Leinster v Connacht

[An Tarbh]

Originally posted by RTÉ Sport
Leo Cullen, Shane Jennings, Rob Kearney, Eoin Reddan and Jonathan Sexton return from Six Nations duty to join the extended Leinster panel for the visit of Connacht to the RDS this weekend.

The quintet join the likes of Stephen Keogh and Eoin O'Malley who have been in excellent recent form as well as Fergus McFadden who has amassed 36 points in his last two Magners League outings.

Wing forward Eoin Sheriff joins fellow Leinster Academy duo Andrew Conway and Rhys Ruddock who are fresh from their involvement with the Ireland Under-20's and who are again included in the provisional panel which is expected to be reduced on Friday lunchtime.

Leinster are confident Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'arcy will be fit to play in next month's Heineken Cup quarter final with Clermont Auvergne. Both are recovering from injury but are progressing well.

Leinster squad to face Connacht in the Magners League at the RDS on Saturday 27 March:

Forwards: Leo Cullen, John Fogarty, Nathan Hines, Trevor Hogan, Bernard Jackman, Shane Jennings, Stephen Keogh, Ronan McCormack, Malcolm O'Kelly, Mike Ross, Rhys Ruddock, Paul Ryan, Eoin Sheriff, Richardt Strauss, Devin Toner, CJ van der Linde, Stan Wright

Backs: Shaun Berne, Andrew Conway, Girvan Dempsey, Chris Keane, David Kearney, Rob Kearney, Michael Keating, Simon Keogh, Ian Madigan, Fergus McFadden, Isa Nacewa, Paul O'Donohoe, Eoin O'Malley, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton.

RTÉ Sport

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/hein...er-2107638.html

The western province have injury problems of their own as skipper John Muldoon has been given a 50-50 chance to play while centre Niva Ta'auso and flanker Ray Ofisa are rated as very doubtful for the encounter with the Heineken Cup champions.

Connacht coach Michael Bradley said that with the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final coming up against Bourgoin in just over two weeks' time, he is not going to risk players this weekend.

"We play Leinster this weekend and Edinburgh the following weekend and those games will influence our selection for the Bourgoin game.

"But we don't want to risk players and even if Niva and Ray are passed fit to play this weekend, we might not risk them. John Muldoon has a groin problem and is at best 50-50 to be ready for the game," said Bradley.[/b]

Sounds as though Bradley is going to pick a less than first choice team. If Ta'auso, Ofisa and Muldoon are out, Connacht's options are limited. Perhaps it'll be a chance to give players like Eoin Griffin and Tiernan O'Halloran a run but I doubt Bradley will do so.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

"We might look to rotate the squad a bit more because we have a big run of games coming up. These are ten of the biggest weeks of my career here and we're not looking past each individual test.

"At this time of the year rest is a vital commodity and so those guys who played consistently might well have been rested for one or maybe two weeks anyway. With (Nathan) Hines we're unsure if he'll play which could give opportunities to the likes of Rhys Ruddock and Eoin Sheriff this week. Shaun Berne hasn't trained yet this week, while it's a bit more difficult for Shane Horgan who has a foot injury, but again we're hoping that he'll be back next week.

"It's pretty likely that (Andrew) Conway and Ruddock will be involved (this weekend) and that's part of the culture that we're trying to build here. We have been pretty happy with the young guys who have come up recently and players like Ian Madigan have shown real physicality which is pleasing.

"There was a pretty poignant last year when we lost to Connacht when their coach said in the aftermath that they targeted us. Obviously they think that they can beat us and they feel that they have the wood over us, or the better of us. Home matches are very important for us and Saturday's going to be a big game. Every match against Connacht over the last five years has been a battle so we have to make sure that we're strategically right and physically right particularly."[/b]

Those are some select quotes from Michael Cheika ahead of this game. He's clearly going to give youth a chance while also hoping for some element of revenge for last season's loss in the Sportsground. If Hines and Berne don't make it, I'd like to see this team play:

R Kearney, Conway, O'Malley, McFadden, Nacewa, Sexton, Reddan; Wright, Strauss, Ross, Cullen, O'Kelly, Ruddock, Jennings, Ste Keogh. Subs: Fogarty, van der Linde, Toner, Ryan, O'Donohoe, Madigan, Dempsey

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Connacht (squad v Leinster): Andrew Browne, Fionn Carr, Sean Cronin, Gavin Duffy, Adrian Flavin, Jamie Hagan, Ian Keatley, Keith Matthews, Mike McCarthy, Mike McComish, Robbie Morris, Frank Murphy, Troy Nathan, Miah Nikora, George Naoupu, Johnny O'Connor, Conor O'Loughlin, Michael Swift, Brian Tuohy, Bernie Upton, Brett Wilkinson, Aidan Wynne.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

LEINSTER:

15: Rob Kearney
14: Girvan Dempsey
13: Fergus McFadden
12: Shaun Berne
11: Isa Nacewa
10: Jonathan Sexton
9: Eoin Reddan

1: Stan Wright
2: John Fogarty
3: Mike Ross
4: Leo Cullen CAPTAIN
5: Malcolm O'Kelly
6: Rhys Ruddock
7: Shane Jennings
8: Stephen Keogh

REPLACEMENTS:

