Leinster v Bath: what's in it for us?

[curates_egg]

Pride, pashun, yada, yada.
A home win to keep morale among squad and fans?

For me, giving some more exposure for some of the guys who are going to carry the can in February and March, avoiding injuries and, yes, avoiding duck eggs in Europe.

Saturday 5.30 Irish time; Sky Sports 1.

[simonokeeffe]

Joe Schmidt will have a canary if we dont use the Euro games to give the Ireland players high level gametime before 6n

[curates_egg]

Joe Schmidt will have a canary if we dont use the Euro games to give the Ireland players high level gametime before 6n

Joe who?
I want Leinster to give priority to Leinster.

[fourthirtythree]

Strong team with internationals getting a tough hit out? Getting a couple of young players some European experience. Decisions decisions...

Show Spoiler:

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[COYBIB]

This game should be all about Leinster. It's very, very rare that we get a meaningless game in the grand scheme of the season, I think it should be used to blood some of our better young players and rest / not include players who have high usage on their national contract cap of games per season Leinster can play them.

I'd go for something along the lines of:

1. J.McGrath 2. Strauss 3. Moore 4. Moloney 5. McCarthy 6. Ruddock 7. Van Der Flier 8. O'Brien
9. L.McGrath 10. Sexton 11. Fitzgerald 12. Te'o 13. Ringrose 14. D.Kearney 15. Nacewa
16. Tracy 17. Dooly 18.Furlong 19. Triggs 20. Murphy 21. Reddan 22. Madigan 23. Kelleher

[curates_egg]

Is Triggs back?

I agree with your logic but not sure that selection delivers it.
Surely Jack Mc has more miles on the clock than any other forward this season? Back row has been better managed but Ruddock must be close to topping the charts there for us?
Strauss and McCarthy are two of our diamonds this season in terms of play. Both have picked up a few head knocks though, so I would use them only when necessary.
Definitely time to start Molony though.
An argument for starting Tracey but that would only fly if Jack starts.

[outcast eddie]

How much do we want to win this?

[rdsblue]

I agree with all of that squad except for Jack Mac who I think needs a rest as he's been carrying a huge load with Healy's injuries and ban. Michael Bent should be used much more to make sure he's up to speed if needed. Likewise Aaron Dundon who seems to be fit again should be used as he's a great squad player to have during the 6N.

[Logorrhea]

How much do we want to win this?

Very much. I'd be surprised if the players don't want to put the record straight and I'll be arsed if I am going to sit there and just accept a defeat in to any premiership team.

Beat them and end any hopes they may have of qualifying ....... then go and beat Wasps and damage any hopes they may have of qualifying too.

[Bogger]

we need to kill them and start building the habit of winning ...Leo needs it more than anything else as his tenure ship hangs by a thread....we don't want to end up like Axel !!

[rosscarrick]

we need to kill them and start building the habit of winning ...Leo needs it more than anything else as his tenure ship hangs by a thread....we don't want to end up like Axel !!

Silly comment - his tenure is not hanging by anything.
We are playing the best rugby in three years.

We want to win this game because we want to win games.

[cormac]

Is Triggs back?

I agree with your logic but not sure that selection delivers it.
Surely Jack Mc has more miles on the clock than any other forward this season? Back row has been better managed but Ruddock must be close to topping the charts there for us?
Strauss and McCarthy are two of our diamonds this season in terms of play. Both have picked up a few head knocks though, so I would use them only when necessary.
Definitely time to start Molony though.
An argument for starting Tracey but that would only fly if Jack starts.

Ruddock has played the most minutes of anyone in the back-row (710 minutes) but he's still only featured in 9 of our 15 matches to date this season. Rotation, injuries and the RWC mean none of the back-row have really been over-played.

We've used 11 different back-row combinations in 15 games with only Ruddock-vd Flier-Heaslip (3 matches) and Ryan-O'Brien-Heaslip (2 matches) featuring more than once.

[outcast eddie]

How much do we want to win this?

Very much. I'd be surprised if the players don't want to put the record straight and I'll be arsed if I am going to sit there and just accept a defeat in to any premiership team.

Beat them and end any hopes they may have of qualifying ....... then go and beat Wasps and damage any hopes they may have of qualifying too.

Fair enough but its not a bodies on the line win at all costs game is it? Would you be happy if we win but one of our key players ends up injured?

This is a slippery tw@t of a game and I don't envy Leo the task of motivating the team for it.

[simonokeeffe]

Joe Schmidt will have a canary if we dont use the Euro games to give the Ireland players high level gametime before 6n

Joe who?
I want Leinster to give priority to Leinster.

dont make me respond with cliches about statements of intent, throwing down a marker for the rest of the season

also a commercial interest of taking home European games completely seriously

[Logorrhea]

Fair enough but its not a bodies on the line win at all costs game is it? Would you be happy if we win but one of our key players ends up injured?
This is a slippery tw@t of a game and I don't envy Leo the task of motivating the team for it.

I get where you are coming from and there are risks but at this particular time against this particular team I really want to beat them. If only to remind them that we haven't gone too far away and that we'll see them all again next year. If we lose a player to injury then so be it. It would suck in the same way that it would suck at any other time. It would be Ireland that would suffer more than us no?

[blockhead]

Win both games, dont want a 6 & 0 record. Give wasps and bath a bloody nose and maybe help Ulster along the way.

[The Doc]

Fair enough but its not a bodies on the line win at all costs game is it? Would you be happy if we win but one of our key players ends up injured?
This is a slippery tw@t of a game and I don't envy Leo the task of motivating the team for it.

I get where you are coming from and there are risks but at this particular time against this particular team I really want to beat them. If only to remind them that we haven't gone too far away and that we'll see them all again next year. If we lose a player to injury then so be it. It would suck in the same way that it would suck at any other time. It would be Ireland that would suffer more than us no?

The surest way of having players injured is to approach the game semi-committed.

[Vamos los azules]

We get to wipe the smile off Bruce Craig's face if we win.

[molloyjh]

Next week is a nothing game. This week isn't. There is no such thing as a nothing home game. Especially when it is our best chance to get a win on the board and avoid the dreaded 0W. Get a decent side out and look for the win. Then rest up next week. For me I'd like to see:

McGrath Strauss Moore
Toner McCarthy
Ruddock SOB VDF

McGrath Sexton
Fitzgerald Ringrose
D Kearney R Kearney Nacewa

Cronin, Dooley, Furlong, Molony, Murphy, Reddan, Madigan, Te'o

[Broken Wing]

Leo needs it more than anything else as his tenure ship hangs by a thread.

Too right. Seven league wins a in a row, comfortably 2nd in the table and playing exciting rugby?

Leo out!

I believe Leinster have to win this but I also believe Leinster will win this leaving us with pride restored, further evidence of improvement under Leo and the blooding of several players. Allez les Bleus!