Heineken Cup

All-Star Posts : 2572 Join date : 2010-01-31

Spot on Rex, Kearney is flying. No-one was surprised really at the one-sided nature of the game but it was great to see an Irish team displaying such ruthlessness. They are well capable of beating Clermont over there

Subject: Re: Heineken Cup Mon Apr 09, 2012 11:03 pm

Think Leinster are coming right at the best possible time.... Munster are in need of a freshening of idea's but the only thing that might go against them is the possibility that they don't have the money to replace McGahan with a big name and they just might end up with Anthony Foley as a cheaper option. In fairness Munster were like Sarcens yesterday, they didn't have the killer edge which Leinster have. Ulster were there for the taking and to be honest it was more handling errors by Munster than super defending... Looking forward to the Semi's...

Word of congrats to Michael Bradley..... He's done a great job with Edinburgh. First time a Scottish time have got this far in his first season....

All-Star Posts : 1090 Join date : 2010-07-04

The Munster thought process is the same as the Irish thought process and are both playing a brand of rugby that is stale and reminds me of a Clive Woodward team in decline.

Leinster played a style of rugby alien to Kidney and Munster thinking yet with nearly the same set of backs.

Look what Michael Bradley has done with limited resources at Connaught and now Edinburgh, what Conor O'Shea is doin with Harlequinns. Axel Foley is the wrong move for Munster and they can write off the next 3 years under him

All-Star Posts : 2572 Join date : 2010-01-31

Can't agree. Think Munster just aren't good enough right now. No shame in that. They won the thing a few years when they weren't good enough either.

All-Star Posts : 1090 Join date : 2010-07-04

Doctors differ patients die. Munsters decline has been on the cards for some time now at least the last 2 seasons they have been scrapping by mediocre teams and inconsistant.

They are very much a one trick pony O'Connell goes to ground O'Gara kicks for territory. Plus their succession plans aren't clear. Professional teams at their level shouldn't go through transition periods because the structures/academys should have an endless supply of talent or buy the talent like Toulouse, Leinster, Claremont. Too many average players like Varley, Hurley, Mafi, Marcus Horan, Mick O'Driscoll, Donnacha O'Callaghan make up the core of the squad.

I'm a Munster fan but they never built on what they had plus they current coaching shambles with McGahan leaving.

Subject: Re: Heineken Cup Thu Apr 12, 2012 11:20 pm

Stonecold wrote:: The Munster thought process is the same as the Irish thought process and are both playing a brand of rugby that is stale and reminds me of a Clive Woodward team in decline.

Leinster played a style of rugby alien to Kidney and Munster thinking yet with nearly the same set of backs.

Look what Michael Bradley has done with limited resources at Connaught and now Edinburgh, what Conor O'Shea is doin with Harlequinns. Axel Foley is the wrong move for Munster and they can write off the next 3 years under him

Foley is only the forwards coach with Munster....so I think he is pretty adequately qualified for that!

All-Star Posts : 1090 Join date : 2010-07-04

Good Lieutenants don't make good Generals, Foley has 1 season as forwards coach and now people think he should be head coach? Maybe in 5 years time but not after one bad season.

All-Star Posts : 3059 Join date : 2010-01-31

Huge game this weekend, could be the game of the year if both teams perform to their best. Leinster go in with a full deck to pick from. Clermont the last side to beat Leinster in Heineken cup are the other strongest team left in the competition.
After Watching Leinster beat Ulster (they actually beat the three provinces home and away) I am more sure that the winner of this game will win the Heineken Cup. If it was in the Aviva I would say Leinter would win, bit it's not and having to go to France will test Leinster to their limits. I hope it's dry in Bordeaux as that will suit Leinster better.

In Joe Schmidt I think is the best coach in Northern hemisphere Rugby who has intimate knowledge of Clermont. Clermont do have Nathan Hines who will know how the Leinster set piece works.

All in all a great game to look forward to, it could go either way but I'll go with the heart and say Leinster.

Unfortunately they way things work out, I'll be in Croke Park so the sky box will be set and the radio turned off on the way home. Here's hoping for a Lily / Leinster double this weekend.

Junior C Posts : 5 Join date : 2019-03-17

centreback wrote:: good call there rex i would agree with that. i love the heineken cup aswell ogie but not that much in fact i would prefer the 6 nations to it ireland winning the grand slam has to go down as one of my best memories of rugby, did ye see the kind of documentary rte done on it about 2 years ago ferris o`gara bowe all taking the piss of heaslips celebration before he touched down it was very good well worth another look if anyone knows where i could find it? just to relive the jones penalty miss and to hear what was going through the players minds was brilliant

leading try-scorer. O'Gara is by miles the leading points-scorer. Devin Toner is the tallest in the entire competition! The round 1 fixtures - previous history, if any, between the contestants etc. I must say, I can't wait for this to get going and Leinster v Munster