Munster 2013/14

by **profitius** Tue 14 May 2013, 1:30 pm

First topic message reminder :

Some news of players leaving Munster.

Doug Howlett has announced his retirement.

Other departures from the current squad - besides Peter Stringer who remains with Bath, Marcus Horan who announced his retirement recently, Sean Scanlon (Rotherham Titans) and Sean Henry (Connacht) - include Wian du Preez who returns to his native South Africa, Scott Deasy and Christy Condon.

BJ Botha will continue on with Munster having signed a two year contract extension while Danny Barnes has not been re-contracted but is understood to have negotiated an opportunity to play abroad and news of that will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

by SecretFly Sat 18 May 2013, 11:31 am

DOD wrote:
doctor_grey wrote:But, can O'Gara actually teach?
Frequently players very good at something are not the best teachers.
Or, do you think O'Gara is there just to keep Sexton company?

His missus is a primary school teacher..we all know sexton is a bit slow on the uptake so she is there to help him along....come on Johnny between the posts and you get a great big gold star

It is goal kicking practice you're talking about???

by ME-109 Sat 18 May 2013, 11:34 am

Tut tut...Fly...

by **profitius** Fri 24 May 2013, 1:22 pm

Academy players have been named for next season. 9 in and 10 out.

http://www.munsterrugby.ie/news/11959.php

by LeinsterFan4life Fri 24 May 2013, 1:22 pm

Only 1 prop...

by **profitius** Fri 24 May 2013, 4:21 pm

I'm glad to see Greg O'Shea signed up. His 100m time is around 10.6 or 10.8 and he has the skills too.

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Only 1 prop...

They talk about it here
http://www.munsterrugby.ie/news/11960.php

Prop wise, we’re bringing in one prop, Shannon's Niall Horan, but there’s always the potential to bring in more based on performances. We’re very slow to contract academy players straight out of school, especially in the front row as we would like to see how they perform first at an age-grade level or in senior rugby.

There’s no fixed date with academy contracts and we offer contracts post Interpros if performances are good enough and we’ll be considering that again this year so that’s an important factor. We are constantly looking for players who are performing well and if those performances are good we will certainly look to bring guys in, so there are always opportunities there.

by LeinsterFan4life Fri 31 May 2013, 5:12 pm

Any announcement on where Deasy and Barnes are going?

I heard Deasy is joining Hayes in Aurillac and Barnes might be joining Newcastle..

by red_stag Fri 31 May 2013, 5:46 pm

Nothing official just Deasy to "France" (though apparently it is Aurillac).

Heard nothing on Barnes. Newcastle would be a great club to get into.

by Thomond Wed 05 Jun 2013, 5:07 pm

Apparently we are signing Gerhard Van Den Heever from the Stormers, winger/full back, but were blocked from a fly half due to Gopperth.

by red_stag Wed 05 Jun 2013, 5:18 pm

Ooh really? I actually quite like his style of play. Seems a bit pointless signing a back three option unless . . . . . . . . ah for flips sake this means Earls is still a centre!!

by Thomond Wed 05 Jun 2013, 5:29 pm

The following are our options for the back three: O'Dea, Zebo, Conway, Jones, Hurley, Johne Murphy, Ronan O'Mahony. I really don't see the point. We're not blocking Leinster who have Kirchner, nor Ulster.

Conway is probably regretting his move.

by **Notch** Wed 05 Jun 2013, 5:45 pm

Well it gives you a reason not to have to play J. Murphy or Hurley who are both very average.

I thought a back three of Earls, Zebo and Jones was looking tasty but if you must insist on shoehorning Earls into 13... at this rate Keith Earls is turning into one of the great wasted talents.

