Leinster v Toulouse

[LeRouxIsPHat]

That was one of the best games I've seen all season, the intensity was incredible. We did dominate for most of it but don't think the scoreline quite reflected how the game went. I think the coin toss had a big impact on it. I know we would have wanted to take them through the phases anyway but playing into the wind in the first half meant we doubled down on that. Both teams threw everything at each other and then with the wind seeming to pick up a bit in the second half it made it harder for Toulouse to break out and compounded the fact that they emptied the tank in the first 40.

Hard to pick out individuals but the number of hard carries that Furlong offered himself up for was unreal. He took some serious punishment but just kept on going back for more. Must be a nightmare to play against, you keep throwing everything at him but he just bounces up and looks to run over you again. Healy and Rhys weren't far off that, thought Healy was carrying a knock in the first half but gathered himself incredibly well before each carry.

As immense as the forward effort was, thought Ringrose deserved MOTM. I don't remember him being as involved so much as a playmaker before and it really suited him. The range to his game is amazing. He can carry hard, offload, pass out wide, put clever chips through, pick and go, and obviously his defence is top class. He's the complete player and I feel like he's become more of a leader and wants to stamp his authority on games more and more. Long may it continue, the guy can pretty much run games from 13, if you could even call him a 13 given that he pops up everywhere.

Adam Byrne could have got more ball but seemed to make a positive impact every time he did get it. I feel like people have been telling him how powerful and quick he is and that he finally believes it. He used to hesitate a little bit once the ball was in his hands, now he just goes forward and chews people up. I think he's a much smarter player than he used to be too, the way he manages to find/wait for support after he breaks through is seriously impressive.

One slight concern is that Toulouse seemed to have us figured out once we made breaks/yards. We'd get over the gainline and then get runners ready to attack the side of the ruck straight away and expect to power through but they had numbers waiting despite being on the back foot. Not a major worry though, easily tweaked and it was an exceptional defensive effort from Toulouse.

The only real downside was Luke's injury, gutted for him that he'll miss out on the chance to be Murray's backup but hopefully the 6-8 weeks rumour is true. ROL also really blotted his copybook with a couple of idiotic moments before half time but thought he was really good aside from that.

[curates_egg]

Ringrose deserved mom but Fardy would have been just as worthy a nominee.
I hope we can keep him for one more season especially as it's a RWC season.

It was a joy an honour to be there today, when every player performed to a high level, and the crowd was good too.
I thought our 4-6 were world class.
I'm a huge Ruddock fan but he's had an average few months; I thought he was outstanding today - before I watch back on telly.

[curates_egg]

One slight concern is that Toulouse seemed to have us figured out once we made breaks/yards. We'd get over the gainline and then get runners ready to attack the side of the ruck straight away and expect to power through but they had numbers waiting despite being on the back foot. Not a major worry though, easily tweaked and it was an exceptional defensive effort from Toulouse.

Watching the game on their 22 in the first half, I struggle to remember a phase when they weren't offside. Prevented us from doing anything. Clearly I would need to watch back to confirm.
You have to play the officials, but I wouldn't interpret their negligence as an indictment of our attack.

[paddyor]

Big shout out to Leo the Lion who kicked the cr@p out of a Toulouse fan in front of the North stand midway thru the first half.

You what?

IandD will back me up, happened right in front of him.

[outcast eddie]

Not a fan of complaining about refs, don’t want this to turn into that shower down south posting gifs on twitter for every wrong decision, but one thing happened I thought was odd today.

At around 53 min mark Toulouse are taking a box kick and DuPont rolls the ball out to the back of the ruck. It looks out so Fardy steps forward and Luke Pearce said “NO!”. Toulouse clear and Fardy says something to Pearse on the way back and Pearce replies “Don’t make my job harder than it already is”.

