Pro 12 Round 19

[Ospreylian]

Yes and No.

I thought we'd win the Pro 12 considering we topped the league by 20 odd points and it took a season best performance from Oppress, our bogey team, to stop us.

Once I saw the group I was apprehensive after the first two games and the injuries we had before the Clermont games I knew it would take a huge effort to get out.

I don't think there is anything wrong with being confident in my team and it certainly isn't arrogant to think that the best team in Europe over the past five years will win their domestic league and Europe B.

Hehe, yes as an Ospreys fan I'd just like to remind you of that (what must have been a soul-crushing) day as a Leinster fan. Having won the HC the week before, I seem to remember most Leinster fans marching into the Pro12 final with the same elated air of confidence as you're showing right now, only to be knocked off their podium

Also, while I'm gloating... Ospreys 45 - 10 Munster (semi-final). Leinster have been the runner up for the last 3 seasons now, and last won the league in the 2007-08 season, so if I were a Leinster fan I would be just calming down a tad.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Hehe, yes as an Ospreys fan I'd just like to remind you of that (what must have been a soul-crushing) day as a Leinster fan. Having won the HC the week before, I seem to remember most Leinster fans marching into the Pro12 final with the same elated air of confidence as you're showing right now, only to be knocked off their podium

Also, while I'm gloating... Ospreys 45 - 10 Munster (semi-final). Leinster have been the runner up for the last 3 seasons now, and last won the league in the 2007-08 season, so if I were a Leinster fan I would be just calming down a tad.

OK you're both right Leinster are back in the bad old days of Kidney and Ella, O'Meara and Finnegan, how dare I say that I'm confident of my team winning a tournament which we've come second in three times in a row, topping the league twice and twice having won Heineken cups the week before. Yes we're getting five of our most important players back in the next couple weeks but how will make a difference.

If we do win somehow it will be robbery unlike the season commanding performance Ospreys had last year.

Edit: Yes it was soul crushing, if only we had had a nice pristine European trophy to drown our sorrows in.

 

[Ospreylian]

OK you're both right Leinster are back in the bad old days of Kidney and Ella, O'Meara and Finnegan, how dare I say that I'm confident of my team winning a tournament which we've come second in three times in a row, topping the league twice and twice having won Heineken cups the week before. Yes we're getting five of our most important players back in the next couple weeks but how will make a difference.

If we do win somehow it will be robbery unlike the season commanding performance Ospreys had last year.

Edit: Yes it was soul crushing, if only we had had a nice pristine European trophy to drown our sorrows in.

Nothing wrong with being confident in the team you support. But saying they will win the Amlin "if they can be bothered" is a bit too much really.

Oh and that "robbery" by the Ospreys was so sweet too. Oh how I miss Shane, snatching it from right under Leinster's noses at the death. Here's to another robbery this year!

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Nothing wrong with being confident in the team you support. But saying they will win the Amlin "if they can be bothered" is a bit too much really.

Oh and that "robbery" by the Ospreys was so sweet too. Oh how I miss Shane, snatching it from right under Leinster's noses at the death. Here's to another robbery this year!

I may have worded it wrongly but its a genuine concern that the players won't buy into the Amlin and lose a game they should win.

 

[Groundhog]

I may have worded it wrongly but its a genuine concern that the players won't buy into the Amlin and lose a game they should win.

With BOD possibly packing it in, Sexton off to France and Leo Cullen hopefully off to work in a circus (I know he expected to go, just taking a chance to insult him) and god knows who else, you would hope they can get motivated.

 

[Ospreylian]

With BOD possibly packing it in, Sexton off to France and Leo Cullen hopefully off to work in a circus (I know he expected to go, just taking a chance to insult him) and god knows who else, you would hope they can get motivated.

This made me laugh. Hasn't he signed up to star in the new live action Wallace & Gromit movie?

 

[Peat]

Look I know Kearney's good but you can't have him twice mate...

He has a brother.

Leinster are a lot less scary without Brad Thorn. They miss him at the breakdown, they miss him at the scrum.

 

[munstermuffin]

Leinster badly lack quality in 2nd row and it hurts them at times but they are doing well to try correct that and not to start a major ***** fight but Ospreylian I think Leinster have a lot of reasons to brush off loosing Pro12 last year as a week between 2 finals (especially with HEC first) is hard but welsh regions in my opinion can never really brag until they do business consistently in HEC like it easy in a way for Ospreys etc to excel in Pro12 when they're practically out of Europe from start of Dec.

 

[Ospreylian]

Leinster badly lack quality in 2nd row and it hurts them at times but they are doing well to try correct that and not to start a major ***** fight but Ospreylian I think Leinster have a lot of reasons to brush off loosing Pro12 last year as a week between 2 finals (especially with HEC first) is hard but welsh regions in my opinion can never really brag until they do business consistently in HEC like it easy in a way for Ospreys etc to excel in Pro12 when they're practically out of Europe from start of Dec.

