Leinster v Salarysins

[Blue not red blood]

ROG was on OTB during the week and mentioned that there are a huge number of penalties being awarded in the Top 14 since resumption, said over 40 per match.
It would be interesting to know what the French refs are being strict on.
The coaches obviously but does anyone have a handle on this ?

As an aside could be very much to our benefit if we win tomorrow and play either French team in semi

[wixfjord]

There's certainly a lot more pace and mobility in our 23 than the Sarries one. The only way they win this is in an arm wrestle where they get ahead early and keep it tight with high possession count. That's a harder game to plan now with the new breakdown laws.

Wigglesworth is a big call. He's 37 and has barely played for 6-7 months. Purely there for box kicking.

Barritt and Taylor are power carriers, but again aren't going to open us up with guile and pace.

And while their pack is full of power, the likes of Mako, Rhodes and Swinson are not guys who are going to get around the pitch for 80 mins.

In Keenan, Ringrose, Larmour, Conan, Connors, Cronin and Baird/VDF to come in we have guys with pace/acceleration that I don't think they do.

I think if we really limit the penalty count and not give them easy ins to our 22 they'll find it hard to break us down.

[wixfjord]

Will be interesting to see who kicks for them. Goode or Daly?

[Blueberry]

High pace game and pushing wide at every chance can only help us........there is a whiff of 'big ugly French side' about this Sarries side...........but move them about for 80 mins and they will struggle.

[Lar]

Will be interesting to see who kicks for them. Goode or Daly?

My guess is Goode for most kicks within normal range and Daly for the long range chances.

[MylesNaGapoleen]

High pace game and pushing wide at every chance can only help us........there is a whiff of 'big ugly French side' about this Sarries side...........but move them about for 80 mins and they will struggle.

our bench does look stronger than theirs...if we don't get any silly cards or let them get ahead..(like in lyon two years ago in the semis when clermont got a 14 point head start before we woke up) I think the last 20 mins will be decisive. Was really impressed with how we did in the last 20 against ulster.

[fourthirtythree]

Hope the ref calls holding in rucks given our defensive strategy involving keeping our players on their feet as much as possible. Maro is particularly a pantomime villain in that regard but perhaps a French ref will call that as he sees it rather than be overawed by the rep.

Don't think Fardy can feel hard done by, Baird looks like right call. It's the form team. Have at them!

[Blueberry]

High pace game and pushing wide at every chance can only help us........there is a whiff of 'big ugly French side' about this Sarries side...........but move them about for 80 mins and they will struggle.

our bench does look stronger than theirs...if we don't get any silly cards or let them get ahead..(like in lyon two years ago in the semis when clermont got a 14 point head start before we woke up) I think the last 20 mins will be decisive. Was really impressed with how we did in the last 20 against ulster.

+1 - if we are level or better with 20 to go it really should go our way.......but that of course is an 'if' - fancy we won't start slow mind you....

[matt]

[quote=Blueberry post_id=765909 time=<a href="tel:1600432052">1600432052</a> user_id=8726]
High pace game and pushing wide at every chance can only help us........there is a whiff of 'big ugly French side' about this Sarries side...........but move them about for 80 mins and they will struggle.

our bench does look stronger than theirs...if we don't get any silly cards or let them get ahead..(like in lyon two years ago in the semis when clermont got a 14 point head start before we woke up) I think the last 20 mins will be decisive. Was really impressed with how we did in the last 20 against ulster.
[/quote]

We may find the first 60 mins tough against that pack so all the more important to not get any cards and make our superior fitness count in the last 20. Itoje and Billy V their 2 key players Connors has a big job to do as does VDF late on when hopefully there will be more space.

[curates_egg]

Massive call to back Baird.

Wouldn't be my choice personally but you've gotta respect Leo & Stu's backing of youth!

Agree. I’m starting to agree with you too often.

As a purely second row sub, I’ve no problem with Baird over Fardy. But VDF is a very specialist backrow sub, and Fardy would have balanced that. He’s also a proven big game player. And a bloody nuisance.

All that said, it’s great to see Baird being backed. Mitigates the (justified) decision to bench Kelleher.

[backrower8]

The question I want to know is do you use the same password for them all? Stephendonnelly4eva?

The old "Ooohh I know you but you don't know me" stunt. Have fun OTT. Hope it works for you. Is it supposed to have some effect on me?

It wouldn't hassle me if you revealed my identity, but it's not what we choose to do here as a forum and it would say plenty about you if you chose that approach. Presumably, if you did so, you would share your own while you are at it.

Put up or shut up.

