English dissent towards the ERC now official

[lucky number 7]

What a load of tripe. Your seconds got demolished by Connaught last week. I'd like to see how Leinster would do if they had to compete in a serious domestic league instead of being allowed play their best 15 about once a season against Munster. If Leinster had had as tough and competitive a season as Northampton they wouldn't have won the Heineken Cup in 2011.

Oh that province that beat the AP champs last season yeah?

Forgot about them

 

[lucky number 7]

Without wanting to get drawn in to all of the willy waggling going on in here, I don't agree with this, if only because the 2nd XV scrum would be absolute gash vs the likes of the Tigers pack.
England vs Ireland in the Six Nations showed what can happen when, despite having good players elsewhere, your scrum is getting bummed.

You clearly don't know anything about Rugby if you disagree with me Olyy.

 

[Groundhog]

Oh that province that beat the AP champs last season yeah?

Forgot about them

To be fair Connacht also have a good backline on them this year. They won't be a walkover team for sure.

 

[lucky number 7]

To be fair Connacht also have a good backline on them this year. They won't be a walkover team for sure.

Yeah I love their little blonde guy Fionn Carr

 

[jcahill1]

Nah he's awful. If they're smart he'll get offloaded to some gullible eejits

 

[lucky number 7]

Nah he's awful. If they're smart he'll get offloaded to some gullible eejits

I like you

 

[Hill-Back-Dallaglio]

Oh that province that beat the AP champs last season yeah?

Forgot about them

I'm not going to make an excuses for Harlequins, they choked last year. It was their first real 'big' match and they failed to get through it. But there's a world of difference between being beaten by a a point in monsoon conditions and having a bonus point run part you by a bunch of basement dwellers. You guys took a fairly bad beating against Llanelli too, and they're nothing special. Also Connaught got the luxury of being able to take it easy in the league last year knowing that Leinster would probably get them in anyway so they got to focus on the Harlequins game while Quins were trying to stay top of the league.

The Premiership is a far better competition than the Magners, just deal with it. You guys are basically playing a protracted version of the LV Cup.

 

[Groundhog]

Yeah I love their little blonde guy Fionn Carr

Oh yeah he was good before he went to Leinster got no game time and started eating creatine sandwiches, and became slower than continental drift
Bang knew Leaving Cert Geography would be useful

 

[jcahill1]

Oh yeah he was good before he went to Leinster got no game time and started eating creatine sandwiches, and became slower than continental drift
Bang knew Leaving Cert Geography would be useful

On a list of problems with Fionn Carr speed is not up there. Maybe you could mention defence
and a lack of an ability to pass/not drop the ball.

 

[big ginger 8]

What a load of tripe. Your seconds got demolished by Connaught last week. I'd like to see how Leinster would do if they had to compete in a serious domestic league instead of being allowed play their best 15 about once a season against Munster. If Leinster had had as tough and competitive a season as Northampton they wouldn't have won the Heineken Cup in 2011.

I'm not going to make an excuses for Harlequins, they choked last year. It was their first real 'big' match and they failed to get through it. But there's a world of difference between being beaten by a a point in monsoon conditions and having a bonus point run part you by a bunch of basement dwellers. You guys took a fairly bad beating against Llanelli too, and they're nothing special. Also Connaught got the luxury of being able to take it easy in the league last year knowing that Leinster would probably get them in anyway so they got to focus on the Harlequins game while Quins were trying to stay top of the league.

The Premiership is a far better competition than the Magners, just deal with it. You guys are basically playing a protracted version of the LV Cup.

It's Connacht and guess what they actually have quite a good team this year.

Yes Leinster would have won they were a better team and actually had a 23.

That wasn't our proper second team we have a lot of injuries in certain positions and a number of players that did start got injured, some very early on. Also with a number of players missing half the week for the Ireland training camp.

Connacht did not have the luxury of thinking Leinster would get them to qualify. You can't bank your season on someone else winning a knockout comp. They were actually pretty competitive in most of their group games and finished at their highest ever position in the league.

