Just for this week we’re going to return to our “old school” style of 80+ columns without the Front Five video. Real life got in the way of regular content production last weekend when a family emergency caused the postponement of our Sunday evening wrap pod recording. Thankfully everything turned out ok at home and I am also grateful to both my scheduled contributors Conor Cronin and Cian O’Muilleoir for making themselves available at lunchtime on Monday to help produce an abridged-yet-still-excellent account of Leinster’s bonus point win in Galway.
ICYMI the pod click here to check it out on Spotify or you’ll also find it on Apple and most major platforms.
FRONT FIVE
A selection of eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from the rugby media landscape
Like I say above, I don’t have time to do a video to share my thoughts on this week’s Front 5, but I can briefly share them here.
On the Sexton thing of course, we’d be mad not to avail of his expertise in any way we can – though of course there are plenty of Irish ABL fans out there who will voice some sort of disapproval, especially with Ronan O’Gara doing so well as a coach. Personally I’d say why not try to get BOTH involved but you know, gaslighters gotta gaslight etc etc. On the two stories concerning actual coaches, both involve speculation but neither are surprising, Leinster have gotten off to a fast start to the season so why not inject suggestions of some behind the scenes uncertainty amirite? Then there’s the IRFU joining France in objecting to the 20m red being introduced to all top level tests, I really hope they can get more support in this effort to go against NZ & Aus and their absolutely absurd “ruining the game” narrative. Finally, our Clickbait of the Week feature returns with the old reliable Ruck.co.uk posing a question in the headline which I take great delight in answering with my choice of quote, thus saving you the click.
A selection of eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the rugby media landscape
JOHNNY MENTOR BE?
He would not be with the squad on a full-time basis but would spend a few hours a week passing on some of his knowledge gained during his glittering career
Despite all the success, Wilkinson is adamant that he doesn’t want his son to experience the pressures he faced during his rugby career.
Jonny Wilkinson Reveals if His Son Will Chase Rugby Glory Like Dad
Ruck.co.uk
HARPIN ON…THE LIONS Part II “The Bolters”
The second of our Harpin series looks at possible bolters for Andy Farrell’s squad. We concentrate on Irish players for now, I hope to have guests on from the other nations at some point to go over their candidates before anyone thinks we believe the team has to be mostly Irish!!!! That said…..nah, I best remain diplomatic for now.
IRISH SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT
Just announced as we’re publishing, will comment on our Preview Show this Friday
LEINSTER SQUAD UPDATE
HARPIN’ MATCHDAY 23 V LIONS
A Osborne, Turner, Henshaw, Tector, Lowe, Prendergast, McGrath
Smyth, Milne, Slimani, Deeny, Connors, Gunne, R Byrne, Cooney
Caveat : I have no “ITK”
INJURY UPDATE – AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:
Robbie Henshaw: has resumed full training and will be available for selection this weekend.
INJURY UPDATE – FURTHER ASSESSMENT REQUIRED:
Ryan Baird: is in the final stages of the Graduated Return to Play Protocols and subject to coming through them, will be available for selection at the weekend.
Ciarán Frawley: rolled his ankle in the first half in Galway and while not serious, will be further assessed as the week progresses before a final decision is made on his availability.
Joe McCarthy: will step up his training programme this week from a hamstring injury and will be further assessed before a final decision is made on his availability.
Jordan Larmour: will step up his training programme this week and will be further assessed towards the end of the week before a final decision is made on his availability.
John McKee: will step up his rehabilitation programme this week and will be further assessed towards the end of the week before a final decision is made on his availability.
INJURY UPDATE – NOT AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:
Lee Barron: won’t be available for selection this week as he manages a minor ankle injury sustained in the game against Munster.
NO FURTHER UPDATES ON:
Dan Sheehan, Paddy McCarthy, Jimmy O’Brien, Rob Russell, Jack Conan, Rónan Kelleher and Tommy O’Brien.
TROLL PATROL
Now it’s time for Troll Patrol where we ‘detain’ a social media commentator and charge them with gaslightery and general online mayhem.
