ERC round 2 Munster Vs Edinburgh Sunday 21st (kick-off 12.45pm).

First topic message reminder :

Well 2 sides licking their wounds after a disapointing start to both of their Heineken cup campeigns.

One team's wounds are considerably deeper and more painful and will have no doubt had a massive psychological impact.

Still, Thormond has been a happy hunting ground for Edinburgh in the past...... hasn't it?

Well Bradley being and ex Munster man will know exactly what his troops are going to face at the weekend.

Edinburgh may be without Visser and Laidlaw after they were injured in the drubbing they received from the Saffercens and Musnter may be without Mr Dependable Ronan O'Gara.

I open the floor to discussion, banter and gentle mocking. Be gentle with us though Munster fans, we were taking some pelters on that other thread!

Munster

15. Denis Hurley
14. Doug Howlett capt,
13. Casey Laulala
12. James Downey
11. Simon Zebo
10. Ian Keatley
9. Conor Murray
1. Dave Kilcoyne
2. Mick Sherry
3. BJ Botha
4. Donncha O'Callaghan
5. Paul O'Connell
6. Donnacha Ryan
7. Sean Dougall
8. Peter O'Mahony

Replacements:
16. Damien Varley
17. Marcus Horan
18. Stephen Archer
19. Billy Holland
20. Paddy Butler
21. Duncan Williams
22. JJ Hanrahan
23. Felix Jones

Edinburgh

15 Greig Tonks
14 Lee Jones
13 Nick De Luca
12 Ben Atiga
11 Tim Visser
10 Gregor Hunter
9 Richie Rees

1 John Yapp
2 Ross Ford
3 Geoff Cross
4 Grant Gilchrist
5 Sean Cox CAPTAIN
6 David Denton
7 Stuart McInally
8 Netani Talei

Substitutes
16 Andy Titterrell
17 Robin Hislop
18 Willem Nel
19 Robert McAlpine
20 Dimitri Basilaia
21 Chris Leck
22 Matt Scott
23 Tom Brown.

Right,

Forwards

Don't think we should be too despondent. Swap Rennie or Grant for McInally and we'd have no problem with it at all. Yes it would be good to have a fetcher, but rucking is down to the whole pack (and backs occasionally!) not just one player. If we get dominated at the breakdown it won't just be because we didn't have a natural 7 - even Richie McCaw can't be in every ruck!

Backs

Slightly more worrying.

Great to see Tonks back - if he had played last week I think we would have been a lot better IMO.

Big selection though is Gregor Hunter at 10. He's barely played this year and his last game for us was over a month ago. Leonard played last week, although wasn't great in a poor team.

Another big call with Atiga over Scott. As has been said this is maybe for defencive reasons, but Scott isn't too shabby in defence either. I really hope he is showing that he is fit in training - this is the big league now, we can't be carrying anyone in the team.

Great to see Visser back.

Bench

Strong bench and wouldn't mind any of those guys coming on.


So it isn't a complete disaster - the forwards are still very strong but there is going to be a lot of pressure on young Hunter's shoulders to carry the team. Also, if he gets injured no one else has ever taken goal kicks for us as far as I can remember....

I'm expecting a big game from Tonks this weekend after he was dropped last week. A bit worried by the 10-12 axis as neither have played much but from what i have heard inside the camp Atiga has been training harder than any other player and is dying to get on the pitch and get game time.
The forwards look a good tough pack which is what they'll need out there. The type of game that Edinburgh will be pulled into won't make much difference not having a natural 7 and the week off might give Rennie a well needed rest.

If Hunter gets injured, Scott will presumably cover from the bench. He used to be a 10, so you'd think he have done a bit of goalkicking in his time.

Think Tonks will be stand off cover.

Majestic - who are your sources??

My mate does a lot of the media work for Edinburgh, match programmes, match reports etc.

I've lost all my inside contacts - they did the SRU school leavers apprentice scheme thing so saw a lot of the guys in the gym and knew a lot of the young guys.

No longer got any gossip unfortunately cause they've finished!

Yeah same used to be in the gym in the mornings with them when i used to use David Lloyd at the gyle and knew a few of them from playing age grade rugby with them but most of them are away to teams down south now so relying on my mate to give me the inside scoops now.

Do we think Bradley is morphing into Moffat 4 8s (one on the bench) isn't quite as strange as 3 7s, but close. Possibly a Back influenced let's bully them up front ploy?

Visser ruled out - big blow.

Tom Brown in, fife on the bench.

Stunning day for a game of rugby!

What's happened to the Munster fans on here?? Very quiet!

They all jumped ship to Ulster and Connacht ......

Or in the pub....