If he comes, Van der Heever just sounds like you had an NIQ contract available and some spare cash but couldn't sign a halfback, prop, centre, lock or 8 so just ended up with a winger by default.

by Thomond Wed 05 Jun 2013, 5:46 pm

Johne Murphy is pretty solid, has this kid done anything of note? Doesn't really seem like it to be honest. Hurley is smart but has not pace, decent defender, a poorer mans John Kelly.

by **Notch** Wed 05 Jun 2013, 5:48 pm

Thomond wrote:Johne Murphy is pretty solid, has this kid done anything of note? Doesn't really seem like it to be honest. Hurley is smart but has not pace, decent defender, a poorer mans John Kelly.

A much poorer mans ;-)

He has serious pace and is a massive counter-attacking threat. Murphy and Hurley are kind of... well they don't bring much in attack. Not elusive, powerful nor pacey. If Penney is serious about wanting to put more width on the ball, he needs classier wings- but you have them in Zebo, Earls and Conway.

by Thomond Wed 05 Jun 2013, 5:55 pm

Murphy can do something, didn't get much game time, Hurley isn't going to add speed, more solidity in defence, I don't think the signing was necessary to be honest.

by debaters1 Thu 06 Jun 2013, 2:43 pm

Conway will not regret hi move. he showed what he could do at the business end of the Leinster season and will be 14 whatever happens. While I understand people not liking Earls at 13, with Zebo and Conway (imho) fit etc they will be starting wingers and Jones' while he had an averge season, is still a better actual FB than Zebo or Earls and thus will complete the back 3 and with fitness and free from injury could well be pushing Kearney ala 2011 for an Irish jersey.

So that leaves Earls at 23 or 13. Casey's end of season form (and f i am being frank, this was his only patch of 'form' in a Munster jersey as I saw it) then Earls will be pushed to the bench. Now I still (naiively) think that Earls can be a very good 13. If Penney works on his distribution/passing skills, the major element missing his game, then he'll be fine at 13. H will never be as good as BOD at defence or game reading, but few ever will. BOD also misses tackles but because he is who he is, people actually gloss over this fact completely. Earls misses one and people act like he just shat on their doorstep.

Anyway, we'll be discussing this come September. And October........

by Rory_Gallagher Thu 06 Jun 2013, 5:12 pm

His defence isn't usually the issue, it is his awareness of others around him. Something a 13 needs. Otherwise I agree, he has the potential to be very good. He isn't young anymore though..

He has always looked good at 15 though.

by Kingshu Thu 06 Jun 2013, 5:29 pm

Earls I used to rate but he seams to be becoming more and more average, don't know if this was becuase he was over hyped, or has never be allowed to settle into one position?

hopefully hes allowed to settle into one position this year, be it wing or center, and hopefully we eill start seeing the best of him again

by debaters1 Thu 06 Jun 2013, 5:48 pm

You say that Kingshu, but it is his weak distribution/awareness/passing that is holding him back; he beat more defenders than anyone in the 6 Nations and, if he had passed when the whole farking world was roaring at him to do so, against Scotland, BOD has a try Ireland almost certainly go on to win the game and potentially have a very different rest of the Championship, and all as a result of Earls quick feet.

Put it like this if A) BOD had carved out that chance running the way Earls did, which the great one is no longer capable of doing and B) it had led to the try that such a line break should produce (which with BOD's passing & distribution would most likely have materialised) the whole of Leinster would have bee ankle deep in semen that day.

Further, had BOD not passed having done all that work, he would not have been given nearly the same stick as Earls (rightly) got.

by ME-109 Thu 06 Jun 2013, 6:52 pm

Oh FFS go look at the video again BOD would have been clattered immediately if he got the ball...
also we lost to Scotland for other reasons

by **profitius** Thu 06 Jun 2013, 7:25 pm

Notch wrote:
If he comes, Van der Heever just sounds like you had an NIQ contract available and some spare cash but couldn't sign a halfback, prop, centre, lock or 8 so just ended up with a winger by default.

