LeinsterLeader wrote:Irish Times saying Sexton is a doubt for Glasgow and this game. Not a lot of info to support that though, but then with JS you never know. He always seems to be a doubt
I had a thought over the weekend (always dangerous for someone like me) and with Ross Byrne being wrapped in bubble wrap (the cotton wool supplier lost the contract in a competitive tender process) and nobody really sure what's up with Sexton, it points towards the following conspiracy theory:
Sexton has won multiple league titles, Heineken Cups, a grand slam, triple crowns, world player of the year, Lions series (and a schools cup) and, at 33, knows that most of the medals he will win in his career are already in the cabinet. The major one missing is of course the World Cup. Much like his performances at the sharp end of the 2016/17 season when it was clear as day that he was protecting himself for the Lions, it's looking more and more like he is building everything towards the World Cup. The Pro14 and the Heineken Cup are mere warm up games for what really matters for him in 2019 and he will not jeopardise the World Cup for that.
If that is he case, and recalling the Pro12 semi v Scarletts in 2017, I trust that Leo and Stu are on the lookout for similar performances and ready with the shepherd's crook should he try that on again. I love Sexton btw, I think he's great, but I have a nagging suspicion that Ross Byrne has a BIG role to play if we are to retain either or both of our titles this season.
I'd say not just Sexton - it feels like a number of players are being managed to peak later in the year. It seemed that way right from the start of the season (IIRC Sexton played some early games that surprised me - I wondered then if there was a different schedule being followed this year)
But with Sexton - I think he has looked below peak for a while. It feels like he is carrying something. It's probably better not to play him if he can't be at 100% - he might only be used for finals. It's a shame Ross Byrne is the only real option going into the end of season without dipping into the academy or taking a real chance on someone.
I like your right leg. A lovely leg for the role.
I've got nothing against your right leg.
The trouble is ... neither have you
LeinsterLeader wrote:Irish Times saying Sexton is a doubt for Glasgow and this game. Not a lot of info to support that though, but then with JS you never know. He always seems to be a doubt
I had a thought over the weekend (always dangerous for someone like me) and with Ross Byrne being wrapped in bubble wrap (the cotton wool supplier lost the contract in a competitive tender process) and nobody really sure what's up with Sexton, it points towards the following conspiracy theory:
Sexton has won multiple league titles, Heineken Cups, a grand slam, triple crowns, world player of the year, Lions series (and a schools cup) and, at 33, knows that most of the medals he will win in his career are already in the cabinet. The major one missing is of course the World Cup. Much like his performances at the sharp end of the 2016/17 season when it was clear as day that he was protecting himself for the Lions, it's looking more and more like he is building everything towards the World Cup. The Pro14 and the Heineken Cup are mere warm up games for what really matters for him in 2019 and he will not jeopardise the World Cup for that.
If that is he case, and recalling the Pro12 semi v Scarletts in 2017, I trust that Leo and Stu are on the lookout for similar performances and ready with the shepherd's crook should he try that on again. I love Sexton btw, I think he's great, but I have a nagging suspicion that Ross Byrne has a BIG role to play if we are to retain either or both of our titles this season.
WOW!
I agree about ross byrne having a massive role to play in the next few games. not so sure about your theory about sexton though. I remember when johnny lost the head against munster before christmas...his constant striving for perfection, for me, has had its impact. He looked like a player who wasn't enjoying playing. ditto during the six nations. especially when things weren't going to plan. In the same breath, that is an observation rather than a criticism. he is an incredible rugby player and I hope he shakes off whatever injuries he has and the headspace stuff that is affecting his game. I was in cardiff watching our last game against wales and I was gobsmacked with the amount of nervy mistakes he made. not like him at all.
Not sure about saving himself but if Johnny doesn't start this week (and it sounds like he won't) then I wouldn't start him against Toulouse.
I wouldn't mind if he'd been playing regularly up until recently and had been in good form, but he's been very stop start in both respects since the start of the year so I don't see the need to parachute him back in for the semi. Even if he starts this week and doesn't play well then I wouldn't mind him starting next week too, but just hate this idea of guys being rusty and being picked regardless.
I love Johnny, but the pressure he puts himself under to reach the giddy heights would seem to have a negative effect, when he's not fully in form, carrying a niggle or things are not going according to plan. IMO, I think outlook, humour, morale, what ever you want to call it, can play a large part in getting the individual as well as the team going. Take the match vs Treviso. Whatever about Lowe, how much fun did Max Deegan look like he was having? - a lot, from what I could make out. I imagine, it's harder towards the end of one's career to generate that type of enthusiasm. Regardless, I hope Ross Byrne and J10 show up all guns blazing, whenever they're called upon to play for Leinster in the coming weeks, as we're gonna need both of them, if we're to win the Pro 14 and/or the Heino.
