Munster v Racing

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Well it comes down to the wire as it always does with Munster. The heart is still pounding after watching the Leinster Chiefs match. A complete roller coaster where it looked like Leinster would score a bucket loads of tries but in fairness somehow dug in and really put it up to Leinster right up until the end. Credit and respect.

Chiefs are my favourite non Irish team

Now its over to Munster. BP win all but guarantees QF spot (barring mad result in Tigers match) and in the process knock Leinster out. If we cant get this BP we have no place in the QFs. If we do, the young talent we have coming through can only benefit from playing at this top level.

So there you have it no pressure them.

COME ON MUNSTER - TO THE BRAVE AND THE FAITHFUL

ChequeredJersey wrote:Big match for both Munster and Quins at the Stoop. One I think Quins should win but not easy by any stretch of the imagination. If Munster play ROG, they will struggle, he stops you using your backs and Munster are no longer as adept as they once were at playing the Sarries style that Quins struggle against, and i'll back Evans vs ROG in a kicking duel (points or tactical) though that in itself could be a fascinating match up. Best of luck Munster, see you chaps at the Stoop soon!

We havent a hope and are just happy to be in the Quarters...Quins should easily win....

What was general concensus on the Racing red card. Thought it was very soft and ruined the game if Im honest. Racing B had got off to a decent start too.

Soft red card. Definite yellow. Probably not red.

We've been feckked over enough in Europe (legitimate winning try ruled out in semi final 2001; the Hand of Back etc) so I'll welcome a bit of help



Still you can only beat put in front of you and we did just that.

Very happy to have qualified and delighted we did the business without O'Connell and O'Gara. Shows no need to rely on these guys.

Looking forward to hosting Munster at The Stoop later in the year.

I expect Quins to win at home (which is probably the kiss of death) we should hopefully have clicked in to top gear by the knock out stages.

With all respect to Quins they're a great team but I am so happy not to be headed down to Toulon or Clermont.

red_stag wrote:With all respect to Quins they're a great team but I am so happy not to be headed down to Toulon or Clermont.

Hey no issue with that comment. The Stoop is a tough place for travelling teams but hardly scary or intimidating. Those French teams though... bloody terrifying!

No offense taken, I empathise with that feeling, Stag. Scary as they are I KIND of want to face Clermont rather than Montpelier in the Semi Final if we do beat you guys. I have the feeling that with our group and the home draw people will say we had an incredibly easy HEC but ASM would see those rumours away and as I still don't expect to win the HEC this year, playing ex-Champions like Munster and the favourites ASM can only improve our team for the future

What CJ said.

red_stag wrote:Soft red card. Definite yellow. Probably not red.

We've been feckked over enough in Europe (legitimate winning try ruled out in semi final 2001; the Hand of Back etc) so I'll welcome a bit of help



Still you can only beat put in front of you and we did just that.

Very happy to have qualified and delighted we did the business without O'Connell and O'Gara. Shows no need to rely on these guys.

+100.

Over the years, in the tortuous and unforgiving beast that is the HC - the luck averages out. You earn your luck the hard way. Everyone knows that. Specially Munster.

I love Clermont. Love their City. Love the club and their fans. I know some of them intimately now. But I never want to see hair nor sight of their feicin team again.

Dublin Final. We need an Irish side in it. Jayzuz, it would have to be either of those two. Man.

Believe.

Intimately?

yappysnap wrote:

red_stag wrote:With all respect to Quins they're a great team but I am so happy not to be headed down to Toulon or Clermont.

Hey no issue with that comment. The Stoop is a tough place for travelling teams but hardly scary or intimidating. Those French teams though... bloody terrifying!

True. But will Munster try to out-Leinster them(sic), like in the Bloodgate game? Or will they stick to the new mantra of trying to play like Leinster. And Quins? They will lose if they try to play open-rugby v Quins, imho.

I think they will need to revert to type to win this one. Or a strong, tactically-astute, measure of both.

1st real big test for Penney.

GunsGerms wrote:Intimately?

A true Ladyboy never divulges What Goes On Tour.

ChequeredJersey wrote:No offense taken, I empathise with that feeling, Stag. Scary as they are I KIND of want to face Clermont rather than Montpelier in the Semi Final if we do beat you guys. I have the feeling that with our group and the home draw people will say we had an incredibly easy HEC but ASM would see those rumours away and as I still don't expect to win the HEC this year, playing ex-Champions like Munster and the favourites ASM can only improve our team for the future

CJ, you rock man.

