Leinster v Connacht Sat 19.45

[the spoofer]

Players are in a two day training camp with Ireland. Possible that that will effect selection for Saturday.

So that means Monday and Tuesday with Ireland, Wednesday off, Thursday filter back in, Friday captains run. Not much time to get a settled team.

[mildlyinterested]

apparently anyone in camp won't be playing this weekend. not sure I believe that.

[wixfjord]

apparently anyone in camp won't be playing this weekend. not sure I believe that.

Where did you hear that?

[mildlyinterested]

David Kelly said it on twitter about Munster players. assume it applies to anyone in camp.

[cormac]

David Kelly said it on twitter about Munster players. assume it applies to anyone in camp.

You could be right that it extends to all the teams but a couple of ways in which it might not.

1) Munster play Friday evening so have less time to prepare

2) Munster played most of their internationals the week before the European games whereas we didn't

[cormac]

Porter has been involved in a lot of matchday squads this season but has only started in two of his fourteen appearances this season (1+10 for Leinster, 1+2 for Ireland). He's averaging roughly 30 mins per appearance. He could do with a couple of starts of the Xmas period IMO. Furlong could start the other match with Bent on the bench for all three matches.

[Ruckedtobits]

apparently anyone in camp won't be playing this weekend. not sure I believe that.

Except for Connacht, that wouldn't surprise me. Everything will continue to be done with an Ireland focus untill next November.

[Oldschool]

I would expect Connacht to line out something like this for Saturday night's clash.
15 O'Halloran. 14 Leader. 13 Farrell. 12 Aki. 11 Healy. 10 Carty. 9 Blade.
1 Buckley. 2 Delahunt. 3 Bealham. 4 Roux. 5 Thornbury. 6 SOB2. 7 Butler. 8 Boyle.
16 Heffernan. 17 O'Donnell. 18 Carey. 19 Dillane. 20 Copeland. 21 Mitchell. 22 Horwitz. 23 Godwin.
Decent team.

Friend has done a lot of rotation and squad development, even in the Challenge Cup, so I'd be surprised if he picks his strongest 23 against us.

[Jonny tight lips]

But it’s cup final day for them, expect their strongest 23 available

[riocard911]

But it’s cup final day for them, expect their strongest 23 available

Anyone else remember the TV interview after the pre-Xmas Connacht game in the RDS we barely won in MO'C's first season and he started moaning about how Pat Lam's lads had come to prevent us playing? That was the moment I started to go off him.

[D4surfer]

But it’s cup final day for them, expect their strongest 23 available

Anyone else remember the TV interview after the pre-Xmas Connacht game in the RDS we barely won in MO'C's first season and he started moaning about how Pat Lam's lads had come to prevent us playing? That was the moment I started to go off him.

He should have looked in the mirror. It was him who prevented us playing. To misquote a Corrs song, Forgotten, not Forgiven.

[Oldschool]

But it’s cup final day for them, expect their strongest 23 available

Anyone else remember the TV interview after the pre-Xmas Connacht game in the RDS we barely won in MO'C's first season and he started moaning about how Pat Lam's lads had come to prevent us playing? That was the moment I started to go off him.

It was the home defeat to Dragons that did it for me.

[Dexter]

Players are in a two day training camp with Ireland. Possible that that will effect selection for Saturday.

So that means Monday and Tuesday with Ireland, Wednesday off, Thursday filter back in, Friday captains run. Not much time to get a settled team.

It was actually Sunday and Monday with Ireland, but yeah not much time. The internationals are busy lads!!

[mildlyinterested]

why did tom Daly join Connacht this week?

surely the week he faces his old team isn't the week he should be made available to their next opponents.

[outcast eddie]

Off the top of my head I can only think of James Ryan as the only loaned player to return. There must be more but I can’t think of any.

[mildlyinterested]

Off the top of my head I can only think of James Ryan as the only loaned player to return. There must be more but I can’t think of any.

James Ryan was never on loan.

[the spoofer]

George Clancy on Saturday.

[cormac]

George Clancy on Saturday.

oh dear

[Degz]

George Clancy on Saturday.

oh dear

f%~k sake. There's my little Christmas present trip ruined.

[OTT]

Off the top of my head I can only think of James Ryan as the only loaned player to return. There must be more but I can’t think of any.

Think Cooney returned for a few minutes in a home loss to the Dragons in one of the craziest bits of player management of the MOC era.