Not to be pedantic lads but can Mafi be capped while heās over here? Thought they had some policy about only capping home based players?
Also, how much game time will any of those lads realistically get now outside of the Magners league? Some of them have been around for years so fair play for putting themselves in the shop window last night. Further strengthens Michael Bradleys argument that half of them should be with Connacht to develop there where they will get more 1st team experience. Is this Niall Ronans second year with Munster? How many games has he actually played?
bit harsh to blame Warwick last kick of the gameā¦he was absolutely shattered and had given everything he hadā¦the head and the body are rarely on the same wavelength when youāre that tiredā¦ the easiest of tasks become ardous when yourāe that fcukedā¦
He proberly knew that the best chance on winning it was for a penalty to be given away and he knew that he was too fecked to kick the ball any kind of distance
[quote=āW.B. Yeatsā]Dan/Rocko
Agreed: they do pull the outside man in to stop the ball going wide but not on every ball, I think its usually the winger that does it.
Youād expect a lad that wants to play for the ABs to be able to decide whether or not he needs to do it on a case basis. That ball wasnāt the one to do it on when they had enough numbers ( and not props on wingers)
Anyway Mafiās decision for me was the losing of the game. Granted hindsight is a great thing and he had defended well all night except for the high tackle when he was lucky not to get 10.
WBY[/quote]
Canāt agree with that WBY.
Usually spot defence involves the winger coming in and hitting the second last man or whatever but thatās not the unorthodox defence that Munster played last night. On every move wide they brought the winger up ridiculously early and then one of the centres came up hard and flat to break the line and cut the move early.
Donald should really have kicked in behind in response but he was getting pressure ball, he was feeling nervous and a whole host of other factors (including pride) meant NZ shipped everything wide.
Think youāre analysing things as you would a normal match between two evenly matched sides where defence has to be conservative. NZ would have destroyed Munster if theyād come up in a line because the skill levels, ball handling and possession meant theyād have created overlaps for fun. Plus they had speed in abundance out wide. So Munster tried to stop 100% of the ball before it got to the wings. I donāt think there was time to be adjusting those tactics on every phase, it was the speed with which they rushed up that made their defence so effective and surprising.
[quote=ātherock67ā]Canāt agree with that WBY.
Usually spot defence involves the winger coming in and hitting the second last man or whatever but thatās not the unorthodox defence that Munster played last night. On every move wide they brought the winger up ridiculously early and then one of the centres came up hard and flat to break the line and cut the move early.
Donald should really have kicked in behind in response but he was getting pressure ball, he was feeling nervous and a whole host of other factors (including pride) meant NZ shipped everything wide.
Think youāre analysing things as you would a normal match between two evenly matched sides where defence has to be conservative. NZ would have destroyed Munster if theyād come up in a line because the skill levels, ball handling and possession meant theyād have created overlaps for fun. Plus they had speed in abundance out wide. So Munster tried to stop 100% of the ball before it got to the wings. I donāt think there was time to be adjusting those tactics on every phase, it was the speed with which they rushed up that made their defence so effective and surprising.[/quote]
The defensive strategy was spot on all night I felt except for that decision. Anyway its speaks volumes for the effort they put in that Iām able to quibble with one decision. If the National team put as much in this Saturday itāll go a long way toward getting us a victory. Hereās hopingā¦
Yeah fair enough, if heād held off that time heād have been done better out of it but again itās just picking instances in isolation when the players and management team deserve huge credit for choosing and implementing their strategy superbly.
Ireland would wipe the floor with Argentina if they matched that workrate and that controlled fury.
In fairness it is great to see the players get the credit for their effort and good to see apart from a few wexford cunts there is little or no begrudgery(unlike a GAA forum i was just on )but I think that Tony Mcgahan deserves huge credit also, considering this fringe team had little or no run out in the build up to this game apart from a challenge match against Ul Bohsā¦
as for warwick at the end, it is understandable and these things happen, Warwick was excellent and is urecognisable from the player that joined from connaught 18 months agoā¦Thought they should have kept it tight when they won the ball back and tried to get a penalty myself but hindsight is 20/20ā¦
I disagree with the term ābegrudgeryā thatās been bandied about a couple of times on here in relation to the game last night. Thereās people like Jugs, Appendage and myself who would consider last night to be a meaningless friendly played by reserve teams. Itās not begrudgery that forms that opinion and good luck to anyone that had a great time watching it.
Itās none of my business what anyone follows in their spare time and I donāt begrudge what youāre into but my own opinion (and individials tend to have different ones), like I said last night, is that it was akin to Ballyhale Shamrocks second string losing valiantly to the Kilkenny intermediate hurling team and then both teams completing a lap of honour as the crowd delivered a teary-eyed standing ovation in front of the Ballyhale senior winning team from the 1970s.