They're my thoughts too.

by Feckless Rogue Thu 06 Jun 2013, 8:04 pm

Earls was becoming a top class winger before all this 13 nonsense started. It's stalled his career badly. He's not a 13. He's a great finisher from the wing.

by InjuredYetAgain Thu 06 Jun 2013, 8:56 pm

I was surprised at Munster's drop off in the Rabo last season. Was it coincidence that it tied in with POC's absence?
Just how important is he to Munster? Oh, what Edinburgh (and Scotland for that matter) would give for a leader like him

by red_stag Sun 09 Jun 2013, 12:15 pm

InjuredYetAgain wrote:I was surprised at Munster's drop off in the Rabo last season. Was it coincidence that it tied in with POC's absence?
Just how important is he to Munster? Oh, what Edinburgh (and Scotland for that matter) would give for a leader like him

Injured yet again. I think the real issue is that Munster didn't care too much about the Rabo. Their failure in the Rabo was happening much earlier in the season.

In November they played the Scarlets and I was actually so angry at how little the players and management seemd to care. A defeat at home by a side we were expected to beat. Two weeks later they show their real potential by defeating Saracens in the Heineken Cup.

Same thing happened in January. Defeat at home against the bloody Cardiff Blues, then we rack up our two vital wins in the Heineken Cup.

The games you talk about later in the year we had given up the pretence.

I don't want supporting Munster to involve treading water in the Rabo every week and then having about 8 matches a year that are earmarked as must win.

Munster this season were very similar to Edinburgh last year.

by SecretFly Sun 09 Jun 2013, 12:31 pm

Munster were smart. Rugby is a long term project and few sides know that more than Munster. They were at the beginning of another long term project with new coach Penney coming on board at the beginning of last year, who upon arrival was clear that he felt he'd need about three years to try to bring Munster back to the top in Europe.

So, Munster - at least as far as I can understand their season - have been disciplined and pragmatic in using this year's Pro12 as - well, there is no other word for it, practice.

Practicing new ways, feeling themselves into the ways Penney wants to take them. No, not being close to successful at it but for me, a lot of the Pro12 games did look like practice sessions - with full awareness that games that might have been won in other seasons would perhaps be conceded as sacrifice to the long term view.

But also, they realised they needed to keep the Munster brand from falling into the gutter in the process. So best window for brand identity is HC, and Munster gave as much of their real selves to that competition as they could muster - concious though that Pro12 homework was the pain they were going through to make themselves even more competitive in HC into the future.

Pro12 and HC were two competitions used in different ways to propel the main project - Munster back fighting at the head of European rugby. At least that's how I've been reading the conundrum that was Munster this season.

by debaters1 Mon 10 Jun 2013, 11:11 am

SecretFly wrote:Munster were smart. Rugby is a long term project and few sides know that more than Munster. They were at the beginning of another long term project with new coach Penney coming on board at the beginning of last year, who upon arrival was clear that he felt he'd need about three years to try to bring Munster back to the top in Europe.

So, Munster - at least as far as I can understand their season - have been disciplined and pragmatic in using this year's Pro12 as - well, there is no other word for it, practice.

Practicing new ways, feeling themselves into the ways Penney wants to take them. No, not being close to successful at it but for me, a lot of the Pro12 games did look like practice sessions - with full awareness that games that might have been won in other seasons would perhaps be conceded as sacrifice to the long term view.

But also, they realised they needed to keep the Munster brand from falling into the gutter in the process. So best window for brand identity is HC, and Munster gave as much of their real selves to that competition as they could muster - concious though that Pro12 homework was the pain they were going through to make themselves even more competitive in HC into the future.

Pro12 and HC were two competitions used in different ways to propel the main project - Munster back fighting at the head of European rugby. At least that's how I've been reading the conundrum that was Munster this season.