Apologies to others here for this digression. Between this effort and LRIP's unretracted false assertion that I post under multiple personas...I have no issue whatsoever if someone doesn't agree with with my posts but I am not here to be jockeyed around off topic for the sake of it and won't be jockeyed off the forum either.

Hon' Leinster.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Massive call to back Baird.

Wouldn't be my choice personally but you've gotta respect Leo & Stu's backing of youth!

Agree. I’m starting to agree with you too often.

As a purely second row sub, I’ve no problem with Baird over Fardy. But VDF is a very specialist backrow sub, and Fardy would have balanced that. He’s also a proven big game player. And a bloody nuisance.

All that said, it’s great to see Baird being backed. Mitigates the (justified) decision to bench Kelleher.

Baird can play 6 and Doris can move to 8.

[limecat]

Match Preview

This is the game!

This is the game Leinster have been waiting for ever since they lost last year's final to Saracens. The game they knew they'd more than likely have to win in order to win back the trophy. What they couldn't have imagined then was how drastically Saracens circumstances would have changed in the intervening sixteen months since that day in Newcastle.

Read more...

[Up Wexford]

Match Preview

This is the game!

This is the game Leinster have been waiting for ever since they lost last year's final to Saracens. The game they knew they'd more than likely have to win in order to win back the trophy. What they couldn't have imagined then was how drastically Saracens circumstances would have changed in the intervening sixteen months since that day in Newcastle.

Read more...

some of your finest work!

C'mon Leinster!

[Fireworks]

Massive call to back Baird.

Wouldn't be my choice personally but you've gotta respect Leo & Stu's backing of youth!

Agree. I’m starting to agree with you too often.

As a purely second row sub, I’ve no problem with Baird over Fardy. But VDF is a very specialist backrow sub, and Fardy would have balanced that. He’s also a proven big game player. And a bloody nuisance.

All that said, it’s great to see Baird being backed. Mitigates the (justified) decision to bench Kelleher.

We can also never know what is going on in camp and who has a niggle etc. It is a big game for Baird but there has to be a first big game at some time.

[Peg Leg]

Match Preview

This is the game!

This is the game Leinster have been waiting for ever since they lost last year's final to Saracens. The game they knew they'd more than likely have to win in order to win back the trophy. What they couldn't have imagined then was how drastically Saracens circumstances would have changed in the intervening sixteen months since that day in Newcastle.

Read more...

some of your finest work!

C'mon Leinster!

Come back @donnyB!!
You've been gone for To Mane' months now!!

[wixfjord]

Interestingly, Leo seemed to hint in the press conf. that Cronin starting this might've been pre-planned.

[Lar]

For all the media focus on this being a game that Saracens have been targetting since January this is also a game that Leinster have wanted since May last year. I reckon most of this squad would have been disappointed not to get a crack at Saracens on the way to seeking a fifth star; and getting a quarter final against a side that has largely not played a competitive game since January in the Aviva is just what this squad would have wanted (save for the absence of fans which does take a large gloss off home advantage).

I can't believe there will be a single Leinster player who won't be seriously up for this.

[riocard911]

It's very simple: If we can't put away a depleted Saracens team sans Faz óg on our own turf, we don't deserve a fifth star. COYBIB!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ruckedtobits]

I hadn't noticed until reading Jim's review that George Clancy & Joy Neville are the ARs and there is also an Irish TMO.

On the tactical side, I find it difficult to think that Goode will kick tactically for them. They will largely want to keep possession to control the pace of the game. When Wigglesworth kicks, it will be to regain possession rather than target Larmour or Keenan per set I hope that McGrath's kicking is very limited and kept away from Daley and Maitland.

I expect to see Sarries carrying ball hard on the short-side of breakdowns as this can be an area in which the tactic of not contesting the breakdown can make it hard to close down blindside carriers. On our side, I hope to see runners targeting the pocket behind their breakdown and midfield using grubber kicks rather than just giving them targets to tackle. Looking at that Sarries pack & midfield you would have to believe they weren't selected for the speed at which they turn.

I want to see Conan pick from No 8 and stretch Rhodes & Billy wide; I want to see Larmour get passes outside Hugo Keenan and, occasionally, James Lowe. I'd love to see Ringrose switch with Robbie H, once or twice, and have a cut on the outside of Brad Barritt.

Confident we have better teamwork than them and probably have a very layered Game Plan which has been worked on for a couple of months. We may feel we deserve this more than Sarries, but we know that pro sport doesn't work based on ethical outcomes.

Am surprised at the omission of Fardy. Having a player of his experience of big days and choosing not to use him on the bench at least is a risk.