Scarlets 14 v 17 Munster

First topic message reminder :

Parc Y Scarlets 10/12/11

In the pre match preamble I asked two questions:
1 will the injury to Howlett make any difference at all?
2 can the Scarlets pack withstand the onslaught they are bound to face and get any sort of decent ball for the Scarlets to get their running game going

They were the wrong questions. In the event Munster chucked it about with abandon (for two or three phases anyway) and Zebo looked quite at home.

The Scarlets had plenty of ball but for the main part were clueless with it.

What are your thoughts?

I forgot Bynea had a station!

You can't see Stradey Park (when it was still there) from the railway either though.

Munkian - when you're coming towards Llanelli on the train you can see Trostre Steel Works, the train goes round the back - well it's on the otherside of the works on the other side of the Industrial/Shopping Park

Glas a du wrote:eh?

Sorry, there was a semi regular spoof of Paul o Connell on the gift grub radio show - his main catchphrase being 'FAIR PLAY!'

Hey, its slighlty on topic

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=O6Ca6AjZ4_Q

And cheers for the local knowledge - if I didnt live over the bridge now I'd be at alot more regional games

You should come to the Scarlets game when we travel to the Dave - we could lend you a Scarlets shirt! it's only a few miles from the bridge...

How very dare you !

I'm going to that in my Dragons shirt !

It's never to late to change though...

Rather dead than a turk

The only way is Turk!

That's fine Munkian, that's fine.

*makes note in little black book*

"Love thy neighbour as thyself. Unless he's Turkish, in which case, kill the Bar Steward!" Richard IV

peace and goodwill to you neighbour

red_stag wrote:Ah but Bluemuff we also had to go to:

- Cardiff Blues v Edinburgh zzzzzzzzzzzz think Id rather watch paint dry
- Bath v Leinster - I hope you didnt mix up the Bath and Leinster colours
- Exeter Chiefs v Newport Gwent Dragons - did you get one of those Chief headpieces?

Dreamer was there in 07 when yee beat us out the gate and a had ball. Same again this weekend. Always a pleasure to draw rugby towns like Llanelli

Spread the word Muff, spread the word (though not about the Premier In obviously!)

Glas a du wrote:Spread the word Muff, spread the word (though not about the Premier In obviously!)

We stayed in the Stradey Hotel - very nice especially seen as we were still getting served at 5am in the morning ....

Now enough of the love in what are Scarlets expectations for Sunday???

Smirnoffpriest wrote:Thats another reason I'm annoyed that we lost rugbydreamer - as imagine all those fans seeing Munster beat a European powerhouse in our backyard and all the positive vibes and the amazing atmosphere there would have been - and I imagine the barn would have been bouncing afterwards.

Then I reckon a load of these fans would have come back for the Ospreys derby and maybe would folllow us up to the Dragons game as well - that would then be a good way to welcome in the new year - instead I imagine a lot of fans will be annoyed at seeing a poor quality game, another loss and an inconsistent ref and might not come back which is a shame.

Especially as Red Stag says there's a really good atmosphere and experience developing at the stadium

I'd hardly call Scarlets a European Powerhouse The stadium was rocking on Saturday though full credit to Scarlets and Munster fans.

according to Radio Wales, Georgie has been passed fit for Sunday! oh how I so hope that's true.

A back 3 of Monty, Sanjay and Georgie, or say Monty, Priestland and Georgie would be amazing.

Thats a good back line but its no use if your pack cant at least get parity! Munster will target the Scarlets scrum after BJs dominance especially in the second half.

RD I was chatting with his mother today and she seemed confident he will be playing.

What our pack lacked was ball carriers, and for some stupid reason we decided not to comit players at the breakdown to secure quick ball.

Can see Jedwards starting on Sunday (please let him keep a grip on the penalty count!), and we just really need to see the likes of Morgan and Welch carry the ball like they did against Saints.

Scarlets actually did get enough ball to attack with, but our backline were hesistant and there were too many missed passes/dropped balls etc. I am fully expecting that after having a week to train together, instead of 2 days, that they will be more clinical. Hope so anyway.

Cymro - that's great news!

How is Morgan doing? Potential 8 for Wales?

Ummm, possibly, he's been a bit hit and miss. Was very good for the home match against Ulster, and the Heineken ones against Castres and Saints, but for some other games like on Sat, he's been very quiet. Still a work in progress really, but should get a chance at international level, whoever it is he decides to play for.

