Leinster v Lyon, 12th Jan 13:00

[wixfjord]

I really like that Deegan decision too. I would've gone for Doris but it just shows a willingness to pick on form.

That Lyon side is a bit of a shell side it seems - no Bamba, Ngatai, Tuisova, Gill, Fearns, Cretin, Wisneiski etc.

They do have three 6'6 guys who are predominately locks in the backrow though, so it's going to be a battle up front and at lineout. So will be interesting to see how Deegan goes in that context.

Buttin has a bit of history in the RDS also!

what's the history?

Sorry I'm thinking of Malzieu!

[bails]

Interesting selection from Lyon

Only six players who started in Lyon in November'19 are included - Roodt, Bruni - Nakaitaci, Regard (cap), Mignot - Arnold.

Some big names missing too - Bamba - Gill, Fearns - Couilloud , Wisniewski -

As mentioned above, they've loads of injuries: Barassi, Fernandez, Ric, Doussain, Julien Puricelli, Mignot, Goujon, Ivaldi, Fearns, Palission, Laporte, Couilloud...all injured.
Of the squad this week, Chaume and Lambey are making returns from injury.
Buttin, who is starting at outhalf, was also out injured the last few weeks. Not sure he ever played against us when he was with Clermont.

Given their injury list, it's probably not worth risking their big names for a dead rubber.
Bamba and Wisniewski played last weekend, when they won away.

Mignot is selected to play

[curates_egg]

Interesting selection from Lyon

Only six players who started in Lyon in November'19 are included - Roodt, Bruni - Nakaitaci, Regard (cap), Mignot - Arnold.

Some big names missing too - Bamba - Gill, Fearns - Couilloud , Wisniewski -

As mentioned above, they've loads of injuries: Barassi, Fernandez, Ric, Doussain, Julien Puricelli, Mignot, Goujon, Ivaldi, Fearns, Palission, Laporte, Couilloud...all injured.
Of the squad this week, Chaume and Lambey are making returns from injury.
Buttin, who is starting at outhalf, was also out injured the last few weeks. Not sure he ever played against us when he was with Clermont.

Given their injury list, it's probably not worth risking their big names for a dead rubber.
Bamba and Wisniewski played last weekend, when they won away.

Mignot is selected to play

Sorry, I see that now. That's his first game back after injury too!

Some bad luck they've had over the past few months. Still second in the Top14 though.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Sorry I'm thinking of Malzieu!

I could have sworn that Buttin had an amazing game at fullback that night so looked it up and turns out he wasn't even playing He also only turned 28 in December!

Agree with everyone about Deegan. Harsh on Doris but I'm sure he'll get a good chunk of game time and hopefully they'll start together next week. The competition is crazy really but Deegan was so good last weekend that he earned another start and Doris already got the rub of the green with his selection a few weeks ago when he got back from the head knock after Deegan had done so well.

Surprised that Tracy is starting. He's had a good season but just would have assumed that Cronin would get the nod. With the greatest respect to Ed Byrne, who I'm a fan of, I'd love if Dooley kicked on from last week. He really looks to be back to the form that he showed earlier in his career and has a higher ceiling. I think Furlong is lucky to be starting. As I said last week I didn't think he looked fit, but maybe the start will do him good.

Harsh on Connors to miss out again but I wouldn't argue with the selection, hope he gets a start next week.

[curates_egg]

Apart from the fact Buttin is just back from injury, I really don't think he has played that much at 10.

I don't want to get ahead of myself, but we really should be looking to put up a big score against this very weak side.

[carlow man]

Anyone else a bit surprised that dooley is there instead of ed Byrne? Dooley had a cracker against connacht and has looked good this season but I think Byrne is still the better all rounder out of the two. Felt like Byrne was the back up to Healy moving forward.

[Logorrhea]

Dooley had a cracker against connacht and has looked good this season

Think you answered it yourself there.

Form selection.

[Peg Leg]

Dooley had a cracker against connacht and has looked good this season

Think you answered it yourself there.

Form selection.

Very much so, place earned. This is a squad fighting tooth and nail for a matchday jersey.