Peter O'Mahony has just under 1,600 minutes so far this season which isn't far off the sort of galactic numbers that the supposedly flogged England starters have. Owen Farrell is at 1,665, Ben Youngs has 1,444, Elliot Daly has around 1,953 minutes and is an outlier.
POM's numbers wouldn't be out of place for a Premiership player who is flogged by their club and country. If the IRFU was engaging in conspiracy cahoots to manage their player's minutes prior to a world cup, this would be the biggest argument against it.
Having said that, the unusually large amount of minutes that the internationals were getting in late September/October suggested some sort of tournament prep/simulation.
Or, you know, he might just be carrying an injury.
Via The42.ie
However, Leinster confirmed today that the 33-year-old will “increase his training load” in the coming days and the province don’t think his involvement against Toulouse is in doubt.
“No, not that I’m aware of,” said assistant coach Felipe Contepomi this afternoon.
“He didn’t play before because it was a tiny thing that occurred late in the week coming into Ulster and he wasn’t fit to play for that game but it’s definitely not something that would rule him out of the finals.
“He’s working well and we hope he’s fit for Toulouse, definitely.”
While Contepomi said Sexton is “getting better and getting fitter” it’s unlikely that the playmaker will be risked this weekend against Glasgow Warriors in the Guinness Pro14.
geologyrocks wrote:Peter O'Mahony has just under 1,600 minutes so far this season which isn't far off the sort of galactic numbers that the supposedly flogged England starters have. Owen Farrell is at 1,665, Ben Youngs has 1,444, Elliot Daly has around 1,953 minutes and is an outlier.
POM's numbers wouldn't be out of place for a Premiership player who is flogged by their club and country. If the IRFU was engaging in conspiracy cahoots to manage their player's minutes prior to a world cup, this would be the biggest argument against it.
Having said that, the unusually large amount of minutes that the internationals were getting in late September/October suggested some sort of tournament prep/simulation.
That feeds into my looney conspiracy theory. I don't think there's an IRFU edict restricting playing time any more than there would be in any other season (though perhaps the players are being managed so as to peak later). I think Johnny Sexton is putting the pressure on himself and, whether consciously or not, it has him playing poorer as a result.
Another poster mentioned Thomond just before New Year. Supposing, as I am, that the entire focus of his year is the World Cup and then a young buck like Wycherly slams him into the ground and he looks around him at 20k laughing "Ireland" fans and realises that his Ireland teammates in red are happy to see him targeted...he lost the head/focus and played accordingly.
wixfjord wrote:Or, you know, he might just be carrying an injury.
Via The42.ie
However, Leinster confirmed today that the 33-year-old will “increase his training load” in the coming days and the province don’t think his involvement against Toulouse is in doubt.
“No, not that I’m aware of,” said assistant coach Felipe Contepomi this afternoon.
“He didn’t play before because it was a tiny thing that occurred late in the week coming into Ulster and he wasn’t fit to play for that game but it’s definitely not something that would rule him out of the finals.
“He’s working well and we hope he’s fit for Toulouse, definitely.”
While Contepomi said Sexton is “getting better and getting fitter” it’s unlikely that the playmaker will be risked this weekend against Glasgow Warriors in the Guinness Pro14.
I kind of hope he is, and that he goes off and gets it sorted and comes back better.
geologyrocks wrote:Peter O'Mahony has just under 1,600 minutes so far this season which isn't far off the sort of galactic numbers that the supposedly flogged England starters have. Owen Farrell is at 1,665, Ben Youngs has 1,444, Elliot Daly has around 1,953 minutes and is an outlier.
POM's numbers wouldn't be out of place for a Premiership player who is flogged by their club and country. If the IRFU was engaging in conspiracy cahoots to manage their player's minutes prior to a world cup, this would be the biggest argument against it.
Having said that, the unusually large amount of minutes that the internationals were getting in late September/October suggested some sort of tournament prep/simulation.
That feeds into my looney conspiracy theory. I don't think there's an IRFU edict restricting playing time any more than there would be in any other season (though perhaps the players are being managed so as to peak later). I think Johnny Sexton is putting the pressure on himself and, whether consciously or not, it has him playing poorer as a result.
Another poster mentioned Thomond just before New Year. Supposing, as I am, that the entire focus of his year is the World Cup and then a young buck like Wycherly slams him into the ground and he looks around him at 20k laughing "Ireland" fans and realises that his Ireland teammates in red are happy to see him targeted...he lost the head/focus and played accordingly.
Eh.........
Yeah?
I dunno, there's probably some truth to the fact that Sexton is targeting the world cup, that Thomond performance was very uncharacteristic. But do you think he was deliberately poor in the Six Nations as well? He picked up the calf injury in Thomond and since then he hasn't really been right. I can see them wheeling him out for Heineken Cup games (maybe this week as well) and that's it. Not even the Pro14 playoffs. He needs time off to properly rehab.
geologyrocks wrote:Peter O'Mahony has just under 1,600 minutes so far this season which isn't far off the sort of galactic numbers that the supposedly flogged England starters have. Owen Farrell is at 1,665, Ben Youngs has 1,444, Elliot Daly has around 1,953 minutes and is an outlier.
