Heineken Cup 2013/14 Pool 1, Round 2

[lynam1104]

ah **** Heaslip

 

[Jockstap]

It's not over yet. Marty Moore played very well again today.

 

[lynam1104]

I'm not really sure he is feeding them crookedly.

 

[big ginger 8]

Diappointed we didn't get more out of that. Still it puts us in a great position. Fitz was looking really sharp hope he gets a start next week. Bent didn't seem disgraceful either. No way was Gopperth MotM.

 

[lynam1104]

Agree with all of that BG8. Sob was my MOTM again great display carrying and off the ground, Goppert started well and finished well but there was a goo 20-30mins where he was pretty poor. The Subs made a good impact, Fitzy and Reddan in particular. I think Moore might have played his way into international contention over the last couple of weeks hes stood up very well to some very solid scrums.

 

[Feicarsinn]

I actually thought Gopperth was poor. His game management was lacking, he made some poor error and he didn't bring his back line into it enough. O'Brien was excellent, should have gotten the award.

 

[big ginger 8]

Yeah I think I counted around 5 turnovers (including one penalty win) from SO'B alone and some really good runs. Looking good for the Autumn.

Agree with all of that BG8. Sob was my MOTM again great display carrying and off the ground, Goppert started well and finished well but there was a goo 20-30mins where he was pretty poor. The Subs made a good impact, Fitzy and Reddan in particular. I think Moore might have played his way into international contention over the last couple of weeks hes stood up very well to some very solid scrums.

I'd have Moore ahead of Archer anyway.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Meh, two teams not playing well, good win and I'll take it.


How did Gopperth get motm though?

 

[jcahill1]

Don't like the game plan that Leinster seemed to be playing. We were doing a lot of up and unders and kicking to the corners. While that itself isn't a bad thing the up and unders were poorly chased, and the kicking itself was often poorly executed. There didn't seem to be much urgency or invention with ball in hand. Really worried by that match

 

[Feicarsinn]

Meh, two teams not playing well, good win and I'll take it.


How did Gopperth get motm though?

No idea. I'll say this now, we'll win nothing in Europe with Gopperth at 10.


Here's my reasoning. Leinster's chief failing at the minute is a lack of genuine top class attacking ability in the back line. Our forwards have a lot of guys who can win us yards, but we're short on genuine international class out wide. McFadden and Dave Kearney are very solid European options, but they're not going to get you over someone like Clermont. Gordon D'arcy isn't the player he once was and Brendan Macken is still very raw. A fit Luke Fitzgerald gives us a lot more kick, but he can't be relied upon to stay that way unfortunately and as much as it pains me to say it neither can BOD. In Sexton and Nacewa we've lost two of the finest attackers in Europe.

All of this should make it clear that we need some real flair somewhere in the back line. Gopperth doesn't supply that. Madigan on the other hand does. He's utterly electric with ball in hand and his record of 18 tries over the past season would be an achievement for any player. His ability to break the line and step keeps defenses honest and he's got a lovely pass. The difference to the Leinster back line with him and without him is immense imo.

Madigan's biggest weakness is that he doesn't yet have top game management skills, but he's young enough to develop that. That's why we brought Gopperth in supposidly - to see out tight games. But Gopperth really let us down in that department today. In the second half we needed someone to grab the game by the scruff of the neck at 10, make solid touch finding kicks and remove the huge pressure we were under. He didn't do that. Ran the ball at wrong times (including one where it lead to a very kickable Castres penalty) kicked infield, didn't get the team going. Poor stuff.

We got away with it today. We've got tougher games coming though, and we wont be able to perform like that again in this pool.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

I'm glad that having come on this website I'm not the only person who was very surprised Gopperth won the man of the match award. Who awarded it and what game were they watching?

If we assume that the gameplan was to kick the ball, Gopperth's kicks in open play were too long for the chasers and his touch kicks for penalties were terribly short. Add to that a couple of loopy passes thrown which offered his outside backs nothing with one of these passes intercepted. I thought Ian Madigan should have been brought on after 50 minutes to replace Gopperth.

Eight points from two games and both opponents denied a bonus point. That stands Leinster in good stead but they'll have to sharpen up in attack immeasurably if they are to challenge for the ***le.

Cian Healy was my man of the match today.

 

[big ginger 8]

I'm glad that having come on this website I'm not the only person who was very surprised Gopperth won the man of the match award. Who awarded it and what game were they watching?

If we assume that the gameplan was to kick the ball, Gopperth's kicks in open play were too long for the chasers and his touch kicks for penalties were terribly short. Add to that a couple of loopy passes thrown which offered his outside backs nothing with one of these passes intercepted. I thought Ian Madigan should have been brought on after 50 minutes to replace Gopperth.

Eight points from two games and both opponents denied a bonus point. That stands Leinster in good stead but they'll have to sharpen up in attack immeasurably if they are to challenge for the ***le.

Cian Healy was my man of the match today.

Shaggy of all people.

 

[Feicarsinn]

McGrath got the try, yes?

 

[lynam1104]

McGrath got the try, yes?

Yes

 

[big ginger 8]

Who else but Jack.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

McGrath played very well when he came on. He's being given some vote of confidence from the new head coach. In each of the last two games he's come on and performed admirably with the game still in the balance.

 

[Big Ewis]

boy...what a shytty day for French club Rugby...

 

[Draggs]

Well done ****ing that up Turks, classic.

 

[Feicarsinn]

McGrath played very well when he came on. He's being given some vote of confidence from the new head coach. In each of the last two games he's come on and performed admirably with the game still in the balance.

Entirely deserved too. He's carried his excellent end of last season form into this year and should be considered a very capable replacement for Healy should he be called upon.

I must say that I was pretty worried about how thin we were in the front row going into this year, but McGrath and Moore have stood up well thus far.

 

[jcahill1]

I'm glad that having come on this website I'm not the only person who was very surprised Gopperth won the man of the match award. Who awarded it and what game were they watching?

If we assume that the gameplan was to kick the ball, Gopperth's kicks in open play were too long for the chasers and his touch kicks for penalties were terribly short. Add to that a couple of loopy passes thrown which offered his outside backs nothing with one of these passes intercepted. I thought Ian Madigan should have been brought on after 50 minutes to replace Gopperth.

Eight points from two games and both opponents denied a bonus point. That stands Leinster in good stead but they'll have to sharpen up in attack immeasurably if they are to challenge for the ***le.

Cian Healy was my man of the match today.

If that is the case it is the game plan itself I am worried about. The Castres fullback was an extremely dangerous counter-attacking threat. I'm not sure why we took that strategy today.