while cats are away........

[el_tk]

I think Leinster will line up like this while players are on World Cup duty:

15.Kearney
14.Brown
13.Berne
12.Warner

I'd rather see some experimentation in the backline though. Kearney is fine at fullback. Keep Gary Brown on the right wing and bring in either Fionn Carr or Ross McCarron on the left. McCarron was poor at fullback in the Churchill Cup and is probably best suited to the wing long term. Mick Berne is a very average player andWarners experience will be needed at 12. I'd love to see Ian Keatley afforded the chance to challenge Sexton at flyhalf. [/b]

Warner's only experience is in losing HEC semi-finals despite the ERC basically rigging the draw for a Leinster-Munster final and in not being able to tackle.
I wouldn't judge McCarron too harshly on the Churchill Cup seeing as he was carrying an injury into it and picked up another one early on against the Maori.
Mick Berne is a waste of space-he's hardly an AIL player, we'd be much better off trying Fitzgerald or even Gary Brown there. Keatley should get a chance at outhalf-Sexton isn't much of a running 10.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

<div class='quotemain'> I think Leinster will line up like this while players are on World Cup duty:

15.Kearney
14.Brown
13.Berne
12.Warner

I'd rather see some experimentation in the backline though. Kearney is fine at fullback. Keep Gary Brown on the right wing and bring in either Fionn Carr or Ross McCarron on the left. McCarron was poor at fullback in the Churchill Cup and is probably best suited to the wing long term. Mick Berne is a very average player andWarners experience will be needed at 12. I'd love to see Ian Keatley afforded the chance to challenge Sexton at flyhalf. [/b]

Warner's only experience is in losing HEC semi-finals despite the ERC basically rigging the draw for a Leinster-Munster final and in not being able to tackle.
I wouldn't judge McCarron too harshly on the Churchill Cup seeing as he was carrying an injury into it and picked up another one early on against the Maori.
Mick Berne is a waste of space-he's hardly an AIL player, we'd be much better off trying Fitzgerald or even Gary Brown there. Keatley should get a chance at outhalf-Sexton isn't much of a running 10.
[/b][/quote]
I think you're being harsh on Warner. He's not good enough to play 10 due to his complete lack of a kicking game but he is talented with ball in hand. I think he's a better defender than you give him credit for and his experience can take pressure off whichever young flyhalf gets the nod. The only other option at 12 is Mick Berne - not exactly an exciting thought.

By saying McCarron is best suited to the wing long term, I was trying to get across that there are better options at fullback. Rob Kearney, Luke Fitzgerald and Felix Jones should all be around for a long time and all are more talented fullbacks than McCarron. With Denis Hickie nearing the end of his career, Shane Horgan nearing 30 and an average Gary Brown as the wing options, McCarron may be better off concentrating on nailing down a wing berth.

 

[ospreys1987]

as a blues fan, mine would be:

1. John Yapp
2. Gareth Williams
3. Gary Powell
4. Deiniol Jones
5. Paul ***o/Rob Sidoli
6. Andy Powell (if he's fit to play)
7. Maama Molitika
8. Xavier Rush (the ledgend)
9. Richie Rees
10. Nicky Robinson
11. Tom James
12. Mark Stcherbina
13. Dai Hewitt
14. Rhys Williams
15. Ben Blair

16. Duane Goodfield
17. Ben Evans
18. Rob Sidoli/Paul ***o
19. Mark Lewis
20. Jason Spice
21. Tom Riley
22. Nick Macleod

looking at it now, it doesn't look like the best team we've ever fielded, but everyone else is going to be under-strength as well...

btw, blues fans, Wayne Evans has gone to the Dragons, and i don't know if it's true, but i read somewhere that 'Moses' has gone back to Fiji, and i don't mean internationally; supposedly it's for a club, but i'm not sure. [/b]

Sidoli and Robinson are in the Wales squad are they not? Sidoli as a 30 man squad member and Robinson as replacement for Henson. So they are out of the team.

 

[DC]

i think us leinster guys are under-estimating the power that is andy dunne!

hahaha

i just hope we get to see more cillian willis this year, i really think he's the future for leinster and then ireland, the boys got talent!