Bath v Leinster Sat 1pm The Rec C4/Virgin/BT

[paddyor]

Given where Munster were when JVG took over them he's brought them on quite a bit. He's cleared out a lot of dead wood, he's brought in a number of younger players, such as Casey, the Coombs cousins, Hodnett, O'Sullivan, Healy, JOD, Barron and at last, Aherne and Crowley and he's made the team more difficult to beat, I think. However, he seems to have taken Munster as far as he can as their development has plateaued somewhat and he's probably right to move on to pastures new.

When he took over they had just lost to Scarlets in the final of the league and got hosed "at home" by Saracens in the HEC. The next season they lost to Leinster in the SF of the league and got hosed away to Racing(3 late tries put a gloss on what was a 27-3 lead) in the SF. The season after that, you'll never guess how things panned out for Munster. Thru all that he played his first teamers as often as he could it seemed to me. Not convinced he's done enough for squad development as they seem a bit older and weaker in the front row.

Here’s the match report from Saracens https://web.archive.org/web/20170427083 ... /35635.php


Aside from their issues at scrum half that wasn’t a weak team that van Graan inherited.

Here’s the last match of van Graan first season. https://www.munsterrugby.ie/report/muns ... int#report

Not an awful lot of changes, especially compared to the end of last season. Leinster lost 4 players from that team to poaching by other provinces, 3 of them international regulars. Leinster have recruited 1 player in their squad since then 4 years later (not counting short term signings to cover for Salanoa being poached), and even that signing was to allow Porter to move to loosehead for Ireland after we lost 3 tightheads unexpectedly in a year.

Liam Coombes is listed as brought through, he played against Zebres, TrevisoX2, Ulster in the Rainbow Cup and that was his best year for Munster. Hawkshaw has got twice as many caps last year and he’s someone likely to slip out of the squad through lack of game time. He’s 2 years younger and had a career threatening 18 month injury.

This one is better. Has the timeline of scores. Has to be said that's a very different team and Stander aside(this season) I think this one is better, the results are the same though.

https://www.epcrugby.com/report/report- ... ld#preview

[ronk]

15 of the 23 were there last season or are there now.

Taute, Saili, Bleyendaal, Keatley, Deysel were signings who moved on (I think they're all retired).

Donnacha Ryan, Duncan Williams and Dave O'Callaghan were presumably the dead wood. Such a loathsome way to describe a person.

[cormac]

Bath beat Harlequins 21-17 at home this evening