The Rabodirect is a lot better than the bloody LV Cup. The Leinster Munster match this weekend is as good as if not better than any Premiership match. The Munster Ulster match a few weeks ago was a cracker and there are many more good matches.

Without wanting to get drawn in to all of the willy waggling going on in here, I don't agree with this, if only because the 2nd XV scrum would be absolute gash vs the likes of the Tigers pack.
England vs Ireland in the Six Nations showed what can happen when, despite having good players elsewhere, your scrum is getting bummed.

I'm not going to say the scrum isn't important because as we all know it is but that match was played in torrential conditions where it didn't matter how good your backs were. Also Leinster's back up tighthead is well actually a tighthead.

For the record I wouldn't be as confident as LN7 for a top four finish but think they'd be top eight at least.

 

[Hill-Back-Dallaglio]

It's Connacht and guess what they actually have quite a good team this year.

Do they? Considering they've lost at home to Scarlets and Cardiff already this year and away to Glasgow I highly doubt that fact. The only other team they've managed to get a result against is Zebre, who have been in existence for what, two months? If you consider that quite good then you should really re examine the standards you're setting for one of only four pro teams in all of Ireland.

Yes Leinster would have won they were a better team and actually had a 23.

I'm guessing this is with reference to the Northampton game? You didn't exactly make it clear. I have to disagree anyway. Look at the facts; the week before Northampton had to play one of the most physical games of the year against Leicester Tigers. It was their 31st meaningful game of the year. Leinster on the other hand play about 12 serious games a season and coast along in the Celtic League with their reserves usually coming out on top against the other Celtic reserve sides. Of course it made a difference.

That wasn't our proper second team we have a lot of injuries in certain positions and a number of players that did start got injured, some very early on. Also with a number of players missing half the week for the Ireland training camp.

So on one hand you argue that fatuige shouldn't be a factor in the Northampton vs Leinster result, but you say that injuries should be taken into account when talking about the Leinster vs Connacht game? Real consistent. Also, have you looked at the Connacht injury list? They were far from full strength either.

Connacht did not have the luxury of thinking Leinster would get them to qualify. You can't bank your season on someone else winning a knockout comp. They were actually pretty competitive in most of their group games and finished at their highest ever position in the league.

Did Connacht have a realistic chance of finishing ahead of any of the other three provinces? No. So they knew they couldn't qualify under their own steam. Therefore there was little point to them making any effort in the league so they could conserve their resources and energy for the more prestigious Heineken Cup. Had the Celtic League had a more sensible qualifying process (something like top 7 teams) they wouldn't have done as well in Europe, simply because they would have had more focus on the league. Also, the introduction of the pathetic Aironi and the complete disregard shown to the league by Edinburgh made certain that everyone else had to finish above 11th at least. I wouldn't get too excited about finishing ahead of those two.

The Rabodirect is a lot better than the bloody LV Cup. The Leinster Munster match this weekend is as good as if not better than any Premiership match. The Munster Ulster match a few weeks ago was a cracker and there are many more good matches.

So, after 5 round of league play you're finally going to have a decent intensity game? Sounds like a great league. Have any of the Irish sides put out full strength teams yet?

 

[Groundhog]

Do they? Considering they've lost at home to Scarlets and Cardiff already this year and away to Glasgow I highly doubt that fact. The only other team they've managed to get a result against is Zebre, who have been in existence for what, two months? If you consider that quite good then you should really re examine the standards you're setting for one of only four pro teams in all of Ireland.



I'm guessing this is with reference to the Northampton game? You didn't exactly make it clear. I have to disagree anyway. Look at the facts; the week before Northampton had to play one of the most physical games of the year against Leicester Tigers. It was their 31st meaningful game of the year. Leinster on the other hand play about 12 serious games a season and coast along in the Celtic League with their reserves usually coming out on top against the other Celtic reserve sides. Of course it made a difference.