Then at 55:52 on the clock Pearce walks over and says to DuPont “Be careful rolling the ball back, they were right last time it was out. They could have gone for it”

Surely it’s not up to Pearse to decide to give Toulouse a chance with the ball being it? Strange one

Jamie, commentating on Ch 4, said it was out and should have been played and I'm pretty sure the ref admitted his error to Rhys at a later point. On the whole though I thought Luke Pearce had a good game even though he had a few minor errors like not policing the offside line until late in the game. Rhys's dealings with the ref were noticeably well delivered.

[Jonny tight lips]

Not a fan of complaining about refs, don’t want this to turn into that shower down south posting gifs on twitter for every wrong decision, but one thing happened I thought was odd today.

At around 53 min mark Toulouse are taking a box kick and DuPont rolls the ball out to the back of the ruck. It looks out so Fardy steps forward and Luke Pearce said “NO!”. Toulouse clear and Fardy says something to Pearse on the way back and Pearce replies “Don’t make my job harder than it already is”.

Then at 55:52 on the clock Pearce walks over and says to DuPont “Be careful rolling the ball back, they were right last time it was out. They could have gone for it”

Surely it’s not up to Pearse to decide to give Toulouse a chance with the ball being it? Strange one

Jamie, commentating on Ch 4, said it was out and should have been played and I'm pretty sure the ref admitted his error to Rhys at a later point. On the whole though I thought Luke Pearce had a good game even though he had a few minor errors like not policing the offside line until late in the game. Rhys's dealings with the ref were noticeably well delivered.

I thought Rhys made it very easy fir the ref to not give them a yellow card fir repeated infringements, he should of been at least asking him particularly when we scored the try.

[Gearzbox2]

Not a fan of complaining about refs, don’t want this to turn into that shower down south posting gifs on twitter for every wrong decision, but one thing happened I thought was odd today.

At around 53 min mark Toulouse are taking a box kick and DuPont rolls the ball out to the back of the ruck. It looks out so Fardy steps forward and Luke Pearce said “NO!”. Toulouse clear and Fardy says something to Pearse on the way back and Pearce replies “Don’t make my job harder than it already is”.

Then at 55:52 on the clock Pearce walks over and says to DuPont “Be careful rolling the ball back, they were right last time it was out. They could have gone for it”

Surely it’s not up to Pearse to decide to give Toulouse a chance with the ball being it? Strange one

Jamie, commentating on Ch 4, said it was out and should have been played and I'm pretty sure the ref admitted his error to Rhys at a later point. On the whole though I thought Luke Pearce had a good game even though he had a few minor errors like not policing the offside line until late in the game. Rhys's dealings with the ref were noticeably well delivered.

I remember that, it was comical as about 4 Leinster players were screaming and pointing at the ball which dupont had placed about a foot past the back foot....good discipline by our lads not go for it as that ref was a bit all over the shop with decisions...even Fardy had to check himself!!!!!

[Blueberry]

That was one of the best games I've seen all season, the intensity was incredible. We did dominate for most of it but don't think the scoreline quite reflected how the game went. I think the coin toss had a big impact on it. I know we would have wanted to take them through the phases anyway but playing into the wind in the first half meant we doubled down on that. Both teams threw everything at each other and then with the wind seeming to pick up a bit in the second half it made it harder for Toulouse to break out and compounded the fact that they emptied the tank in the first 40.

Hard to pick out individuals but the number of hard carries that Furlong offered himself up for was unreal. He took some serious punishment but just kept on going back for more. Must be a nightmare to play against, you keep throwing everything at him but he just bounces up and looks to run over you again. Healy and Rhys weren't far off that, thought Healy was carrying a knock in the first half but gathered himself incredibly well before each carry.

As immense as the forward effort was, thought Ringrose deserved MOTM. I don't remember him being as involved so much as a playmaker before and it really suited him. The range to his game is amazing. He can carry hard, offload, pass out wide, put clever chips through, pick and go, and obviously his defence is top class. He's the complete player and I feel like he's become more of a leader and wants to stamp his authority on games more and more. Long may it continue, the guy can pretty much run games from 13, if you could even call him a 13 given that he pops up everywhere.

