RaboDirect Pro12 Round 8

[Feicarsinn]

Scarlets behind at home to Zebre with 15 mins left. This could be interesting.

 

[lucky number 7]

Without Fez I'd wager Seanie will be brought back in to 6..where he can be used to **** **** up.

I'd like to see Jordi Murphy get a stab at 7 if this happened

 

[dullonien]

Scarlets got out of jail. Lucky bounce of the ball allowed Phillips to score. They were soo poor tonight. Every time they looked to be building they just coughed up the ball.

Ref was a little odd too. He gave three yellow cards for basically a little shoving off the ball.

 

[irelandfan123]

Henderson hasn't played 10 games for ulster yet, people seem to be carried away at a few matches he is not tested enough yet, he is no BO'D when you can just march him into the Ireland squad in his first season

 

[Peat]

Save he's in an Ireland squad and has been retained when other players in his position have been sent back - in his first season. Imagine he'll play against Fiji at least.

The boy's a freak and I think you're about to be surprised.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Henderson hasn't played 10 games for ulster yet, people seem to be carried away at a few matches he is not tested enough yet, he is no BO'D when you can just march him into the Ireland squad in his first season

Nah, don't buy it. If you're old enough you're good enough. we shouldn't be afraid to try players out. Wales threw in George North and look what a success he's been. Tom Prydie would probably be a similar story if injuries sustained at club level hadn't stalled his progress. And before you make the argument that it's easier to blood backs at a young age I'd point to Rhys Ruddock as a player who was able to cope with the strains of international rugby (albeit for only one game during a similar crisis to the one we're experiencing now) at the same age.

The reality is that our options are stretched very thin in the back row. We have a potentially excellent line with Ferris, O'Brien and Heaslip starting with O'Mahony on the bench, but with two of those guys injured we need replacements capable of playing at 6 or 7. The only viable options are, in no particular order:

Shane Jennings
Rhys Ruddock
Niall Ronan
Sean Dougall
John Muldoon
Dave O'Callaghan
Paddy Butler
Chris Henry
Kevin McLaughlin

Of those guys Jennings and Muldoon are pushing on, Ronan will never be good enough, Butler is an 8, O'Callaghan's progress seems to have stalled a bit this season, Ruddock is just back from a serious injury and Dougall has played just has little as Henderson (and picked up a knock against Cardiff anyway.) Henry, O'Mahony and McLaughlin will probably take up the three available spots, and I guess that's no bad thing. Henry has been the form 7 in the country for the last year, McLaughlin did well enough against New Zealand in the summer and his presence along with Heaslip could add a bit of much needed continuity to the back row, while O'Mahony as Munster captain is clearly very highly rated down south and offers a lot of versatility. But considering that we're going to play 2 tests against two of the most physical sides in world rugby and another game against a Pacific Island side we're going to need to rotate. Giving Henderson 20 minutes against the Pumas and half an hour against Fiji for example would do him no harm and would let is see just where he's at.

 

[dullonien]

That must have gone forward! Another mistake from Webb....

 

[Draggs]

That was lovely from Fionn Carr.
Ospreys felt bad and gave up the lineout afterwards.

 

[dullonien]

What was that penalty for? Jon Thomas went for the ball, realised he went off his feet and got out the way. Ref said something along the lines of don't take away space beyond the ball, but he wasn't! Ref has got every penalty wrong so far! First penalty, Stowers wasn't in the way of the ball, Leinster scrum half knocks it on, then he says Stowers should have moved, why, the ball was available? He also got the Ospreys penalty wrong, Leinster player over the ball with no O's player there at all, and he somehow gives the penalty to the O's!

Edit. Lovely break from Walker. Stood up a Leinster forward and did him on the outside. Pity he knocked it on afterwards though. Still, he's developing nicely this season.

 

[big ginger 8]

That was lucky.

 

[dullonien]

That was dull by Duncan Jones. I can see what he was trying to do, but forgot to account for the slippery pitch, so ended up in front of the player. Very silly though.

 

[coonor]

John Lacey's refereeing of the scrum is one of the worst I have seen!

 

[irelandfan123]

Why did he just talk over half of what biggar was saying... that annoyed me

 

[big ginger 8]

**** defence.

 

[Draggs]

Lovely run from Fussell, sets up Walker for a try.

 

[dullonien]

Lovely try.

**** defence.

Not really. Just too much pace from Fussell against Leinster forwards.

 

[coonor]

Mathew Morgan's foot was miles in the field of play...What was the AR doing?

Good run by Fussell though!

 

[big ginger 8]

Lovely try.



Not really. Just too much pace from Fussell against Leinster forwards.

That's why it shouldn't have ended up as Fussell vs forwards.

 

[Draggs]

Fussell is bloody aggravating.
I don't think he is very good, but when he keeps scoring/setting up tries, I can't really say that.

Still, we ended up with Prydie, so it's all good.

 

[coonor]

Leinster have been horrible to watch today.