Leinster Squad 2015/2016

[simonokeeffe]

Looking increasingly likely we'll have Moore from the start of the season

[cormac]

The new squad pictures went up and there's a couple of interesting points.

• D'Arcy is included but is in last season's jersey - probably due to impending retirement
  
  Kirchner is in last season's jersey - due to being away with Boks
  
  Reddan is also in last season's jersey - probably due to … (insert your favourite rumour here!!!)

Also, Gavin Thornbury and Tadhg Beirne are both missing from squad(as is Ross Byrne from the academy page)

Not at all impressed with the website over the last few months.

You have an update from mid-July saying that Thornbury and Beirne are contracted for the coming season [source: http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/mobile/branch/13701.php ], then they're not included on the squad page when it is [eventually] released. F*ck all updates about U18/U19/U20 squads and results. It's inept.

Ben Te'o is also now a back-row according to his bio.

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/team/result ... ef=dynamic

[simonokeeffe]

The new squad pictures went up and there's a couple of interesting points.

• D'Arcy is included but is in last season's jersey - probably due to impending retirement
  
  Kirchner is in last season's jersey - due to being away with Boks
  
  Reddan is also in last season's jersey - probably due to … (insert your favourite rumour here!!!)

Also, Gavin Thornbury and Tadhg Beirne are both missing from squad(as is Ross Byrne from the academy page)

Not at all impressed with the website over the last few months.

You have an update from mid-July saying that Thornbury and Beirne are contracted for the coming season [source: http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/mobile/branch/13701.php ], then they're not included on the squad page when it is [eventually] released. F*ck all updates about U18/U19/U20 squads and results. It's inept.

Ben Te'o is also now a back-row according to his bio.

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/team/result ... ef=dynamic

noooooooooooooo we've Sam Burgessed him

[Donny B.]

FYI Beirne and Thornbury are both there now. As is Aaron Dundon, I'm please to say, as I thought he'd been cut from the squad at the end of last season.

http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/team/result ... t_team.php

[johng]

49 senior players 4 of them with contracts ending in 2015.

The best bit is seeing Jonny Sex smiling out at us from the page.

Light at scrum half and 2nd row as ever, but happy enough.

[rdsblue]

The new squad pictures went up and there's a couple of interesting points.

• D'Arcy is included but is in last season's jersey - probably due to impending retirement
  
  Kirchner is in last season's jersey - due to being away with Boks
  
  Reddan is also in last season's jersey - probably due to … (insert your favourite rumour here!!!)

Also, Gavin Thornbury and Tadhg Beirne are both missing from squad(as is Ross Byrne from the academy page)

They've heard you - Thornbury & Beirne now included.

[AdamK]

49 senior players 4 of them with contracts ending in 2015.

The best bit is seeing Jonny Sex smiling out at us from the page.

Light at scrum half and 2nd row as ever, but happy enough.

Well there is that SA scrumhalf we signed as a loan deal as well.

[johng]

Did we actually sign him?

Conrad Hoffmann wasn't it. We were reputed to be looking at another lad earlier in the summer

[AdamK]

Did we actually sign him?

Conrad Hoffmann wasn't it. We were reputed to be looking at another lad earlier in the summer

I think so. Although, it was only announced by their club IIRC, and not us... Strange.

[goreyguy]

Conrad Hoffman never happened. Thank god. Now hopefully Boss is taken to the WC.

[AdamK]

Really? Well then we will be light on the ground with scrumhalves.

Make or break time for McGrath I think. Otherwise we'll be signing a starter after Reddan and Boss pack it in.

[goreyguy]

Really? Well then we will be light on the ground with scrumhalves.

Make or break time for McGrath I think. Otherwise we'll be signing a starter after Reddan and Boss pack it in.

yeah pretty much, it's McGrath's time if he can't at least become 2nd choice after the RWC then it's time to start looking elsewhere.

Charlie Rock has joined the Leinster Academy officially too, as we are talking about scrumhalves.

[COYBIB]

Is there any intention to sign a lock by any chance? The other provinces have recruited very well the last couple of years whereas we've seemingly been picking up scraps, all be it the Te'o gamble looks like it was a good one (especially if he sticks around after next season). Massive holes in quality at lock, depth at centre and immediate term quality at scrum-half. We still have a NIQ spot available too.

The re-signing of Kirchner gets more baffling by the day, especially with Nacewa coming in, who will definitely be here during international windows and is more than likely still a far superior player, Kirchner wouldn't / shouldn't make our match day 23 if everyone was available. Waste of a spot and probably half decent money. Douglas was a waste of space too, but will we replace him? We badly need someone of quality in there - once again outdone by Munster in the transfer market with their signing of Chishom.

