As ever Tom & Rich did a bang up job wrapping Leinster’s win over the Scarlets. I’ve tried to simplify the format this season, where before I split each half into five segments for the guests to wrap they now just cover 20 minutes each per half. That can lead to a lot of harping so I’ve tried to jump in to help were I can but I still reckon this works as a better system.
Classic Harpin luck…less than 24 hours after we record a bonus clip about what Neinaber can bring to Leinster, the news breaks that he’s likely to be delayed arriving with the squad until after we play Munster. Still, as Tom says you can already see some of his influence in our play and no doubt there is some kind of Zoom-like communication going on. Anyway, the boys still did a good job harpin’ on what he will add to the province.
LEINSTER INJURY UPDATE
Would you believe I completely forgot about this 80+ feature this season until now? Well if you knew me you certainly would believe it! #scatterbrain
Anywho…while it is good news about Ed Byrne, and also that Messrs Milne & Healy are close to making it five, yes, count ‘em, FIVE quality loose head props available for selection, I reckon Jack Boyle’s form over the first five rounds should be enough to earn him a spot in our 23 for this Saturday at very least.
Obviously the names at the bottom of the list are concerning and we’d want them returning ASAP but overall it’s far from the worst injury report we’ve seen.
Harpin’ matchday 23 v Munster
Keenan, J O’Brien, Ringrose, Ngatai, Lowe, R Byrne, Gibson-Park.
Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, McCarthy, Ryan, Baird, van der Flier, Doris.
NB : the above matchday 23 is completely from my own mind, I’m certainly not suggesting I have any ITK a la Thornley
INJURY UPDATE – AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:
Ed Byrne: has returned to full training after recovering from his hamstring injury
INJURY UPDATE – FURTHER ASSESSMENT REQUIRED:
Michael Milne: will be further assessed later this week as he continues his return from a shoulder injury
Cian Healy: will step up his rehabilitation programme this week as he continues his return from a shoulder injury
INJURY UPDATE – UNAVAILABLE FOR SELECTION:
N/A
NO FURTHER UPDATES ON:
Tommy O’Brien (ankle), Cormac Foley (shoulder), John McKee (hamstring), Luke McGrath (knee) and Alex Soroka (foot)
WE STAND WITH UGO
Easy choice of topic for this week’s TikTok. Pretty much said my piece in the video but I will also add a relevant tweet from fellow Leinster fan Catherine Kavanagh on the matter.
In spring 2019 Leinster played Ulster in a HEC 1/4 final. Dan Leavy's last game. A Leinster fan, obstreperous and hammered, abused Ulster fans & players in sectarian terms. He got instantly shouted down by everyone, the Gardai marched him out. LR went after him too. Only way. https://t.co/Sm1t9LdmrL
I think I’ve finally settled on a structure with these 80+ columns…starting with a few segments on the wrap pod from last weekend, ending with updates from other competitions, and here we’re in what I call “The Middle Aisle” where I cover a few topics that caught my eye in the last week.
First we have the announcement of the squads for the two senior 7s teams which will be representing Ireland both in the rebranded “Svns” series which starts in Dubai on the weekend of December 2.
As you can see below, the biggest difference between the two groups is that the Women’s includes many who would be expected to featured in XVs, so clearly this continues to be a problem for the programme. Apparently the only actual clash with the 2024 Six Nations will be on the Hong Kong leg but realistically I’d expect there to be minimal back and forth between the versions.
On the men’s side, all the big names are there like Kennedy, Conroy, McNulty plus some new ones as well and they will really want to crack on from last season where they reached their first final yet disappointed in other events.
We’ll be covering the series on this column and eventually it will move to the Updates section starting next week.
Ireland Men’s Sevens – 2024 Squad: Niall Comerford, Jordan Conroy, Sean Cribbin, Billy Dardis, Ed Kelly, Jack Kelly, Terry Kennedy, JJ Kenny, Hugo Lennox, Matt McDonald, Harry McNulty, Bryan Mollen, Gavin Mullin, Chay Mullins, Dylan O’Grady, Aaron O’Sullivan, Connor O’Sullivan, Mark Roche, Zac Ward.
