🏉 Expectations for 24/25
🏉 Players to look out for
🏉 MUN, ULS & CON
🏉 Other top URC contenders
🏉 Possible team v Edinburgh
Our guests :
367: Leinster 24/25 URC preview
Tag: United Rugby Championship
356 : Bulls v Leinster & 23/24 season wrap
🏉 Kicking game
🏉 Early conservation?
🏉 Predictability
🏉 Petersen chasing
🏉 Season review
THIS WEEK’S GUESTS
FULL TIME TAKES
Brian Corr
Heartbreaking really, you could see players struggling in the conditions but Bulls were really up for it.
Some simple things going wrong don’t want to point out individuals but snappy passing failing us too many passes dropped taking away the momentum, a couple of kicks went awry as well, the Bulls kicking was exceptional for finding distance giving them a great home advantage.
I thought Joe Mc legally turned over the ball in the middle of the field but ref giving them a penalty seemed harsh, can someone explain why Donal on commentary was giving out about him, I’m perplexed.
Scrum a massive issue, now I’m really hoping Ireland go down and win both tests, anything else and we’re in for a torrid slagging 😂
Can someone explain why when Leinster score 87 tries second only to the Bulls on 88 everyone is saying Leinsters attack is terrible?
Lastly it’s not Bernard Jackman’s fault, based on the evidence Bulls weren’t all that, they just became all that today and fair play to them.
William Andrew
Leinster looked stale. They were moved around the park by a very clever Bulls side. It was obvious at half time Leinsters game was in trouble, its change it or lose it at that point.
Has Leinster improved this season? The answer is a resounding no.
Greg Kelly
Goodman took the best attack in world rugby and turned it into a toothless mess. Neinaber took the toothless mess and turned it into a leaky, depressing to watch toothless mess. The whole setup needs a shot of something heavy next season. Put Prendergast in at 10. Use Frawley as utility cover and Ross as the backup 10. Stop shitting on the shirt by offering the youngsters up as meat on a plate to SA teams away. Use the Academy players at home against the Dragons and Zebre and other weaker teams to build their confidence…not shatter it under a 50 point tonking.
The attitudes on the training ground build a season and clearly they are off
James Murphy
Some poor decisions from management during season
Definitely need a 10 for this level, and a second 9, McGrath was overwhelmed, also Larmar too small for this level.
Pack were bunched
Colin Mehigan
Not good enough…Tyler Bleyendaal can’t start soon enough…Nienaber’s lack of success at Munster is continuing at Leinster….does he have one year left on his contract? Sam P needs to be the starting 10 from the start of next season. Ridiculously long season. Players have been flogged into the ground. A season which will live short in the memory….yet again.
Sean MacDonnchadha
The organisation now has to be put under deserved pressure. A club side with the resources and depth of a world leading international side must expect more than consistent knockout performances becoming the new norm.Players trying their heart out and you can’t fault effort, but there is something technically wrong with their coaching and setup. If this were SA, England, France or NZ they would review with a cold mentality and introduce fresh changes. If we are serious about matching those nations then we need to do the same. Our RWC history is a clear and undeniable proof of this.
Cuan Mulligan
We were devoid of ideas in attack..Ross taking the ball with both feet planted 90% of the time.. one of the last plays and we’re looking at each other with not a clue what do to… huge fall from grace given the attacking threat we used to have. Take it on the chin; better team won… come on Munster… Ross to France please
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QUARTERFINALS
MUNSTER 23-7 OSPREYS
BULLS 30-23 BENETTON
LEINSTER 43-20 ULSTER
GLASGOW WARRIORS 27-10 STORMERS
SEMIFINALS
BULLS 25-20 LEINSTER
MUNSTER 10-17 GLASGOW
GRAND FINAL
SAT JUNE 22
BULLS V GLASGOW
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355 : Bulls v Leinster preview
LEINSTER : 15. Jimmy O’Brien 14. Jordan Larmour 13. Garry Ringrose 12. Robbie Henshaw 11. James Lowe 10. Ross Byrne 9. Jamison Gibson-Park
1. Andrew Porter 2. Dan Sheehan 3. Tadhg Furlong 4. Joe McCarthy 5. James Ryan (c) 6. Ryan Baird 7. Josh van der Flier 8. Caelan Doris
16. Rónan Kelleher 17. Cian Healy 18. Michael Ala’alatoa 19. Ross Molony 20. Jack Conan 21. Luke McGrath 22. Ciarán Frawley 23. Jamie Osborne
BULLS : 15 W le Roux 14 S Petersen 13 D Kriel 12 H Vorster 11 D Williams 10 J Goosen 9 E Papier
1 G Steenkamp 2 J Grobelaar 3 W Louw 4 R Vermaak 5 R Nortje (c) 6 M van Staden 7 E Louw 8 C Hankenom
16 A van der Merwe 17 S Matanzima 18 F Klopper 19 R Ludwig 20 N Carr 21 K Johannes 22 C Smith 23 C Smit
BKT United Rugby Championship 2023/24 Semifinal
Saturday, June 15, 2024
KO 3pm (Irish time) Loftus Versfeld
Live on: RTÉ1, Premier Sports, URC.tv
Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU)
AR 1: Mike Adamson (SRU)
AR 2: Adam Jones (WRU)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
354 : Leinster v Ulster wrap
🏉 Slow start
🏉 Misleading margins
🏉 Soccer skills
🏉 Marvellous McCarthy
🏉 Southern soujourn
THIS WEEK’S GUESTS
FULL TIME TAKES
Cuan Mulligan
Ross while having some good moments, is too predictable, and offers little variety in attack…. Sam tried some outrageous moves , came off, granted they won’t always but means teams are unsure what to expect…
Greg Kelly
Watched the game on SuperSport and I get the impression the Saffas don’t watch Leinster in detail because they’re a bit worried 😂
It’s nice to see Leinster going full guns in the league for the first time in a while. It was a high quality game that Leinster managed well.
