Twitter : @ccbooms
HoR.net contributions : 18 pods, 22 overall
A bonus pod to set us up nicely for the Six Nations – our panel gives an overview of the Irish squad as well as the other five nations plus the Irish Under20s ahead of 6Mas Day.
Our guests…
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THIS WEEK’S GUESTS
CONOR CRONIN & CIAN O’MUILLEOIR
FULL TIME TAKES
Gavin Hegarty
We beat a Cardiff team with our thirds. We had the bp quick enough and took the foot off the gas in the second half to allow them two tries back.
Delight to have chopper Connors back and to see him doing what he does best.
Great to see the debutants, Leinster are going to be a force for years to come.
Brian Corr
Feel Cardiff came thinking they were going to have an easy game with so many Leinster players on Ireland duty, they realised their mistake too late.
It’s great to see Deegan playing so well and even better to see Connors back.
It’s a great testament to Cullen and his coaches that they have the back up squad so tuned in and able to step up when needed, even if Cardiff were not really at the races.
Tector getting his first points, Turner with another great try.
Great outcome for Leinster, especially racking up the points for home games in the knockouts.
Karen Brennan
Well done to new young players getting their first cap,a great occasion for them,especially Balbriggan rugby clubs Aitzol King👍🏻
MASTODON
RichardMifsud I always love watching @leinsterrugby play but I particularly love it when the young guns get a run out. TBH I was expecting a tougher game but Cardiff disappointed Deegs very worthy POTM Good outings from Milne Brownlee Turner as well as our starting back row and halfbacks Disappointing 10 minutes in the final quarter but that’s great learning for the kids
Andrew Byrne Harry Byrne’s kicking out of hand was very good, amazing the difference a bit of game time makes. We got a bit sloppy in the final quarter but to be expected with so many changes. Cardiff’s coaches must be pulling their hair out, their team was outclassed by an inexperienced Leinster team.
FRONT FIVE ARTICLES
URC ROUND 13 WRAP
ROUND 13
ULS 35-5 STO
SCA 37-28 BUL
BEN 30-40 MUN
DRA 28-42 GLA
LEI 38-14 CAR
EDI 19-22 SHA
CON 43-24 LIO
ZEB 24-28 OSP
Feb 4 (Round 1)
SHA v STO
Round 14
Feb 17
MUN V OSP
GLA V ULS
Feb 18
LIO V SHA
BUL V STO
ZEB V CON
SCA V EDI
CAR V BEN
LEI V DRA
HARPIN’ MATCH WRAPS ARE
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
THE IRISH RUGBY STORE
THIS WEEK’S GUESTS
FULL TIME TAKES
Andrew Potts The scrum is a concern, probably just needs a little collective focus. Nice to see them using short penalty moves in the red zone, it’s a good variation then going to a line out, plus suits Leinster tempo.
Some of the Leinster play was excellent and Ross has developed into quite the facilitator
Richard Collumb Says it all about current European competition when URC is providing more challenges.
Great to see Osborne step up & some game time to replacements.
Chris McDonnell Too good just too good.
MASTODON
Brian Nisbet @natural20 14-49 A match with a couple of lessons for Leinster (discipline, line-outs), but ultimately another emphatic victory in Europe and the match goes on.
Colin Mehigan @colinmehigan@mas.to @vnvobit @HarpinOnRugby @rugby Lots of impressive performances in Kingsholm today – Jamie Osborne really standing out
Adam Ashby (Gloucester fan) @adamashby@mas.to Well. That was worse than I expected.
FRONT FIVE ARTICLES
HCC ROUND 3 WRAP
ROUND 3
CLE 29-44 LEIC
SAL 5-27 TLS
GLO 14-49 LEIN
MUN 27-23 NOR
SHA 32-3 BOR
LAR 7-3 ULS
BUL 39-28 EXE
OSP 35-29 MON
SAR 48-28 LYN
CAS 21-34 EDI
LIR 14-28 STO
R92 30-29 HAR
ROUND 4
FRI JAN 20
LYN V BUL
LEI V OSP
SAT JAN 21
HAR V SHA
NOR V LAR
BOR V GLO
LEI V R92
STO V CLE
EXE V CAS
ULS V SAL
SUN JAN 22
MON V LIR
TLS V MUN
EDI V SAR
HARPIN’ MATCH WRAPS
ARE BROUGHT TO YOU BY
THE IRISH RUGBY STORE
THIS WEEK’S GUESTS
[plus a special report from CONOR CRONIN]
FULL TIME TAKES
Conor Cronin A few key things from this game that concern me.
