EPCR Quarter Final Edinburgh V Munster

First topic message reminder :

Edinburgh
v
Munster Rugby


Saturday 30 March 2019 12:45 (GMT)  Champions Cup  Round  Quarter-Finals  BT Murrayfield Stadium  Ref: Pascal Gauzère (France)  Assis Ref 1: Ludovic Cayre (France) Assis Ref 2: Jonathan Dufort (France)  TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)

Teams

Edinburgh



15. Darcy Graham, 14. Damien Hoyland, 13. James Johnstone, 12. Chris Dean, 11. Duhan Van Der Merwe, 10. Jaco van der Walt, 9. Henry Pyrgos, 1. Pierre Schoeman, 2. Stuart McInally (c), 3. WP Nel, 4. Ben Toolis, 5. Grant Gilchrist, 6. John Barclay, 7. Hamish Watson, 8. Viliame Mata.

Replacements:
16. Ross Ford, 17. Allan Dell, 18. Simon Berghan, 19. Magnus Bradbury, 20. Jamie Ritchie, 21. Charlie Shiel, 22. Simon Hickey, 23. Mark Bennett,

Munster



15. Mike Haley, 14. Andrew Conway, 13. Chris Farrell, 12. Rory Scannell, 11. Keith Earls, 10. Joey Carbery, 9. Conor Murray, 1. Dave Kilcoyne, 2. Niall Scannell, 3. John Ryan, 4. Jean Kleyn, 5. Tadhg Beirne, 6. Peter O'Mahony (c), 7. Jack O'Donoghue, 8. CJ Stander.

This look to be a brutal match up - two very physical teams who prefer route one rugby, but have a bit of flair to finish things off too. Munster are heavy favourites at the bookies at 4/9 with Edinburgh 9/5 - bookies don't often get things wrong but that seems very generous odds for Edinburgh given how successful they've been in Europe this season, combined with Munster still trying to get back to their glory days of European heavyweights.

Eejit wrote:

tigertattie wrote:

Hazel Sapling wrote:Duhan VDM is tall. Just not consistent in the air Des.

Excellent starting packs on both sides, but Edinburgh have the better replacements in the forwards. The front row coming on for Edinburgh is better than most starting front rows.  

The backs probably shade towards Munster. A rainy, miserable day would probably suit Edinburgh more.

It's baffling eh. Our replacement forwards are better than the Glasgow staring ones!

Ok, I'll give them Brown over Ford and his zimmer frame, but otherwise, ouch!

The Glasgow locks and backrow are also utterly average at best. Going to be a long old day out there for Glasgow I think!

Have you always posted like Donald Trump tweets or is this something you've recently adopted?

I've always classed myself as an honest poster who just tells it like it is

#MakeEdinburghGreatAgain

Good to have a John Barclay column again. His rehab really does sound tedious and soul destroying!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/47726566

Munster's backup front row isn't bad either but will struggle against Edinburgh's pack.

Happy with the Munster team. If Edinburgh's back 3 are bad in the air Munster will use it and our back three are pretty good at it. If Munster are struggling upfront Murrary will boxkick to Earls. If it works it will be repeated.

I still stick by the first 20mins will tell if Munster have shown up or not. If they haven't they will be in trouble as away from home this team doesn't know where the chips are for their shoulders like teams gone by.

Barclay is some player to just chuck back into the team. I really wished he hadn't played last week as he looked good and is now up and running.

MAGA

Munster Always Get Aggressive

Just realised we've got no back 3 cover either - you can see why Cockers has signed 2 Fijian wingers!

I've gone for Munster by 5 in the Superbru score predictor league I'm in. Sorry perfumed ones.

Eejit wrote:I've gone for Munster by 5 in the Superbru score predictor league I'm in. Sorry perfumed ones.

Fake News

Typical west coast bias. Saracens by 47.

Stewarty RFC by 56.

Lismore RFC by 102.

Handicap's drifted by a point in favour of Edinburgh. Munster still favourites but only by 3 points.

I think Edinburgh are man for man a better team than Munster at the moment and they might even have the best back row in Europe. But these games are different gravy, and I think Munster will be able to cope with the pressure better.

Eejit wrote:I think Edinburgh are man for man a better team than Munster at the moment and they might even have the best back row in Europe. But these games are different gravy, and I think Munster will be able to cope with the pressure better.

Trading on past glories. Edinburgh should do it handsomely.

I cannot see a better chance for the Luvvies.

If the Once And Future Champions had Munster at home tomorrow we'd all be worrying about being overconfident.

The Luvvies are almost as good as us. So should be reasonably confident. Take the game to them and smash them at every opportunity.


