boards alike...with serious downstream affects on Leinster Rugby bot in rugby and commercial terms.

I am not imagining any of this. The facts and risks and likely consequences are there in plan sight for all to see.


I have one son left playing rugby (senior schools). I go to almost all his games to watch over him. I will be releieved when he most likely finishes playing in 18 months time. My older son played his last after he shipped his third concussion in 15 months in his last SCT match a few years ago.

I am a passionate rugby fan and former player, minis coach...and I never expected I would develop grave reservations about the sport and my sons playing it until they got to 15+ and as the profile of the game at schools changed more and more - and then most of all, when I learnt of the death, in Ireland, in 2011 of Ben Robinson aged 14, following a schools match.

Frankly, I feel increasingly conflicted. On the one hand I am a passionate fan, on the other I don't believe that the rugby community (all of us who are involved from World Rugby to pitch-side observers) are doing near enough of what we need to do to safeguard the people who play it - at all levels.

We All Need to Agitate & Legislate for Change & Be Vigilant in its Enforcement.

[Oldschool]

The up side of us not being able to force them to stay in the event of sweet nothings being whispered in their ears by other provinces is that the other provinces can't force them to stay either when they realise the turf of the RDS really is the greenest of the provinces...

Obviously it's too late for Conway but he should, looking back on his career, be sick. Always the wrong move, at the wrong time. Decide in haste, repent at leisure.

Which only goes to show that horsesh!t beats bullsh!t everytime.