The pack were bullied in the first half, and let themselves be.
Harry Byrne struggled behind the pack, but they’re not entirely to blame for his struggles. He needs a lot more time and needs to build confidence behind a dominant pack.
The scrum was awful. We have suffered as a province since Fogarty went to the Ireland set up, that needs to be dealt with.
Grinding out the win is great, and you learn much more from a game like that. But we need to learn fast, especially if the injury Ross Byrne picked up last night is bad.
Paul Smith Probably the poorest we’ve played in a good while, but the sign of a good team is to still manage to win while playing poorly so we’ll the gladly take the points and move on.
MASTODON
WRRAP podcast @WRRAP@toot.wales It is not often you see a Leinster pack hit reverse but deserved the win
Brian Nisbet @natural20 19-24 in Swansea. Come back was quite late, but a win is a win and well done to the lads for doing what needed to be done.
Jay Long @Jay_Long_626 Seriously good win on the road and Ospreys were proper up for it. Turned it on when it counted, I think Nick McCarthy won us that game imo. Just slipped us into a flow. Never in doubt
FRONT FIVE ARTICLES
URC ROUND 12 WRAP
ROUND 12
DRA 14-29 BUL
MUN 33-3 LIO
BEN 31-29 ULS
EDI 24-17 ZEB
CAR 22-28 SCA
CON 24-12 SHA
OSP 19-24 LEI
GLA 24-17 STO
ROUND 13
JAN 27
SCA V BUL
ULS V STO
JAN 7
BEN V MUN
DRA V GLA
LEI V CAR
EDI V SHA
CON V LIO
JAN 8
ZEB V OSP
HARPIN’ MATCH WRAPS
ARE BROUGHT TO YOU BY
THE IRISH RUGBY STORE
THIS WEEK’S GUESTS
FULL TIME TAKES
Gavin Hegarty Boring. It’s tiresome how even after they get ahead we don’t fear the result. Yes I know it’s a good position to be in but we’ve suffered as a result before, Saracens, la Rochelle etc. We need to be challenged more.
Chris McDonnell Another shocking day at the lineout. Its been a while since we had one if them but that was not acceptable. Kelleher will not get his starting jersey back from sheahan until he learns how to throw the ball
MASTODON
rhubarbsticks Ryan Baird in full flight is a sight to behold. A scrappy enough performance but plenty of positives to go forward with.
RugbyKino A tale of 3 parts to that match. A tight, well-matched fast-paced game gave way to more of a broken-up tussle in midfield in the second half. But come the final quarter Leinster flexed their handling muscle and put Connacht to the sword.
A shame Connacht don’t come away with something as the scoreline doesn’t do them justice.
However, Johnny coming off with a big dent in his face is a worry, possibly for the next 2-6 weeks.
RichardMifsud Really entertaining match at the RDS Connacht competitive deep into it but a couple of late tries put a gloss on the score line Good performance from the much changed side with a fair crop of youngsters Lineout issues need to be resolved but that apart a good enough performance Top of the pile in January 2023 let’s see how it pans out 🤷🏻♂️ Good performances from JL and Ryan B Deeny looked good and the Foley cameo was exciting
james @gortoshay putting 40 pts on Connacht while still having plenty of work ons is a nice place to be. Leinster being made to work for their victories this season. I’m hoping it stands to them at the business end. Sexton definitely a worry.
FRONT FIVE ARTICLES
URC ROUND X WRAP
ROUND 11
EDI 25-32 GLA
ZEB 17-40 BEN
SHA 47-20 BUL
STO 40-8 LIO
CAR 19-22 OSP
ULS 14-15 MUN
SCA 33-17 DRA
LEI 41-12 CON
ROUND 12
JAN 6
DRA V BUL
MUN V LIO
JAN 7
BEN V ULS
EDI V ZEB
CAR V SCA
CON V SHA
OSP V LEI
JAN 8
GLA V STO
HARPIN’ MATCH WRAPS
ARE BROUGHT TO YOU BY
THE IRISH RUGBY STORE
If you think you can answer questions like the one in the graphic above in five seconds or less, then have a go at our quiz there’s 12 altogether, see if you can do better than three of our contributors.
