Glasgow v Leinster Thread ***All Posts Here***

[Donny B.]

From the IT: Prospects: Nominated here as a likely “surprise package” last season they duly earned a semi-final place. Alas, name their top 10 players from last season and they’re nearly all missing for months or for good. Thom Evans has been forced to retire, while Dan Parks and Kelly Brown have gone, and John Beattie, John Barclay, Chris Cusiter and Kellock are all out for the first couple of months.

With the injuries they have, this might be the best time to get them.

[ceemec]

Wahey! It's back!

Think you're right on that count, Donny. The guys they they're missing are their important players. Without 3 of them, they're half the side. Without 5 or 6? We should really be looking at getting something from this. Their back row and half backs are essentially what carried them last season with Kellock offering the grunt in the front 5. Tim Barker has also made his annual switch between Ulster and Glasgow so they won't have him either.

Still far from certain though given a lot of new systems and players will be bedding in for us during this game. The likes of Vernon, Welsh and Jackson are excellent young players more than capable of turning over a disjointed Leinster performance. Will be very interesting to see how the international players are introduced. The IRFU are claiming they'll be available from the first couple of weeks but it will be very difficult to throw a glut of them into the set up without having played under any new systems yet. I suspect they'll be drip fed into the team. The young lads didn't shame themselves in Glasgow last season so I would be happy to see a few of them mixed into the XV. I'd expect the likes of Kearney and Ryan to be involved. Will be very interesting to see who plays 3 if Ross isn't available. Jon Welsh is a good scrummager and any tighthead will have to have their wits about them facing him.

I saw Toner came off after about 30 minutes last night by the way. Anyone know if this was injury related and whether he is available for next week?

[Sauvignon Blank]

Worrying about the opposition is a worrying trait which unfortunately has me....erm...worried.
Glasgow by +5.

[Bogger]

Dan Parks was their scoring machine much weaker team without him . We are not going into league in great shape ourselves so it will be a close thing...Gla to shade it.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Lots of question marks over our team selection, should be interesting. Who do people think will play ten? Anyone know what's wrong with Ruddock?

[Cianostays]

I hope we didn't get any injuries from last night. If we didn't and Ross is fit, my team for Glasgow:

1 HVDM
2 Strauss (is Fogs injured?)
3 Ross
4 Hines
5 Toner (EO'D if Dev isn't fit)
6 Ruddock (D Ryan if Rhys isn't fit)
7 SOB
8 Keogh
9 Boss
10 McKinley
11 Nacewa
12 O'Malley
13 McFadden
14 Conway
15 Luke

If they were available that would be the 15 I'd go with. Is Horgan fit?

[Vamos los azules]

I hope we didn't get any injuries from last night. If we didn't and Ross is fit, my team for Glasgow:

1 HVDM
2 Strauss (is Fogs injured?)
3 Ross
4 Hines
5 Toner (EO'D if Dev isn't fit)
6 Ruddock (D Ryan if Rhys isn't fit)
7 SOB
8 Keogh
9 Boss
10 McKinley
11 Nacewa
12 O'Malley
13 McFadden
14 Conway
15 Luke

If they were available that would be the 15 I'd go with. Is Horgan fit?

Fogs, Ruddock and Horgan were all on the summer tour so their holidays/pre-season will have shifted back accordingly. I would have thought guys like Fogs and Shaggy that didn't play every match on the tour would be the first of the internationals to reappear. Ruddock having done the Under 20s and then gone over to the senior tour would likely be given the maximum time before coming back.

[lineens weegie army]

Dan Parks was their scoring machine much weaker team without him . We are not going into league in great shape ourselves so it will be a close thing...Gla to shade it.

If last weeks game v sale is anything to go by, you can expect a far more attacking game from Glasgow - we were running the ball from everywhere and anywhere, at times to good effect. Having said, the defence did switch off on occassions...

