Least Meaningful Match This Season: Glasgow Warriors v Leinster Ladyboys.

Well Friday sees both teams finish their season on a flatish note as Benneton canter to the final of the Rainbow Cup.

However both clubs have named pretty strong sides so it could prove an interesting watch.


Visitors first ;

15. Hugo Keenan (28)
14. Tommy O’Brien (9)
13. Garry Ringrose (84)
12. Rory O’Loughlin (85)
11. Jimmy O’Brien (33)
10. Ross Byrne (102)
9. Luke McGrath (149) CAPTAIN
1. Ed Byrne (69)
2. Rónan Kelleher (23)
3. Michael Bent (157)
4. Ross Molony (115)
5. James Ryan (48)
6. Josh Murphy (48)
7. Josh van der Flier (96)
8. Calean Doris (38)

16. Dan Sheehan (12)
17. Peter Dooley (92)
18. Andrew Porter (76)
19. Ryan Baird (25)
20. Scott Penny (27)
21. Rowan Osborne (11)
22. Jordan Larmour (60)
23. Cian Kelleher (26)

Luke McGrath will be making his 150th appearance

Glasgow Warriors;

1. Aki Seiuli (28)
2. Fraser Brown (108)
3. Enrique Pieretto (19)
4. Rob Harley (251)
5. Scott Cummings (77)
6. Ryan Wilson (191)
7. Rory Darge (3)
8. Matt Fagerson (70)
9. George Horne (65)
10. Ross Thompson (12)
11. Cole Forbes (5)
12. Sam Johnson (71)
13. Nick Grigg (90)
14. Kyle Steyn (30)
15. Adam Hastings (52)
16. George Turner (61)
17. Tom Lambert (4)
18. D’arcy Rae (85)
19. Kiran McDonald (36)
20. Thomas Gordon (36)
21. Sean Kennedy (17)
22. Stafford McDowall (27)
23. Niko Matawalu (137)

Big Bad Bob will be making his 251st appearance for Glasgow. See that McGrath, what a dilettante!

front rows... I think Sue Ellen-Chuckles-The Pirate just have the edge, Vhuckles will be looking to show he is still the first choice hooker and Fitter&Turner will be champing at the bit to get on to prove him wrong. Similarly, young Lambert has had a couple of decent performances and will be desperate to get on again. The Fugitive will be making his farewell appearance if he gets on and I hope he does and goes out with a bang.
second rows Advantage Ladyboys. James Ryan v Scott Cummimgs two superb athletic young locks; should be well worth a watch. Molony v BBB not as dynamic but probably a lot nastier.
Back rows There will be no prisoners taken here. I'll call it evens ; mainly because I'm scared that if I call one side better there might be a knock on my door late at night and a very scary flanker might be wanting a quiet word with me.
half backs The Ladyboys' duo have more than three times as many appearances as the Glasgow pairing. Will experience carry the day? If Hornito gets quick ball and can attack into open field he can be devastating, Thompson is on the shortlist for Glasgow's Player Of The Season...after 12 appearances. What is more shocking is he deserves to be there. Again, I'm not calling this either way.
Centres I think Johnson-Ringrose would be a stunning pairing. O'Loughlin- Squiggsy not so much. Squiggsy has a tendency to shoot out the line and leave acres of space outside him; Dragons scored when he did that last week, Ringrose could have a field day.
Back three Cole Forbes could well be the new Sean Maitland. That should decide which back three is better.

Oh yes, MadMadMata will come on to say goodbye. There won't be a dry eye in the house...one way or another.

Great intro Jimbo
I can't believe the mad wee fijian, a man who has had more hair styles than i've had hot whatdoyoucallthem's, is actually off after this game.
We will not see his likes again.
I wonder which lucky club will sign him?

i'm hoping to see a continuation of Glasgows good recent form and for that team to have a real go -  it's not inconceivable they could win this, although Leinster are strong favourites.

Glad Niko is on the bench and will get a chance for one last hurrah as a Warrior - was watching some of his highlights form his first stint, hard to believe it's been 9 years since he first pitched up at the club.

Where is Niko heading off to? Shame to see him leave.

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Where is Niko heading off to? Shame to see him leave.

Nothing said yet about his destination, or even if he has one.

He is not the player he was for sure, but it would be surprising if there was not a contract out there for him somewhere, assuming he wants one.

BigGee wrote:

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Where is Niko heading off to? Shame to see him leave.

Nothing said yet about his destination, or even if he has one.

He is not the player he was for sure, but it would be surprising if there was not a contract out there for him somewhere, assuming he wants one.

Yeah, i'd hope/expect a pro D2 club would be interested. I wonder what direction Niko's career will go in retirement, I'm going for a wild stab in the dark and punt that it won't be something office based.

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Where is Niko heading off to? Shame to see him leave.