So on one hand you argue that fatuige shouldn't be a factor in the Northampton vs Leinster result, but you say that injuries should be taken into account when talking about the Leinster vs Connacht game? Real consistent. Also, have you looked at the Connacht injury list? They were far from full strength either.



Did Connacht have a realistic chance of finishing ahead of any of the other three provinces? No. So they knew they couldn't qualify under their own steam. Therefore there was little point to them making any effort in the league so they could conserve their resources and energy for the more prestigious Heineken Cup. Had the Celtic League had a more sensible qualifying process (something like top 7 teams) they wouldn't have done as well in Europe, simply because they would have had more focus on the league. Also, the introduction of the pathetic Aironi and the complete disregard shown to the league by Edinburgh made certain that everyone else had to finish above 11th at least. I wouldn't get too excited about finishing ahead of those two.



So, after 5 round of league play you're finally going to have a decent intensity game? Sounds like a great league. Have any of the Irish sides put out full strength teams yet?

Point? no but they didn't have a choice. Connacht don't have a very deep squad all of their frontliners get a lot of gametime in the Rabo

 

[TrueSlawter]

I like how you're suggesting loosing to the Scarlets is a terrible thing.. They are a good side just with a pretty crap pack.. if that was sorted out then they can potentially stand up there with the best (oh and get a 10 who can kick consistently)

 

[Teh Mite]

TBF nobody thinks other then a win when playing against Scarlets (or for that matter, any of the other regions). They're not thought of as contenders outside parc y scarlets. Or for that matter a particularly strong side at all.

 

[big ginger 8]

Do they? Considering they've lost at home to Scarlets and Cardiff already this year and away to Glasgow I highly doubt that fact. The only other team they've managed to get a result against is Zebre, who have been in existence for what, two months? If you consider that quite good then you should really re examine the standards you're setting for one of only four pro teams in all of Ireland.



I'm guessing this is with reference to the Northampton game? You didn't exactly make it clear. I have to disagree anyway. Look at the facts; the week before Northampton had to play one of the most physical games of the year against Leicester Tigers. It was their 31st meaningful game of the year. Leinster on the other hand play about 12 serious games a season and coast along in the Celtic League with their reserves usually coming out on top against the other Celtic reserve sides. Of course it made a difference.



So on one hand you argue that fatuige shouldn't be a factor in the Northampton vs Leinster result, but you say that injuries should be taken into account when talking about the Leinster vs Connacht game? Real consistent. Also, have you looked at the Connacht injury list? They were far from full strength either.



Did Connacht have a realistic chance of finishing ahead of any of the other three provinces? No. So they knew they couldn't qualify under their own steam. Therefore there was little point to them making any effort in the league so they could conserve their resources and energy for the more prestigious Heineken Cup. Had the Celtic League had a more sensible qualifying process (something like top 7 teams) they wouldn't have done as well in Europe, simply because they would have had more focus on the league. Also, the introduction of the pathetic Aironi and the complete disregard shown to the league by Edinburgh made certain that everyone else had to finish above 11th at least. I wouldn't get too excited about finishing ahead of those two.



So, after 5 round of league play you're finally going to have a decent intensity game? Sounds like a great league. Have any of the Irish sides put out full strength teams yet?

How many watches of the Rabo have you ever actually watched? Do you know anything about the Connacht team? Clearly not. Not really that struck by injuries probably only Muldoon and Duffy would have been missed from the 23. Henshaw actually had quite a good game.

The reason we'd have beaten Northampton is we had the stronger 22 they had a pretty good starting 15 but their subs weren't great. Also guess what Leinster had been through some stuff too such as the toughest run ever to the final and a play off semi final which left a number of players in doubt for the final.

I like how you took a two separate points an merged them to suit yourself. I was talking a bout the strength of the Leinster second team and how the team that played against Connacht was not the seconds.

Yeah they did they were actually very close to Ulster up til about mid season. If you're saying top 7 teams they were one place off qualifying. Because of a lack of depth Connacht have to play pretty much their top team every match and do compete. In fact Elwood was criticised for not rotating.