But. I suspect that Quins fans are quietly confident about this one. Munster have not met a side even near your quality yet. Its up to Munster to stifle that. Or will they just go for it and attack?

Munster will play cup-rugby (start ROG), I´d bet. Whatever it takes to get the job done and feic de begrudgers.

We´ll see.If ROG starts, we will have learnt so much about this coach. I hope he goes positive on this one. Be great for Munster and Irish rugby. Zebo just needs feeding. What a talent. Earls looks happier too.

Its a no-brainer Penney. ROG on the bench.

DOD wrote:

ChequeredJersey wrote:Big match for both Munster and Quins at the Stoop. One I think Quins should win but not easy by any stretch of the imagination. If Munster play ROG, they will struggle, he stops you using your backs and Munster are no longer as adept as they once were at playing the Sarries style that Quins struggle against, and i'll back Evans vs ROG in a kicking duel (points or tactical) though that in itself could be a fascinating match up. Best of luck Munster, see you chaps at the Stoop soon!

We havent a hope and are just happy to be in the Quarters...Quins should easily win....

There´s more of it now. Self-deprecation is the only way to the Final boy.

Enjoy the ride Decco, a chara.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-H0uIH5HHQ

My Stag confirmed for 6 April in London . Flights booked for 16 of us (munster and Leinster) on the 07.40 Dublin to Gatwick returning on Monday. Fingers crossed that the match is not on Friday. Hopefully match is on Sat so we can go to "Church" on Sunday

BlueMuff wrote:My Stag confirmed for 6 April in London . Flights booked for 16 of us (munster and Leinster) on the 07.40 Dublin to Gatwick returning on Monday. Fingers crossed that the match is not on Friday. Hopefully match is on Sat so we can go to "Church" on Sunday

THATsounds awesome!!!!

Cheers Pete cant wait- do you think we are safe booking flights for Sat morning. None of the quarter finals were on Friday last year

BlueMuff wrote:Cheers Pete cant wait- do you think we are safe booking flights for Sat morning. None of the quarter finals were on Friday last year

No idea to be honest man but it was definitely the right call to book now before it got mad expensive.

I think you should be golden. Fingers crossed all our Irish boys do the biz against those London town upstarts!
Have a ball bru

Gibson wrote:

DOD wrote:

ChequeredJersey wrote:Big match for both Munster and Quins at the Stoop. One I think Quins should win but not easy by any stretch of the imagination. If Munster play ROG, they will struggle, he stops you using your backs and Munster are no longer as adept as they once were at playing the Sarries style that Quins struggle against, and i'll back Evans vs ROG in a kicking duel (points or tactical) though that in itself could be a fascinating match up. Best of luck Munster, see you chaps at the Stoop soon!

We havent a hope and are just happy to be in the Quarters...Quins should easily win....

There´s more of it now. Self-deprecation is the only way to the Final boy.

Enjoy the ride Decco, a chara.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-H0uIH5HHQ

Seriously can't see where a Munster win will come from...ah shurr you never know though...

Stag-

Meant to ask you, would you have given that red?

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Stag-

Meant to ask you, would you have given that red?

Yes but Im not a very good referee

If it happened to a Munster player Id be pished off. Put it that way. Still though but time some luck went our way.

BTW Gibbo - seriously? Penneys first real test yet to come? Whether you think he has done well to qualify or badly to lose two matches we have been tested.

red_stag wrote:

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Stag-

Meant to ask you, would you have given that red?

Yes but Im not a very good referee

If it happened to a Munster player Id be pished off. Put it that way. Still though but time some luck went our way.

BTW Gibbo - seriously? Penneys first real test yet to come? Whether you think he has done well to qualify or badly to lose two matches we have been tested.

Disagree. I think ye may be severely exposed in defence. This team likes to attack. This team is alien to ye (oh hauld on a...) They are the English Leinster.

This is a time for ROG, if ye are to have any chance of progressing. Love to see him on the bench for lots of reasons, but... He´s made for these games. His experience and cool, at key moments (no more kicking players mind) - could see Munster into the SF´s.

There. I´ve said it.

BlueMuff wrote:My Stag confirmed for 6 April in London . Flights booked for 16 of us (munster and Leinster) on the 07.40 Dublin to Gatwick returning on Monday. Fingers crossed that the match is not on Friday. Hopefully match is on Sat so we can go to "Church" on Sunday

Good man. I think the HC QFs are only on Saturdays and Sundays. Sounds like a crackin stag!