This week’s detainee is an x account that is apparently meant to defend the ‘Tier 2’ nations yet seems to spend a lot of time having a go at Irish rugby in general, Ronan O’Gara in particular. This time they trot out the tired old ‘private schools’ line, as ever forgetting that no matter where the funding comes from, the sport has to be organised from a tiny player pool compared to other nations.
Irish Women’s team
Rugby World Cup draw…
Irish Shield
All Ireland Leagues
WOMEN’S AIL
MEN’S AIL
Premiership
🔝🐱🐴
ProD2
RE Super Cup
Harpin Prediction League
NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’
Friday – Harpin Preview Show featuring Keego
Saturday – Comment thread open after Leinster v Lions on our Facebook page
19 October 2024; Max Deegan of Leinster scores his side’s fourth try, despite the tackle of Connacht’s Shayne Bolton, during the United Rugby Championship match between Connacht and Leinster at Dexcom Stadium in Galway. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Happy enough with the Leinster performance. I was nervous when Frawley went off so early but thought Ross did a good job, especially in the conditions. Hope Frawley’s injury isn’t too bad.
Gavin Hegarty
Not much more else you can ask for. Top points from each outing. Yes we kinda let them back in it but we were never not dominant.
Clarkson for me had been coming into his own this season, he’ll be capped soon enough.
So utterly unlucky for frawley, this was his chance for the autumn series.
Craig Grehan
I think the match although winning shows some poorer choices of play by jpg at times.
Shows frawley is like the munster era snyman …and snyman is becoming a fan favourite.
Connacht as always put up a good fight and on another day would get more bang for their buck.
Cormac Mannion
I think we were switched on for a lot longer than last week. Hopefully Frawley’s injury isn’t too bad. Rotten luck for him
I was joined by David Cordial and Hugo Gordon to look back over the match at Croke Park, they did a bang up job so if you missed it by all means click here to check it out.
FRONT FIVE
A selection of eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the rugby media landscape
Newly-crowned WXV 2 champions Australia head up band two as the fifth seeds, with Ireland, Scotland and Italy joining them.
“Although some believe that this rule will promote smoother play, statistics…show that a red card does not systematically mean defeat for the penalised team”
…a case this month…has raised questions over how Richard Boardman recruits players to join the lawsuit brought by his firm, Rylands Garth, against World Rugby
A Osborne, Turner, Henshaw, Tector, King, Prendergast, Gunne
Milne, G McCarthy, Clarkson, O’Tighearnaigh, Ryan (c), Deegan, Penny, Culhane
Smyth, Boyle, Slimani, Deeny, Soroka, McGrath, R Byrne, H Byrne
Caveat : I have no “ITK”
INJURY UPDATE – AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:
Robbie Henshaw: returned to training last week after a minor injury and will be available for selection this weekend.
INJURY UPDATE – FURTHER ASSESSMENT REQUIRED:
Lee Barron: went off at half-time at the weekend with an ankle injury and will be further assessed this week before a final decision is made on his availability.
Ryan Baird: has entered the Graduated Return to Play Protocols and will be assessed as the week progresses.
Jordan Larmour: was not available for selection at the weekend as a precaution and will be further assessed this week before a final decision is made.
INJURY UPDATE – NOT AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:
Rónan Kelleher: had a procedure on an ankle injury last week and will be unavailable for between four to six weeks.
Jack Conan: will be unavailable for selection this week after being withdrawn in the first half against Munster with a hamstring injury.
Joe McCarthy: will not be available for selection this week after picking up a hamstring injury in the Benetton Rugby game.
NO FURTHER UPDATES ON:
Dan Sheehan, John McKee, Paddy McCarthy, Jimmy O’Brien and Tommy O’Brien.
TROLL PATROL
Now it’s time for Troll Patrol where we ‘detain’ a social media commentator and charge them with gaslightery and general online mayhem.
Last week we actually featured one of our own contributors in this segment because, well, you know, we’re fair like that. It was a Leinster fan trolling ahead of a clash with Munster. Now on the other side of the Croke Park clash, we’re also going to point out someone who has appeared on the pod before, only this time it’s a Munster fan.