Strangely enough I wonder if Prendergast being in the squad and then coming in and showing some good touches means he’s not going anywhere next season. Personally I think they have to look to make him the solid number 2 next year with an eye to him getting the starting shirt if performances warrant it.
Brian Corr
I’m almost afraid to say anything because of the backlash of you’re arrogant and typical Leinster, but with almost the full squad available it’s hard to see how Ulster would have really threatened Leinster, particularly without their captain and next best second row out.
Ulster came out flying but could not get over the line, a couple of tries some would call lucky and they were buried by 1/2 time. Lucky translates into the harder I work the more luck I get.
While Ulster never went away, they conceded within minutes of scoring their first tries.
For Leinster it was great to get a comprehensive win and a fairly hard fought one which will stand to them next week.
Osbourne and Henshaw were everywhere, though it was a full team performance, I don’t know if anyone had a bad game.
Robert Webster
Good win by Leinster but thought score flattered them a little. Next week should be a good game but would expect Leinster to have too much for the Bulls, who will need to up their performance from today to have any chance. Would add that I thought it was a pretty disappointing crowd for a knock out derby.
Gordy Graham
Ultimately I’m a disappointed Ulster fan again but the boys gave it everything today and it was always going to be a big ask after losing four second rows. Murphy has had a big impact at Ulster and there’s a bit of positivity about the place now which is nice!
From an impartial view point I can’t understand Leinster’s continued obsession with Byrne, he seems to have lost his confidence and offers very little in the way of attacking threat. I think that’s why Leinster’s attack as a whole has slowed down.
Colin Mcconaghie
Massively depleted Ulster team gave their all. Not to be against a very strong Leinster.
Proud of our young lads after being written off all season.
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URC WRAP
QUARTERFINALS
MUNSTER V OSPREYS8
BULLS V BENETTON
LEINSTER 43-20 ULSTER
GLASGOW WARRIOR V STORMERS
SEMIFINALS
SAT JUNE 15
BULLS V LEINSTER
MUNSTER V GLASGOW
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353 : Leinster v Ulster Preview
LEINSTER : 15. Jimmy O’Brien 14. Jordan Larmour 13. Robbie Henshaw 12. Jamie Osborne 11. James Lowe 10. Ross Byrne 9. Jamison Gibson-Park
1. Andrew Porter 2. Dan Sheehan 3. Tadhg Furlong 4. Joe McCarthy 5. James Ryan (c) 6. Ryan Baird 7. Josh van der Flier 8. Caelan Doris
16. Rónan Kelleher 17. Cian Healy 18. Michael Ala’alatoa 19. Ross Molony 20. Max Deegan 21. Luke McGrath 22. Sam Prendergast 23. Ciarán Frawley
ULSTER : 15 Stewart Moore, 14 Mike Lowry, 13 Will Addison, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Billy Burns, 9 John Cooney;
1 Eric O’Sullivan, 2 Rob Herring (C), 3 Tom O’Toole, 4 Harry Sheridan, 5 Cormac Izuchukwu, 6 Matty Rea, 7 David McCann, 8 Nick Timoney.
16 Tom Stewart, 17 Andy Warwick, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Greg Jones, 20 Dave Ewers, 21 Nathan Doak, 22 Ethan McIlroy, 23 Jude Postlethwaite.