We do still have both Moray Low (who came of age in Argentina) and Jon welsh in the front row, Richie Gray is a solid enough replacment for big Al, Richie Vernon kept Beattie out of the Glasgow team last season until he got glandular fever, and we still have some other decent options in the back row (we are also getting a canadian lad over on trial to cover our injury crisis - haven't seen him yet, but those that have say he was pretty good). In the backs, we still have most of our team from last year - Stortoni, DTH VDM, Morrison and M. Evans, with another Argentine (Federico Aramburu - a good mate of Berni Stortoni, so we got him cheap ) coming in who looked very sharp last week.

infact the only position I am really worried about are the half backs (kind of important, I suppose), but both jackson and weir have looked very decent when i have seen them (and neither has ever seemed phased by pressure - Jackson made his debut in the HC at Bath, Weir in the play-off in Swansea). Presuming Leinster send a similar team to last season, I reckon Glasgow to edge it, maybe with a BP or 2 for Leinster.


Looking forwards to it now (Is there a better way to open the new season than 2nd v 1st from last year? )

[Terraceman]

You get the feeling that Leinster will leak a fair few tries.Think we'll score a few as well but Glasgow with a BP win for me.

[claire_m]

I hope we didn't get any injuries from last night. If we didn't and Ross is fit, my team for Glasgow:

1 HVDM
2 Strauss (is Fogs injured?)
3 Ross
4 Hines
5 Toner (EO'D if Dev isn't fit)
6 Ruddock (D Ryan if Rhys isn't fit)
7 SOB
8 Keogh
9 Boss
10 McKinley
11 Nacewa
12 O'Malley
13 McFadden
14 Conway
15 Luke

If they were available that would be the 15 I'd go with. Is Horgan fit?

Fairly certain Ross won't be fit for the game. Would love to be proved wrong.

[[Jackass]]

I hope we didn't get any injuries from last night. If we didn't and Ross is fit, my team for Glasgow:

1 HVDM
2 Strauss (is Fogs injured?)
3 Ross
4 Hines
5 Toner (EO'D if Dev isn't fit)
6 Ruddock (D Ryan if Rhys isn't fit)
7 SOB
8 Keogh
9 Boss
10 McKinley
11 Nacewa
12 O'Malley
13 McFadden
14 Conway
15 Luke

If they were available that would be the 15 I'd go with. Is Horgan fit?

Close enough to what I'd go for...
1 Van Der Merwe
2 Strauss
3 Ross (McCormack if not fit)
4 Hines
5 O'Donoghue
6 R. Ruddock
7 P. Ryan
8 O'Brien (capt)

9 Reddan
10 Berne
11 Nacewa
12 McFadden
13 O'Malley
14 Conway
15 Fitzgerald

Main changes for me would be O'Donoghue ahead of Toner, purely for the mans experience and if there's any fitness worries over Toner I'd like to ease him back in....in back row I prefer to have Ryan in at 7 and O'Brien taking the 8 spot ahead of Keogh. Keogh has been a good servant to LR and did well when called upon last season, but I think Ryan deserves his chance to continue to prove himself and the more valid HEC options we can unearth, the better, so I think it's important for his development that he gets a run in the team...Ruddock has an oppertunity to make the Leinster 6 jersey his own, I hope he takes it and along with Paul Ryan taking his chance at 7 and Dom Ryan, although still in academy, clearly looking like he'll be a very usefull back-row option, if they can prove themselves as HEC options, it could leave us with McLoughlin, Jennings, Heaslip, O'Brien, Ruddock, P. Ryan, D. Ryan & Keogh to pick from in back-row, which is very healthy depth, I also think O'Brien needs time at 8 as he must be the cover for Heaslip so he needs time there.

I prefer half backs of Reddan and Berne. I don't think Boss set the world alight in pre-season and he needs to dislodge Reddan as first choice, not be handed the jersey, and McKinley is a good prospect and it's great that he's been given the option to step up at 10, but for now, Berne remains second choice imo.

In centre, I prefer McFadden at 12 and O'Malley at 13 as apposed to vice versa.

Agree with back 3 and excited for Conway to get a run in the team.

This will be the year of Leinster youth, and I hope the squad and first 15 will be filled with a lot more competition, depth and quality as a result. From 6 to 15 there's a quality young player looking to break through, and I hope most of them establish themselves as top class options. In front 5, Toner needs to have a big year and at least establish himself as third choice behind Cullen & Hines, as those two are getting on and he needs to step up now....in front row, I hope Healy continues his amazing rate of development, I am absolutely dying for Harris-Wright to break through as first choice, I hope he's up to it, but the competition in front of him is far from spectacular and I would love to see us develop a home grown international class 2, so the oppertunity is there, he just needs to take it, and it would be fantastic to see McGrath get lots of oppertunities in the ML this season and make the grade, hopefully to develop into first choice 3 over the next few seasons...