Now to be clear, I wasn’t wild about the reports of Munster having difficulties bringing on a sub myself – I didn’t know about them until late Sunday evening, after our pod was recorded. A reaction like this, even if it is tongue in cheek (though that’s not obvious), might be a tad over the line. A real “John Delaney we should be the 33rd team” energy about it.
HOW TO BEAT LEINSTER
Here’s some more content from the URC site, I just thought the sub-editor’s choice of headline was a bit unfair to Pete Wilkins.
Connacht Reveal Formula For Beating Leinster
Connacht Rugby coach Pete Wilkins has been outlining what it will take to inflict the first defeat of the season on league leaders Leinster Rugby.
Wilkins says his team need to be brave, positive and fearless in Saturday night’s “massive” Irish interprovincial derby out in Galway.
Leinster have recorded bonus point victories in their first four BKT URC matches, so the big question is how can they be beaten?
“We have got to fire some shots,” replies Wilkins.
“It can’t be a game we are afraid to lose. It can’t be a mindset where we are trying to contain the opposition. “We have to be really positive and on the front foot in everything we do and that’s attack, defence and set-piece.
“The second part is recognising how important the first quarter of games are for Leinster. They are going after points early in terms of the intensity with which they start games.
“So that first quarter is going to be massive in terms of the foothold we can get in the game and how we can get the crowd engaged and the energy that comes from that.
“You’ve got to start well enough to ensure you are in the fight in the second half.”
Connacht have had mixed results so far, with two wins and two defeats, but they are certainly earning a reputation as an entertaining watch, having scored 17 tries in those opening four games.
“It’s a reputation I am happy for us to have and there are two reasons for that,” said Wilkins.
“One is we need to play a certain way to get enough wins to be competitive at the end of the season.
“With the type of players we have got, we need to be positive and brave in the way we play. I think it’s our best formula for success.
“The second part is it means we are staying true to the ethos of the club in terms of what this place is about. It’s about thriving sometimes in difficult conditions and it’s about firing shots and not daring to dream about what’s possible.
“That might sound a little bit twee, but we are making a conscious effort to try and embody that a little bit more strongly in the way we play.
“It’s making for a good watch at the moment. We are scoring tries and we are getting bonus points we wouldn’t have got last year.
“It’s certainly not dull, but the important thing is to keep striving towards winning.”
Maintaining their attacking strike-rate will be a tough ask against a Leinster side that has conceded just 54 points and eight tries in four league matches.
“It’s a brilliant challenge for us,” said Wilkins.
“There is such a clear identity to their defensive structure and intent, so it’s about being good enough to deal with it.
“It requires calm heads and a lot of accuracy to get either through it or around it.
“Any game against Leinster, you are going to have to score a good chunk of points to get a result.”
While Connacht have racked up 120 points so far – claiming victories over the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Scarlets along the way – they have conceded the same number and leaked 15 tries.
“We certainly need to be conceding less points,” said Wilkins.
“We conceded three maul tries against Ulster last week and I’ve no doubt that’s something Leinster will be looking to go after, which makes it an interesting challenge. We need to be good at both ends.”
In addition to losing 32-27 in Belfast last weekend, Connacht were also beaten 35-33 at Munster in the opening round.
So the question is whether they can make it third time lucky on the interprovincial front?
“We have played two really good Irish teams and the nature of our interpros is they tend to be the toughest going around compared to some of the other nations,” said Wilkins.
“To pick up four points from two interpros is four we wouldn’t have got last year.
“Would we have liked to have won one of them? Yes. Would we have liked to have won both? Absolutely.
“But we are getting better and we are not there yet.”
Connacht haven’t beaten Leinster in Galway since 2017, so a victory this weekend would be all the sweeter.
“The nature of our performance is incredibly important based on the previous Leinster visits, the progress we want to make and the quality of the opposition,” said Wilkins.
“If we can get that performance right, there’s competition points and a result there that’s entirely possible for us.
“Look, there’s a lot to play for. Our performances here at home are a source of incredible importance for this group. So it’s a massive game for lots of reasons.”