Very interesting analysis Secret. Now, I very much doubt that anyone within the Munster camp would even hint at this policy in public, but you could be correct. However, in round 4 or 5, Munster went up to Ulster and played a tough game. In the end game sequence they had a 2 rucks just inside/on the Ulster 22 and ROG/Murray/AN Other eschewed the opportunity to take a drop goal. The next 7 or 8 phases saw them lose field position and eventually knocked on/turned over. I have never been so angry in my life at a non-decision for the drop goal. Noone would have criticised ROG or Keatley who'd shifted to 12 from ememory, for missing as conditions were not ideal, but failing to take the attempt was like Stephen Jones in the RWC Semi-Final, almost cowardice.

From that game onwards, the Rabo was a distance second in the season priority. Now, I think there may be merit in what you say, at least from a player development as guys like Tommy O'Donnell, Zebo and Keatley and the likes learned a lot in those 'practice' session that they then applied in style in the Heineken and much like the latter half of the 2010/2011 season, several players have been brought along at high speed to replaceing the aging and injured. We needed this big time.

I expect a much improved duel-front performance for 2013/2014. So the usual goals to be re-installed: 1/4 Final in the HEC (preferably at home) and a play-off berth in the Rabo. After that, the cup rugby experience of this season and the fact that the new guys have now carved their own games & names onto the Tablet of Great Munster performances, will then allow them to go deeper in both competitions.

In short though, we need a trophy next season, either the HC or the Rabo. The Amlin (no disrepect intended, but unlike Leinster this year, we do not have a Clermont in our group) will not cut it.

To the Brave & Faithful, Nothing is Impossible....... I hope.

by Thomond Mon 10 Jun 2013, 12:12 pm

Good piece from the Whiff of Cordite boys on Munster going forward, about the Cork/Limerick divide and our attitude to the Rabo.
Made a comment on it but will just repost it here: http://whiffofcordite.com/2013/06/10/can-we-put-alone-it-stands-on-again/

https://twitter.com/cphilpott95

I think you are oversimplifying the Cork aspect of things (it’s not the main point of the article so that’s fair), Cork people make up a sizeable chunk of the Thomond crowd, easily over a few thousand for Heineken Cup days, if you cut off all matches to Cork there will be anarchy, and I know Garrett Fitzgerald, he realises that Cork play a large role in Munster Rugby and if you cut it off then Munster will be in big trouble.

As a Cork and Munster man (don’t worry I’m thankfully not a Cork Con head) I’ve wondered how we can actually improve the situation in Cork. The problem with Musgrave Park has been somewhat cyclical. We get poor quality games, and we get poor crowds, now you can argue which came first, (I would say poor games as a couple of years ago we would still get 7000 or so v Aironi/Zebre) but it becomes a chicken or the egg situation. Do we get poor games because we get poor crowds and show we couldn’t make money from a big match or do we get rubbish crowds because we are subjected to the same games time after time? (Cork always seems to get a combination of the following four: Newport Gwent Dragons, Edinburgh, Cardiff Blues, Zebre, Scarlets, Glasgow, with Glasgow becoming less frequent as they improve )

I agree our attitude to the Pro 12 needs to change, it is a competition worth winning and we need to put a greater deal of focus on it, if our players don’t care about it why should our fans fork out 20 quid or more to go and watch these players go through the motions? I can understand why Penney put focus on one competition in his first year, as he tried to change our style and things like that but that attitude has to change somewhat from this year.

The “rivalry” between the two counties should be explored and developed, Cork should probably be given a pretty big game, show that we can be good fans and that we love our team, I think that a bit of rivalry between the two can be a good thing, we’ll see the passion of the fans and make efforts to show who loves their team more, if promoted the right way it could be done really well, and you could probably get the best from both counties. In later years, I would like to see Munster move the odd quarter final away from Thomond, try and draw in interest from the non rugby parts of the county, I’ve always felt that’s an area we’ve missed out on. Play a quarter final in Fitzgerald’s Stadium, Semple Stadium ,the Gaelic Grounds or even Pairc Uí Chaíomh (when it’s finished redevelopment), the GAA will be grand if you give them a few bob and long term I think it could help grow rugby.