I have it from a very reliable source (I just made it up) that MadMadMata is taking his bag of tricks 30 miles east. Apparently Cockers has thrown his toys out of the pram and insisted that the SRU, "Sack that shop front wooden indian and get me an attack coach who shares my vision for fast free flowing rugby... And I want a squirrel! And I want it now!"

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Where is Niko heading off to? Shame to see him leave.

On a more serious note LFL, any insights into the Ladyboys' line up you'd like to share with us?

jimbopip wrote:

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Where is Niko heading off to? Shame to see him leave.

On a more serious note LFL, any insights into the Ladyboys' line up you'd like to share with us?

Maybe the MLR in America is calling him, he'd be great there.

On the Leinster side, there aren't too many surprises. Tommy O'brien on the wing is a good prospect whose season has been ruined by injury like so many others. On the bench Dan Sheehan is our answer to Bismark Du Plessie, keep an eye out for him l. Scott Penny has been in incredible form this year in the backrow and will want to come on and continue to make an impression. Any surprises in the Glasgow team?

LeinsterFan4life wrote:

jimbopip wrote:

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Where is Niko heading off to? Shame to see him leave.

On a more serious note LFL, any insights into the Ladyboys' line up you'd like to share with us?

Maybe the MLR in America is calling him, he'd be great there.

On the Leinster side, there aren't too many surprises. Tommy O'brien on the wing is a good prospect whose season has been ruined by injury like so many others. On the bench Dan Sheehan is our answer to Bismark Du Plessie, keep an eye out for him l. Scott Penny has been in incredible form this year in the backrow and will want to come on and continue to make an impression. Any surprises in the Glasgow team?

The Leinster production line showing no sign of slowing up then - never heard of either Sheehan or O'Brien, will make sure I keep an eye out. Scott Penny has been brilliant when i've seen him this year.

No massive surprises from a Glasgow perspective LFL: Kyle Steyn has recently come back from a serious injury and has picked up where he left off - very strong wing/13; Rory Darge has moved from Edinburgh to get game time, he seems to have moved above Tom Gordon in the openside rankings, a lot is expected from him in Scottish rugby circles; and Cole Forbes is a name you might not have heard off before, moved over from NZ on trial and has quickly cemented his place in the squad - a good allrounder with a bit of aggression in contact about him.

EST wrote:

LeinsterFan4life wrote:

jimbopip wrote:

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Where is Niko heading off to? Shame to see him leave.

On a more serious note LFL, any insights into the Ladyboys' line up you'd like to share with us?

Maybe the MLR in America is calling him, he'd be great there.

On the Leinster side, there aren't too many surprises. Tommy O'brien on the wing is a good prospect whose season has been ruined by injury like so many others. On the bench Dan Sheehan is our answer to Bismark Du Plessie, keep an eye out for him l. Scott Penny has been in incredible form this year in the backrow and will want to come on and continue to make an impression. Any surprises in the Glasgow team?

The Leinster production line showing no sign of slowing up then - never heard of either Sheehan or O'Brien, will make sure I keep an eye out.  Scott Penny has been brilliant when i've seen him this year.

No massive surprises from a Glasgow perspective LFL: Kyle Steyn has recently come back from a serious injury and has picked up where he left off - very strong wing/13; Rory Darge has moved from Edinburgh to get game time, he seems to have moved above Tom Gordon in the openside rankings, a lot is expected from him in Scottish rugby circles; and Cole Forbes is a name you might not have heard off before, moved over from NZ on trial and has quickly cemented his place in the squad - a good allrounder with a bit of aggression in contact about him.

unfortunately Tommy O'brien's injury plague is continuing as he's pulled out of the squad with Cian Kelleher replacing him and Rob Russell is now in line to make his debut off the bench.

At this point, I think Leinster are probably breeding or cloning players in a lab.  Needs to be investigated.

Ladyboys 12-7 up at half time.
Good, niggly match. Ladyboys deserve their lead.
Main points for me;
George Horne is less than effective
Luke McGrath is very effective
Fat Ladyboys stifling the life out of the Warriors pack
Frank Murphy...Is he Clancy in disguise? After 3 minutes Chuckles made a Captain's Challenge for foul play on Sam Johnson when he took crash ball from a lineout.There had been two lineouts: Murphy checked the second where Johnson had been tackled hard but fair. No foul play said Murphy. It was the other lineout, said Chuckles. No you've had your challenge for the match you can't have any more.

Wow
That was an old fashioned toe to toe slugfest. Either side could have won it. Horne become more productive in the second half and the Glasgow defence stepped up their collective intensity. So they probably just deserved to edge it.
Mr Murphy came perilously close to losing control at one point; he never really had control of the scrums.
A good way to end the season.

Well well well, what a good end to the season for Glasgow. Things seem to go better for the Warriors when I don't watch the matches live, I am at work again.

I know it was to all intents a dead rubber, but any win over the ladyboys is a very good win and it sounds like they did it the hard way!