So he needs some consistency in his game basically? I think he would be a very useful player for Wales.

Yes pretty much, and I agree he could be, going to take a lot to shift Faletau though, he always seems to up his game for Wales. (in the very short time he's been playing for us )

Personally I think Faletau might make a better flanker than he does 8. However he would find it hard displacing Lydiate (or even more unlikely, Warburton).

He could do Rory, he certainly can adapt to that position very well. Lots of talent in the backrow in Wales, which is a very good thing, gives us a lot more options to choose from

2 possible outstanding backrows you can play:

6) Lydiate
7) Warburton
8) Faletau

6) Jones
7) Tipuric
8) Morgan

I much prefer the first one!

2nd one does have a lot of potential though, just not quite convinced of Tipuric, bags of talent but has been a bit of a liability so far this season.

McCusker and Turnbull could have something to say about it, as could Lewis Evans.

Could be some pretty good depth there soon. The back ups like Jonathan Edwards, Gavin Thomas, and the youngsters like Thomas Young look good too.

Few things

BJ Botha binds on the arm. Dominance or not he's asking to get pinged. Mind you so was Hayes throughout his career for standing up and he's got 100 caps!

Another class Welsh backrow:
6 McCusker
8 Bearman/Evans/Coombes/JT
7 Turnbull

Murphy and Gilbert are coming through and I think Gavin Thomas and Richie Pugh are highly under rated players.

I think Bearman is Cornish not Welsh. plus not having a great season.

Glas a du wrote:Few things

BJ Botha binds on the arm. Dominance or not he's asking to get pinged. Mind you so was Hayes throughout his career for standing up and he's got 100 caps!

Another class Welsh backrow:
6 McCusker
8 Bearman/Evans/Coombes/JT
7 Turnbull

Murphy and Gilbert are coming through and I think Gavin Thomas and Richie Pugh are highly under rated players.

I'm certain I've read you say this about 50 times in the space of a few days now..

Rory_Gallagher wrote:

Glas a du wrote:Few things

BJ Botha binds on the arm. Dominance or not he's asking to get pinged. Mind you so was Hayes throughout his career for standing up and he's got 100 caps!

Another class Welsh backrow:
6 McCusker
8 Bearman/Evans/Coombes/JT
7 Turnbull

Murphy and Gilbert are coming through and I think Gavin Thomas and Richie Pugh are highly under rated players.

I'm certain I've read you say this about 50 times in the space of a few days now..

And we'll read it another 50 next week....

mrsuperclear wrote:

Rory_Gallagher wrote:

Glas a du wrote:Few things
BJ Botha binds on the arm. Dominance or not he's asking to get pinged. Mind you so was Hayes throughout his career for standing up and he's got 100 caps!
Another class Welsh backrow:
6 McCusker
8 Bearman/Evans/Coombes/JT
7 Turnbull
Murphy and Gilbert are coming through and I think Gavin Thomas and Richie Pugh are highly under rated players.

I'm certain I've read you say this about 50 times in the space of a few days now..

And we'll read it another 50 next week....

He might not do it this week to be fair.

I've decided to be nice today as it seems I've been rubbing people up the wrong way by speaking my mind.

Rory and Superclean seem to indicate that the more someone says something the less true it becomes

Glas a du I thinks it more that you have made the same point very clearly. very very clearly. In fact maybe about a 100 times. We get it

Smirnoffpriest wrote:Rory and Superclean seem to indicate that the more someone says something the less true it becomes

And I would love to know where you pulled that from.

Rory_Gallagher wrote:

Smirnoffpriest wrote:Rory and Superclean seem to indicate that the more someone says something the less true it becomes

And I would love to know where you pulled that from.

I'd also love to know where you were taught to read and spell. Or is calling me clean some sort of Welsh insult....

maestegmafia wrote:I think Bearman is Cornish not Welsh. plus not having a great season.

ssshhh, so is Charteris. Bearman missed the boat when he was injured last year, we were short of backrowers then and he'd just qualified, he's nowhere near good enough any more.

mrsuperclear wrote:

Rory_Gallagher wrote:

Smirnoffpriest wrote:Rory and Superclean seem to indicate that the more someone says something the less true it becomes

And I would love to know where you pulled that from.