I found it amusing more than anything else but I certainly didnāt begrudge it. I would say though that I think Leinster would have beaten the All Blacks based on their performance last night and Iām surprised thereās been no mention of Howlett letting his former team-mate in for the winning try without trying to tackle him. If that was a competitive game then match fixing accusations would probably have been levelled at certain people.
[quote=āBandageā]I disagree with the term ābegrudgeryā thatās been bandied about a couple of times on here in relation to the game last night. Thereās people like Jugs, Appendage and myself who would consider last night to be a meaningless friendly played by reserve teams. Itās not begrudgery that forms that opinion and good luck to anyone that had a great time watching it.
Itās none of my business what anyone follows in their spare time and I donāt begrudge what youāre into but my own opinion (and individials tend to have different ones), like I said last night, is that it was akin to Ballyhale Shamrocks second string losing valiantly to the Kilkenny intermediate hurling team and then both teams completing a lap of honour as the crowd delivered a teary-eyed standing ovation in front of the Ballyhale senior winning team from the 1970s.
I found it amusing more than anything else but I certainly didnāt begrudge it. I would say though that I think Leinster would have beaten the All Blacks based on their performance last night and Iām surprised thereās been no mention of Howlett letting his former team-mate in for the winning try without trying to tackle him. If that was a competitive game then match fixing accusations would probably have been levelled at certain people.[/quote]
Bandage
Come off it.
Iām a proud Leinster man but weāve rarely if ever displayed the sort of backbone the Munster lads showed last night. Weād have tried to play rugby against the ABs and been hammered 70-25 or something.
Thatās a very salient point re Howlett Bandage, I kind of wondered why he didnāt bother tackling him.
I wouldnāt begrudge Munster any of the success theyāve had and would rank the 78 victory as a fine achievement.
This was different and contrived though. There were Kiwis playing for Munster for Godās sake. Its so, so different in the professional age.
And in the lead up to the game you just knew that the meeeejia were going to be banging on about the special atmosphere, blah de fuckin blah. Some gimp put that to Henry and he said it was a special occasion, but didnāt say it was the greatest night of his life. Iām sure thereāll be anarchy in Munster RFU this morning over those loose comments.
It was a Kiwi B team, and the All Blacks have won one world cup in, well, ever. Get a grip.
yeah agree there bandage. Why should I really give a crap about Munster? Iām from Leinster, so fook them. As I said myself, they played well, and showed a good workrate. but the whole thing needs to be taken in context. its no begrudgery that Iām glad they didnt win. its a word that gets thrown around a lot when people dont agree with one another.
[quote=āW.B. Yeatsā]Bandage
Come off it.
Iām a proud Leinster man but weāve rarely if ever displayed the sort of backbone the Munster lads showed last night. Weād have tried to play rugby against the ABs and been hammered 70-25 or something.
WBY[/quote]
Exhibit A - Leinster beating Toulouse in Toulouse
Exhibit B - Leinster beating Munster in Munster (not sure if it was Musgrave or Thomond) last year in a sesspit of wind and rain that would have suited the Munster tactics more than ours. A quote from one the of the Munster players or management team after the game was that Leinster had out-Munstered Munster.
[quote=āBandageā]
Iām surprised thereās been no mention of Howlett letting his former team-mate in for the winning try without trying to tackle him. [/quote]
You were going well up to that point.
Not many can and have stopped Rocokokokokokoko from 4 yards.
[quote=āMacā]Exhibit A - Leinster beating Toulouse in Toulouse
Exhibit B - Leinster beating Munster in Munster (not sure if it was Musgrave or Thomond) last year in a sesspit of wind and rain that would have suited the Munster tactics more than ours. A quote from one the of the Munster players or management team after the game was that Leinster had out-Munstered Munster.[/quote]
Exhibit A - Great victory, but it was gifted to them on some counts, but still 1 of the great displays by Leinster away from home in Europe, how many more can be used as examples?
Exhibit B - That was a wonderful performance by Leinster and it really showed them as a force, it was no small factor in winning the league, they have to build from this, Munster donāt play the Munster way anymore, but it is a part of their game.
Iāll more than give us Toulouse, they were woeful on the day but we won. They also played rugby against us and it suited our style. However it was 3 years ago and we then followed that up by losing the home SF to Munster. Choke.
Munster last year in Musgrave-(my stag party!) it was the Magners league, good to get the win but hardly stuff to write home about. Followed up by an unsuccessful finish in the Heineken.
I donāt think weāve ever put our bodies on the line like last night, until we do weāll not win the 'ken
[quote=āThe Pukeā]Where have the likes of Brian Carney and Kieron Lewis disappeared toā¦Presume McGahan doesnāt rate themā¦
Also I presume John O Sullivan was carrying a knock last nightā¦[/quote]
carney is an interesting one alright. seemed like the great white hope when he returned from the gold coast, but doesnt seem to have established himself at all.
)but I think that Tony Mcgahan deserves huge credit also, considering this fringe team had little or no run out in the build up to this game apart from a challenge match against Ul Bohsā¦