[carlow man]

Dooley had a cracker against connacht and has looked good this season

Think you answered it yourself there.

Form selection.

Not really. Byrne has played equally as well so it's not like one is out of form. You could say connors has played well and deserves a shot but Josh is straight back in so it's not decided completely on form is it? Could also argue keenan ahead of rob for the 23 jersey.

[mildlyinterested]

Dooley is in much better form than Ed

[ronk]

Dooley had a cracker against connacht and has looked good this season

Think you answered it yourself there.

Form selection.

Not really. Byrne has played equally as well so it's not like one is out of form. You could say connors has played well and deserves a shot but Josh is straight back in so it's not decided completely on form is it? Could also argue keenan ahead of rob for the 23 jersey.

I'm a big fan of Keenan, I don't think he's close to ahead of Rob.

Josh came back from the RWC and demonstrate form, he's not straight back in. He is playing really well, so is Will.

[Ruckedtobits]

Anyone else a bit surprised that dooley is there instead of ed Byrne? Dooley had a cracker against connacht and has looked good this season but I think Byrne is still the better all rounder out of the two. Felt like Byrne was the back up to Healy moving forward.

Not in the slighest bit surprised. Peter Dooley has been on the verge of this form at least twice before over the past three seasons. He appears physically stronger than Ed Byrne with a bigger frame. I have long considered him a home-bred Heinke van de Merwe with really excellent handling and tackling skills and no discernible weaknesses in his basic habits.

Really very pleased to see him come through to a European bench spot without injuries clouding the issue of selection.

[Ruckedtobits]

Bookies don't get it wrong too often but odds of 1/200 with an expected margin of 40 points are prohibitive.

I get the 1/200 rating, that's a combination of weigh-of-money and expectation of payouts. But the expectation of a 40 pt margin has to include the outlook and ability of the opposition, the weather, the Leinster appetite to go beyond four tries and the refereeing performance.

Betting on the result but against the spread appears the only logic in this one.

[Blueberry]

Forecast looks okay for tmrw, 40 pts seems about right to me.....it may take a little while to get going but once we get about 10-15pts ahead Lyon will slip away.

Sorry blue tinged spectacles in full operation atm, this team is humming atm.

[ronk]

Dooley is in much better form than Ed

Different players too. Byrne is compact and has a nose for the line. Dooley is a little bigger and more of an all rounder prop.

[FourMasters]

What jumps out at me from the teamsheet is that Larmour has more leinster caps than Henshaw (44 vs 42). He's only been playing a wet week!
My New Year's wish is that Robbie gets an injury-free run for this latter half of the season.

[Blueberry]

Larmour takes so little contact in comparison to Henshaw it's hardly surprising in one way, Jordan probably dodges 5 tackles for everytime he is actually hit whereas it's probably close to 100 % contact with Robbie !! He seems to have some engine does Larmour so he could rack up a series stack of caps in blue, all going well. Robbie does seem to get endlessly gang tackled as well so it's always heavy contact, he takes some abuse.

[Ruckedtobits]

Larmour takes so little contact in comparison to Henshaw it's hardly surprising in one way, Jordan probably dodges 5 tackles for everytime he is actually hit whereas it's probably close to 100 % contact with Robbie !! He seems to have some engine does Larmour so he could rack up a series stack of caps in blue, all going well. Robbie does seem to get endlessly gang tackled as well so it's always heavy contact, he takes some abuse.

Larmour also fails to link with his teamates far less often than Henshaw. But that's just my pet complaint about Jordan.

[Blueberry]

That's because his teamates are going forward and Larmour is going forwards, backwards, sideways, stopping, starting - they haven't a clue where he is going to next but neither do the opposition so it kinda works out...............

[Oldschoolsocks]

That's because his teamates are going forward and Larmour is going forwards, backwards, sideways, stopping, starting - they haven't a clue where he is going to next but neither do the opposition so it kinda works out...............

He’d be a lot more effective if he could put his head up and link in, far too often he’s jinked through a defence and brought down where a pass a jink or two earlier would be more beneficial.