Leinster squad announced for the Heino roysh.

First topic message reminder :

Great squad, but no Shaggy. Which is a shame. He is injured and I for one, hope he makes his way back to the squad for one last hurrah. After his brilliant form last season, which helped take us to Nirvana. And for 10 seasons before it - he deserves it more than anyone. Carr and Conway must see this as a huge chance to impress.

A few fairly rested players like McFadden, Cronin, Boss and Cullen, will be chomping at the bit. I think Deccie did us a favour coming into this HC.

Sexton and Reddan should also be primed.

It will be interesting to see what Schmidt does about slowly replacing our aging centre-pairing this year. O Malley, Fitzgerald, McFadden and Macken - will all be looking to stake their claim. I hope they do. Its time.

Madigan too, must look to challenge Sexton, when given the chance. He is improving fast in the PRO12. Running games and kicking better than Sexton at the minute.

Really not sure about John Cooney and wished we had kept POD. We'll see. Leinster must see it in him.

LEINSTER SQUAD: FORWARDS: Leo Auva’a, Damian Browne, Seán Cronin, Leo Cullen, Aaron Dundon, Jamie Hagan, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Shane Jennings, Jack McGrath, Kevin McLaughlin, Seán O’Brien, Jack O’Connell, Mike Ross, Rhys Ruddock, Richardt Strauss, Dominic Ryan, Steven Sykes, Devin Toner, Heinke Van Der Merwe, Nathan White.

BACKS: Mat Berquist, Fionn Carr, Andrew Conway, John Cooney, Gordon D’Arcy, Luke Fitzgerald, David Kearney, Rob Kearney, Brendan Macken, Ian Madigan, Fergus McFadden, Isa Nacewa, Brian O’Driscoll, Eoin O’Malley, Eoin Reddan, Issac Boss, Jonathan Sexton.

EDIT: Boss was named in the Forwards originally - error by Irish Times. Naughty Step. Now corrected. Thanks Mickado.



http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2011/1025/1224306445504.html

I'd certainly take Fitz at Munster.

Schmidt would be good but I think we need someone who can dedicate more time to the team.

I'd love Fitz at Munster too.

09 Murray
10 Keatley
11 Earls
12 Hanrahan
13 Barnes
14 Fitzgerald
15 Jones

21 O'Leary
22 O'Gara
23 Murphy

A nice all Irish qualified back line in a year or two

And only 4 Leinster men in it!

Leinsters entire first AND second choice front row combined - only 2 Leinster men in it

Don’t know about that. Sykes has done nothing to suggest he’s better than Toner yet.

No Mick first choice front row and second choice from row.

Healy, Strauss, Ross

Van der Merwe, Cronin, Hagan

2 Munster Men, 2 South Africans, 2 Leinster boys.

red_stag wrote:I'd love Fitz at Munster too.

09 Murray
10 Keatley
11 Earls
12 Hanrahan
13 Barnes
14 Fitzgerald
15 Jones

21 O'Leary
22 O'Gara
23 Murphy

A nice all Irish qualified back line in a year or two

Thats old news stag, we've had one for a while ....

9. Marshall
10. Humphreys
11. Whitten
12. Spence
13. Cave
14. Gilroy
15. D'arcy

21. Porter
22. Jackson
23. L . Marshall

Ah, I read first and second row.

Yep we need to produce more front rows and you need to produce more backs.

Ah I know that Rodders but this is big news for Musnter - we used to rely on foreign imports in the backs. I remember having Mafi, Tipoki and Howlett in the backline at one stage as undisputed first choice. We still have foreigners but the IQ guys are the stars.

Mick - yes and no. I think Leinster have backrows coming out their ears. Munster have lots of second rows. Munster have oodles of scrumhalves while Leinster seem to have many centres.

red_stag wrote:Rodders I'm sure that he would if he came into the Irish set up.

Declan Kidney - Director of Rugby
Gert Smal - Forwards Coach
Greg Feek - Scrum Coach
Les Kiss - Defensive Coach
Joe Schmidt - Offensive Coach

Is that like Attack Coach, just ruder?