BKT United Rugby Championship 2023/24 Quarterfinal
Saturday, June 8, 2024
KO 5pm Aviva Stadium
Live on: TG4, Premier Sports, URC.tv
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
AR1: Craig Evans (WRU)
AR2: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
TMO: Brain MacNeice (IRFU)
352 : Leinster v Connacht wrap
🏉 Early scores
🏉 Sam composure
🏉 TYVM RR,RM,EB,RDS
🏉 BP eventually
🏉 Tricky path ahead
THIS WEEK’S GUESTS
FULL TIME TAKES
Brian Corr
Connacht seemed way off the pace, it was clear early on so much was going wrong for them.
Ruddock was immense he put everything into that game it was brilliant. Maloney and Byrne were also brilliant and gave excellent performances for their last games. I thought Ala’alatoa was unlucky for his card, yes he was high and he did hit Blades head, I’m not sure he hit it as hard as Blades reaction but that’s my bias(probably?). You could see though he wanted to out in a good shift.
Anyone doubting Leinster’s strength in depth can see in this game why it’s often quoted as being brilliant, no other club could make 14 changes and have a performance as strong as that. Keeping so many players involved and happy at the club is mind blowingly difficult, yet Leo does it year after year.
There was lots of things to like about that game even though 4 of the stalwarts are moving on & one of our backline was pretty jittery it was a pretty excellent performance from the other 19.
Chris McDonnell
Great performance from lots of the lads. Showed how awful last week’s selection was. Jenkins ahead of Molony, no Jimmy o brien , frawley just a lovely attacking player.foley I’d just miles better than mcgrath. Anyways hopefully ruddock and Molony gets to play again for us.
Cuan Mulligan
Felt Sam P had a great game, offered more options than other 10s in the squad. Was integral to a few of the tries; tried things, mixed it up. Should be where we invest and give him as much game time as possible. Might need some extra protein over the summer to bulk up
William Andrew
It was a good indicator of how valuable players like Ross, Max Ed and Ruddock are to Leinster. They provide the steel through a season.
Form was also on display, in some of the younger players
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URC WRAP
ROUND 18 [final round]
LEINSTER 33-7 CONNACHT
GLASGOW 38-26 ZEBRE
STORMERS 29-24 LIONS
BENETTON 31-6 EDINBURGH
SCARLETS 32-15 DRAGONS
SHARKS 14-26 BULLS
MUNSTER 29-24 ULSTER
CARDIFF 29-33 OSPREYS
QUARTERFINALS
FRI JUNE 7
MUNSTER V OSPREYS
SAT JUNE 8
BULLS V BENETTON
LEINSTER V ULSTER
GLASGOW WARRIORS V STORMERS
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351 : Leinster v Connacht Preview
Our guest : NEIL “KEEGO” KEEGAN
LEINSTER : 15. Jimmy O’Brien 14. Tommy O’Brien 13. Jamie Osborne 12. Ciarán Frawley 11. Rob Russell 10. Sam Prendergast 9. Cormac Foley
1. Ed Byrne 2. Rónan Kelleher 3. Thomas Clarkson 4. Ross Molony 5. Brian Deeny 6. Rhys Ruddock 7. Scott Penny (c) 8. Jack Conan
16. Dan Sheehan 17. Michael Milne 18. Michael Ala’alatoa 19. Ryan Baird 20. Max Deegan 21. Luke McGrath 22. Harry Byrne 23. Charlie Ngatai
CONNACHT : 15. Santiago Cordero 14. Shane Jennings 13. David Hawkshaw 12. Cathal Forde 11. Shane Mallon 10. Jack Carty 9. Caolin Blade
1. Peter Dooley 2. Dave Heffernan 3. Finlay Bealham 4. Joe Joyce 5. Niall Murray 6. Cian Prendergast 7. Conor Oliver 8. Sean Jansen
16. Dylan Tierney-Martin 17. Denis Buckley 18. Jack Aungier 19. Darragh Murray 20. Seán O’Brien 21. Colm Reilly 22. Byron Ralston 23. Tom Daly
BKT United Rugby Championship 2023/24 Round 18
Friday, May 31, 2024
KO 7:35pm RDS Arena
Live on: TG4, Premier Sports, URC.tv
Referee: Chris Busby (Ireland)
AR1: Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
AR2: Jonathan Erskine (Ireland)
TMO: Colin Stanley (Ireland)
348 : Ulster v Leinster wrap
🏉 Disjointed
🏉 Somehow ahead
🏉 Much butchering
🏉 Take the three
🏉 Cool Cooney
THIS WEEK’S GUESTS
FULL TIME TAKES
Paul Smith
Whoever made the call to kick to the line when we are 1 point ahead with 10 minutes to go and straight in front of the posts probably cost us the chance to top the table. A win and we were top and had it totally in our own hands but for sone reason I still can’t fathom we decided to completely f**k it up. Totally sickened right now. Not to take anything away from Ulster who completely deserved the victory tonight but its very rarely you can be so outplayed and still have the chance to come away with a win. We need to see a completely different mindset from Leinster next weekend if we are finally going to get our hands on star number 5.
