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URC 2025/26 - Emd of Dec / Start of Jan Fixtures

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Leonormous Boozer said:
Leinster dominating set piece and Munster the breakdown. Ref all over the place. Neither team fluid enough to excel at the intensity the game is being played at.

Jackman on comms with Zebo on punditry is cruel and unusual punishment.

HB the better 10 with no midfield to use whatsoever.

Positive enough for Leinster overall, feel like if Osborne and Ringrose were in midfield it'd be comfortable.
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I saw nothing that gives me any confidence whatsoever going into the Six Nations. All the scores were from opposition errors. H Byrne may be marginally ahead in the out half debate, but not convincingly so.
Dan Kelly didn’t live up to the hype. Ioane is proving just how good J Barrett actually is. I can’t see either team troubling the tail end of the URC, never mind European silverware…
 
ShropshireAllBlack said:
I saw nothing that gives me any confidence whatsoever going into the Six Nations. All the scores were from opposition errors. H Byrne may be marginally ahead in the out half debate, but not convincingly so.
Dan Kelly didn’t live up to the hype. Ioane is proving just how good J Barrett actually is. I can’t see either team troubling the tail end of the URC, never mind European silverware…
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I'm looking more long term than the 6 nations, looks like a 3 win tournament is set in stone, raising the standard of the performances in the big games is more important.

I thought both packs looked very good, don't think many teams in the league live with Leinster's tonight and Munster did with excellent breakdown work and defence.

I think HB is trending very well, looks a lot more mature than the other two and let's the team play to their standard. His passing range and selection looks good too but he's playing out there with 2nd / 3rd choice centres and 4th choice 15. Throw Osborne, Ringrose and Keenan in there and you probably see two or three more tries.

Every team in Ireland has things to figure out but I think tonight shows that there's very good pack options to build around. We do need to pluck a few backs out of the abyss though, did it last world cup cycle with Keenan and Hansen but they joined a team on the up and improving.

We won't be a consistently top 4 side in the next four years like from 2021 to 2024, that's impossible without having either the best 10 in the world or some gamebreaking back three players which we don't have but we can get to a point where at our best we stick in every game and fluke some big wins. Do that at the right time and we could all be very happy.

That last paragraph is mostly Ireland focused but I think it can apply to Leinster in both comps and Munster in this one. Partly due to, Springboks aside, there's no one incredibly good at any level right now.
 
Can't disagree. Harry was best 10. Crowley did well but Harry was very good. Creates sn issue for Leinster and Ireland now.
Fair analysis too on packs. Was happy how big Tom went but overall standard was poor from both. The ref was horrific too for both
 
munstermuffin said:
100%. Getting out of the pressure at Leinster has resurrected the lad. The issue is will they start him after going all in on Sam
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I think it's the opposite. Players get far too comfortable in Leinster when they're a level below the starting team and playing regularly in the URC. Those players used to not last because the budget wasn't there to match their increasing salaries (we might be seeing the start of this again with the likes of Frawley and Larmour on their way out).

I think there's a lot of merit in certain players getting out of their comfort zone to develop further. I think Ross could have done with a stint in France or England earlier in his career, Scott Penny might have benefitted from something similar. I'd be all for changing the IRFU selection policy to allow players take a one or two year contract before the age of 26 (so they'd be back at 28 at the latest) and still be eligible for the national team.

Most international standard players won't need it but it's the type of policy that could unearth a guy like Tadhg Beirne who'd have otherwise had a career like Max Deegan's every now and then. Frees up budget for other players / development too.
 
I think it was just getting consistent game time. He was getting injured so often with Leinster and fell down the pecking order. He’d then come in and feel the need to force it because he knew he had a short window to showcase himself. It looks like he has his confidence back. Don’t think it was the ‘pressure of Leinster’ as much as the pressure of not being a starter.

Definitely do think loans should be a more regularly used option and it does look like they’re being explored a bit more.
 
Leonormous Boozer said:
I think it's the opposite. Players get far too comfortable in Leinster when they're a level below the starting team and playing regularly in the URC. Those players used to not last because the budget wasn't there to match their increasing salaries (we might be seeing the start of this again with the likes of Frawley and Larmour on their way out).

I think there's a lot of merit in certain players getting out of their comfort zone to develop further. I think Ross could have done with a stint in France or England earlier in his career, Scott Penny might have benefitted from something similar. I'd be all for changing the IRFU selection policy to allow players take a one or two year contract before the age of 26 (so they'd be back at 28 at the latest) and still be eligible for the national team.

Most international standard players won't need it but it's the type of policy that could unearth a guy like Tadhg Beirne who'd have otherwise had a career like Max Deegan's every now and then. Frees up budget for other players / development too.
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Think we are agreed like Harry has returned a better player and still young. Going to experience a new environment can only benefit guys
 
Leinster Rugby v Connacht Rugby
Saturday 3rd January, 17:30 @ Aviva Stadium

15. Ciarán Frawley (112)
14. Tommy O’Brien (52)
13. Hugh Cooney (10)
12. Charlie Tector (22)
11. Joshua Kenny (4)
10. Sam Prendergast (40)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (161)
1. Andrew Porter (142)
2. Dan Sheehan (77) CAPTAIN
3. Thomas Clarkson (66)
4. Joe McCarthy (54)
5. Brian Deeny (43)
6. Diarmuid Mangan (22)
7. Will Connors (60)
8. Jack Conan (169)

Replacements:
16. Gus McCarthy (20)
17. Jack Boyle (35)
18. Rabah Slimani (29)
19. Conor O’Tighearnaigh (5)
20. Max Deegan (145)
21. Josh van der Flier (163)
22. Luke McGrath (242)
23. Harry Byrne (80)

15. Sam Gilbert (5)
14. Chay Mullins (14)
13. David Hawkshaw (48)
12. Bundee Aki (156)
11. Finn Treacy (12)
10. Josh Ioane (20)
9. Matthew Devine (25)
1. Denis Buckley (270)
2. Dylan Tierney-Martin (63)
3. Finlay Bealham (225)
4. Joe Joyce (44)
5. David O’Connor (15)
6. Josh Murphy (47)
7. Cian Prendergast (92) (C)
8. Sean Jansen (34)

16. Eoin de Buitlear (18)
17. Billy Bohan (1)
18. Fiachna Barrett (5)
19. Darragh Murray (47)
20. Paul Boyle (122)
21. Ben Murphy (23)
22. Harry West (3)
23. Cathal Forde (59)
 
Thought Munster improved when they changed the halfback pairing, but it was too little far too late.
Overall it was poor fare in bad conditions.
 
Amiga500 said:
Bar an absolute fluke, the pick of those two teams wouldn't be able to win anything this season.
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I think Ulster have to be happy, this season was never about contending for them after last year.

Munster have shown good stuff under MacMillan but seem to have totally got ahead of themselves.

I think both need a bit of knockout rugby this season and setup for a strong year next year.

Irish rugby as a whole is in a lull, it happens. Media and outspoken fans cause it to be some sort of outrage but it only takes a good 6 months for things to be rosy again. Whether that comes on time for 2027 is the pressing issue, a lot would have to go right at an individual player level for that I think.
 

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