Its the bloody AmericaniZation of our easily influenced youf As!

Awwwwwsummmmm! Dee-fense. Off-fense. Yo!

High fives, Gib

all irish backline

i'd aim for an all irish squad

healy
cronin
ross
cullen
toner
SOB
jennings
heislip

redden
sexton
fitz
dorce
bod
shaggy
kearney

hagan
harris wright
mcloughlin
ryan
rudduck
boss
madigan
mcfadden/kearney/comway/

and this isnt even our best team
we are too good thats the problem

We will need to split the province soon

north and south

we can have
north dublin, louth, meath, westmeath, longford, offaly

and

south dublin, kildare, wexford, carlow, laois, kilkenny, wicklow, offaly

D24 - thats something I've heard suggested before. Does Leisnter have the resources, population and player base to support a 2nd region (can't really be a province)?

If IRFU ever expanded that would be only option.

red_stag wrote:D24 - thats something I've heard suggested before. Does Leisnter have the resources, population and player base to support a 2nd region (can't really be a province)?

If IRFU ever expanded that would be only option.

We don't, but we do have large enough tongues and small enough cheeks to suggest the idea...

i was only joking really,

But when i was coming up with it i thought that both provinces would need a bit of dublin or they wouldnt work

Love it D24.

I HAVE a dream.. that one day... Leinster will win the HC with 15 Leinstermen. No foreigners or culchies.
People born in Leinster and outside Dublin - are no longer considered culchies btw. Lets make that clear.

12 Counties. One Province.

Gibson wrote:Love it D24.

I HAVE a dream.. that one day... Leinster will win the HC with 15 Leinstermen. No foreigners or culchies.
People born in Leinster and outside Dublin - are no longer considered culchies btw. Lets make that clear.

12 Counties. One Province.

Thats like my dream were Ulster win the HEC with 15 Saffers who are fluent in Ulster- scots.

I have a dream that 15 dairy farmers win the HEC for Munster!

not at all, in this day and age there is no way we could class someone from kilkenny carlow or longford as a culchie, it just isnt true anymore.

now kerry and tipp and roscommon and tyrone, well they are different stories culchies the lot of them

Think the IRFU would be better off concentrating on getting Connacht onto a par with the 3 other provinces rather than split up Leinster.
Would Munster split up? Cork-Waterford-South Kerry-South Tipp and North Kerry-Limerick-Clare-North Tipp. Musgrave Park and Thomond as HQs

We could revert back to the original 5 provinces (Irish for Provinces = cúige = five), which were Meath, Munster, Leinster, Ulster & Connacht.

Leinster & Ulster 'incorporated' the province of Meath into their territories.

I hope Leinster fans realise that SOB is actually a Munsterman (being a decendent of Brian Boru, founder of the O'Brien dynasty). He was originally King of Munster and later became King of Ireland having sent the O'Neill packing back to Ulster

Nothing changes does it .... Munstermen are still doing the hard graft for Leinster

Gibson wrote:

red_stag wrote:Is Schmidt over rated?

"If Schmidt cant do it... I don't know who can"

"Schmidt seems to improve every player he has under his tutelage. Young and old"

"So glad we have Schmidt as a coach seems like a really sensible yet innovative coach"

IMO Leinsters forwards have been improving steadily since Jono Gibbes took over as forwards coach. The scrum guru is clearly Greg Feek and Michael Cheika achieved a European Cup and Magners Leagues with Leinster - they didn't suddenly get good the minute they took over.

All that's true Stag. But, we got away from being Leinster for 2 years. Cheika started well. Got rid of the Ladyboy tag in 2 years. No longer played just sexy rugby and getting bullied up front. We had a pack to be feared. Got in the right staff. Then he sacrificed our creed and we started playing like Tigers & Munster in the end. (no offence)

Since Feek was brought in. And Schmidt organised, motivated and set free - our Cheika-suppressed backline, we started to dominate teams up-front and blowing teams away from the back.

Its a different World and Schmidt is responsible for it.

