Round 17

[UlsterRugby2012]

I see McKee is starting today.

Typical Leinster stealing all of our talent smh.

 

[Groundhog]

If we made Soroka and Harry Byrne breed their child would look exactly like winter soldier Sebastien Stan

 

[big ginger 8]

What a scumbag! What was that from Roos?

 

[Groundhog]

Scummy rat behavior from Stormers 8 lol. Leinster players should have piled in on him. That's a yellow.

 

[Groundhog]

This ref honestly must have won his Cert in a raffle.

 

[big ginger 8]

These maul obstruction penalties are do stupid from us.

 

[JohnKA]

Scummy rat behavior from Stormers 8 lol. Leinster players should have piled in on him. That's a yellow.

Piled on him ? you want all 15 Leinster players injured ?

 

[Groundhog]

These maul obstruction penalties are do stupid from us.

Irish provinces seem disproportionately terrible for giving these away.

 

[big ginger 8]

Not a great run of luck. Leinster adamant HB's nudge was touched and then the AR goes against Vakh when it looks like Harris pulled it down.

Edit: really looks like Exeter are getting a good one in Dunne. Hopefully he finds his way back to us.

Lot of young players standing up today.

 

[big ginger 8]

If you had offered me two lbp before the matches I'd have absolutely taken it so hard to be disappointed especially given how much time we've spent at a numerical disadvantage. Huge learning experience for a load of these guys but still feel we should have had one win. Probably last week over this week.

Am disappointed that this was probably Adam Byrne's last game in a Leinster shirt.

Edit: Soroka not at all happy with kicking it out. Great performance from him today and love the attitude.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Feels like a L. T.T

 

[Groundhog]

Don't suppose Leinster will do us a solid and field the barely legals ft Rhys Ruddock against us??

 

[big ginger 8]

Don't suppose Leinster will do us a solid and field the barely legals ft Rhys Ruddock against us??

You'll play against a Ross Byrne lead mix and match of a team, get solidly beaten and you know it.

 

[Groundhog]

You'll play against a Ross Byrne lead mix and match of a team, get solidly beaten and you know it.

We're going to win by 49 and Leo Cullen will admit in his post match interview that Leinster have never produced a player as talented, nor a man as virtuous as Gavin Coombes.

 

[big ginger 8]

We're going to win by 49 and Leo Cullen will admit in his post match interview that Leinster have never produced a player as talented, nor a man as virtuous as Gavin Coombes.

Not if Devin Toner has anything to do with it.

 

[Groundhog]

Not if Devin Toner has anything to do with it.

Coombes is on the Gerbrant Grobler/ Russian Olympic rehab programme.

 

[mdaclarke]

I never thought I would see the day that Leinster would kick the ball out to get a Losing Bonus Point. That is the sort of think you expect from the Welsh or Newcastle/Worcester

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I never thought I would see the day that Leinster would kick the ball out to get a Losing Bonus Point. That is the sort of think you expect from the Welsh or Newcastle/Worcester

Not to top the league with a game to spare though!

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

This is a massive morale drop for Leinster before coming into the Leicester game.

 

[saulan]

Well… these results make the last round interesting.

The Scottish teams are playing their derby to see who gets in the Champions Cup, so a lot at stake.

Leinster technically has nothing to play for, but generally have been competitive in all their games - up against a Munster team playing for a home semi.

Sharks and Ulster are playing each other for a home QF/potential home semi final depending on other results.

Stormers and Bulls play the top 2 Welsh teams away, with both in with a shot at a home QF and Stormers still in with a shot with a home semi final. Welsh sides will want to get wins given the top of the Welsh league isn’t secure (although Scarlets just need a point to secure it), but they’re both out of the tournament at the end of the round.

Team -Top finish/lowest finish*
Leinster -1/1
Munster -2/5
Stormers -2/6
Sharks -2/6
Ulster -2/6
Bulls -3/7
Glasgow Warriors -6/8
Edinburgh -6/8
*My caveat is I’m doing this quickly at the end of a long 30th birthday, so quick calcs may be off

 

[Tooting Carmen]

What a bonkers but fantastic match between the Ospreys and Scarlets. So glad I attended it. But why can't either team play such exciting and (relatively) error-free rugby like that more often?

 

[munstermuffin]

Again great display by Leinster. Soraka looks like a real gem. Harry Byrne again I think is suffering from early hype and doesn't look like a standout international in the making.
But despite 2 LBP's Leinster will consider this a huge success as a whole in terms of using the tour to check fringe and youth.