Okay I'm here now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oops, I ain't from Munster. But I'm representing Sin é this morning. So don't expect to get an easy ride you verbal enemies of the Red!

Rodders how can you possibly say 'jumped ship' when it's clear that Keatley still has a lot to learn from O'Gara in game awareness, especially when closing out a tight game. Keartley isn't as great as you suggest and Ulster aren't all that either actually.

Preposterous comment from you... in all fairness.

Peter O'Mahony looking for a row in the first thirty seconds...

Plus ca change..... as Alain Rolland might say tucked up to his teddy each night.

Ref penalizing the crap out of us Already!

Is that Wayne barns??

RDW_Scotland wrote:Ref penalizing the crap out of us Already!

Is that Wayne barns??

It is - with his UK passport tucked in his back pocket. Don't know what he's doing reffing this match.

Fly I've no idea what you are talking about? I neither mentioned Keatley nor Keartley.... but since you mentioned them, yes I would pick both over ROG.

That's just laughable, Rodders. How can you say Paulie isn't serious about his return to the fray? He's professional and didn't spend his recuperation time in the pub like you're intimating. You're just Munster bashing now, Rodders.....

That is an epic push!

Talei looked like he was being driven back by a locomotive there.

Wowsers! Nuclear defense from Munster! Sorry Ulster, one more for the Munster bandwagon...beep beep!

O'Mahony niggling again. Totally unnecessary.

Why'd Atiga go off? Missed it

Ross Ford playing his way out of the Lions tour?

Oh Rodders you are being a nasty little WUM this weekend. I won't lie, I love it. If only you were as good as the Voldemort of the Irish threads in bringing every thread to a standstill then you would be a great WUM. The Ulster of WUMming if you like. You are really only a Munster WUM- in other words, third best.

Man, Edinburgh can't win their own lineout. Not winning your own lineout at Thomnd Park = a long afternoon.

Munster should have taken the scrum! for that penalty- their pack had the definite edge.

Munster a bit more fired up in the pack today. This is how they need to play imo, not doing the lame Fiji impersonation of the last few weeks.

Two big centres, two proper wingers, Paul O'Connell, a natural openside and most important of all...no Earls and ROG ......

Kidney never said he'd never play O'Gara again. I don't know where you guys are getting all this nonsense.

Jeez how many penalties have Edinburgh conceded already?

Kilcoyne's having a great game.

Kilcoyne will be good if he can bring up his scrummaging. Good carrier. If he can start holding his own against the better tightheads they'll have a player. It's gonna take a good few years and some tough games for that to happen.

6-0 for all this dominance. I don't think the Burgh have been in Minster's 22 yet.

SecretFly wrote:Kidney never said he'd never play O'Gara again. I don't know where you guys are getting all this nonsense.

Fly, I really need a fisherman icon rodders activity on this thread- can't believe how readily you are jumping into the net!

Rodders

Munster just going back and forth across pitch. Edinburgh holding them out relatively easily. Where's the bite in attack?

This is depressing.

Tempted to turn off already!

Edinburgh get their second penalty at the scrum. Botha the offender.

Pot Hale wrote:Munster just going back and forth across pitch. Edinburgh holding them out relatively easily. Where's the bite in attack?

It's coming from Kilcoyne carrying up the middle, but they need the rest of their tight five in support carrying around the ruck. Not on the wing.

Commentator is saying they're not afraid to do the tight stuff... but they aren't. They would do well to go through some phases closer to the ruck before hitting them out wide.

Notch, you too? Munster do NOT intimidate foreign commentators into silence for the kicking... just the Ulster ones. That's tradition, that's Munster... if he can't live with the cold eyed threats from the Munster fans around him then he shouldn't show up.....

Seriously, its good to see a bit more from the Munster pack. POC really does make some difference but man this is a poor Edinburgh side.

O'Connell is having a blinder, should be more than 6-0 at this stage.

Sean Dougal looks an interesting prospect.

Fly has been possessed by the spirit of Sin e....

Was Atiga injured?

This is poor from Munster. 2 kicks missed. Still 6-0. And not a sniff of the try line.

Artful_Dodger wrote:O'Connell is having a blinder, should be more than 6-0 at this stage.

+1 ..but also playing like a guy who knows he won't be there for the full 80

Possession and territory stats at halftime are going to be a laugh

What you're doing here. I see it now.

Have we actually had more than 1 phase yet?

2 lineouts in a row won then lose it straight away.

I'll bet 3 euro with any takers that Downey will be starting 12 in the AIs.

Munster really should have more points on the board. Poor call from Howlett on that penalty at that 5m scrum. Munster need 5 points today for sure.