Leinster v Wasps Friday BT Sport 7.45

[wixfjord]

Friday night lights!

Can't wait for the return of Europe. We're in good standing, but if anyone remembers the time London Irish visited the RDS on a first round Friday night a few years back, things can go very quickly wrong.

For us, I'd go with the following.

Healy, Cronin, Furlong, Toner, Ryan, Rhys, VDF, Conan, HPJ, Sexton, Lowe, Henshaw, Ringrose, Larmour, RK
McGrath, Tracy, Porter, Leavy, SOB, McGrath, Byrne, ROL.

The big questions are obviously around the three player rule. I think JGP deserves the start and I'd say we'll keep McGrath for Toulouse to deal with Dupont and will need Fardy for that too. Lowe just has to start.

Backrow is the other one. VDF has to start for me and I'd stick two on the bench. We'll need to combat Wasps there.

Wasps' Dan Robson was injured at the weekend, so they'll be down him. They also rested a few guys so it'll be a very different side that shows up on Friday. Their back row is an area of strength. Carr is a cracking player and Thomas Young is back at 7. Obviously there's talent in the backline too with Simpson, Sopoaga, Daly, Wade, De Jongh.

Gopperth is injured however and Le Roux played yesterday for SA so I'd say it's perhaps unlikely he'll be thrown back in on Friday.

Lowe v Wade has the potential to create fireworks!

[leinsterforever]

Ed and Bryan Byrne being sprung off the bench with Porter might work well. McGrath/Dooley and Tracy then for the more heavyweight away game in Toulouse

[Made Of Ale]

Friday night lights!

Can't wait for the return of Europe. We're in good standing, but if anyone remembers the time London Irish visited the RDS on a first round Friday night a few years back, things can go very quickly wrong.

For us, I'd go with the following.

Healy, Cronin, Furlong, Toner, Ryan, Rhys, VDF, Conan, HPJ, Sexton, Lowe, Henshaw, Ringrose, Larmour, RK
McGrath, Tracy, Porter, Leavy, SOB, McGrath, Byrne, ROL.

I think that will be very close, but can't imagine we won't have a second row on the bench, even if Rhys can theoretically cover.

If that happens, one of the back row lads is going to miss out on the 23 entirely. On form you'd say that might be SOB, but you'd think Ireland will be pushing for him to get as much game time as possible before his annual match against the All Blacks. Leavy to miss out??! Seems strange to say, but the same applies for the rest of them.

[Peg Leg]

Lowe v Wade
That's gas considering the conversation in the Friday's Rave thread. Very of the moment.

[Peg Leg]

I just assume that seeing Lowe two weeks in a row means we won't be seeing him next weekend

[Theleinsterlad]

Friday night lights!

Can't wait for the return of Europe. We're in good standing, but if anyone remembers the time London Irish visited the RDS on a first round Friday night a few years back, things can go very quickly wrong.

For us, I'd go with the following.

Healy, Cronin, Furlong, Toner, Ryan, Rhys, VDF, Conan, HPJ, Sexton, Lowe, Henshaw, Ringrose, Larmour, RK
McGrath, Tracy, Porter, Leavy, SOB, McGrath, Byrne, ROL.

I think that will be very close, but can't imagine we won't have a second row on the bench, even if Rhys can theoretically cover.

If that happens, one of the back row lads is going to miss out on the 23 entirely. On form you'd say that might be SOB, but you'd think Ireland will be pushing for him to get as much game time as possible before his annual match against the All Blacks. Leavy to miss out??! Seems strange to say, but the same applies for the rest of them.

I know IRFU has veto on gametime but they don’t get to push on team selection. For me I think Friday champions cup us too early for SOB. Would have Rhys JVF and Conan as backrow with Leavy coming off bench. Agree we need JLo starting this one

[blockhead]

It's a real headache for Plumber. But Jlo is simply undroppable atm. Fardy might be saved for the next set of Pro14 games.

[Theleinsterlad]

It's a real headache for Plumber. But Jlo is simply undroppable atm. Fardy might be saved for the next set of Pro14 games.

JGP just gives our back line much faster ball and in fairness both he and McGrath tackle very well. Against wasps we will need speed

[Theleinsterlad]

Apparently Willie le Roux went off for a HIA yesterday and didn’t return. That would almost definitely mean he won’t be playing Friday

[mildlyinterested]

Looks like we could have a storm Friday, game at risk?

[wixfjord]

Current Met forecast doesn't seem too bad. Talk of the game being at risk seems a bit premature.

Friday - Wet and very windy; southwest winds with some severe gusts during the morning. The winds will ease in the afternoon, becoming light in the evening time. Rain turning more to showers through the day.

[Blueberry]

Great problems to have, Lowe and Fardy both outstanding and LPG is in great form too..... ultimately decision comes down to LPG v McCarthy as scrum half , no different to last year, if Leocaster still see a big gap and I suspect there is, it's LPG and Lowe who get the nod as Lowe must be on the pitch and with Toner and Ryan and our current backrow resources we can live without Fardy. Of course lose Toner or Ryan in the row and it's a different call or if we lost a couple of backrows then it changes too. Can't see it any other way. Lowe's performance v Munster was exceptional.

[cormac]

LPG the main injury worry ahead of the Wasps game.

Larmour should be fit. Tom Daly and Ian Nagle back in full training.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2018/100 ... ace-wasps/

[wixfjord]

JPG's knock possibly makes the choice clearer I'd say. McGrath to start and Nick M to bench?

Good that Tom Daly is back.

[mildlyinterested]

Nick Mc was given a start for A team, presumably to get him some gametime for potentially benching this friday.

[curates_egg]

Really bad luck for Propane if he is out. He had really made it difficult not to select him. He must have been directly involved in creating at least 5 tries in the left corner from 5 yards out this season. Two on Saturday alone.

Also good that Nagle is back, even if neither he nor Daly will factor for us until November. It is good when players recover from injury anyway, but I was worried he might be developing one of these repetitive concussion problems we have seen a number of players fall victim to.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Also good that Nagle is back, even if neither he nor Daly will factor for us until November. It is good when players recover from injury anyway, but I was worried he might be developing one of these repetitive concussion problems we have seen a number of players fall victim to.

The "good" thing about it was that it was a heavy collision. I used to really worry about Straussy because of how often he had to go off after what seemed to be really innocuous impacts.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

I'm a Luke fan so would have started him anyway but I think Fardy showed last season that he's really important to us and Lowe is now so important that he has to start too IMO. That said, I don't think Fardy should actually start and also can't see Lowe starting both European games after being so involved recently.

A year ago I probably wouldn't have said that BFG was much of a loss if we did leave him out (even allowing for McCarthy's inexperience) but he definitely is now, would really feel for him if he was fit and missed out.

I wonder if Fardy is carrying a niggle? I know he's getting on a bit and we're able to manage him so may as well do so but just seemed odd to leave him out of the Munster and Edinburgh games.

[leinsterforever]

It does seem to have taken Nagle quite a while to recover, which maybe isn't the best sign. But hopefully they were just being cautious

[LeRouxIsPHat]

It only happened on Friday week so he only missed a week.