Adam Byrne could have got more ball but seemed to make a positive impact every time he did get it. I feel like people have been telling him how powerful and quick he is and that he finally believes it. He used to hesitate a little bit once the ball was in his hands, now he just goes forward and chews people up. I think he's a much smarter player than he used to be too, the way he manages to find/wait for support after he breaks through is seriously impressive.

One slight concern is that Toulouse seemed to have us figured out once we made breaks/yards. We'd get over the gainline and then get runners ready to attack the side of the ruck straight away and expect to power through but they had numbers waiting despite being on the back foot. Not a major worry though, easily tweaked and it was an exceptional defensive effort from Toulouse.

The only real downside was Luke's injury, gutted for him that he'll miss out on the chance to be Murray's backup but hopefully the 6-8 weeks rumour is true. ROL also really blotted his copybook with a couple of idiotic moments before half time but thought he was really good aside from that.

Was up the very back of the south stand and several of us felt the wind dropped substantially in the second so really don't think we got the better of that. Always better to play a side into the wind first up and we managed it really well, so yes a lucky break there. Do feel Toulouse defended really well but our continuity of play, strong set pieces (how good was the lineout !!) & Cool heads wore them down. And watching back Kearney's try it was absolutely incredible, pin point perfect kick from Ross (is he the best in the world at this ??) & Great skill from Dave, delighted for him, he has had a tough run with injuries.

[artaneboy]

Big shout out to Leo the Lion who kicked the cr@p out of a Toulouse fan in front of the North stand midway thru the first half.

You what?

IandD will back me up, happened right in front of him.

Yeah, saw that. Seemed good natured on both sides. But Leo WON!


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[artaneboy]

One slight concern is that Toulouse seemed to have us figured out once we made breaks/yards. We'd get over the gainline and then get runners ready to attack the side of the ruck straight away and expect to power through but they had numbers waiting despite being on the back foot. Not a major worry though, easily tweaked and it was an exceptional defensive effort from Toulouse.

Watching the game on their 22 in the first half, I struggle to remember a phase when they weren't offside. Prevented us from doing anything. Clearly I would need to watch back to confirm.
You have to play the officials, but I wouldn't interpret their negligence as an indictment of our attack.

Offside all day. The officials let a lot go- particularly early doors. But they did contribute towards what was a genuinely great match.

Toulouse are a great club- this is a very good team. We are the best team in the continent- but they are opponents you’d really respect. Our match is what the European Rugby Cup is all about.


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[OTT]

The pack were incredible to a man. Their work rate with and without the ball in that first half was right up there and it looked like a fast game. Toulouse taking as much time as they could at every break in play after about 10mins told the story. Rhys was unreal.

Ross Byrne carried hard and got well over the gain line a good few times in that first half when Toulouse looked way offside, really set us up nicely. I’ve never seen him carry so hard. He read the game excellently.

I’d love to see Ringrose stats for the first 25-30mins, I’d say he got through a full game of work in there. He was absolutely outstanding. Always made yards with the ball, always presented it on a plate for Luke. You can have all the talent in the world but the application this guy has to the basics are what sets him apart from the rest.

Special mention to the wings, two lads who have been in and out of the teams for different reasons, injuries, form, better alternatives. Didn’t have to much ball but when they had it they made yards, looked dangerous and retained possession. Defensively they were hungry and extremely solid. Well done Adam and Dave.

[D4surfer]

One slight concern is that Toulouse seemed to have us figured out once we made breaks/yards. We'd get over the gainline and then get runners ready to attack the side of the ruck straight away and expect to power through but they had numbers waiting despite being on the back foot. Not a major worry though, easily tweaked and it was an exceptional defensive effort from Toulouse.

Watching the game on their 22 in the first half, I struggle to remember a phase when they weren't offside. Prevented us from doing anything. Clearly I would need to watch back to confirm.
You have to play the officials, but I wouldn't interpret their negligence as an indictment of our attack.

