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

[Oldschoolsocks]

highlights up

https://youtu.be/ue9RoKfFQyU

[FLIP]

highlights up

https://youtu.be/ue9RoKfFQyU

Cheers OSS, the Vahk handoff looked big in the stadium but Christ that was huge on the replay.

[bronxbull]

The group wasn't the toughest we ever played in but there is definitely a quicker tempo this year and our backs have thrived as a result.
The outside backs are all quick,clever footballers and it has been really enjoyable watching them cut loose.
Obviously we have to secure quick ball for all of this to happen but the lack of turnovers against us would suggest that poachers aren't getting the opportunity to get their hands on the ball.
It would have been interesting to see if Underhill would have been able to get any turnovers if he had stayed on.
Job done as best we could do it after 0-28 against us so hopefully we get through 6nations in good shape for April clashes v Connacht.


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[outcast eddie]

The group wasn't the toughest we ever played in but there is definitely a quicker tempo this year and our backs have thrived as a result.
The outside backs are all quick,clever footballers and it has been really enjoyable watching them cut loose.
Obviously we have to secure quick ball for all of this to happen but the lack of turnovers against us would suggest that poachers aren't getting the opportunity to get their hands on the ball.
It would have been interesting to see if Underhill would have been able to get any turnovers if he had stayed on.
Job done as best we could do it after 0-28 against us so hopefully we get through 6nations in good shape for April clashes v Connacht.


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Didn't he get one straight away from the kick off?

[bronxbull]

The group wasn't the toughest we ever played in but there is definitely a quicker tempo this year and our backs have thrived as a result.
The outside backs are all quick,clever footballers and it has been really enjoyable watching them cut loose.
Obviously we have to secure quick ball for all of this to happen but the lack of turnovers against us would suggest that poachers aren't getting the opportunity to get their hands on the ball.
It would have been interesting to see if Underhill would have been able to get any turnovers if he had stayed on.
Job done as best we could do it after 0-28 against us so hopefully we get through 6nations in good shape for April clashes v Connacht.


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Didn't he get one straight away from the kick off?

He did indeed.It would have been a great test of the faster ruck play with a turnover expert like Underhill on for a longer period.

[riocard911]

Full match:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-0xi6zy37Q

[fourthirtythree]

Look, just watch a loop of the Vakh handoff.

That's it. That's the highlights. Sorry Jimmy.

[Experimental]

Bit of a mismatch, but some pretty good rugby all the same, when I saw Jimmy O'Brien first, I was a little worried about his tackling, I'm not worried now. I feel sorry for the brilliant Bath supporters, they deserve better.

[Theleinsterlad]

Bit of a mismatch, but some pretty good rugby all the same, when I saw Jimmy O'Brien first, I was a little worried about his tackling, I'm not worried now. I feel sorry for the brilliant Bath supporters, they deserve better.

They ain’t gonna get it with vangrann

[Xanthippe]

highlights up

https://youtu.be/ue9RoKfFQyU

Cheers OSS, the Vahk handoff looked big in the stadium but Christ that was huge on the replay.

I was thrilled for Vakh - especially after PSA singled him out by saying we had no 'right piller' named on our bench for our cancelled game against Montpellier

[hugonaut]

highlights up

https://youtu.be/ue9RoKfFQyU

Cheers OSS, the Vahk handoff looked big in the stadium but Christ that was huge on the replay.

I was thrilled for Vakh - especially after PSA singled him out by saying we had no 'right piller' named on our bench for our cancelled game against Montpellier

Yeah, very happy for him. He has come the long way around – I think he did three years in the sub-academy; he certainly did two. Then he had that really tricky back injury that took him out of contention for a long time and looked like it might end his time at Leinster. Really good to see him come out the other side of it and get to play a European match.

[blockhead]

Cheers OSS, the Vahk handoff looked big in the stadium but Christ that was huge on the replay.

I was thrilled for Vakh - especially after PSA singled him out by saying we had no 'right piller' named on our bench for our cancelled game against Montpellier

Yeah, very happy for him. He has come the long way around – I think he did three years in the sub-academy; he certainly did two. Then he had that really tricky back injury that took him out of contention for a long time and looked like it might end his time at Leinster. Really good to see him come out the other side of it and get to play a European match.

How far can this lad go?
Barring more bad injuries would he be able to replace Big Mick (Have we given him a nickname yet?) when he heads back home?

[Xanthippe]

I was thrilled for Vakh - especially after PSA singled him out by saying we had no 'right piller' named on our bench for our cancelled game against Montpellier

Yeah, very happy for him. He has come the long way around – I think he did three years in the sub-academy; he certainly did two. Then he had that really tricky back injury that took him out of contention for a long time and looked like it might end his time at Leinster. Really good to see him come out the other side of it and get to play a European match.

How far can this lad go?
Barring more bad injuries would he be able to replace Big Mick (Have we given him a nickname yet?) when he heads back home?

Yes - it's #BigMick

[Dexter]

Bit of a mismatch, but some pretty good rugby all the same, when I saw Jimmy O'Brien first, I was a little worried about his tackling, I'm not worried now. I feel sorry for the brilliant Bath supporters, they deserve better.

They ain’t gonna get it with vangrann

Yeah we couldn't give them much comfort on that one. We were talking to them after the game about the young team they had and how it boded well for the future... then they enthusiasticly pointed out that they were getting a new coach next season too... an awkward silence ensued...

[cormac]

Bit of a mismatch, but some pretty good rugby all the same, when I saw Jimmy O'Brien first, I was a little worried about his tackling, I'm not worried now. I feel sorry for the brilliant Bath supporters, they deserve better.

They ain’t gonna get it with vangrann

Yeah we couldn't give them much comfort on that one. We were talking to them after the game about the young team they had and how it boded well for the future... then they enthusiasticly pointed out that they were getting a new coach next season too... an awkward silence ensued...

He'll get them more organised and harder to beat. Their defensive organisation was very poor once we strung a few phases together.

[JohnB]

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.

[Theleinsterlad]

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.

Have to disagree with you there and majority of the young lads you said he brought on only got run out to begin with because of injuries forcing his hand. I think baths academy will go backwards with him at the helm and to be honest I believe Munster have got worse in how they play since he took over. Just to point out they weren’t a basket case either when he took over

[ronk]

Watch now he'll be a totally different coach in Bath having them play proper rugby.

He held back a lot of those players but he also belatedly gave them a shot. And once he backed them he was pretty quick to clear out older players in the same position.

For example releasing Marshall created space for Barron and Buckley, now most of the space would have been taken up if Moore had hit the ground running. When he eventually realised that Casey was a good player he did let McCarthy go after only a year of sitting on the bench. Maybe he should have been faster with Healy but he's also the 2nd choice outhalf coming out of the academy.

Part of the problem is that he doesn't look well on comparison to his peers. Ulster just doubled Clermont and Northampton. Connacht got through in plenty of time and played much better rugby with a far thinner squad. They weren't far off Leicester.

[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.

[ronk]

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.