Can't wait to watch it tomorrow!

Congrats Glasgow on a deserved win, hopefully you guys can kick on from that and return to where you belong on the table next season.

I just got home from work and you spoiled the surprise! Now what am I going to do?

Doc, watch it anyway. I get the sense it's the sort of game you'd like; all that passing, running stuff doesn't really get in the way of some stag rutting junkyard dog in your face rugby.
It gets even better when Andrew "I'm a Lion you know" Porter comes on and decides that he needs to sort out the Glasgow pack single handed. Unfortunately for him The Mullet comes on at the same time and has the right hump because he started on the bench.There is a good old fashioned "all in stramash" occasioned when The Mullet clears Porter out of a ruck and Porter gets huffy, then gets neck rolled by Batman. Afterwards next time Porter gets the ball watch out for the perfectly legal, perfectly beautiful tackle from The Mullet.

jimbopip wrote:Doc, watch it anyway. I get the sense it's the sort of game you'd like; all that passing, running stuff doesn't really get in the way of some stag rutting junkyard dog in your face rugby.
It gets even better when Andrew "I'm a Lion you know" Porter comes on and decides that he needs to sort out the Glasgow pack single handed. Unfortunately for him The Mullet comes on at the same time and has the right hump because he started on the bench.There is a good old fashioned "all in stramash" occasioned when The Mullet clears Porter out of a ruck and Porter gets huffy, then gets neck rolled by Batman. Afterwards next time Porter gets the ball watch out for the perfectly legal, perfectly beautiful tackle from The Mullet.

I ended up not watching anything last night but now certainly on the agenda for this evening.  I will let you know what I think.  

I absolutely love this and will probably steal and use it when my Rugby club meets up tomorrow for our regular Sunday morning Touch Rugby run:
"stag rutting junkyard dog in your face rugby".  
Classic.......

Massive Poopie from the ref giving Wilson a yellow then refusing to tell him why because he wants to tell the replacement captain.

Not a good game from Murphy.

May I humbly request that last night's referee henceforth be known as " The George Clancy Tribute Act"?

I think the sooner that Ireland stops providing referees the better. Just live with the Scottish, Italian, Welsh and South African ones.

It would remove at one stroke, 95.6% of the complaints about Irish referees in the PRO14.

Pot Hale wrote:I think the sooner that Ireland stops providing referees the better.   Just live with the Scottish, Italian, Welsh and South African ones.  

It would remove at one stroke, 95.6% of the complaints about Irish referees in the PRO14.  

If there are no Irish referees, then wouldn't there be no complaints about Irish referees?????

doctor_grey wrote:

Pot Hale wrote:I think the sooner that Ireland stops providing referees the better.   Just live with the Scottish, Italian, Welsh and South African ones.  

It would remove at one stroke, 95.6% of the complaints about Irish referees in the PRO14.  

If there are no Irish referees, then wouldn't there be no complaints about Irish referees?????

There would be a few complaints about there being not enough Irish refs

doctor_grey wrote:

Pot Hale wrote:I think the sooner that Ireland stops providing referees the better.   Just live with the Scottish, Italian, Welsh and South African ones.  

It would remove at one stroke, 95.6% of the complaints about Irish referees in the PRO14.  

If there are no Irish referees, then wouldn't there be no complaints about Irish referees?????

Sure, wouldn't we complain about their poor attendance records?

jimbopip wrote:

doctor_grey wrote:

Pot Hale wrote:I think the sooner that Ireland stops providing referees the better.   Just live with the Scottish, Italian, Welsh and South African ones.  

It would remove at one stroke, 95.6% of the complaints about Irish referees in the PRO14.  

If there are no Irish referees, then wouldn't there be no complaints about Irish referees?????

Sure, wouldn't we complain about their poor attendance records?

Pourquoi pas? Those nasty Irishmen not showing up to do their duty....

Yesterday was hot, around 90°, I worked most of the day in the garden and I was quite thirsty. So last night a few Boddington's and I sat down and watched the match. Great physical stuff. I thought both sides could have scored more but the defenses were tough, especially Glasgow. Some time in the second half there was a sequence when Leinster had the ball but every Glasgow tackle looked to turn the Leinster players into road kill. Totally cool. The referee was incredibly good.....

The referee was incredibly good as what? A Clancy Tribute Act? Ireland's entry in the Guinness Book Of Records Most Final warnings In 80 Minutes section? Long Distance Whistling as an Olympic sport? A ref once said to me, "I never blow more than three peeps; if they haven't stopped thumping each other by then they're not going to pay any attention and you just sound stupid keeping on."
But yes, it was a game for those who enjoy the more physical aspects of rugby.

Just having a laugh since you mentioned the referee in a few posts suggesting he might be the referee equivalent of proving Darwin wrong. To be fair, he did get call right for the obstruction by Leinster on a play when they scored. But the rest of the match, he was not, well, not good.