I'd also love to know where you were taught to read and spell. Or is calling me clean some sort of Welsh insult....

Oops - though you could have taken it as a complement! LOL


All I can say is that I was in work and have the flu so aren't really concentrating on this or in the best of moods

No worries

Anyway, do we think:

"Munster won at PYS, that's 13 on the bounce, at home it's a forgone conclusion"

OR

"The Scarlets haven't often had the advantage of a practice match the week before when playing in Thomond Park. The memories will be fresh, the tactics clearer. Munster do not look invincible"

OR

"something else"

Glas a du wrote:Anyway, do we think:

"Munster won at PYS, that's 13 on the bounce, at home it's a forgone conclusion"

OR

"The Scarlets haven't often had the advantage of a practice match the week before when playing in Thomond Park. The memories will be fresh, the tactics clearer. Munster do not look invincible"

OR

"something else"

I think Mathew Rees is the only Scarlets player to have been to Thomond Park in the past (in 2005 in Celtic League), so Thomond will be a new experience for them. (Scarlets games are usually in Musgrave Park in Cork).

No doubt the Scarlets and their fans will get a warm Thomond welcome. (Pity its at miday on a Sunday!).

Will the fact they are not going back to the scene if so many failures a bonus, or is the TP factor that significant?

But didn't we meet Scarlets in HEC in 2008?

Personally Glas I think the Scarlets are lacking mentally.

I suspect that Munster will take the challenge of Scarlets seriously all the while confident of a win. In a few Scarlet minds though I suspect that they will take the 13 losses, Thomond Park factor into account and it may be the difference in the end.

Munsters players aren't actually all that much better than Scarlets. The likes of Wian du Preez, James Coughlan, Niall Ronan, Donnacha Ryan, Damien Varley, Will Chambers, Denis Hurley, Johne Murphy and Simon Zebo were all starting in the last game. Though they do a good job they aren't amazing players.

Only 4 Munster players last week are what I would consider regular international players. However they have a mental toughness that the Scarlets are badly lacking in.

Scarlets seem to ride momentum and struggle to take each game on its own merits.

Yes but sometimes the more that is against you the less pressure you're under because it frees you from expectation. In other words you can say "what the Flip, let's just go out there and play". Wales did this in the 03 WC against NZ.

Yes possibly Glas but I dont think its that much of a foregone conclusion. The teams are evenly matched but the mentality will talk in the end. Going into the match Scarlets will fancy their chances however as the match goes on their mentality may not hold out.

I'm not sure any more. We only played you last week. I think we may just have your number.

Keith Earls, who injured a knee in the opening minute of Munster's RaboDirect PRO12 clash with Leinster in early November, returns to the side for the Heineken Cup encounter with Scarlets at Thomond Park Stadium on Sunday.

He comes straight into the side as a replacement for Will Chambers, while Denis Leamy starts in place of the injured Peter O'Mahony (jaw).


Donncha O'Callaghan regains the number four shirt, having come on as a 55th minute replacement for Donncha Ryan in Llanelli last week. Ryan is listed among the replacements.


Earls did his first full-training late last week, before coming through two sessions this week with flying colours. If he comes through tomorrow's captain's run unscathed, he'll line up alongside Lifeimi Mafi in the Munster midfield.


Leamy gets the number six shirt after an impressive showing in the second half last weekend, when he came on for O'Mahony.

Tommy O'Donnell fills the gap on the bench created by Leamy's promotion, while Stephen Archer is preferred as loose-head prop cover for BJ Botha.


Munster team to face Scarlets in the Heineken Cup on Saturday 17 December at Thomond Park, kick-off 12.45pm:


15 D Hurley 14 J Murphy 13 K Earls 12 L Mafi 11 S Zebo 10 R O'Gara 9 C Murray 1 W du Preez 2 D Varley 3 BJ Botha 4 D O'Callaghan 5 P O'Connell (captain) 6 D Leamy 7 N Ronan 8 J Coughlan.


Replacments: 16 D Fogarty 17 M Horan 18 S Archer 19 D Ryan 20 T O'Donnell 21 T O'Leary 22 I Keatley 23 D Barnes.

There's a thread (or 2) on the Sundays game in the Club section (I imagine the mods are already monitoring this like Big Brother ready to swoop down and merge threads again!) LOL.

What effect will the Saints have in this pool?

They have the potential to be a nasty bogey-man.