POM's numbers wouldn't be out of place for a Premiership player who is flogged by their club and country. If the IRFU was engaging in conspiracy cahoots to manage their player's minutes prior to a world cup, this would be the biggest argument against it.
Having said that, the unusually large amount of minutes that the internationals were getting in late September/October suggested some sort of tournament prep/simulation.
That feeds into my looney conspiracy theory. I don't think there's an IRFU edict restricting playing time any more than there would be in any other season (though perhaps the players are being managed so as to peak later). I think Johnny Sexton is putting the pressure on himself and, whether consciously or not, it has him playing poorer as a result.
Another poster mentioned Thomond just before New Year. Supposing, as I am, that the entire focus of his year is the World Cup and then a young buck like Wycherly slams him into the ground and he looks around him at 20k laughing "Ireland" fans and realises that his Ireland teammates in red are happy to see him targeted...he lost the head/focus and played accordingly.
Eh.........
Yeah?
I dunno, there's probably some truth to the fact that Sexton is targeting the world cup, that Thomond performance was very uncharacteristic. But do you think he was deliberately poor in the Six Nations as well? He picked up the calf injury in Thomond and since then he hasn't really been right. I can see them wheeling him out for Heineken Cup games (maybe this week as well) and that's it. Not even the Pro14 playoffs. He needs time off to properly rehab.
I don't remember Sexton being that bad against Munster. He was on for 59 minutes and played with 14 or 13 men for 40 of those, managing to score more points than Munster in the time between Healy's yellow and being subbed (10-9).
I have a very bad feeling that we are totally undercooked as we get to the business end of the season .should we beat Toulouse then our only game before the final is away to Ulster.
If Ulster need a win to secure a top 3 then th e powers that be might tell us to send the Willow Under 10’s.
Normally very positive but have a bad feeling about the next month or so
We sent a really weak team to Connacht for the final game of last season and got property spanked, the. Went on to do the double.
Ruddock's tackle stats consistently too low for me to be taken seriously as a Six Nations blindside..... Ruddock's defensive stats don't stack up. - All Blacks Nil, Jan 15th, 2014
England A 8 - 14 Ireland A, 25th Jan 2014 Ruddock(c) 19/2 Tackles
paddyor wrote:We sent a really weak team to Connacht for the final game of last season and got property spanked, the. Went on to do the double.
We were playing much better last season though and didn't actually play well against Racing in the next match, possibly because we overdid the rest and were undercooked. Ireland had won the Grand Slam, Johnny was on his way to being WPOTY...it's just not the same situation.
paddyor wrote:We sent a really weak team to Connacht for the final game of last season and got property spanked, the. Went on to do the double.
We were playing much better last season though and didn't actually play well against Racing in the next match, possibly because we overdid the rest and were undercooked. Ireland had won the Grand Slam, Johnny was on his way to being WPOTY...it's just not the same situation.
We've won the conference already with a higher points total and qualified from a harder group this year in Europe. Squads weaker, Leavy is a bigger loss than SOB, can't just plug Murphy in wherever etc. We lost 3 of our last 4 games last season. It's not the same, we're not really playing all that well at the moment but we're into 2 sfs. I want to see us win with a decent team vs Glasgow, but I'm not gonna panic if we send a thinner squad given we're light at lock,10 and also centre(possibly 9?) irrespective of the result against Toulouse. Maybe that changes with how the game against Glasgow/Toulouse goes, but lets focus on the next two games first.
Ruddock's tackle stats consistently too low for me to be taken seriously as a Six Nations blindside..... Ruddock's defensive stats don't stack up. - All Blacks Nil, Jan 15th, 2014
England A 8 - 14 Ireland A, 25th Jan 2014 Ruddock(c) 19/2 Tackles
Don't think anybody is panicking, but my point (Blue blood was more worried about post Ulster than I was tbf) was that we could do with using this weekend to build momentum for the Toulouse game and beyond.
Not having it that this year's CC group was tougher btw. Exeter, Montpellier, and Glasgow was a far harder group than this year IMO, and then we beat the English and European champions in the QF, which was a much more impressive result/performance than beating Ulster last week.
Staying on the racing theme, I think we are all fearing that if Seanie was a horse, then he would be Faugheen.
A great champion blighted by injury in his latter years and not the machine he once was.
Heres to 2 great farewell appearances in Newcastle and Punchestown
Blue not red blood wrote:Staying on the racing theme, I think we are all fearing that if Seanie was a horse, then he would be Faugheen.
A great champion blighted by injury in his latter years and not the machine he once was.
Heres to 2 great farewell appearances in Newcastle and Punchestown