WOMEN’S CELTIC LEAGUE GETS CLOSER
Last season there was a new competition called “The Celtic Challenge” where Irish, Scottish and Welsh women’s teams competed to help prepare for the Six Nations – now it has been expanded to involve two teams from each nation so I assume it will be a round robin format.
As my headline suggests, this brings us ever closer to the formation of a proper Women’s Celtic League and it would be perfect if they could eventually include all four provinces.
One drawback however seems to be the fact that this expanded competition will run right into the also-expanded format of the Women’s AIL which switched to a home-and-away format this season.
I’m all for more women’s rugby but when the sevens, club, test and now this new level all clash at the same time it really looks like they are creating more problems than they are solving.
SIOBHÁN CATTIGAN
I’m not really in a position to comment too much on any Scottish rugby let alone the women’s game there but it was hard not to be moved by the tragic story of Siobhán Cattigan plus the horrible way in which the SRU handled the aftermath.
Hopefully the way the union has engaged with the family together with the apology has gone a way towards mending the fences. If they are happy with the sincerity of the apologies than so should we.
HOGGWASH
Not my intention to pick on Scottish rugby this week but I just have one thing to say about the whole Stuart Hogg thing…if the reports are true then he definitely does not sound like a good guy.
That said, if he goes on to stay out of rugby then there’s not much more for me to say about him on a platform dedicated to opinion on what happens within the game. And it certainly seems that Rugby Pass aren’t singing from the same hymn sheet.
I mean – if we want to focus on players who have wronged women, there are plenty of those still playing the sport now.
"I absolutely hated it… but there was method in the madness."
– Stuart Hogg, with Liam Heagney 👨💻, on being an ex-player, horse riding, @rugbyontnt TV punditry, and anguished last few months at Exeter. #GallagherPrem#EXEvGLO
Many have pointed out that the two Italian clubs are now above all four Welsh regions on the URC table, but I also noticed one other fact from the first five rounds of the season.
Last season, over the 18 regular season rounds of the URC, both Italian clubs lost in as many as 10 of them. This season so far, there have been ZERO. Maybe that includes a couple of draws but that is still certainly quite the improvement, and long may it continue. Except when they both play Leinster, of course…
MIKE AND THE PRE-MATCH MECHANICS
I covered Mike McCarthy’s pre-kickoff Viking clap routine on this column a few weeks ago for Leinster’s first match at the RDS, well they didn’t do it for the visit of Edinburgh yet brought it back last Saturday and this time I took a brief video for TikTok.
No Irish Shield action last weekend, rather four proud wins for the provinces, but the race resumes at the Aviva this Saturday as Leinster finally join the fray. I’ve revised the info below to include all the 12 matches and we’ll continue to track the table’s process throughout the season if the URC have yet to do it on their website.
NOV 4 CONNACHT 22-20 ULSTER
NOV 10 ULSTER 21-14 MUNSTER
ULSTER P 2 PTS 5
CONNACHT P 1 PTS 4
MUNSTER P 1 PTS 1
LEINSTER P 0 PTS 0
NOV 25 LEINSTER V MUNSTER
DEC 2 CONNACHT V LEINSTER
DEC 22 ULSTER V CONNACHT
DEC 26 MUNSTER V LEINSTER
JAN 1 CONNACHT V MUNSTER
JAN 1 LEINSTER V ULSTER
MAY 11 MUNSTER V CONNACHT
MAY 18 ULSTER V LEINSTER
MAY 31 LEINSTER V CONNACHT
JUNE 1 MUNSTER V ULSTER
🔝🐱🐴 UPDATE
Big win for Stu Lancaster’s Racing in the Parisien derby which moves them up to second place level on points with their capital city rivals with Castres also on 23pts and Pau just one behind. Things don’t exactly get easier for Racing as they host La Rochelle who seem to be getting their mojo back after a third win on the bounce saw them creep to the edge of the playoff picture.
