H Cup Quarter Final : Harlequins vs Munster

[munstermuffin]

Personally I hope Paulie tells the Lions where to go though. We need him to rest and be right for next year.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Personally I hope Paulie tells the Lions where to go though. We need him to rest and be right for next year.

That'll never happen though.

 

[munstermuffin]

I know it won't but just hope he gets through ok. But I really think you could argue he's the form lock in Europe at moment after such little gametime.

 

[SelimNiai]

That'll never happen though.

And rightly so, no player should say no to the Lions if asked to tour.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

People will write us off against Clermont and fair enough but when it get to a dog fight logic usually goes out window and add in Howlett, Earls and Donnacha Ryan (100% fit) wit Zebo (100% fit) all back in mix and we might have a shot. Lets not forget we arent going to the pit in Clermont either and we will have nearly half stadium. In knockout rugby you'd be surprised.

Them's fighting words. Apart from 2011's Magners League playoffs, Munster semi final record since 2008 has been terrible.

2012 - Beaten out the gate by Ospreys in the Pro 12
2010 - Beaten out the gate by Leinster in the Pro 12
2010 - Beaten out the gate by Biarritz in the Heineken Cup
2009 - Beaten out the gate by Leinster in the Heineken Cup

 

[munstermuffin]

Them's fighting words. Apart from 2011's Magners League playoffs, Munster semi final record since 2008 has been terrible.

2012 - Beaten out the gate by Ospreys in the Pro 12
2010 - Beaten out the gate by Leinster in the Pro 12
2010 - Beaten out the gate by Biarritz in the Heineken Cup
2009 - Beaten out the gate by Leinster in the Heineken Cup

Snnop my good man I thought you'd have a better memory.
2009 - Yes we went in raging hot favourites and Leinster won (going in as Munster will be in 3 weeks)
2010 - We lost to Biarritz due to poor discipline. We scored only try, had 1 disallowed and if we had scrum we would've had major chance but game was even
2010 - Pro 12 16 - 6 away to Leinster isn't a beating out the gate. Ye were the better team and at home no shame in that. Would you say we beat ye out gate in 2011 when we beat Osprey in a Semi Final.
2011 - It was well known there was alot of problems add in ROG was dropped, no Howlett, Felix Jones, Paul O'Connell, Varley, Coulghlan and injuries early meant we had to shuffle around.

So not really as bad as your painting and lets not forget Clermont aren't at home in Semi, Have all the pressure on them and they are known to go missing at pressure times. They still have to turn up and win and if they get over hyped they might just believe it and be caught.

Said it in Irish thread before and it possible now ROG's reaction to treatment with Ireland could be to kick Munster to HEC and walk away.

 

[Tony Manx]

2010 - We lost to Biarritz due to poor discipline. We scored only try, had 1 disallowed and if we had scrum we would've had major chance but game was even

I was there and was stunned that we (BO) walked away from Anoeta with a win and did the same things on Ospreys..........losing by every measure except the scoreboard!!

 

[j'nuh]

POC should tour, but he's got stiff competition from Parling and Evans for the 5 shirt. There's no way he could be announced as captain until halfway through the tour, because you can't be certain he'd start the first test. Even if POC did get the 5 shirt, he's likely to be the one benched in the second row, since it'll be a 5 (Parling/Evans) on the bench.

Of all the players who are captain material out of AWJ, POC, BOD, Robshaw, Best, Warburton, Jenkins etc. the only one imo who doesn't have much competition for a place is AWJ. POC has Parling/Evans, BOD has Tuilagi, Best has Hibbard, Jenkins has Healy, Robshaw and Warburton have Tipuric and SOB (I'd actually prefer 6. SOB 7. Tipuric). If you wanted to pick a captain at the start and still wanted to give guy time to play for a test spot, AWJ is the obvious choice.

 

[munstermuffin]

I was there and was stunned that we (BO) walked away from Anoeta with a win and did the same things on Ospreys..........losing by every measure except the scoreboard!!

