Leinster v Connacht Sat 2nd 19.35 Eir Sport

[Dave Cahill]

I predict that this will be one of those games where there will be a massive cloud of steam drifting over the pack, while the outside backs freeze their nuts off standing around waiting for the ball the come to them once every 10 minutes.

I predict that this prediction will come to pass!

[sunshiner1]

by ronk

I’d worry about backrow balance against a grizzled, experienced backrow. Connacht don’t have that. We have a full sub backrow too.

We should secure good possession from scrum and line out too.

The Connacht line-out against Ulster was a shambles especially when Delahunt came on. You can say what you like about weather conditions but it fell to pieces. I'm expecting a much better line-out from them as it couldn't have gotten much worse but I still think we've enough to overcome it. That said there scrum has being moving along nicely so we can expect a serious scrum battle up front.

[mildlyinterested]

Bit of a mix and match of a team.

Not much balance in the backrow, but that front 5 should be solid enough to give us good ball and 9/10 experienced enough to bring us through.

Excited to see how Smith goes.

Don’t know much about O’Reilly, anyone give a scouting report as to what to expect?

O'Reilly has underage irish 7's experience and is versatile having some experience from 11, 13, 14 and 15. His primary focus underage was 15.This time last year he looked an outside shot for an academy place so his rise has been rather meteoric, has a decent distribution game and looks to be faster than the average leinster academy back three player. He and Smith combined well for this try vs England u20 last season: https://youtu.be/BOQDZ7yQpEI?t=93

[hugonaut]

Bit of a mix and match of a team.

Not much balance in the backrow, but that front 5 should be solid enough to give us good ball and 9/10 experienced enough to bring us through.

Excited to see how Smith goes.

Don’t know much about O’Reilly, anyone give a scouting report as to what to expect?

O'Reilly has underage irish 7's experience and is versatile having some experience from 11, 13, 14 and 15. His primary focus underage was 15.This time last year he looked an outside shot for an academy place so his rise has been rather meteoric, has a decent distribution game and looks to be faster than the average leinster academy back three player. He and Smith combined well for this try vs England u20 last season: https://youtu.be/BOQDZ7yQpEI?t=93

My one was going to be "he's got brown hair and is fast".

[scentofgunpowder]

by ronk

I’d worry about backrow balance against a grizzled, experienced backrow. Connacht don’t have that. We have a full sub backrow too.

We should secure good possession from scrum and line out too.

The Connacht line-out against Ulster was a shambles especially when Delahunt came on. You can say what you like about weather conditions but it fell to pieces. I'm expecting a much better line-out from them as it couldn't have gotten much worse but I still think we've enough to overcome it. That said there scrum has being moving along nicely so we can expect a serious scrum battle up front.

Delahunt started against Ulster and I thought the lineout went quite well while he was on, it collapsed in the second half when Heffernan was on and throwing into a gale. That being said the lineout has been a concern (19/24 vs Racing then 15/19 vs Bristol) and even the lineouts won have been sloppy and the attacking maul nonexistent. On the other side of the ball, our maul defence has been disastrous over the last few games, although I don't think Leinster have been a particularly dangerous mauling side the last while. These issues are very recent for Connacht who under Jimmy Duffy have generally been a very well drilled forward unit.

[mildlyinterested]

Bit of a mix and match of a team.

Not much balance in the backrow, but that front 5 should be solid enough to give us good ball and 9/10 experienced enough to bring us through.

Excited to see how Smith goes.

Don’t know much about O’Reilly, anyone give a scouting report as to what to expect?

O'Reilly has underage irish 7's experience and is versatile having some experience from 11, 13, 14 and 15. His primary focus underage was 15.This time last year he looked an outside shot for an academy place so his rise has been rather meteoric, has a decent distribution game and looks to be faster than the average leinster academy back three player. He and Smith combined well for this try vs England u20 last season: https://youtu.be/BOQDZ7yQpEI?t=93

My one was going to be "he's got brown hair and is fast".

same same but different.

[king]

Connachts decision to go with only 3 senior locks for the last 2 seasons has badly misfired. On paper it looks reasonable 3 senior locks and 3/4 young prospects but it hasn't worked out great. Injury to roux followed by int call ups coupled with injury to thornberry, Gallagher, Dowling and Murray have left us patching things up. Also McCartney was a really good lineout operator and heffernan isn't. Delahunt is a good thrower but less physical around the pitch but beginning to put pressure on heff now.

I would have some concerns around coaching, unusually for Connacht we have significant representation at international squad level with marmian roux Dillane bealham heffernan bundi carty in or around squads and Boyle blade Farrell wooton and aungier looking like they aren't too far off that level. Usually we are greater than the sum of our parts, unfortunately that doesn't appear to be the case currently.

[mildlyinterested]

Clarkson and Josh Murphy out.

Hawkshaw and Greg Mcgrath on bench.

[wixfjord]

f%~king hell, the amount of late withdrawals that we suffer seems to be enormous.

[CiaranIrl]

Greg Mcgrath is a Tighthead prop I assume?

Edit: Ultimate rugby says he's a 40 year old prop no less. He doesn't look a day over 39. https://www.ultimaterugby.com/player/view/11547

[Laighin Break]

Greg Mcgrath is a Tighthead prop I assume?

Edit: Ultimate rugby says he's a 40 year old prop no less. He doesn't look a day over 39. https://www.ultimaterugby.com/player/view/11547

As well as being 0m tall and weighing 0kg - a bit of an enigma really.
There was a small bit of discussion on him in the Tighthead Prop going forward thread the past few weeks.

[Barry]

Greg Mcgrath is a Tighthead prop I assume?

Edit: Ultimate rugby says he's a 40 year old prop no less. He doesn't look a day over 39. https://www.ultimaterugby.com/player/view/11547

He's a loose head, about 23 years old

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[D4surfer]

I'll get my boots in case I'm needed at this stage

[Laighin Break]

Are we going to have to listen to Toland calling Leinster's blindside "Ryan Bard" for the whole game or will someone correct him?

[fourthirtythree]

When the ref was looking at Buckley suddenly their scrum disintegrated as he went straight.

[Serb]

I predict that this will be one of those games where there will be a massive cloud of steam drifting over the pack, while the outside backs freeze their nuts off standing around waiting for the ball the come to them once every 10 minutes.

The game has been 50% scrum so far. Looking good for this.

[wixfjord]

How is our lineout so bad?

Like what do they do all week?

[Serb]

How is our lineout so bad?

Like what do they do all week?

It’s comedic at this point. Absolute f%~king shambles and gives teams something easy to target against us.

[wixfjord]

Absolutely shambolic so far.

[Serb]

Getting absolutely dominated here. Back three are at sea, lots of gaps around our ruck too.