16: Bernard Jackman
17: CJ van der Linde
18: Devin Toner
19: Paul Ryan
20: Paul O'Donohoe
21: Eoin O'Malley
22: Simon Keogh CONNACHT:

15: Gavin Duffy CAPTAIN
14: Brian Tuohy
13: Aidan Wynne
12: Keith Matthews
11: Fionn Carr
10: Miah Nikora
9: Frank Murphy

1: Brett Wilkinson
2: Adrian Flavin
3: Robbie Morris
4: Mike McCarthy
5: Bernie Upton
6: Mike McComish
7: Johnny O'Connor
8. George Naoupu

REPLACEMENTS:

16: Sean Cronin
17: Jamie Hagan
18: Michael Swift
19: Andrew Browne
20: Conor O'Loughlin
21: Ian Keatley
22: Troy Nathan

 

[feicarsinn]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

2: Adrian Flavin
10: Miah Nikora[/b]

Michael Bradley can hurry the hell up and get the f*** out of Connacht.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Flavin has supposedly been playing very well. Nikora on the other hand is cack. There's not much creativity in that Connacht backline with Keatley on the bench and Ta'auso out. Only Fionn Carr can provide something out of the ordinary.

 

[munstermuffin]

Lads Connacht are really like Munster or Leinster were a few seasons ago and just getting used to knock-out European rugby (although they've been there before) and are just wrapping players up.

 

[dangandan]

hey everyone, dont usually post but thought id give it a try the mcfadden/omalley partnership has been goin pretty well and i wouldve liked to see that continue. shaune berne on the other hand has never really impressed me and age isnt on his side nor dempseys. a backline of reddan,sexton,nacewa,mcfadden,omalley,conway,kearney would have been nice against a weak connacht team!

 

[An Tarbh]

age is irrelevant, it's about the here and nwo, fact is we could well be without O'Driscoll and D'Arcy for the quarter final, despite their protestations to the contrary, so Berne and McFadden are the next realstic option, especially with Fitzgerald on the sidelines as well.

 

[munstermuffin]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (An Tarbh @ Mar 27 2010, 08:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

age is irrelevant, it's about the here and nwo, fact is we could well be without O'Driscoll and D'Arcy for the quarter final, despite their protestations to the contrary, so Berne and McFadden are the next realstic option, especially with Fitzgerald on the sidelines as well.[/b]

Yes and as is said age is irrelevant but experience is vital and Leinster can't afford to be throwing alot of young guys in together at such a big part of season.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Win this game and throwing young players in might be more of an option since qualifying for the semi final will be all but guaranteed. Anyway, in playing 19 year old Rhys Ruddock, Cheika is doing his bit.

Before the end of the season I think we'll see more gametime for Andrew Conway, Dave Kearney, Paul O'Donohoe, Ian Madigan and Dominic Ryan.

 

[munstermuffin]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (snoopy snoopy dog dog @ Mar 27 2010, 10:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Win this game and throwing young players in might be more of an option since qualifying for the semi final will be all but guaranteed. Anyway, in playing 19 year old Rhys Ruddock, Cheika is doing his bit.

Before the end of the season I think we'll see more gametime for Andrew Conway, Dave Kearney, Paul O'Donohoe, Ian Madigan and Dominic Ryan.[/b]

Yeah I agree Ruddock in is good but they all will come through gradually.

But my point was more in terms of H'Cup in 2weeks and getting players back in after International duty, it's just not right time to be over-experiment.

 

[King_D'Arcy]

Does anyone know where I can watch this online?

 

[durbutter]

Feel for Connacht, they were excellent.

Keatly ballsed it up.

Carr is unreal.

Murphy is really good, as is Cronin.

Sexton has cohones, Keatly didnt.

 

[munstermuffin]

Lads Carr really upped his stock value after tonight but was it just me or is Sexton becoming a bit of a worry at goal kicking.

Cronin should just keep going as he is and after next season i'm sure he'll be Munster's #2

 

[feicarsinn]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (munstermuffin @ Mar 27 2010, 06:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Lads Carr really upped his stock value after tonight but was it just me or is Sexton becoming a bit of a worry at goal kicking.

Cronin should just keep going as he is and after next season i'm sure he'll be Munster's #2[/b]

Cheers Captain Obvious, wouldn't have got that from the 6 nations. Did you also notice the ball was oval shaped?

 

[MunsterMan]

Thought Connacht were robbed tbh, bullshit decision to sin bin Keatley and Cullen should have seen a red card but the referee and TJ chose to ignore it.

 

[durbutter]

Big teams get the decisions, especially Munster and Leinster.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MunsterMan @ Mar 27 2010, 06:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Thought Connacht were robbed tbh, bullshit decision to sin bin Keatley and Cullen should have seen a red card but the referee and TJ chose to ignore it.[/b]

What did he do? I hate to come over all Arsene Wengerlike but I didn't see the incident.......genuinely. I did notice a spot of over zealous rucking at one point in the 2nd half but didn't see who it was.

 

[MunsterMan]

Cullen had a few stamps on a prone Connacht player, including one particularily bad one on the back of the knee. If it wasn't a ML game he would be facing a suspension no question. Ref rubbed salt in the wounds by binning Duffy for an alledged punch (replay showed there was none) in the same passage of play.