Round 7
STADE FRANCAIS 9-13 RACING 92
BAYONNE 35-16 PAU
PERPIGNAN 26-13 MONTPELLIER
OYONNAX 38-20 LYON
CLÉRMONT 27-30 TOULON
CASTRES 31-23 TOULOUSE
LA ROCHELLE 25-21 BORDEAUX
Round 8
SAT NOV 25
TOULON V CASTRES
BORDEAUX V PERPIGNAN
LYON V BAYONNE
MONTPELLIER V OYONNAX
PAU V STADE FRANCAIS
TOULOUSE V CLÉRMONT
SUN NOV 26
RACING 92 V LA ROCHELLE
PREMIERSHIP UPDATE
Leinster’s Euro opponents are heading in opposite directions these days – we play Sale in December and they went to the top of the table after their win over Newcastle while Quins got humbled at the Stoop by Saracens. Leicester did manage to win their derby against the Saints yet they remain in the bottom two.
ROUND 6
BATH 20-19 BRISTOL BEARS
SALE SHARKS 40-22 NEWCASTLE
LEICESTER 26-17 NORTHAMPTON
HARLEQUINS 10-38 SARACENS
EXETER 25-24 GLOUCESTER
ROUND 7
FRI NOV 24
NORTHAMPTON V HARLEQUINS
SALE SHARKS V BATH
SAT NOV 25
GLOUCESTER V LEICESTER TIGERS
SARACENS V BRISTOL
SUN NOV 26
NEWCASTLE V EXETER
AIL UPDATE
Round 8 of the Women’s AIL has once again highlighted the gap between the top 4 clubs and the rest, with the two matches involving sides from both ends of the table being blow outs and the two more evenly matched contests being close. UL Bohs held out Belvo to keep their 100% record intact, but their schedule doesn’t get any easier as they must travel to Belvo the weekend after next while another potential semifinal matchup between Rock and Railway takes place at the same time, and when those matches are complete the league will be at its halfway point.
Meanwhile on the men’s side, even though I am a blue jersey supporter I still have to admit it’s always good to see as many as three provinces represented in the top four of the AIL 1A.
Recent Leinster debutant Dylan Donnellan marked his return to the AIL with two tries but leaders Clontarf could only manage a draw away to Hinch although they still remain top. Cork Con’s demolition of lowly Trinity brought them to within a point of 1st while champions Terenure continue to struggle to stay in touch with the top 4 as they fell away to Young Munster.
The men’s clubs take a break this coming weekend with the big interpro derby at the Aviva but there’s to be another one in Round 7 when 1st place Tarf hosts 2nd place Con. Hopefully there will be a stream for that one, definitely worth a watch.
#SupportYourLocalClub
WOMEN’S AIL
Round 8
BALLINCOLLIG 0-50 BELVO
COOKE 0-65 BLACKROCK
WICKLOW 5-12 GALWEGIANS
UL BOHS 10-7 RAILWAY UNION
Round 6
SAT NOV 25
WICKLOW V RAILWAY UNION
Round 9
SAT DEC 2
SUTTONIANS V WICKLOW
BALLINCOLLIG V GALWEGIANS
BLACKROCK V RAILWAY UNION
BELVO V UL BOHS
MEN’S AIL
ROUND 6
BALLYNAHINCH 24-24 CLONTARF
CITY OF ARMAGH 18-25 UCD
CORK CON 33-5 DUBLIN UNIV
LANSDOWNE 42-12 SHANNON
YOUNG MUNSTER 13-6 TERENURE
ROUND 7
SAT DEC 2
CLONTARF V CORK CON
DUBLIN UNIV V LANSDOWNE
TERENURE V SHANNON
UCD V BALLYNAHINCH
YOUNG MUNSTER V CITY OF ARMAGH
RE SUPER CUP UPDATE
The two decisive matches when it came to deciding on semi finalists each went different ways in the final round. The Romanian Wolves rolled over the Brussels Devils while the Iberian peninsula derby was a whole lot closer with Castilla holding out Lusitanos to join the Wolves in the final four. Meanwhile in what could very possibly be a rehearsal for the final, champions Black Lion edged Tel Aviv. At time of writing dates and times of the semifinals are yet to be decided.