Apologies for the ramble, nice stuff lads.

by Jenifer McLadyboy Thu 04 Jul 2013, 3:39 pm

Thomond wrote:Apparently we are signing Gerhard Van Den Heever from the Stormers, winger/full back,

Did this one pan out, or is it still just a rumour?

by Thomond Thu 04 Jul 2013, 3:42 pm

Don't think it has panned out yet anyway, no word from Munster officially. I was also told Munster made a bid for Rene Ranger but he choose Montpellier, as they offered more cash.

by debaters1 Thu 04 Jul 2013, 4:15 pm

Rene Ranger... wow. He would have added some serious oopmh anyway. Ah well. I still think I'd have preferred a dedicated scrum coach to a marquee signing though.

by Jenifer McLadyboy Thu 04 Jul 2013, 4:36 pm

Munster have more wingers than Leinster already. We are focked for wingers. Lukey Fitz better put his special non skid underpants on or we are in big trouble.

by red_stag Sat 06 Jul 2013, 2:06 am

Apparently a winger is a big priority for them (no idea why).

Digby Ioane and Rene Ranger turned us down and by all accounts we are still looking for a winger.

by MBTGOG Wed 10 Jul 2013, 9:37 am

I really don't understand why we are looking for a winger, surely we have plenty of depth, with some real quality and some good Irish qualified youngsters coming through. There must be more pressing needs elsewhere in the side. Granted, if Ranger has been an option, I would have gone for it, but aside from that, no need there. I think his chances may be more limited this year, but would like to see more of O'Dea who has impressed quite a bit since his début.

by **rodders** Wed 10 Jul 2013, 10:37 am

Apart from Zebo Munster don't have any top class wingers.

O'Dea and Earls leaves them pretty lightweight in the back 3.

Jees Ranger would have been some signing!

by debaters1 Wed 10 Jul 2013, 11:11 am

rodders wrote:Apart from Zebo Munster don't have any top class wingers.

O'Dea and Earls leaves them pretty lightweight in the back 3.

Jees Ranger would have been some signing!

Rodders, we have Conway coming in from Leinster and to me anyway, he looks the real deal. O'Dea, Hurley and Murphy will never set the world alight, but have and will do us a job. Then you have arguably (I said arguably!) our best winger in Earls at 13 and he can cover FB too.

Hopefully Jones can come back to some form and if so, the back three is sorted. Of course Ranger would have added hugely to our back 3, any back three in fact, even Clermont et al, but I wouldn't list wingers as our area of primary concern. Not remotely in fact.

by **rodders** Wed 10 Jul 2013, 11:23 am

debaters1 wrote:
rodders wrote:Apart from Zebo Munster don't have any top class wingers.

O'Dea and Earls leaves them pretty lightweight in the back 3.

Jees Ranger would have been some signing!

Rodders, we have Conway coming in from Leinster and to me anyway, he looks the real deal. O'Dea, Hurley and Murphy will never set the world alight, but have and will do us a job. Then you have arguably (I said arguably!) our best winger in Earls at 13 and he can cover FB too.

Hopefully Jones can come back to some form and if so, the back three is sorted. Of course Ranger would have added hugely to our back 3, any back three in fact, even Clermont et al, but I wouldn't list wingers as our area of primary concern. Not remotely in fact.

They are all small men debaters. Its the nature of the game now, particularly in the SH to have big men in the back 3

Thats not to say there's no place for smaller wingers, I was one my self, but you need a big man at 12 and a big man in the back 3 to be successful now, such is the way the breakdowns are refereed.

by MBTGOG Wed 10 Jul 2013, 12:29 pm

That is how it is at the moment Rodders but it is a trend that follows the team that evolved to that point either purposefully or through chance. For nations like Wales, New Zealand and Australia, you can't not play guys like North, Savea and Folau, who are just naturally good footballers.