Cheika was responsible for changing us from also-rans to Winners. He built the base for success. That's true. But, Schmidt has brought through a vast amount of new players. Trusted in them where Cheika would not And still won the HC in his 1st year. After Rocky - when most said we would dip. We didn't. SOB stepped up. We just got stronger and far better to watch again. A far more balanced and rounded team.

Nacewa, for one - has blossomed beyond belief under him. He's been unleashed. So too has Dave Kearney. And Cian Healy. And Mike Ross. And Johnny Sexton. And Reddan. And Boss... Even BOD looked happier than he has in years. Said he's learning new tricks from him. Huge praise. Not to mention all the academy players he has trusted and improved.

He is like a breath of fresh air. And he has been vital to Ireland's progress - indirectly.


Ireland need him on-board. Badly. But only as a consultant. Like Feek. Leinster need him for another 2 years yet.

Completely agree with this. Love it.

Re: Fitz
I don't think Munster would be any good for him, would be good for Munster but not him. He isn't playing as well as he can and hasn't been for a long time now, I think a move to france or australia would give him the zip he needs.

He used to be such a good attacking player and stepper so elusive, a guy who'd make something happen but had poor defence.
This seems to have come 180, he is one of our least creative backs now, he causes moves to break down but his defence is exceptional.

To France with him please

ah yes sin but the clever leinstermen hired in a NIQ a rocky elsom type

strongbow, and when brian came to the battle of clontarf(to be renamed after cian healy)
he lost, it was kind of like a 30 nil

D24tress wrote:ah yes sin but the clever leinstermen hired in a NIQ a rocky elsom type

strongbow, and when brian came to the battle of clontarf(to be renamed after cian healy)
he lost, it was kind of like a 30 nil

Isn't SOB attached to Clontarf?
So you are going to do the dirty on him as well

SOB is not attached to anybody, he has the freedom to walk around leinster and play whatever game he wants with whoever he wants.

he also is the best ref, cause teams cant stray offside cause his aura keeps them back.

Mon Tarf! My home club. Get me 1st roide there Had my 1st courting experience there too. History is vital.

D24tress wrote:SOB is not attached to anybody, he has the freedom to walk around leinster and play whatever game he wants with whoever he wants.

he also is the best ref, cause teams cant stray offside cause his aura keeps them back.

Good to hear that - its distressing to read how Leinster fans are happy to send Fitz packing to France a la Wild Geese

Any chance of Leinster & Ulster returning the bits that they stole from the province of Meath?

Sin é wrote:
Any chance of Leinster & Ulster returning the bits that they stole from the province of Meath?

If that doesn't include Belfast, Ballynahinch, Ballymena, Dungannon or Bloemfontein we can do without.

roddersm wrote:

Sin é wrote:
Any chance of Leinster & Ulster returning the bits that they stole from the province of Meath?

If that doesn't include Belfast, Ballynahinch, Ballymena, Dungannon or Bloemfontein we can do without.

You'd lose Tommy Bowe because it would probably include Monaghan & Cavan.

Leinster would lose the Kearneys (Louth) and Shaggy (Meath). Munster could send back Niall Ronan

whos the king of meath hector.

if we are giving things away they can have all the ghost estates of north county dublin

Louth north of the river boyne used to be part of Ulster. So the Kearneys would be Ulstermen.

I'm all for getting rid of Meath.

But you'll have to pry Shaggy from my cold dead hands...

At least their footballers might win the provincial championship a bit more.

Feckless Rogue wrote:Louth north of the river boyne used to be part of Ulster. So the Kearneys would be Ulstermen.

Was that not after Leinster & Ulster split the Province of Meath? (Tara would be very close to Louth).

From wiki:

Mide (Old Irish pronunciation: [ˈmʲiðʲe]; English: /ˈmiːð/), spelt Midhe in modern Irish and anglicised as Meath, was a medieval kingdom in Ireland for over 1,000 years. Its name means "middle", denoting the fact that lay in the middle of Ireland.

At its greatest extent, it included all of the current County Meath (which takes its name from the kingdom), all of Westmeath, and parts of Cavan, Dublin, Kildare, Longford, Louth and Offaly.

You can see a Map of it here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Mide

According to that it is similar to what the Diocese of Meath is now!