COMPETITION UPDATES
Irish Shield
All Ireland Leagues
WOMEN’S AIL
MEN’S AIL
Premiership
🔝🐱🐴
ProD2
RE Super Cup
Harpin Prediction League
NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’
THURSDAY : Weekly Harpin’ slot on DublinSouthFM after 5pm news
12 October 2024; RG Snyman of Leinster celebrates with team-mates after scoring their side’s fourth try during the United Rugby Championship match between Leinster and Munster at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Bar 2mins just before half time, we looked really disjointed and out of ideas after we scored the third try. It really was quite bizarre because we looked incredibly sharp in the first 15mins.
Also, setting up caterpillar rucks in the opposition half and launching up and unders? Seriously?
Micheal M Priest
Leinster, true to form, fall out of the game in the second half after creating a big lead. Just like previous European Cup finals.
Alright in this league against the likes of Munster, but get punished by the likes of La Rochelle and Toulouse. With such a large talented squad, when will serious questions be asked?
Aonghus O’Brien
Leinster defence looking good. Seemed to run out of ideas in attack in the second half but hopefully they are holding a bit back for the bigger European cup games etc
John Hyland
Leinster are turning into a 40 minute team. If they want silverware, they’ll need to get a lot more ruthless
Craig Grehan
Leinster were very much a first half team in the match.
The ref killed munster at times, but then again so did munster ball handling. A win is a win though.
Kevin Kelehan
Munster kept their shape despite the score, round 3 done. Who were the 1,800 eijits who paid good money for tickets and failed to turn up?
A weekly newsletter taking a broader view on the rugby world
WRAP OF A WRAP
Tom “@LeinsterRoyalty” Coleman & Ciarán “PostToPost Sport” Duffy joined me for the Benetton v Leinster wrap pod and did their usual bang up job. If you missed it, here’s a link for Spotify or it’s also on Apple and most major platforms.
FRONT FIVE
A selection of eye-catching egg-chasing quotes & links from around the rugby media landscape
THANK YOU DAVE
“Thanks to everyone for their support over the last 15 years…it’s been an incredible journey”
Our latest bonus chat from our wrap pod recording looks at the other three provinces as Leinster “begin their defence of” the Irish Shield…
JOSH INTERVIEW
Some free content from the URC is always appreciated – I won’t pass everything on that I get but when it’s Leinster I’ll share when I can…
Ireland star Van der Flier doing it by the book
If you want an illustration of the dedication which has made Josh van der Flier a World Rugby Player of the Year, you only have to listen to him talking about his notebooks.
It reveals the kind of meticulous preparation which – along with abundant natural talent – has seen the Leinster Rugby and Ireland flanker become such a star performer.
“It’s something I have started doing in the last few years,” he reveals.
“I have one notebook for when I’m in Irish camp and one for Leinster.
“At the start of the book, that would be my goals for the season, my main work-ons.
“I will have an attack section, a defence section, a fitness section, all different things that I want to improve on. It’s every area of the game, whether it’s breakdown, carrying, passing or tackling.
“Then, if a coach or a player says something I definitely want to make note of, I write that at the back of the book.
“There will be all little bits of pieces I have gathered, feedback you will get from a coach or another player.
“Then, in the middle, I go week to week with a double page for each game and kind of structure it out that way.
“I have everything in that notebook then and, if I run out of space, I take pictures of the important stuff.
“The main stuff at the front and back is kind of important to keep. That’s how I do it anyway.”
Then there’s the mental preparation for the physical battle out on the pitch.
“That’s one thing that is hard about rugby,” said the 31-year-old openside.
“At times, I do get jealous of footballers or golfers or people in other sports.
“If you are going to play a sport like that, you are obviously pumped up and you are ready, but you are not going in having to be fairly violent and physical with people.
“You have to get yourself to a certain mental state for a rugby game. Certainly I do anyway, which takes a lot out of you.
“You have to get to a stage where you are happy to get stuck in and hit people hard and be real physical and also be kind of calm as well.
“That’s one thing that becomes mentally difficult, certainly the longer a season goes on because of how much it takes to get revved up for a game.
“It was 13 months in the end last year from starting pre-season to finishing.
“Physically, I felt great all year. At the end of the season, my body still felt really good. But mentally it’s difficult in a long season.”
With rugby being so demanding and such an all-consuming passion, Van der Flier acknowledges it is important to switch off on occasions.