ROUND 3
BOHEMIA WARRIORS 0-74 DELTA
TEL-AVIVA HEAT 27-29 BLACK LION
BRUSSELS DEVILS 5-60 ROMANIAN WOLVES
CASTILLA 18-13 LUSITANOS
SEMIFINALS (DATES TBD)
BLACK LION V CASTILLA
TEL-AVIV HEAT V ROMANIAN WOLVES
HARPIN PREDICTION LEAGUE
Bad week for me this time around, I tried backing Zebre again and although they didn’t lose, they didn’t win either and other results went against me meaning I was overtaken by Kino, who apparently is deploying a new system (and I’m not mocking it – he literally has a degree in this sort of thing) so we’ll see if I can keep in touch with himself, Kristian and Conor, the HPL rookie who this week jumped into the top slot. Will be very interesting to see what the predictions are for Leinster v Munster this Saturday given only Ulster fan Kristian has no skin in the game…will any of the other seven take a gamble and plump for red?
NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’
Our Opposition View series of pod returns this week, although due to time restrictions I may only do them for interpros for the next while. Caolán Scully joins me for a chat, watch out for it on the feed around Wednesday morning. I may even give him a bit of time to gloat over their URC title, you never know.
But after that it’s down to business giving Saturday’s big one at the Aviva the full Harpin treatment with Keego joining me for the preview on Friday, then Mark & Nathan are due to help me with the wrap on Sunday so stay tuned to all the usual social media channels and get involved in the discussion in any way you can.
As ever, be sure to enjoy your rugby wherever you are. JLP
18 November 2023; Sam Prendergast of Leinster scores his side’s first try during the United Rugby Championship match between Leinster and Scarlets at the RDS Arena in Dublin. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
A good win but still a little disappointing. A good place to be when we’re disappointed to concede 5 to the Scarlets.
Prendergast did well but he’s too light in defence, he’d need more back row cover going forward.
Well done to Ross Byrne on his 150th cap.
Joe Mc was unreal again, he’s a fine future in front of him
(reply to Gavin) Peter Tracey
I’m glad they weren’t great. Loads to work on for next week and Jack will be in place.
Agree about Prendergast but that will come so not too worried.
Could Ross be top points scorer in the future? The only thing is if he’s in Ireland squads.
Joe is going to have a big season. I liked Gunne’s passing when he came on. Looked good for Ireland u20s.
We need to start bringing through a few 9s and props which we are.
Brian Corr
I enjoyed the game, I think it’s funny though that I have to remind myself as do many others that a 54-5 win is an excellent result.
It’s great to see Osbourne in particular doing so well, and the more Prendergast and Gunne get opportunities, the better Leinster will do.
The international contingent had a mixed bag, overall good and funnily enough Furlong looked very sharp.
Delighted for Keenan to get POTM, brilliant as usual.
Kevin Kelehan
Dominant and top of the table
Warren Doyle
God almighty we won👏👏👏👏
Jamie Donohoe
Jimmy O Brien had a superb game
Scoreline doesnt tell the story of the match, only because Scarlets couldve had a lot more than their 5 only for the Blue Wall. Result never really in doubt, good outing by Sam, great one by Hugo, still some workons but top of the league going into big one next week. #LEIvSCA
Following on from our tribute to Andrew Conway on our wrap pod and 80+ column, and also looking ahead to Saturday night’s visit to the RDS of the Scarlets, this week’s Throwback Thursday features our Harpin writeup from 2010 when the Llanelli region came to D4, a night which included the Conway’s first Leinster cap.
How many times does a player have to prove he can handle pressure?
Jonny Sexton did it coming on for Felipe at Croker. He did it again at Murrayfield. He did it at the RDS in his first Ireland start. He even did it whilst beating the 2009 Team of the Year.