Youth will be given it's chance this season...I really hope they all step up and make the grade...it's not inconcievable that the Leinster team could be 90% academy graduates after the world cup, led by Heaslip, and the quality is there to possibly be an even better generation than the O'Driscoll, Contepomi, D'Arcy, Dempsey, Horgan & Hickie generation gone by...as this one has the spectacular backs, but also has the grunt of homegrown players up front...

[Dave Cahill]

10 Berne

Injured

[gfo]

Personally I'd stick Luke on the wing and Conway at Full Back

[Leinsterman]

Personally I'd stick Luke on the wing and Conway at Full Back

Conway will need to sharpen up under the high ball if he's going to play at 15.
For that very reason, I'd rather see Luke at 15 until Conway tidies up that part of his game. Also, with so many of the more senior players likely to miss this game, I'd prefer to see one of the more seasoned guys play at 15, i.e. Luke or Nacewa.
Funny how I consider Luke to be a "veteran"! The guy's only 22!

[gfo]

See I was thinking that, but with Luke only back from injury, I wouldn't go for it. And Im guessing Conway will be playing FB in the future so why not throw him in there and give him some experience

[[Jackass]]

Conway will more than likely be a wing, with a young Leinster back 3 of Fitz, Kearney & Conway, he would seem a natural replacement for Horgan. Sure, he can cover 15, but I think with the quality of Kearney (he lost some form, but was arguably the best full back in the world the season before that), he will see most of his days in the 14 slot.

[Felipe-fan09]

I'd expect Conway to get game-time at FB this year. With the internationals away,I can see Schmidt preferring Nacewa to Berne at outhalf with no other FB cover. I know Nacewa has had bad games there but I wouldn't mind, I remember a league game last year where he played outhalf and he was the best player on the pitch. Got a trie and kicked 7/7 too.

[true blue 06]

are the u20s world cup lads available? conway, rhys etc
1-HVDM
2-Strauss
3-Ross/Maguire
4-Toner
5-Hines
6-SOB
7-Dom Ryan
8-Keogh
9- Boss
10-Mckinley
11- Nacewa
12- Ferg
13- Fitz
14-Conway
15-Madigan

I actually would like to see kearney come back a bit quicker than the rest of the stars.. drico did it after a disappointing season and had the best season of his career in 2009, having said that he's coming off a long season. its times like this that we actually need simon keogh

[claire_m]

are the u20s world cup lads available? conway, rhys etc
1-HVDM
2-Strauss
3-Ross/Maguire
4-Toner
5-Hines
6-SOB
7-Dom Ryan
8-Keogh
9- Boss
10-Mckinley
11- Nacewa
12- Ferg
13- Fitz
14-Conway
15-Madigan

I actually would like to see kearney come back a bit quicker than the rest of the stars.. drico did it after a disappointing season and had the best season of his career in 2009, having said that he's coming off a long season. its times like this that we actually need simon keogh

As I said above, I'm fairly certain Ross won't be fit and if you need Simon Keogh, then you should have re-signed him!

[true blue 06]

are the u20s world cup lads available? conway, rhys etc
1-HVDM
2-Strauss
3-Ross/Maguire
4-Toner
5-Hines
6-SOB
7-Dom Ryan
8-Keogh
9- Boss
10-Mckinley
11- Nacewa
12- Ferg
13- Fitz
14-Conway
15-Madigan

I actually would like to see kearney come back a bit quicker than the rest of the stars.. drico did it after a disappointing season and had the best season of his career in 2009, having said that he's coming off a long season. its times like this that we actually need simon keogh

As I said above, I'm fairly certain Ross won't be fit and if you need Simon Keogh, then you should have re-signed him!

i agree totally, he is better than DK and niall morris. although from what i've heard it was more keogh not wanting to sign a new contract rather than leinster..thats why he's there on sort of a part time contract