Munster can't just throw someone big out onto the wing though, when that isn't what we have. If Munster play to the strengths of the players we have, rather than conforming to the games of other sides, we can do well, rather than failing at something, which we don't have the tools for. For example, Zebo is a good winger, but what he brings is also a player, who can pop up in midfield or at first receiver and create real mismatches, whilst allowing Keatley to move to the outside channels and cause issues there. This kind of variety is what could really change Munster as a team.

Conway isn't going to be bashing any players, but what he does have is legitimate speed, which isn't commonplace in Irish rugby. Let's not put a square peg into a round role, let's create square attacking options, where his speed and elusiveness are maximised.

by **rodders** Wed 10 Jul 2013, 1:52 pm

Thats the point the munsty, you've brought in a NZ coach to implement a brand of rugby that can make Munster more effective.

If you don't have a certain type of player then you have to go and buy him, hence Munster looking at guys like Ranger who can break the line.

O'Dea, Earls and Conway, whilst having other attributes aren't going to do this.

The NZ way involves attacking off front foot ball but you need players to get you on the front foot first. Munster don't have enough of them.

by Sin é Wed 10 Jul 2013, 3:02 pm

rodders wrote:Thats the point the munsty, you've brought in a NZ coach to implement a brand of rugby that can make Munster more effective.

If you don't have a certain type of player then you have to go and buy him, hence Munster looking at guys like Ranger who can break the line.

O'Dea, Earls and Conway, whilst having other attributes aren't going to do this.

The NZ way involves attacking off front foot ball but you need players to get you on the front foot first. Munster don't have enough of them.

Earls was 2nd top linebreaker in the 2012 6Ns (playing in the centre).

Penney's rugby seems to involve spreading the ball out a lot to the forwards out on the wing. Maybe Penney is looking for a replacement for Marcus Horan Smile

by **rodders** Wed 10 Jul 2013, 3:31 pm

Earls line breaks don't count sin because statistally speaking he usually runs into touch or throws a pass to no-one in particulars.... Whistle

by MBTGOG Wed 10 Jul 2013, 3:51 pm

rodders wrote:Thats the point the munsty, you've brought in a NZ coach to implement a brand of rugby that can make Munster more effective.

If you don't have a certain type of player then you have to go and buy him, hence Munster looking at guys like Ranger who can break the line.

O'Dea, Earls and Conway, whilst having other attributes aren't going to do this.

The NZ way involves attacking off front foot ball but you need players to get you on the front foot first. Munster don't have enough of them.

I think he was brought in to change the style we played, but always with an emphasis on homegrown players. I'll be honest and admit I didn't see a lot of Munster, especially during the middle stage of the season, but in the early rounds of the Rabo, I could see the style Penney was trying to implement and players like O'Dea, Conway and Earls would flourish in that, as was a game where the ball was kept in the air, through short offloads, create holes and mismatches in defence, where quick guys like Conway and Earls would excel. I actually think that with O'Gara gone, Penney will be able to do a lot more opening up this side with Keatley at stand off, who looked very good during the early rounds, when he was given a brief to play to the strengths of his backline, whereas with RO'G, the gameplan was to play to his strengths.

by **rodders** Wed 10 Jul 2013, 4:16 pm

Well Munsty from what I saw from Munster they struggled to get to grips with Penney's style and only looked comfortable when they reverted to a more tradition percentage game plan later in the season.

by MBTGOG Wed 10 Jul 2013, 4:22 pm

I don't know rodders, I was looking at the Munster game against Ulster today from earlier in the season and they seemed to have a good grasp of it there, especially against a very strong Ulster side. It is obviously going to take time to get consistent on that front, but I think this side is capable of it, they showed enough signs to suggest that.