And in many ways, with the taste of the first competitive defeat of the Kidney era still fresh on the palates of Irish fans, Saturday night’s Magners League contest against the Scarlets represented the 24-year-old’s biggest pressure outing of all.
With Ronan O’Gara shooting himself in both feet by whinging about a journalist, the stage was set to show he was worthy of stepping in at Twickenham next weekend.
So let’s see…how did he handle it?
22 of his side’s 27 points, including a try and 2 kicks from the touchline. Several crunching tackles. Tremendous versatility with the ball in hand. What the hell more do we want?
Let’s face it – we all know that O’Gara is a quality international out-half, but that’s just the point. WE ALL KNOW IT. And so do the other five nations. There’s a playbook on how to go up against him, and there’s no other country in this competition more likely to go by a playbook than Martin Johnson’s England.
So as well as another four Magners League points, Leinster fans were celebrating a display from their super Number 10 that surely has earned him the starting jumper.
We’ll see.
As for the rest of the team, well, to be honest they played like a unit that hasn’t been together in a long time, and guess what, that’s exactly what they were. Had it not been for McCusker’s blooper moment (see YouTube clip below) the outcome could have been very different, but I’m satisfied we did just enough over the 80 minutes to come out on top.
Despite putting in a strong performance himself on the night, it looks as though Girvan Dempsey’s hopes of making the 22 for the weekend are non-existent with the call up of Geordan Murphy to the squad. It looks like it’s between the Leicester Tiger and Keith Earls for the vacant 15 jersey.
And spare a thought for poor Sean O’Brien. He probably wouldn’t have started against England, but what an impact sub to have off the bench. It has been a great season for the Carlow man and it would be a shame if it were over for him already with so many big matches in the coming weeks.
Last, and certainly not least, even though it was only for a couple of minutes, what a debut from young Rock boy Andrew Conway. I blogged about a feature on him in Rugby World magazine last May and with a try-producing offload at one end and a try-saving tackle at the other in his brief appearance, he is surely one to watch.
Overall it was an entertaining Saturday evening at the RDS, even if it was kind of like Something Happens coming on to play one song halfway through a U2 gig.
Never thought something like Storm Debi could possibly affect our humble pod recording, though at least it wasn’t due to anyone coming to any harm. I had already pushed it to a Monday evening chat when Tom Coleman had to work late so thankfully Conor Cronin was able to step in and do his second wrap pod in as many weekends, with Jay Long also helping us look back over Leinster’s win over the Dragons.
But because everything has been pushed back a day, this week’s 80+ column will be a lot shorter than usual.
Selecting a matchday 23 is always a great discussion point so this chat was easy, although we came up with some calls we might not have considered not too long ago.
BUNKER MENTALITY
Although I’ve kept this 80+ column brief I enjoy doing those TikTok opinion vids so I found the time to do one on the TMO bunker system.
Here’s the transcript of my contribution to the “Front 5” feature on our wrap pod where we look at articles covering topics outside the latest Leinster/Ireland match…
Quote “…even though it was only for a couple of minutes, what a debut from young Rock boy Andrew Conway…with a try-producing offload at one end and a try-saving tackle at the other in his brief appearance, he is surely one to watch.” end quote
That was 2010. Now fast forward almost three years to January 25, 2013 when Conway was still considered to be one of Leinster’s top prospects so you’d have thought the announcement of his move to Munster of all places would send shockwaves throughout Irish rugby.
However the news came at exactly the same time as that of Johnny Sexton’s move to Racing, and with Isa Nacewa also leaving as the season came to a close and both stars featuring in Leinster’s win over Ulster in the Pro12 final, Conway’s exit went very much below the radar, even though he himself also started that same decider at the RDS.
Well the rest, as the saying goes, is history and Simon Lewis’ article does a great job of summarizing the facts of Conway’s spell at Munster, and I’d only add two points, the first being that before the horrible injury which ruled him out for 16 months, it was clear he was very much part of Andy Farrell’s plans for the 2023 World Cup, and indeed on outings like a preseason clash with Leinster down in Musgrave Park in September just gone, he showed he had lost none of his sharpness, particularly on the kick chase where he had become a master of the art.
