Babbling 'brook

While winning 21 of our last 28 matches against Munster we seem to have lost a match every four or five games which suggests that we are due another loss soon. This could be that loss.

That was a really admirable comeback by Munster. But it also goes some way to explain why CA have never won the European Cup. No team should lose a match they’re leading in by 28-9 at half time yet they’ve made a habit over the years of losing games they should have won. Saying that I take nothing a...

We’ve dropped away alarmingly even since the start of the 6N in January. Our back play has become pedestrian. We do not look well coached. There will be some bleak years ahead of us during which our support and patience will be stretched some.

Thought the scoring pass for Glasgow’s first try was forward.

Connacht are playing lovely enterprising rugby.

I wonder why it took so long to arrive at this decision? A little odd, I think.

Someone told me today that Leinster have played Munster 27 times since and including Croke park and won 20 of them. I notice that in the 26 matches we played against them prior to the 2009 HEC semi final, for which I can find details, we were quite a bit more competitive against them than the exist...

I have just finished Thomas Mullen's novels, Dark Town and The Lightening Men. They're fantastic reads. The first is set in Atlanta, GA in 1948 against the backdrop of the appointment of the first 8 Black Police Officers. Apparently, the actual police officers were not allowed work out of Police HQ ...

Kiely’s article was the embodiment of a pervasive, nasty, snide and demeaning attitude towards Leinster rugby and its supporters that was enthusiastically fostered by elements of the Irish sport media in the early noughties. The article combined with the match result ensured that the day was one of ...

Well, we won that in part, because with and without the ball, we did a lot more with it than Munster did. The number of errors on their own ball by Munster in the 2nd was an indictment of their play. Very good win by us in the circumstances.

Three Saints players cited for dangerous tackles. Bean, Symons, Procter. I think this suggests how much difficulty they were having defensively https://www.epcrugby.com/2019/12/17/disciplinary-hearings-round-4-3/ I think the collision between Bean and Healy was accidental. I think Symons could be i...

Yes, but in that instance even though it was apparent to us in the Grandstand that the Treviso player’s elbows were on the ground the AR did not raise his flag so he was complicit in the Ref’s wrong decision and, in fact, was largely responsible as the Ref was on the other side of the ruck.

A bonus point and no injuries apart from Doris who won’t be available next week one would think. However, we didn’t play especially well. Presumably traveling to France should concentrate the collective mindset and see us play with more purpose next time out.

Two of the best meals I have ever eaten were in the L’Espace Brasserie on the Place Bellcour.

As a Leinster supporter I am disappointed that Leinster Rugby did not rescind the invitation to the 2009 Commemorative Dinner issued to Stan Wright. Their current employee, Jack Dunne, deserved a better and more supportive response.

good piece in the times about rocky.... https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/whatever-happened-to-the-wonderful-rocky-elsom-1.3901918 I wonder if he will be part of the reunion this week... Doesn't the piece say he will be attending? piece says he is "expected" to show up at the reunion....just l...

Well done, Ian McKinley for leading the way in changing minds.

Big day for all the everyone- but for the likes of Sexton, Healy, Cronin and Furlong particularly. Johnny for well-discussed reasons; the front row because the media here think that Fagerson and his mates have their number. That shunt off our ball on the first scrum of the second half in the RDS fi...

Not only did Tekori hit him in the head with his shoulder he also seemed to hold onto his arm on the ground which appears to have contributed to his shoulder damage. I’ll be amazed if he is not cited.

The proposal to exclude the PI teams for 12 years from the mooted World League is absolutely shameful and would kill rugby in those countries. In addition to understandable player welfare concerns, this is another reason why I would hope that the IRFU and other Unions would refuse to support the WRB...