THIS WEEK’S GUESTS
FULL TIME TAKES
Conor Cronin
BP win on the road, always a good thing. Was it perfect and world class? No. But it was enough against poor opposition. We continue to build players and get them experience, nothing wrong with that. Definitely something wrong with the penalty count though
Martin Lynch
Played Great . Great To See The New Lads Making Their Debuts . Top Of The Table . 👍🏉💙
Greg Kelly
If you’ve seen one of these games you’ve seen them all. Blood a few new players on the conveyer belt in a pretty run of the mill 5 pointer against poor opposition.
Ronan McManus
Rob Russell isn’t the flashiest player on the pitch but he has shown, so far this year, that his awareness, positioning and finishing are absolutely first class.
Scarlets were poor though.
FRONT FIVE ARTICLES
Leinster Rugby | Mick Dawson – A Celebration! [Marcus Ó Buachalla]
Rugby in the firing line as brain damage is linked to contact sport – The Irish Times [Gerry Thornley]
29 Irish women’s players take up contract offers worth €15k to €30k (the42.ie) [Murray Kinsella]
Fightback not enough as injury-hit Munster suffer third derby defeat (irishexaminer.com) [Simon Lewis]
Carty drop-goal seals Connacht win in Swansea | Rugby365
URC ROUND 7 WRAP
Round 7
GLA 37-0 BEN
SCA 5-35 LEI
LIO 22-31 STO
DRA 47-7 ZEB
MUN 14-15 ULS
OSP 19-22 CON
BUL 40-27 SHA
CAR 17-25 EDI
Round 8
FRI NOV 25
STO V SCA
ULS V ZEB
SAT NOV 26
BUL V OSP
BEN V EDI
LEI V GLA
MUN V CON
SUN NOV 27
LIO V DRA
SHA V CAR
HARPIN MATCH WRAPS ARE BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE IRISH RUGBY STORE
THIS WEEK’S GUESTS
FULL TIME TAKES
Conor Cronin Messy night, and Connacht would’ve been deserving of the BP. But to focus on leinster, the lineout needs some work quickly. I appreciate that 2 of our ex players were in there but it, some poor hands and some poor discipline meant no opportunity to use good field position and meant we allowed Connacht to be in the game at half time. Must be more clinical in any game, but particularly with how fired up Connacht are and were tonight
Chris McDonnell There’s the reason that andy farrell has a restraining order keep ross byrne 10 miles from the irish squad.
Martin Loughrey Well that was an arm wrestle. I’m almost disappointed for Connacht. (I like Connacht and the way they play). Thought they did a lot really well and can feel a bit robbed to come away with nothing. Can’t remember a match with so many knock ons. 4gs pitches lie. A dirty night in Galway but hard to tell because the players were so clean. All in all, a win on the road is a win on the road. Luckily they sorted the lineout after the first 20 mins.
Craig Grehan The more I watch. The more I think that younger munster fella is looking like the next green 10.
Delighted to see JoeMcCarthy get a run.
Great up front “up the jumper” rugby match
Derek McGee To call it “one for the purists” is to overestimate the tolerance of the average purist. Both teams conspired to shoot themselves in both feet whenever it looked like they were gaining an advantage. Really silly errors by both teams. Yes, there was Weather with a capital W but it’s Galway, there’s always Weather. There was a real chance for Leinster to capitalise on the wind in the second half but they didn’t take the advantage offered. A game that further burnished Jason Jenkins’ reputation by dint of his absence. The lineout was a real worry all night & it’s something that needs work ahead of Munster next weekend. Not all doom & gloom, to be fair: Josh doing Josh things, Dan Sheehan good in the loose, Big Mike bringing a bit of power in the second half & I thought Liam Turner had a decent showing in an unfamiliar position. A win is a win is a win but the video session on Monday morning might have a 18 rating for excessive adult language…
Richard Collumb Always a tough battle with the boys from the west. Bit of rust from some of the returning players but still undefeated against an improving team and lots of ex Leinster players with points to prove.
Gerald Williamson Not a great advertisement for rugby to watch.