But one other thing I’d like to add to all the much deserved plaudits he has received since his announcement is that if anyone’s career shows exactly how the reality of Irish rugby transcends all the Leinster/Munster bickering we see from fans of both provinces, myself included of course, then it’s Andrew Conway’s.
If you were to believe all the social media narrative and gaslighting, there’s absolutely no way a promising talent with a CV so Leinstery you’d swear it belonged to Ross O’Carroll Kelly himself would ever be allowed move down the N7, let alone be accepted and acclaimed as a hero by the Thomond Park faithful.
Yet despite the irony of the announcement of his retirement also coming around the same time as that of Sexton, there was no going under the radar this time, with tributes pouring in not just from Munster fans mostly sharing GIFs of THAT try against Toulon but also from throughout the other three provinces and beyond.
He could easily have earned more than 30 caps over his career but he rounds off his retirement statement with two words “forever grateful” and I’m pretty sure I speak for the vast majority of the rugby family when I say so are we, Andrew, and best of luck with your next adventure.
URC IRISH SHIELD UPDATE
Ulster’s win on Friday puts them to the top of the Irish Shield for now, although Leinster have yet to get underway on this table, a situation to be resolved by none other than the visit of Munster to Aviva the weekend after next. URC website still not posting the latest tables.
Match 2
ULSTER 21-14 MUNSTER
ULSTER P 2 PTS 5
CONNACHT P 1 PTS 4
MUNSTER P 1 PTS 1
LEINSTER P 0 PTS 0
Match 3
NOV 25
LEINSTER V MUNSTER
🔝🐱🐴 UPDATE
Both of Leinster’s Champions Cup pool opponents from the 🔝🐱🐴 had narrow victories in Round 6, with ROG’s lads needing a last gasp penalty to get them back to winning ways just as they’re feeding their internationals back into the squad before we play them. Meanwhile Stade remain top with a Parisien derby against Stu Lancaster’s Racing, possibly including Siya Kolisi, to come at the weekend.
Round 6
SAT NOV 11
TOULOUSE 43-34 PERPIGNAN
CASTRES 39-11 OYONNAX
LYON 32-36 STADE FRANCAIS
MONTPELLIER 17-20 CLÉRMONT
PAU 20-11 BORDEAUX
LA ROCHELLE 18-15 BAYONNE
TOULON 32-26 RACING 92
Round 7
SAT NOV 18
STADE FRANCAIS V RACING 92
BAYONNE V PAU
PERPIGNAN V MONTPELLIER
OYONNAX V LYON
CLÉRMONT V TOULON
CASTRES V TOULOUSE
SUN NOV 19
LA ROCHELLE V BORDEAUX
PREMIERSHIP UPDATE
Mixed fortunes for Leinster’s Euro Prem opponents this week – Leicester fell at home which sent Quins to the top of the table while Sale Sharks move to second with a decent win away to Bristol. Finn Russell seemingly taunted the Gloucester crowd as Bath stayed in the playoff positions with a derby victory and Northampton round out the top 4 with a win over Exeter.
ROUND 5
GLOUCESTER 27-45 BATH
BRISTOL 13-27 SALE SHARKS
LEICESTER 25-29 HARLEQUINS
NEWCASTLE 12-50 SARACENS
NORTHAMPTON 34-19 EXETER
ROUND 6
FRI NOV 17
BATH V BRISTOL BEARS
SALE SHARKS V NEWCASTLE
SAT NOV 18
LEICESTER V NORTHAMPTON
HARLEQUINS V SARACENS
EXETER V GLOUCESTER
AIL UPDATE
Top match in the Women’s AIL was a low scoring thriller with Belvo holding out to win 6-3 at Railway Union, who’s schedule doesn’t get any easier as they now must travel to 100% league leaders UL Bohs in a match which will be livestreamed from Annacotty on the Irish Rugby YouTube channel, we’ll put a link in the Rugby on TV post on Thursday.
