Munster v Zebre

First topic message reminder :

Munster team to play Zebre is named:

01 Dave Kilcoyne
02 Mike Sherry
03 Stephen Archer
04 Donnacha O'Callaghan
05 Donnacha Ryan
06 Dave O'Callaghan
07 Peter O'Mahony
08 Paddy Butler
09 Duncan Williams
10 Ian Keatley
11 Simon Zebo
12 JJ Hanrahan
13 Casey Laulala
14 Luke O'Dea
15 Felix Jones

Replacements: Damien Varley, Marcus Horan, BJ Botha; Billy Holland, Tommy O'Donnell; Conor Murray, Johne Murphy, Denis Hurley

I have to say I really really like that team.

What would be best for the club would be not to buy in duds like Downey and have to "make do" with Laulala.

Also if Earls and Hanrahan are best for the team in such pivotal positions which I believe they are then taking our best OC and putting him in the wing doesnt make sense to me.

I dont feel particularly strongly on this to be honest. However if the fact Earls "wants" to play 13 is the reason then it isn't a good enough reason.

I dont disagree with that at all...but its his best position.

I was much more frightened of LLL at 13 when we faced you guys. I think earls (and Luke) are both perfectly entitled to say where they prefer to play but we (the public) really make a big deal of it.

is Danny Barnes no longer valued that highly? I thought he was good.

Pete, Danny Barnes is a good player but a bit ordinary. Zebo, Lualala, O'Dea, Downey etc all have some good qualities like being faster than normal (Zebo, LOD), bigger than normal (Downey) etc. Barnes isn't the biggest but not small, isn't the fastest but not slow, isn't the more skillful but he does have decent skills etc. He is average at everything. He would be a good signing for a lot of teams but maybe he falls just outside what Munster are looking for.

Reading the Munsterfans forum, Cian Bohane seems to have passed Barnes and Dineen out in the pecking order. Bohane is an academy player while the others seem to have fallen into the 'Tom Gleeson' category of being squad players who are there for emergencies only.

I think Barnes might be better off going to Connacht or England for the good of his career, he won't get much gametiem here. Dineen too, who I actually think has potential Downey like qualities.


Keatley played pretty well , I think our gameplan still needs more structure, we don't recycle in the forwards enough looking to go wide straight away won't work a lot of the time. JJ showed what we know he can do, the guy has a birght future ahead of him.

That's a shame, I liked him.

Not even any room for him at Connacht either though anymore.

McSharry and Griffin would be their main centres but who are their backups? I think he could be good depth there. Henshawe played their yesterday did he?

Thomond wrote:McSharry and Griffin would be their main centres but who are their backups? I think he could be good depth there. Henshawe played their yesterday did he?

They also have poolman but i think barnes would be a great signing for them.

LeinsterFan4life wrote:

Thomond wrote:McSharry and Griffin would be their main centres but who are their backups? I think he could be good depth there. Henshawe played their yesterday did he?

They also have poolman but i think barnes would be a great signing for them.

It wouldn't be a great move for him though. He would be great for Connacht in terms of depth, but unlikely to receive an abundance of quality gametime. It would be much for better for Barnes to move to England or France, even if he had to step down into the championship or ProFederale2.

Danny Barnes would still get quite a bit of game time if he went to Connacht but I think the chance to develop in maybe the Championship in England might be exactly what he needs at this point in his career.