Jesus we're not srrously thinking of going back to Radge are we? The guy has been shoite for over a year. He can kick accurately but not very far, we don't have the pack to bully Quins, and we probably don't have the backs to either but they are our best hope of getting it done. The kicking to the corners craic is good if you have a great defensive lineout, Munster are inconsistent on their own throw, never mind the oppositions.

ROG had a world class pack throughout most of his career. Without that pack, ROG is a better version of Dan Parks.

I love ROG, but this year it is clear that time has caught up with him. Absolutely no dishonour in that one and he has out lasted many a peer despite being targeted in every game he plays. A classy player that knew what he was good at and to the bitter end tried to improve himself and become less predictable. Such attributes are commendable and his 126 caps & 3 Lions tours are proof that he had steal that few credit him with.

But the time has come to move on. Penney can treat this game how he likes, and ROG may be the way he goes, but like McGahan in 2011, if he roles the dice and uses Keatley with JJ on the bench, he'll demonstrate real balls and state clearly the direction he wants to go in. Fark it, he could go with JJ at 10 (highly highly highly unlikely, I know) and have ROG as his back up, which i could get on board with, but Quins play a quick tempo and aggressive game. Anyone else at 10 would be better than ROG as we cannot ask the back row to baby sit him and expect to compete/at least slow down, Quins ruck ball.

Roll the dice on this one as losing with ROG starting teaches us nothing, losing with a younger or indeed actually young 10, teaches them the white hot intensity of away HC rugby, in what will hopefully something less that the bog that Leinster played them at in 2009.

Having said all of that, I'll have his back if he is in the 22.

To the Brave & Faithful!

Yeah Thomond and Debaters lets lose the qf...cos whatever about ROG not being good this year the boy keatley has been worse (unfortunately).

DOD whatever about Keatley playing poor (debateable), when we have ROG we play with 5 less men so it doesn't help our chances.

I agree Keatley hasn't been great but there has been much more balance and success by the players outside him as, despite his many many mistakes, Keatley takes it a lot flatter and a hell of a lot faster than ROG. We are not going to come within an asses roar beating Quins by keeping it up the jumper and kicking it in behind. Sure, a more balanced and patient approach is need that the first 20 on Sunday, but on a dry day we wont win that game with less that 25 points on the board and ROG simply doesn't contribute anyway as effectively to our red zone efficiency as he used to. He is still calm and collected as ever, and his kicking out of hand is still supreme, but the rest of his game is now just too slow.

So respectfully, I think starting any of our 10 options is equally likely to result in a loss, but Keatley and JJ offer more of a chance of a win. And then they'll get to play Clermont in France! Whoop! :P

In Keatley's two biggest game this year he has got the job done. With two bonus points, he will and improve and is growing as the games go by. Biggest difference between ROG and Keatley.


We have a backline with Keatley, we don't with ROG.


But sure let's go with ROG and lose, sure there's always next year and the team is young.

You chaps are way more pessimistic than the folks on Munster's forum. Who seem to hate Marler and Brown, by the way!

Rewatched the game tonight.

A lot of guys stood out - Kilcoyne, O'Donnell, O'Mahony, Murray, Downey (surprisingly good game), Earls and Zebo would be the stand out performers.

Have to say that by and large BJ Botha hasnt been the iconic destructive prop I wanted him to be since he arrived. That being said I would bet my house that the reason Kilcoyne is an Irish international is down to his influence.

Well, while we have qualified for the Qf's and while 6th in the Rabo, 5 points cover 2nd to 6th, we have been at best sporadic this season. Quins however, are a good outfit playing good rugby and are well coached.

Now, this is the type of game Munster out of doggedness and badness usually go and win, I'm just less confident that we can pull this one off. Could be wrong but Edinburgh are so bad and we laboured to beat them twice. Forgive me if I don't put the mortgage on a win. I'd bet with your money though!

ChequeredJersey wrote:You chaps are way more pessimistic than the folks on Munster's forum. Who seem to hate Marler and Brown, by the way!

I remember a few years back, Conor O'Sheas first season in charge of Quins. They finished well down the league so it wasn't a vintage year but towards the end of the season they were playing very good rugby. They were an up and coming team who came to Thomond park as underdogs and outplayed Munster that day. There are alot of similarities between that Quins team and this Munster team. Will history repeat itself? Who knows.

The Munster pack have been very good this season but they're also showing their inexperience by making silly mistakes. The pack is better than they're giving credit for too. With POC back and with another few months of coming to grips with Penneys game plan I think Munster are well capable of winning there.