Anyway, if Penney was trying to bring in smash 'em, bash 'em wingers, it is odd that he signed Conway isn't it?

by MBTGOG Wed 10 Jul 2013, 4:37 pm

Looking at the academy for next season, interesting looking at the locks. I have seen Sean McCarthy playing for Shannon and he look a cut above. A mobile and explosive second row forward. John Madigan will still be eligible for the 20s this season and at 18, he is already nearly 2 metres tall and just under 19 stone. And Darren O'Shea from Dolphin. We have produced quite a few lock forwards in the past 15 years, but never one of his size at 6'9. And at 114KG, he can still add quite a bit more to his frame.

And the other one is Darren Sweetnam, who played at the recent JWC. He seems like a real all round sports man and could prove to be quite a rugby player now that he is focussing his attention on the oval ball, rather than the sliotar or hockey ball.

by Thomond Wed 10 Jul 2013, 6:22 pm

John Madigan is an absolute freak of nature that's all I have to say on him, incredible talent. Sweetnam is a massive loss for Cork hurling but from the JWC he looked an incredible talent natural sportsman.

As for the Penney style, there were times when it clicked and we looked dynamite other times it looked pretty poor. The Rabo is hard to judge as we looked like we couldn't give two shoites about it sometimes. We played some of our best rugby in the Penney style under Keatley. I think Munster fans can be a bit harsh on him, in his big games he has been of the required standard and done all that is asked of him. I speak of the Leinster game, the Racing home game and the Edinburgh match

by Sin é Wed 10 Jul 2013, 6:27 pm

rodders wrote:Earls line breaks don't count sin because statistally speaking he usually runs into touch or throws a pass to no-one in particulars....

Top Irish player for offloads in that 6Ns (and he only played in 4 games). Whistle

by **profitius** Wed 10 Jul 2013, 6:32 pm

Munster will be better with Keatley or Hanrahan at 10. Keatly wouldn't be as good a player as ROG but he is much more suited to Munsters new style of play.

I don't know why Munster signed another winger but it could be an indication that they're looking to move Zebo or Earls to fullback. Theres also been talk of Hurley playing 12 but at 28 years of age they're leaving it a bit late. The new singing might also indicate that Penney is thinking 2 seasons ahead and will be looking for a squad clearout next summer.

One noticeable thing Penney managed to do last season was to great the individual players playing good rugby.

Thomond wrote:John Madigan is an absolute freak of nature that's all I have to say on him, incredible talent. Sweetnam is a massive loss for Cork hurling but from the JWC he looked an incredible talent natural sportsman.

What kind of player is Madigan? ie is he a good ball carrier, lineout man or workhorse etc.

by Thomond Wed 10 Jul 2013, 6:37 pm

He is a bit of everything from what I have seen of him at underage, very strong carrier good lineout operator too.

by Sin é Wed 10 Jul 2013, 7:26 pm

debaters1 wrote:

Further, had BOD not passed having done all that work, he would not have been given nearly the same stick as Earls (rightly) got.

BOD got no stick whatsoever for failing to pass to Earls about 3 metres from the try line about 5 minutes into the same game. I'm pretty sure he knew he was there - he was just a bit greedy and tried to do it himself, but failed.

by MBTGOG Wed 10 Jul 2013, 10:50 pm

How about let's not go into a tangent and talk about Munster for the 2013/14 season. I for one am looking forward to it. I think there is quite a bit of talent in the squad, though I have to say I can see Penney moving a few more players on over this next season.

So, Thomond, can you see Madigan making it? Do you know anything about O'Shea?

by debaters1 Thu 11 Jul 2013, 8:57 am

To be fair Sin, I remember that moment clearly too, and it was lost totally in what followed. but that was February, it is farking sunny & hot out there and we are looking at 2013/2014!

Onward. Upward. Smile

as I had asked about upcoming second row options and my belief that the cupboard was comparatively bare, it is great to hear about the young guys mentioned above. Forgive the ignorance as to their talent levels!

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