Offside all day. The officials let a lot go- particularly early doors. But they did contribute towards what was a genuinely great match.

Toulouse are a great club- this is a very good team. We are the best team in the continent- but they are opponents you’d really respect. Our match is what the European Rugby Cup is all about.

I only remember one offside called against Toulouse and that was called by the crowd.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

One slight concern is that Toulouse seemed to have us figured out once we made breaks/yards. We'd get over the gainline and then get runners ready to attack the side of the ruck straight away and expect to power through but they had numbers waiting despite being on the back foot. Not a major worry though, easily tweaked and it was an exceptional defensive effort from Toulouse.

Watching the game on their 22 in the first half, I struggle to remember a phase when they weren't offside. Prevented us from doing anything. Clearly I would need to watch back to confirm.
You have to play the officials, but I wouldn't interpret their negligence as an indictment of our attack.

I don't disagree with that but my point was that they knew what we were going to do. It wasn't really a criticism of us, just good analysis by them.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

I'm watching it back and can't believe Healy wasn't carded and banned for having the cheek to try and catch the ball. Very little difference between that and what Lowe did, the main one was probably that Conway was able to get up higher than Medard.

[fourthirtythree]

Yeah, I half expected him to get done for it. He knew more about Medard than Lowe did about Conway.

The tackle in the air on Kearney was straight up deliberate though.

People here have been saying for years (Payne red card v sarries) that the whole situation is a mess. What am I saying, my da has been saying it since forever.

[riocard911]

I'm watching it back and can't believe Healy wasn't carded and banned for having the cheek to try and catch the ball. Very little difference between that and what Lowe did, the main one was probably that Conway was able to get up higher than Medard.

Ciano was glic. He jumped up at the last second to get his feet off the ground. Think the coaching staff might have told the lads to do that in such situations. Once you're in the air on contact, the chances of being carded sink dramatically.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

I know it was discussed but can anyone clarify that tackle on Kearney? I'm guessing that you can't give a penalty try if a try is scored anyway, or is that wrong? Feels like we should have got more but genuinely don't know what the ref is supposed to do. I didn't think it was particularly dangerous so wasn't looking for blood, but given the number of cynical penalties Toulouse gave away they really should have had someone binned anyway.

[Oldschool]

I'm watching it back and can't believe Healy wasn't carded and banned for having the cheek to try and catch the ball. Very little difference between that and what Lowe did, the main one was probably that Conway was able to get up higher than Medard.

Healy stayed standing more or less and wasn't charging into contact, was one huge difference and was virtually stationary in contact. Medard's lack of elevation was notable.
Lowe, on the other hand, left himself wide open to be carded. Conway's elevation no doubt made it worse.
The citing officer won't even bother to look at the incident.

[carlow man]

I'm watching it back and can't believe Healy wasn't carded and banned for having the cheek to try and catch the ball. Very little difference between that and what Lowe did, the main one was probably that Conway was able to get up higher than Medard.

Thought he had his hands out in an attempt to catch the ball. They both got there around the same time, medard just got his hands on the ball first. Felt healy genuinely tried to catch the ball. He was looking at the ball aswell .Lowe on the other hand just ran straight into Conway and made no attempts to catch the ball or even looked at it.

[backrower8]

Was in the stand right on the try line with a birds eye view of the 5 minute defensive stand
in the second half.

In this period Andrew Porter was a freeking animal.

It's mad that the undisputed best tighthead in the world must be looking over his shoulder now. We're in a good place

While Porter is great in the lose and arguably better than Furlong around rucks (although nobody hits them better than Tadhg), Porter's scrummaging still needs gametime as he tends to cough-up penalties.

On a day of real positives, it was disappointing and concerning to see Tracy throw crooked to Toulouse when chasing the Bonus Point Try on their 22. Maybe the wind took it, but his throwing remains a concern. Before JGP took the quick tap I was half-joking that Tracy would be dreading the responsibility of the throw.