As Gibson would say, Believe.

Eejit wrote:I think Edinburgh are man for man a better team than Munster at the moment and they might even have the best back row in Europe. But these games are different gravy, and I think Munster will be able to cope with the pressure better.

For what little it's worth, my combined XV:

15. Graham
14. Conway
13. Farrell
12. Scannell (admittedly know very little about Edinburgh's centres)
11. Earls
10. Carbery
9. Murray
8. Mata/Stander = draw
7. Watson
6. POM (just)
5. Beirne
4. Gilchrist
3. Nel
2. McInally
1. Schoeman

I make that 8-6 to Munster but there are serious gaps in my knowledge of the Edinburgh team outside of the established Scotland internationals so feel free to pick holes in that. In fact I've not watched Schoeman before but if he's keeping Dell on the bench I'm guessing he's pretty accomplished at this level. Nonetheless my feeling is Edinburgh will do it - their bench is more intimidating and I don't feel Munster have been playing as well as the sum of their parts.

Schoeman is a better scrummager and a more devastating carrier than Dell. Dell tackles and is better around the ruck. Schoeman has a bit more of a bite about him as well, he will pick a fight at some point.

Probably would argue Toolis is tight to Beirne thanks to his line-out work. Toolis can be hit or miss overall but his form has been excellent for the last couple of months.

Dean is keeping Matt Scott from his second appearance back from injury and Scott was arguably the form 12 before he got injured ahead of Sam Johnson. There was a discussion over who would get the nod between Johnson and Dean prior to the Italy game.

Johnstone is a good club player who is in great form but will probably never get more than emergency/second tier (think Canada) caps. Keeping Bennett out the side. Sadly Scott and Bennett have more talent but have only just got back from long injury layoffs and both Dean/Johnstone have been unlucky to not get a go in the depleted Scotland side.

Would say on the wings, Munsters are more consistent but Duhan VDM is a fantastic attacker and with ball in hand/space can embarrass any wing in the world. Equally, his defensive work can be suspect though not quite in the Visser mould, he is a similar sort of player. The sort of player who can score a try from anywhere on the pitch and miss a key tackle 5 minutes later.

Cockers has said Dougie Fife is fit, he just preferred Graham at 15.

That's a huge huge call and one I certainly don't agree with!

I guess it shows as well that he must rate Hoyland a bit. Probably more chance of him getting another contract than we though, a big opportunity for him today.

Murray is playing way below his best. I think he made more loose passes and inaccurate box kicks in this 6 N's than in all previous seasons combined.
If Embro can pressurise him effectively then they should have too much for the Munster to handle.

There's a lot of Munster fans here ..!

There’s a lot of Munster fans living in Edinburgh. I’ll neber understand why soooooo many Irish folk leave the cold wind and rain of Ireland and come to the cold wind and rain of Scotland.

Let the games begin!!!

Cracking game so far!

Knock on!!

Should Edinburgh be taking points when on offer or is their fly-half hit and miss

Wasn't even the mark

How is that tackle on Pyrgos ok?

Ref needs to have a word. Pyrgos was stupid but Murray retaliated by throwing Pyrgos to the ground and it was where that foul play took place that Earls had a gap to go through

Weird weird game so far. Edinburgh need to refocus

Needed that!

Evens now as there was a forward pass in that passage of play

Absolutely needed that!

Darcy looks awesome, such a raw talent.

Fair scoreline I think - Munster have caused us real trouble at the rucks but we've looked far more dangerous in attack. Take away the controversial first score and Munster haven't really shown anything.

Edinburgh''s game to win just now!

Pyrgos' kicks have been poor

Anyone who thinks Pyrgos can play his way into the Scotland World Cup squad is delusional

Munster should probably kick

Yeah, not the best choice

Huge scrum!

Now that’s a scrum

I have to say if Henry Pyrgos wasn’t insistent on doing his Greig Laidlaw on a bad day tribute I think Edinburgh would we well out in front.

Munster defence is something else, amazing

Edinburgh seem to have the upper had now

When henners gets the ball out we make ground. It’s the standing pointing and sitting at the base of the rucks that boil my urine

Edinburgh need to make hay while the sun shines, I think if Munster are within 3 going into the last 5 their experience might shine through

Hope Edinburgh can pinch this, agonisingly close

FFS Shoe!

Why was that reversed?

........and the Oscar goes too.

Pathetic

Shoemann needs fined a months wages for that

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:FFS Shoe!

Poor, but Beirne seriously exaggerated the contact. Looked like Neymar.

Play acting has no place in our game.

That kick is a hammer blow