Iād expect ROG will get the Ireland gig before heāll go to Munster.
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Agreed
Heāll never be as bad again though
Whatās your point caller?
That itās a bit rich to say you never get tested in the URC when youv been beaten in 2 semi finals in a row
You know well the context to both of those results. The fact that Leinster could send out a second string side in a Semi and still only lose by a point at the death proves my point more than yours. Whether they should have is arguable but itās certainly understandable. Munster if I recall correctly didnāt really give a shit about the Celtic League when they were chasing European Cups?
That they went through this season unbeaten until the last round, when the young lads got run over away, says a bit more about the test it provides in the context of getting ready for a H-Cup final to my mind.
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But sure thatās how he manage the schedule is putting out a weakened team. Thatās the structure of the competition
Byrne put me in mind of that lad Brock James that used to play for Clermont Auvergne who was passable at every thing until the pressure came on. Couple of times in key matches Clermont had rucks under the posts and the scrum half was frantically looking back to see where the bould Brock was for the drop goal and he was nowhere to be seen.
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Shane Horgan fairly threw Byrne under the bus.
Iād always have doubts about lads who are happy to stay a sub for their entire careers as well.
I bizarrely watched this again last night. Two outstanding teams. Rochelle deserved to win, and ROG has forged something remarkable. A French team that actually give a shite about a European competition (most are more interested in local grudge matches, a great way to be also), but that Leinster team is remarkable also. Brave and game as you like, and really intelligent. They nearly nicked it by being brave and cute enough to weather wave after wave of attacks. You couldnāt but admire them. Irish rugby is a remarkable success story.
As regards competitions, I think id amalgamate the ingerlish big clubs with the URC, and run it as two divisions like the NFL. Much as I enjoy seeing the RFU fcuk up time and again, and the English being poor beyond belief, I actually think a strong global game needs them to be strong. As it stands, it looks like theyāre going bankrupt along with their clubs.
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I think thatās a fair assessment. It was a remarkable final - proper heavyweight stuff.
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I thought so. Anyone slagging off Leinster or Leo Cullen, who always comes across as the most dignified gent youād ever encounter, doesnāt know what they are talking about. Rochelle are a brilliant team. Thereās no shame in going toe to toe with them and losing by a score, just disappointment. Losing such a game is not a failure as such, Iād say more being in the game with them and fighting all the way is the sign of a successful team.
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Just because you viscerally despise it doesnāt mean itās not true.
Howās it a success story? If Ireland started marketing a niche sport like netball and investing vast sums of money into it and in 30 years time were one of the top teams in the world at it, would that be a success story too?
Ah yes. Netball.
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Can you address the questions please?
Losing finals narrowly is the best thing to build mass interest in a team. See Munster and Mayo.
Where Leinster differ however is thereās a perception of everything being too easy for them. What Leinster will always lack is the status of underdog. It makes it hard for people to identify with them. Irish people like to identify with an earthy underdog.
Leinsterās failure over the last five years has been more reminiscent of Pep Guardiolaās failure in Europe, in that it seems inevitable theyāll win but somehow lose.
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