Did I not say a game from earlier than round 5 already?
Also you do realise the provinces don't play full strength teams not because of the lack of strength in the league but because they actually can't. I.R.F.U. player welfare programmes don't allow them to play internationals.

Finally the Scarlets have a large chunk of the Welsh backline there's no shame in losing to them when they're at their best.

 

[Saintjay]

Wow leave you guys for a few months due to family matters and come back to this . Nothing changes but I hope your all well.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Wow leave you guys for a few months due to family matters and come back to this . Nothing changes but I hope your all well.

Good to have you back!

Now clear your throat and start shouting at people.

BLAH BLAH IRISH BLAH BLAH BLAH PREMIERSHIP BLAH BLAH HEINEKEN CUP.

 

[Teh Mite]

Blah blah sale blah blah blah blah relegation blah blah blah blah...

 

[SelimNiai]

blah blah blah blah relegated blah blah blah pretty much effed this season up too blah blah bath suck blah blah

 

[Hill-Back-Dallaglio]

How many watches of the Rabo have you ever actually watched? Do you know anything about the Connacht team? Clearly not. Not really that struck by injuries probably only Muldoon and Duffy would have been missed from the 23. Henshaw actually had quite a good game.

Andrew Browne
Gavin Duffy
Matthew Jarvis
Mark McCrea
John Muldoon
Frank Murphy
Dave Nolan
Paul O'Donoghue
Danie Poolman
Ethienne Reynecke
Kyle Tonetti

You tell me.

The reason we'd have beaten Northampton is we had the stronger 22 they had a pretty good starting 15 but their subs weren't great. Also guess what Leinster had been through some stuff too such as the toughest run ever to the final and a play off semi final which left a number of players in doubt for the final.

Leinster's last serious match was the Toulouse game. They essentially got a three week break while Saints were still playing tough games. How you're failing to understand that point is beyond me.

I like how you took a two separate points an merged them to suit yourself. I was talking a bout the strength of the Leinster second team and how the team that played against Connacht was not the seconds.

a) That's how debating works, welcome to the world of grown ups.
b) They're not that separate at all. You're saying that Leinster should essentially get a free pass because they had a few guys missing and that their seconds are still amazing, despite heavy losses to both Scarlets and Connaught. You then say that Northampton can't use fatigue as an excuse for the 2011 final. Tell me, do you think that there weren't Saints players playing through the pain barrier in the Leinster game? Too right there were. Had it been a regular season game as opposed to the biggest game in club rugby I have no doubt several of them wouldn't have played. They didn't have the luxury of resting them though, a luxury Leinster enjoy practically ever week as their mickey mouse league means nothing.

Yeah they did they were actually very close to Ulster up til about mid season. If you're saying top 7 teams they were one place off qualifying. Because of a lack of depth Connacht have to play pretty much their top team every match and do compete. In fact Elwood was criticised for not rotating.

Up until about midseason? So they were okay-ish when every's internationals were resting (what a casual life a Celtic League player lives) after the World Cup is it? Right, they sound great mate.

Did I not say a game from earlier than round 5 already?
Also you do realise the provinces don't play full strength teams not because of the lack of strength in the league but because they actually can't. I.R.F.U. player welfare programmes don't allow them to play internationals.

Apologies, I read that as Munster Leinster. However, you have one example of an intense, competitive game from 5 rounds of rugby. I could point to the Sarries - Quins game just past, or Wasps - Quins thriller on opening day, or Saints - Exeter or about 10 more. I've had a look at the teams Ulster and Munster put out too, way below full strength. No Best, Pienaar, Wallace, Henry, Tuohy. So even your best example was essentially a seconds game.

Finally the Scarlets have a large chunk of the Welsh backline there's no shame in losing to them when they're at their best.

And no pack whatsoever and one of the most incompetant 10's in Europe. If my side were playing them I'd exact a win every time. There's certainly some shame to be had in taken a drubbing from them.