It happens against great kickers and Yachvilli punished poor discipline but it was also at the same time our scrum was at its lowest and was punished. I remember it well Earls got a try, Paul Warwick was in no state to play due to a personal issue and did well but also scored a try that was disallowed and again there was no Howlett or O'Connell and had Deasy and Tom Gleeson on bench as backs to show how thin we were there but same day was a miserable wet day and was for kickers

 

[Tony Manx]

POC should tour, but he's got stiff competition from Parling and Evans for the 5 shirt. There's no way he could be announced as captain until halfway through the tour, because you can't be certain he'd start the first test. Even if POC did get the 5 shirt, he's likely to be the one benched in the second row, since it'll be a 5 (Parling/Evans) on the bench.

Of all the players who are captain material out of AWJ, POC, BOD, Robshaw, Best, Warburton, Jenkins etc. the only one imo who doesn't have much competition for a place is AWJ. POC has Parling/Evans, BOD has Tuilagi, Best has Hibbard, Jenkins has Healy, Robshaw and Warburton have Tipuric and SOB (I'd actually prefer 6. SOB 7. Tipuric). If you wanted to pick a captain at the start and still wanted to give guys a time to play for a test spot, AWJ is the obvious choice.

Pick a Tour Captain and then a captain on the field from the team selected................would hate to pick a captain and then have to play him even if he was not up to it for every Test?

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

@munstermuffin
Having been at both of Leinster's semi final wins against Munster, I can assure you they were demolition jobs. The 16-6 win was a complete annihilation despite the scoreboard. Ospreys man shamed Munster and a poor Biarritz team won in 2010. No matter how much you dress it up otherwise, Munster were poor in those games. Likewise Leinster were poor in the ML final in 2011.

 

[munstermuffin]

Through Snoop but we won a semi in 2011 and we are a better team now with injuries clearing up and last knockout game between Munster and Leinster has been won by us and we won lady few A games too although that means nothing and past performance in 2010 is useless too

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

What I'm railing against is the cliché which will now be trotted out by all media about Munster's cup pedigree and knowing how to win big games. I want more balance in the coverage. Munster's recent knockout record isn't anything special. It should equally be pointed out that Harlequins lost their last two games so it's not a giant killing act as will no doubt be reported in the Irish media (I can't wait for Conor George creaming himself over Ronan O'Gara in the Indo).

Munster secured a very good win when they weren't expected to. They strangled Quins but they'll need to up their game considerably against Clermont. As well as they played today, they never looked like slicing the Premiership champions open. Perhaps Ulster and Leinster's recent jousts with Clermont will supply them with a dossier of knowledge from which to plot the French clubs downfall.

 

[Peat]

Fair play Munster, that wasn't expected. O'Connell exceptional. I don't think the Lions captain talk is at all out of place.

Harlequins very poor though, yes they were strangled but they also pointed the shotgun square at their feet.

Surprised wouldn't be the win if they somehow managed to beat Clermont though.

 

[munstermuffin]

Through Snoop our record recent is mixed but Clermonts record when heavy favourites is shaky too but as today shows form and history is irrelevant it's knockout rugby and on the day it's who turns up because I guarantee 1 team will not be at races.

 

[racingmetrofan]

Downey was quality today!

Quins weren't intelligent enough to play their own game, not good enough to beat Munster at their own game, and not confident enough to use their bench.

They didn't seem that fired up either tbh, if Munster had lost, they would not have been smiling and chatting like Quins were...

 

[Feicarsinn]

Through Snoop our record recent is mixed but Clermonts record when heavy favourites is shaky too but as today shows form and history is irrelevant it's knockout rugby and on the day it's who turns up because I guarantee 1 team will not be at races.

Huh? I don't get this. It's frankly silly to think that one of the two sides will have an off day and I don't know what you base it on.

 

[munstermuffin]

Huh? I don't get this. It's frankly silly to think that one of the two sides will have an off day and I don't know what you base it on.

Just a gut feeling and I think it known fact with us that if we are poor we will be hammered and well if Clermont don't have heads screwed on properly and well again it's known in France and has been seen before they can panic and freeze under pressure and we have intensity then we will win.
People say we might struggle in heat etc and Clermont will rip us apart but I remember this was all said in 2000 and well we won then against a highly fancied Toulouse.

Clermont deservedly go in as scorching favourites and will be delighted at having an easy semi final but just hope they don't read too much in to their own hype.

 

[psychic duck]

Some things never change .....

 

[munstermuffin]

Some things never change .....

Wish I understood this joke