Wasps v Leinster, Jan 20th - 3:15pm

[tingman]

I've always thought he was very physical and don't think it's anything new. He has always had an appetite for hard work and goes looking to get himself into the game. Quite often gets onto the opposite wing and not afraid to mix it in the middle aswell. I was at the match at the Ricoh 3 years ago and he was prob the only person in a Leinster jersey that came off the pitch with credit that day. At times it looked like he was playing wasps on his own.
Always felt he gets a bit of unwarranted stick, mainly from fans of other provinces but for me he's a very capable player who might not set the world alight but gets on with his job, rarely makes mistakes, tackles well, does well in the air and is a decent finisher.

Absolutely agree that he gets unwarranted stick. He's got a great appetite for work, is super brave and is technically really accomplished. I've watched him play over a pretty lengthy period at this stage [from U19s to the present day] and you can see the good habits that he has had coached into him: he never gets bundled into touch, never over-runs his inside man, always fights on the deck to retain the ball when tackled, always contests well in the air, and always works hard off the ball - whether it's on the chase or returning to position. He's obviously a really coachable, intelligent player.

I watched him play a game for the A's this season in the Celtic Cup [against Munster], and he was practically flawless. His positioning, his defensive communication, his run-timing and his ability in the air were top drawer from gun-to-tape. Far too good to be playing at that level.

The one major knock against him, which is major given his position, is that he doesn't have a finisher's instinct/confidence/selfishness. His Leinster career stats bear that out - so many 2/3 try seasons. Part of that is his being such a conscientious team player, but a winger who doesn't score tries is always going to have a lot of questions asked of him. If Chris Ashton or Juan Imhoff got the bounce-pass that Kearney got against Wasps yesterday, Ashton/Imhoff would have backed himself to skip in and score 9 times out of 10.

Posted during the game how well DK was playing and delighted for him. Interesting comment re. Ashton / Imhoff - might be off base here as i have not watched back but I wondered if DK might have been better to attack that ball and not let it bounce?

[carlow man]

I would hate comparing dk to that absolute knob Ashton. No matter how many tries he scores he will always be remembered for that stupid dive and his smug arrogant puss. Dk made the right choice cutting back in. Adam Byrne is starting to do the same which is a good knack to have. A couple of times yesterday he fought well to come back inside and keep the ball alive. Much better rugby smarts apart from his poor decision for wasps last try. I know Byrne gets a bit of stick for that but he's have a cracking run of form lately and he's still a young lad who hopefully will continue to improve even more!

[wixfjord]

The pass that DK got was a poor one from Byrne. Lowe or Larmour would've scored from there imo, but DK was right to cut inside as he didn't have the pace.

One of the things I've noticed with himself and Byrne is how well they come on the switch move back inside. Neither will burn too many men on the outside and they don't have the hand off and offload that Lowe does, but they keep the ball alive and come hard on good angles making 3-4 yards. That's not flash but it's hugely effective.

[alanair]

The Only criticism I would have about our performance yesterday was our Pillar defence ... at all breakdowns...

[outcast eddie]

I would hate comparing dk to that absolute knob Ashton. No matter how many tries he scores he will always be remembered for that stupid dive and his smug arrogant puss. Dk made the right choice cutting back in. Adam Byrne is starting to do the same which is a good knack to have. A couple of times yesterday he fought well to come back inside and keep the ball alive. Much better rugby smarts apart from his poor decision for wasps last try. I know Byrne gets a bit of stick for that but he's have a cracking run of form lately and he's still a young lad who hopefully will continue to improve even more!

One commentator, maybe Jamie, recently said the Joe views wingers being bundled into touch as a cardinal sin. Consequently I've since noticed that all wingers coached by Joe rarely get bundled into touch and in contrast opposition wingers seem to commit that sin regularly. Wasps' wingers were particularly guilty of this at the weekend but also Exeter and Leicester.

[errlloyd]

In the All Blacks game this autumn Ireland only had two rucks in the 5m channels. Joe has obviously coached the lads to go to ground early and in field.

[mildlyinterested]

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