Oh but munstermuffin by no means was I bragging in any way. I get embarrassed by the Ospreys' performances in the HC sometimes. I was simply having a joke about how the Ospreys have a habit of pulling off victories in big games in the league.

The only problem I had was the whole "they'll win X if they can be bothered" attitude. Does any Leinster fan honestly believe the team will have that attitude? If they fail to win the amlin,which is something entirely possible with the likes of Toulouse and Gloucester in the mix, they will then be desperate to win the league (not a case of "can we be bothered?").

 

[lynam1104]

I think Leinster will very much be "bothered" to win the Almin and the Pro12 if they can they'll want to do themselves right for getting knocked out of the HC. They'll need to put in big performances to knock out the likes of Toulouse and Glos, beating wasps will also be a challenge. I think Leinster fans do somewhat have the right to be confident in our team but we are a beatable team as Ulster showed (to be somewhere near the thread topic) but there is something to be said for bringing in 3 likely Lions over the next few weeks.

 

[munstermuffin]

I think Leinster have the incentive to win Pro12 as they have froze in last 2 finals

 

[big ginger 8]

O'Malley now in doubt.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

The only problem I had was the whole "they'll win X if they can be bothered" attitude. Does any Leinster fan honestly believe the team will have that attitude? If they fail to win the amlin,which is something entirely possible with the likes of Toulouse and Gloucester in the mix, they will then be desperate to win the league (not a case of "can we be bothered?").

Once again, it is a genuine concern of mine that the players, who ave already reached the heights of winning three Heineken cups in four years, will buy into the Amlin. It's nice to think that the players will give everything to win the competition but it is possible that a bad attitude of "We're having a **** season, we're out of the HEC, the national team also did ****, lets go out and give it a shot but nobody will really care if we win or lose".

The mental aspect of sport is forever overlooked, I admit that the wording of my statement was wrong but what Im saying is correct. It's very easy to imagine the players thinking they're too good for that competition and they'll go in overconfident or not caring 100%. Toulouse will almost certainly go into the competition like that.

 

[lynam1104]

O'Malley now in doubt.

D'Arcy and McFadden should be fit which would be ideal rathe rthen throwing Isa in the center.

My preferred Backline without EOM.

9. Boss- Was not imprsed by Boss on the weekend was to slow at the breakdown but we're away and Cooney is largely untested.
10. Madagin
11. Isa
12. D'Arcy
13. McFadden- would rather he didn't get shunted around the backline like he dose but we're out of options here.
14. Kearney
14. Kearney

 

[big ginger 8]

D'Arcy and McFadden should be fit which would be ideal rathe rthen throwing Isa in the center.

My preferred Backline without EOM.

9. Boss- Was not imprsed by Boss on the weekend was to slow at the breakdown but we're away and Cooney is largely untested.
10. Madagin
11. Isa
12. D'Arcy
13. McFadden- would rather he didn't get shunted around the backline like he dose but we're out of options here.
14. Kearney
14. Kearney

Tut tut.

 

[lynam1104]

Seems we're even now.

 

[psychic duck]

The mental aspect of sport is forever overlooked, I admit that the wording of my statement was wrong but what Im saying is correct. It's very easy to imagine the players thinking they're too good for that competition and they'll go in overconfident or not caring 100%. Toulouse will almost certainly go into the competition like that.

Toulouse won't go in overconfident as they will focus on the Top 14 and play their reserves. There is no value in the French sides mind of the Amlin Challenge Cup unless they can gain H Cup qualification from it like Biarritz last year.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Toulouse won't go in overconfident as they will focus on the Top 14 and play their reserves. There is no value in the French sides mind of the Amlin Challenge Cup unless they can gain H Cup qualification from it like Biarritz last year.

So therefore not caring 100%...

 

[munstermuffin]

Toulouse won't go in overconfident as they will focus on the Top 14 and play their reserves. There is no value in the French sides mind of the Amlin Challenge Cup unless they can gain H Cup qualification from it like Biarritz last year.

Haven't they already stated that they don't value the Amlin and the Top 14 is the big cherry for them

 

[psychic duck]

Haven't they already stated that they don't value the Amlin and the Top 14 is the big cherry for them

Pretty much yes. French sides are never slow to just completely sacrifice a competition and play a total reserves side they don't value or think they are out of in favour of progress in the Top 14.

Just look at the way Racing played against Munster in that final round at Thomond Park with their reserves. It's very different to English sides for example who still play for pride when they were out, Leinster faced a much more determined Exeter side than Munster did against Racing.

Having said that though. The Toulouse reserves are still pretty strong, and some may use the opportunity to try and play their way into the main side. They will still probably field some quality players who are just out of favour at the moment such as Jauzion, Matanavou, Yann David or Maka all of whom are not part of the first choice side currently.