William Andrew
A dreadful lack of nous to lose that game. Continually kicking the ball away with 5 mins on the clock hoping to make ten meters is not great. A 30 meter through kick to force a Ulster line out in their 22 would have burned a min at least. Plus they are now in danger of conceding a penalty.
Several generations of former Leinster 10s and 9s must be shaking their heads.
Berchmans Gannon
From the sideline the box kicking is not the way to go.
Chasing a bonus point ahead of a win is questionable.
Shit happens! I will still support Leinster without the need for a slaughter of Managment.
Kevin Kelehan
Decent game that could have gone either way, the losing bonus point will get Leinster at least a home QF, the win will guarantee Ulster top tier cup rugby next season.
Colin Mehigan
Another uninspiring performance if I’m honest….our high profile coaching ticket need to rethink strategy
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URC WRAP
ROUND 17
ZEBRE 18-32 SCARLETS
EDINBURGH 26-29 MUNSTER
BULLS 56-35 BENETTON
OSPREYS 26-13 DRAGONS
LIONS 44-21 GLASGOW
CONNACHT 12-16 STORMERS
SHARKS 14-36 CARDIFF
ULSTER 23-21 LEINSTER
ROUND 18 [final round]
FRI MAY 31
LEINSTER V CONNACHT
GLASGOW V ZEBRE
SAT JUNE 1
STORMERS V LIONS
BENETTON V EDINBURGH
SCARLETS V DRAGONS
SHARKS V BULLS
MUNSTER V ULSTER
CARDIFF V OSPREYS
HARPIN MATCH WRAPS
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347 : Ulster v Leinster preview
LEINSTER : 15. Hugo Keenan 14. Tommy O’Brien 13. Jimmy O’Brien 12. Charlie Ngatai 11. Rob Russell 10. Harry Byrne 9. Cormac Foley
1. Cian Healy 2. Rónan Kelleher 3. Michael Ala’alatoa 4. James Ryan (c) 5. Brian Deeny 6. Max Deegan 7. Will Connors 8. Jack Conan
16. John McKee 17. Michael Milne 18. Thomas Clarkson 19. Ross Molony 20. Scott Penny 21. Luke McGrath 22. Sam Prendergast 23. Ben Brownlee
ULSTER : 15 Ethan McIlroy, 14 Mike Lowry, 13 Will Addison, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Billy Burns, 9 John Cooney;
1 Eric O’Sullivan, 2 Rob Herring, 3 Tom O’Toole, 4 Kieran Treadwell, 5 Alan O’Connor (C), 6 Cormac Izuchukwu, 7 David McCann, 8 Nick Timoney.
16 Tom Stewart, 17 Andy Warwick, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Harry Sheridan, 20 Matty Rea, 21 Nathan Doak, 22 Stewart Moore, 23 Jude Postlethwaite.
BKT United Rugby Championship 2023/24 Round 17
Saturday, May 18, 2024
KO 7:35pm Kingspan Stadium
Live on: TG4, Premier Sports 1, URC.tv
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
AR1: Robbie Jenkinson (Ireland)
AR2: Keane Davison (Ireland)
TMO: Leo Colgan (Ireland)
346 : Leinster v Ospreys wrap
🏉 3 up 2 down
🏉 Just the JOB
🏉 Another JL hat-trick
🏉 🍔
🏉 A perfect 10?
THIS WEEK’S GUESTS
FULL TIME TAKES
Hubert Gallagher
Frawley looked very comfortable when he went to 10. Another very accomplished game for him. Just wished he got more game time there! Lots still to work on.
Peter Tracey
O’Brien looked sharp and has some serious pace. JGP and Frawley really sped the game up when they played together.
Frankie Taylor
Buzzing. Jimmy was incredible
David White
The spies from Toulouse in the stands leant nothing coz Ospreys were so poor
Tony Doyle
Good win and a great second half by Leinster
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URC WRAP
ROUND 16
DRAGONS 21-44 STORMERS
EDINBURGH 40-14 ZEBRE
BULLS 40-34 GLASGOW
SCARLETS 20-31 ULSTER
SHARKS 24-25 BENETTON
MUNSTER 47-12 CONNACHT
LIONS 34-13 CARDIFF
LEINSTER 61-14 OSPREYS
ROUND 17
FRI MAY 17
ZEBRE V SCARLETS
EDINBURGH V MUNSTER
SAT MAY 18
BULLS V BENETTON
OSPREYS V DRAGONS
LIONS V GLASGOW
CONNACHT V STORMERS
SHARKS V CARDIFF
ULSTER V LEINSTER
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