 

[big ginger 8]

Again great display by Leinster. Soraka looks like a real gem. Harry Byrne again I think is suffering from early hype and doesn't look like a standout international in the making.
But despite 2 LBP's Leinster will consider this a huge success as a whole in terms of using the tour to check fringe and youth.

I'd have thought someone like yourself would be well aware it's more likely injuries than hype that's affecting Byrne.

The only impact they hype has had is that there's a legion of people ready to stick a fork in his career. He's missed a lot of gametime the last year and a bit and that's having a bigger effect than anything. Also not sure what about yesterday would prompt the comment? Frawley was decent but Leinster didn't look like scoring a try until Byrne was on, even if they didn't have a scrumhalf for most of that time. He nailed a tough conversion to get the lbp and had some nice touch finders. It wasn't an amazing performance but not sure how a solid 7/10 gets us to give up on his prospects? The only thing he had that looked like a mistake was the grubber that went dead but about three different Leinster players begged Evans to check the TMO saying it went off a Stormer.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Allez, allez allez - Zebre! Zebre! All it took was 13 men Dragons for the last 10 minutes!

Seriously, they have improved since promoting their Argentine coach to head coach and have been competitive in a number of matches. He has done enough to get a crack at a full season I hope.

What a bonkers but fantastic match between the Ospreys and Scarlets. So glad I attended it. But why can't either team play such exciting and (relatively) error-free rugby like that more often?

Yep. A real endorsement of the format of the competition. Ospreys keep their Champions Cup hopes alive and eliminate a rival from playoff contention. From the highlights it seemed the crowd was buzzing.

I thought Edinburgh would struggle to score points with that selection and the weather wasn't great. But 10 points!? 7 of them coming from a moment of impulsive genius from Bennet. Plus an agonising knock on at the goal line with the last play of the game. The wheels are coming off Scottish rugby at all levels it seems and it'll be a limp exit for both clubs in the QFs.

Overall, there seems to be a bit of a buzz developing around the URC. In some ways its encouraging that solid sides like Ospreys, Connacht, Scarlets and Lions don't even get a sniff of the playoffs.

 

[saulan]

Oh wow, I hadn’t noticed Ospreys had a game in hand. Top of the Welsh log is very much in the balance. Once again bonus points are going to play a crucial role.

 

[mdaclarke]

Watching the Dragons Zebre game now. The Dragons area really snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Proper cripple fight,

 

[big ginger 8]

I see McKee is starting today.

Typical Leinster stealing all of our talent smh.

I know this was tongue in cheek but apparently Ulster wanted him to play prop. Somewhat understandable give their resources but given his frame I don't think he'd be a pro player of he'd gone that route.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

It truly is a tight contest 2 too 9. I mean we win a game and drop two log spots. Kind of sums up our win TBH. Too much to contemplate despite the fact that the record will show we beat one of Europe's best. I hope we don't simply gloss over all there was to improve on. The line out remains a mess. Discipline can still be sharper. Roos, antics in particular left me fuming. Then we left so many points go begging. Can't afford that. Against a full complement Leinster in a Dublin URC final we won't have so many opportunities.

 

[saulan]

I hope we don't simply gloss over all there was to improve on.

we simply can’t afford to do that. Scarlets are likely going to be playing against us tied on points with Ospreys, so they’ll have massive fight in them and playing at home. Stormers need to sharpen things up, especially in the lineout, to potentially get second place.

 

[munstermuffin]

I'd have thought someone like yourself would be well aware it's more likely injuries than hype that's affecting Byrne.

The only impact they hype has had is that there's a legion of people ready to stick a fork in his career. He's missed a lot of gametime the last year and a bit and that's having a bigger effect than anything. Also not sure what about yesterday would prompt the comment? Frawley was decent but Leinster didn't look like scoring a try until Byrne was on, even if they didn't have a scrumhalf for most of that time. He nailed a tough conversion to get the lbp and had some nice touch finders. It wasn't an amazing performance but not sure how a solid 7/10 gets us to give up on his prospects? The only thing he had that looked like a mistake was the grubber that went dead but about three different Leinster players begged Evans to check the TMO saying it went off a Stormer.

Harry made alot of little errors. And seems to do it frequent. Never denied it was because of injuries or gametime BUT still just seems a long way off great saviour that media hyped him to be. Never said give up on him but more he does need alot of work. And regards injuries. Many before have had talent and weren't durable.