“I have got a lot better at it since I met my now wife who is good at doing activities or different things,” he said.
“She’s been great for that. Before I met her, there were six of us living in a house together and we were all obsessed with rugby. All we talked about was rugby.
“If it was a day off, we would be outside throwing a rugby ball around, which is great and we absolutely loved it, but I have got a lot better at switching off away from rugby now.
“After we went out of the World Cup last year, it was very difficult because it was still going on. So, rather than doing something relaxing, we went and did as many tourist things as we could every day to be as busy as possible because I felt if I stood still I would just be playing all the games back through in my head, which is the nature any time you lose in a big tournament.
“That was a hard one to switch off from. But then, once the final was over, I was able to switch off a lot better because the World Cup was over for everyone.”
Having had a break following Ireland’s titanic tour of South Africa, the 2022 World Player of the Year is now up and running on another season and ready for next Saturday’s huge BKT URC derby against Munster Rugby at Croke Park.
“I had five weeks off after the summer tour and I think having that break definitely allowed me to freshen up,” he said.
“The body is feeling good, the mind is feeling good, I am feeling really fresh and I am excited to crack into another season.”
That campaign has begun really well for Leinster who have kicked off with three successive bonus point victories in the league as they look to secure their first piece of silverware since 2021.
“It was obviously tough not to pick up any trophies last year because everyone wants to win. It means everything to everyone here,” said Van der Flier.
“But there is definitely a huge amount of excitement for the year ahead.
“We have a great coaching staff, a lot of great players and a lot of depth in our squad, so there’s no reason why we can’t give it another big shot this year. We are in a great position. We are very hungry and excited for the year ahead.”
The man from Wicklow added: “One thing we have certainly learned is how close it is and the narrow margins you can look back on at the end of a campaign.
“If you win, you don’t tend to notice them so much, but you certainly do when you lose. One thing that sticks out for me is we probably played better in the European final against Toulouse than Ireland did in the last Test against South Africa. But a bit of magic from (Ciaran) Frawley and we managed to get the win in that Springboks game while we didn’t win the other and that’s just the nature of rugby, I suppose. It does come down to fine margins.”
So, despite all the ups and downs and the physical and mental toll it takes, does rugby still remain the job he would rather do than any other?
Porter, Barron, Furlong, McCarthy, Ryan, Baird, van der Flier, Doris (c)
McKee, Healy, Slimani, Snyman, Conan, McGrath, R Byrne, Ringrose
Caveat : I have no “ITK”
INJURY UPDATE – AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:
RG Snyman: came through the game on Saturday with no issues after his recovery from a foot injury.
Jack Boyle: due to return to training this week after his recovery from a foot injury.
INJURY UPDATE – FURTHER ASSESSMENT REQUIRED:
Jordan Larmour: was not available for selection at the weekend as a precaution and will be further assessed this week before a final decision is made.
Rónan Kelleher: will have assessment this week on an ankle injury after being withdrawn in the first half on Saturday.
Jimmy O’Brien: will have assessment this week on a hamstring injury after being withdrawn in the first half on Saturday.
NO FURTHER UPDATES ON:
Dan Sheehan, John McKee, Paddy McCarthy, Tommy O’Brien and Rob Russell.
TROLL PATROL
Now it’s time for Troll Patrol where we ‘detain’ a social media commentator and charge them with gaslightery and general online mayhem.
This week’s detainee comes directly from our own Harpin’ pod recording, a light hearted choice from our regular contributor Tom Coleman who not only knew his Zoom background would be seen in the week building up to the Croke Park rematch, but also that he was to be harpin’ on Munster for the bonus chat!!! Hey, we’re nothing if not fair with our Troll Patrol, nobody is safe not even our own…
5 October 2024; Ciarán Frawley of Leinster beats the tackle of Tommaso Menoncello of Benetton on the way to scoring his side’s second try during the United Rugby Championship match between Benetton and Leinster at Stadio Monigo in Treviso, Italy. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Weird one that. Obviously happy with 5 points away at Benetton. We were brilliant for half an hour. Defensively exceptional for the whole game. But it's a concern how much our attack faded after that opening blitz. #BENvLEI
HARPIN' ON RUGBY 