Silly Season - Random Leinster Queries

[suisse]

Ah, the Gary Ella season. Comfortably the worst coach we've had at Leinster. Think that was the first season they issued season tickets for, it's amazing that anyone renewed after watching the dross that year. Pretty sure we finished 8th in the league, barely finishing ahead of Connacht.

Lowlights include;

- conceding 10 points to Edinburgh in the 10th minute of injury time early in the season to lose 33-30 at home. David Quinlan being red carded for calling the tj a "blind c***" being the icing on the cake of that particular horror-show.
- failing to register Felipe for the HEC.
- Matt Leek at fly-half, he made Eddie Hekenui look like Dan Carter. Himself and Bommer were the worst half-back pairing I've ever seen.
- John McWeeney dropping the ball after crossing the line away to Biarritz, an error that ended up being the difference between winning the group and missing out on the quarter-finals.
- being absolutely hammered at home by the Celtic Warriors, 16-37.
- an attendance of 1,068 for the home game against the Ospreys in April 2004.
- a sequence of seven defeats in a row
- losing to Ulster

There was also that first half display against NGD on the last day of the season. We smashed them in the SH - I think even Niall Ronan bagged a try - but the first 40 was awful.

Mal O'Kelly's certain but ungiven try in defeat Sale and Tom Jones singing before 25,000 people at the LR group game v Cardiff.

[[Jackass]]

I took us what felt like a lifetime to come back from the Williams era. Williams is still one of my favourite coaches around, he was superb with Leinster too, I got into Leinster rugby during his time and he brought us our first bit of silverware and also started the trend of getting out of the group in Heineken Cup rugby!

I know a lot of people credit our achievements today with the grounding that Cheika left, but I also feel like we established the Leinster identity under Williams and what the fans fell in love with then is the way we've tried to play ever since, the Blue Magic way.

But post Williams (and missing out on what I still believe was our Heineken Cup in 03) was a long dark period for Leinster. Not just the coaching issues, but the pain of league and European let downs. Also the treatment of Leinster in the media and the success of Munster thus making us more a focal point of abuse throughout Irish rugby I think left a mark on a lot of Leinster fans. We were being beaten up pretty regular on and off the pitch.

Since the 07/08 season though, it's really taken off, I've loved every minute of rugby and supporting Leinster, with the move to RDS, bigger crowds, rugby really coming main stream in the media all make it a joy, not least the fact that we have been so good on the pitch is the icing on the cake.

Even though the silverware wont keep on coming forever, I hope the buzz and crowds stick around Leinster forever. Win, lose or draw, I think rugby and Leinster are in a very different place than to back then, and I don't think it'll ever go back to the dingy days of Donnybrook when we were often cr@p, the crowds were cr@p, and being a Leinster fan was a burden of heart ache rather than an amazing feeling at times!

[cormac]

I took us what felt like a lifetime to come back from the Williams era. Williams is still one of my favourite coaches around, he was superb with Leinster too, I got into Leinster rugby during his time and he brought us our first bit of silverware and also started the trend of getting out of the group in Heineken Cup rugby!

I know a lot of people credit our achievements today with the grounding that Cheika left, but I also feel like we established the Leinster identity under Williams and what the fans fell in love with then is the way we've tried to play ever since, the Blue Magic way.

But post Williams (and missing out on what I still believe was our Heineken Cup in 03) was a long dark period for Leinster. Not just the coaching issues, but the pain of league and European let downs. Also the treatment of Leinster in the media and the success of Munster thus making us more a focal point of abuse throughout Irish rugby I think left a mark on a lot of Leinster fans. We were being beaten up pretty regular on and off the pitch.

Since the 07/08 season though, it's really taken off, I've loved every minute of rugby and supporting Leinster, with the move to RDS, bigger crowds, rugby really coming main stream in the media all make it a joy, not least the fact that we have been so good on the pitch is the icing on the cake.

Even though the silverware wont keep on coming forever, I hope the buzz and crowds stick around Leinster forever. Win, lose or draw, I think rugby and Leinster are in a very different place than to back then, and I don't think it'll ever go back to the dingy days of Donnybrook when we were often cr@p, the crowds were cr@p, and being a Leinster fan was a burden of heart ache rather than an amazing feeling at times!