Meanwhile on the men’s side of things Clontarf stayed top after taking maximum points against City of Armagh but Cork Con stayed in touch with a comprehensive win at Shannon – next up they host Trinity who continue to struggle at the bottom with some daylight starting to appear between them and those above them.
#SupportYourLocalClub
WOMEN’S AIL
Round 7
ROCK 48-0 BALLINCOLLIG
COOKE 14-17 WICKLOW
GALWEGIANS 5-12 SUTTONIANS
RAILWAY UNION 3-6 BELVO
Round 8
SAT NOV 18
BALLINCOLLIG V BELVO
COOKE V BLACKROCK
WICKLOW V GALWEGIANS
UL BOHS V RAILWAY UNION
MEN’S AIL
ROUND 5
CLONTARF 35-17 CITY OF ARMAGH
DUBLIN UNIV 15-21 BALLYNAHINCH
SHANNON 24-43 CORK CON
TERENURE 24-23 LANSDOWNE
UCD 26-24 YOUNG MUNSTER
ROUND 6
SAT NOV 18
BALLYNAHINCH V CLONTARF
CITY OF ARMAGH V UCD
CORK CON V DUBLIN UNIV
LANSDOWNE V SHANNON
YOUNG MUNSTER V TERENURE
RE SUPER CUP UPDATE
Whether intentional or not, this new Super Cup format has thrown up some fascinating clashes for the final round of the pool stage this weekend. Both the Castillas/Lusitanos Iberian derby and the Romanian Wolves/Brussels clash are virtually quarterfinals with Black Lion and the Heat already through to the final four.
ROUND 2
CASTILLA 20-38 TEL-AVIV HEAT
BOHEMIA WARRIORS 10-43 BRUSSELS DEVILS
LUSITANOS 0-22 BLACK LION
DELTA 5-31 ROMANIAN WOLVES
ROUND 3
THU NOV 16
BOHEMIA WARRIORS V DELTA
SAT NOV 18
TEL-AVIVA HEAT V BLACK LION
BRUSSELS DEVILS V ROMANIAN WOLVES
SUN NOV 19
CASTILLA V LUSITANOS
HARPIN PREDICTION LEAGUE
Although I’m still in third place I gained some ground by pinching the yellow cap this week for the highest score, mostly due to my somehow managing to predict Zebre’s historic win over the Sharks. I don’t know what came over me when I made the call, except for the fact that the Parma outfit had been doing well picking up bonus points so far this season while the Sharks were at the end of a long road trip so it was probably worth the punt.
Short but sweet column this time, hopefully next week will be more conventional. As ever we’ll be giving the visit of the Scarlets to the RDS the full Harpin treatment so stay tuned to all the usual social media channels and get involved in the discussion in any way you can.
As ever, be sure to enjoy your rugby wherever you are. JLP
12 November 2023; Dan Sheehan of Leinster on his way to scoring his side’s first try during the United Rugby Championship match between Dragons and Leinster at Rodney Parade in Newport, Wales. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
Overall a good result, but why can’t we take advantage when teams are down a man. They were down 2 players and we just made mistake after mistake.
Need to give Zebre a special mention, first win in 18 months
Dave Murray
Poor conditions but 5 points on the road is most welcome. Would’ve liked some more points to boost the points difference but beggers can’t be choosers I guess. Hopefully injuries aren’t too serious, especially for Tommy O’Brien, who can’t seem to catch a break at all.
Micheal Mac An TSagart
Pointless matches playing poor teams, which ultimately does Leinster no good in the long run when they play the top European teams.
Jamie Donohoe
Let’s hope that coward Basham receives a long ban for that disgraceful late elbow on Ross Byrne. Thuggish behaviour
Anne Byrne Spollen
A wins a win condition dreadful congratulations guy’s 🧢🏉
Alastair McDermott
Ugly conditions, job done.
Far from a classic but many great performances, Joe Mac worthy PotM , captains performance from Dan and pack altogether on top. Couldve won by more but with conditions and all, happy to take 5 pts and run. Up into 2nd place now.#DRAvLEI
HARPIN' ON RUGBY 