I also find it surprising that we are the only province who has paid even the slightest bit of attention to the NIQ rules for the last number of years, we seem to be the only one the rule is applied to, but given that we will definitely be supplying more than half of the entire world cup squad (17 by my count) but could well be supplying more than 20, would an exception not be made for us to have some short-term / one season bending of the rules on NIQ and get a couple of international quality lads in like the other provinces?

Definitely part of our problem is how awful our recruitment has been since 2012.

[rdsblue]

Really? Well then we will be light on the ground with scrumhalves.

Make or break time for McGrath I think. Otherwise we'll be signing a starter after Reddan and Boss pack it in.

yeah pretty much, it's McGrath's time if he can't at least become 2nd choice after the RWC then it's time to start looking elsewhere.

Charlie Rock has joined the Leinster Academy officially too, as we are talking about scrumhalves.

As well as Charlie Rock having been listed its very strange that Beirne and Thornbury are now added back to the academy squad even though they are listed with the senior squad too.

[olaf the fat]

Is there any intention to sign a lock by any chance? The other provinces have recruited very well the last couple of years whereas we've seemingly been picking up scraps, all be it the Te'o gamble looks like it was a good one (especially if he sticks around after next season). Massive holes in quality at lock, depth at centre and immediate term quality at scrum-half. We still have a NIQ spot available too.

The re-signing of Kirchner gets more baffling by the day, especially with Nacewa coming in, who will definitely be here during international windows and is more than likely still a far superior player, Kirchner wouldn't / shouldn't make our match day 23 if everyone was available. Waste of a spot and probably half decent money. Douglas was a waste of space too, but will we replace him? We badly need someone of quality in there - once again outdone by Munster in the transfer market with their signing of Chishom.

I also find it surprising that we are the only province who has paid even the slightest bit of attention to the NIQ rules for the last number of years, we seem to be the only one the rule is applied to, but given that we will definitely be supplying more than half of the entire world cup squad (17 by my count) but could well be supplying more than 20, would an exception not be made for us to have some short-term / one season bending of the rules on NIQ and get a couple of international quality lads in like the other provinces?

Definitely part of our problem is how awful our recruitment has been since 2012.

I agree, it does look a poor and we could do with some reinforcement in certain areas. So to play devils advocate:

Some of the recruitment was not that bad, for example Douglas was an up and coming established Aussie international, Chislom may be more proven but with many more miles on the clock. It did not work out for us, but it seemed like good work at the time.

ZK is not SO bad, but nowhere near to the ISA that left 2 years ago. Thats along time out, its also 2 years since BOD or Leo played - would they get straight back in the squad? Give it a little while before dropping Kirchner down the pecking order.

We have "signed" Sexton as well (thanks in part to IRFU, and that's more money to spend elsewhere)

I do think alot of the "good guys" stayed put last season because of the RWC. There should be more players willing to moved over the winter.

But that said it would be nice for a Hines/Thorn type to join us now.

[ChrisUppy]

The stick Kirchner gets here is OTT. He seems a good honest player and I don't think he's ever let us down. He was quite in his first season here.

Have any other back 3 players sparkled in the past 2 years? I look forward to seeing him play in a new system.

[goreyguy]

He has been very average bar the odd performance. Certainly not a great signing.

[the spoofer]

The stick Kirchner gets here is OTT. He seems a good honest player and I don't think he's ever let us down. He was quite in his first season here.

Have any other back 3 players sparkled in the past 2 years? I look forward to seeing him play in a new system.

It's his appalling defence that gets me, he is unwilling to put his body on the line for the team.

[fourthirtythree]

The stick Kirchner gets here is OTT. He seems a good honest player and I don't think he's ever let us down. He was quite in his first season here.

Have any other back 3 players sparkled in the past 2 years? I look forward to seeing him play in a new system.

Has he been much more valuable to us than say Darragh Fanning? Because that's what a good honest player looks like. And I don't think Fanning has much hope of playing for Ireland, nor would he for SA if he was from there.

And that isn't some racism against redheads argument. (Or is it?)

[ChrisUppy]

The stick Kirchner gets here is OTT. He seems a good honest player and I don't think he's ever let us down. He was quite in his first season here.

Have any other back 3 players sparkled in the past 2 years? I look forward to seeing him play in a new system.

It's his appalling defence that gets me, he is unwilling to put his body on the line for the team.

Could say the same about Rob Kearney or Madigan. But they are fan favourites so nobody mentions it