We had a pretty good first XV under Williams but zero strength in depth, plus weaknesses at tight-head (especially once Paul Wallace had to retire) and half-back that were always likely to mitigate against us winning a HEC at the time. Even with an extremely favourable draw in 02/03 and the chance of a home final we couldn't get there. Having said that, as someone who started attending regularly during Mike Ruddock's tenure, there was a very noticeable step forward in the quality of our play from the time Williams joined, even initially as backs coach. He was, of course, helped by the emergence of a very talented bunch of players but he helped to give them a focus and professionalism that hadn't existed previously. His biggest flaw, though, was his focus on the first XV to the exclusion of pretty much everyone else and lost us some vital players like Casey and Brennan.

[Donny B.]

Was Glennon not manager in that period,with Ciaran Callan(Old Wesley) the coach?

That actually sounds right.

[Donny B.]

Mike Ruddock was the 1st coach of the professional age, remember an interview with Reggie where he talked about a very straight talk from Ruddock in an interview led him on a road to serious change.
I'm excluding the talk with the STones coach about his dj'ing career as well

Nope, Ruddock took over in 97. Think Glennon was the coach from 95-97

We weren't pro in 95. Ruddock was the first professional coach.

It was a bit of a mess at the start with some players still working and training part-time and some having contracts with Ireland but we certainly weren't a totally amateur outfit.

[tones]

It was a bit of a mess at the start with some players still working and training part-time and some having contracts with Ireland but we certainly weren't a totally amateur outfit.

Yeah I would say we were pro in name only. Think we had players flying home for the weekend from England etc.
But I remember reading an interview with Reggie where he stated that Ruddock came on board with the task of getting a professional squad/set-up together and all eligible players had to sit through an interview. By all accounts Ruddock questioned Reggie if he was physically up to it such was his lack of shape.

[Donny B.]

i believe the way ruddock put it was 'what's that fat b$&%@#d doing here?'

[tones]

i believe the way ruddock put it was 'what's that fat b$&%@#d doing here?'

Bingo, thats it!

[LeRouxIsPHat]

By all accounts Ruddock questioned Reggie if he was physically up to it such was his lack of shape.

I don't think the problem was that he LACKED a shape!

[tones]

By all accounts Ruddock questioned Reggie if he was physically up to it such was his lack of shape.

I don't think the problem was that he LACKED a shape!

Round is a shape...

[Peg Leg]

By all accounts Ruddock questioned Reggie if he was physically up to it such was his lack of shape.

I don't think the problem was that he LACKED a shape!

Round is a shape...

Yes, a shape that Reggie did not LACK, I think ample would be a more appropriate word!

[AdamK]

Festive.

[TerenureJim]

Festive.

I'll see your festive and raise you a jolly

[Mauler]

Reggie, after talking to his missus took a year unpaid leave from his work & asked Leinster to let him train full time with them - unpaid. He reckoned he had what it takes to make it as a pro & wanted to give it a shot. So no doubt he was out of shape when he turned up on that first day and his gamble paid off for him & fair play to him for having the self confidence to take the risk of jacking in his 9 to 5 to give pro rugby a go.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

This Reggie talk reminds me of when Mark Robson was commentating on a game over the festive period a few years ago. A rather large prop came on as a sub and he said "here's X.....he's had a good Christmas!". Can't stand Robson but that was very funny!

Didn't know that about Reggie, great story. I've a serious (yet healthy) amount of man love for that guy!

[neiliog93]

First ever Leinster game I went to was as a child, final day of the 03/04 season. 56-39 at home to the Dragons, got me hooked. I'd watched on tv since about the year 2000, so grew up supporting the boys in the dark days!

[cormac]

Speaking of fat props, at one of the early January 07 games in Donnybrook (either Ospreys or Edinburgh), during a break in play Stan Wright waddled over near the terrace. Someone shouted at him as to whether he'd enjoyed Xmas in Dublin? Stan looked over, patted his belly and said, "Yep, too many muffins mate."

[Donny B.]

Speaking of fat props, at one of the early January 07 games in Donnybrook (either Ospreys or Edinburgh), during a break in play Stan Wright waddled over near the terrace. Someone shouted at him as to whether he'd enjoyed Xmas in Dublin? Stan looked over, patted his belly and said, "Yep, too many muffins mate."

Stan's banter with the crowd in the Donnybrook days was legendary. He was blowing hard near the end of one match when a wag from the crowd shouted "Don't worry Stan, a burger in on the way!". To which Stan replied "Never mind the burger, I'd f**king murder a pint though!"

[AdamK]

Legend. And who can forget those dance moves?

[pete (on eirne)]

The fat prop I loved was Ollie Le Roux, he was like a giant tanned teddy! Great lad!