FRONT FIVE ARTICLES
2023 Rugby World Cup chief executive sacked due to ‘alarming management practices’ (the42.ie) [via AFP]
France heroics still not enough | Scrum Queens [Alison Donnelly]
Ulster head coach Dan McFarland left ‘really proud’ as province secure first win in South Africa after taming Lions – BelfastTelegraph.co.uk [James Bradley]
Munster punish underwhelming Bulls (sarugbymag.co.za) [Rienk De Beer]
URC WRAP
Round 5
OSP 16-16 STO
CON 0-10 LEI
LIO 37-39 ULS
SHA 40-12 GLA
EDI 53-8 BEN
CAR 31-14 DRA
SCA 36-12 ZEB
MUN 31-17 BUL
Round 6
FRI OCT 21
BEN V BUL
CON V SCA
SAT OCT 22
ZEB V EDI
LIO V GLA
SHA V ULS
LEI V MUN
CAR V STO
SUN OCT 23
DRA V OSP
HARPIN ON RUGBY MATCH WRAPS ARE BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE IRISH RUGBY STORE
FRONT FIVE ARTICLES
Stuart Lancaster set to leave Leinster to take up Racing 92 post from next season – The Irish Times : Gerry Thornley
Fans In Awe Of Breathtaking Ulster Win Over Scarlets | Balls.ie : Colman Stanley
Bundee Aki sees red as Connacht well beaten by Stormers in URC clash – Independent.ie : John Fallon
Dragons 23-17 Munster: Welsh side secure thrilling win despite off-field upheaval – Wales Online : Tom Coleman
All Blacks happy with ‘hard’ title win (sarugbymag.co.za)
FULL TIME TAKES
Richard Collumb Positives: Frawley looked good at 10, line out functioned well as did scrum (mostly).
Negatives: too many aimless kicks, defence shaky, Ross Byrne didnt stamp authority on game
Gavin Hegarty Needing work: first up tackles. The backline seemed to have a nice rush defence but this broke down quite a bit when the first up tackles were missed or broke. It was very unleinsterlike.
Marcas Mac Siacais much improved obv from a stronger side than last week..Baird is a 6 leave him there please…hope frawley off was precautionary…that Josh VDF has a future if he works hard….
Chris McDonnell Jenkins is better than i thought, mcgrath and byrne are playing the wrong sport, all they want to do is kick the ball. Frawley was good, josh was josh, dan is unstoppable, great achievement for healy, larmour was very good and was henshaw. worried about Doris.
Kevin OCeallaigh I was disappointed with Benetton. The final score didn’t reflect the gulf between the teams.
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URC ROUND 2 WRAP
Round 2
ZEB 37-42 SHA
GLA 52-24 CAR
LEI 42-10 BEN
SCA 39-55 ULS
BUL 33-31 EDI
STO 38-15 CON
OSP 27-28 LIO
DRA 23-17 MUN
Round 3
FRI SEP 30
BUL V CON
ULS V LEI
CAR V LIO
SAT OCT 1
STO V EDI
OSP V GLA
MUN V ZEB
BEN V SCA
DRA V SHA
HARPIN MATCH WRAPS ARE BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE IRISH RUGBY STORE
Benetton : 15 Ignacio Mendy 14 Mattia Bellini 13 Joaquin Riera 12 Marco Zanon 11 Onisi Ratave 10 Giacomo Da Re 9 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne
1 Ivan Nemer 2 Giacomo Nicotera 3 Simone Ferrari 4 Niccolò Cannone 5 Scott Scrafton 6 Giovanni Pettinelli 7 Michele Lamaro (c) 8 Toa Halafihi
BENCH: 16 Gianmarco Lucchesi (25), 17 Federico Zani (64), 18 Filippo Alongi (19), 19 Carl Wegner (14), 20 Henry Time-Stowers (esordiente), 21 Manfredi Albanese (esordiente), 22 Tommaso Menoncello (17), 23 Ratuva Tavuyara
BKT United Rugby Championship 2022/23 – Round 2
Friday, September 23, 2022
KO 7:35pm (Irish time)
RDS Arena
Referee: Jaco Peyper
AR1 : Paul Haycock
AR2 : Andrew Fogarty
TMO : Ian Davies
TV : TG4, Freesports, URC.TV
HARPIN' ON RUGBY 