Leinster V Cardiff, Sat 28th Jan 17:05

[Ruckedtobits]

Very good standard of performance from Leinster young guns.

Really good performances from Milne, Connors, Brownlee, Cosgrave and Turner. As expected quality from McGrath, Harry Byrne, Kearney, Molony, Penny, Deegan, Big Mike, and Rhys.

Excellent teamwork & coaching but also really good leadership on the pitch to put Cardiff away fairly early and ensure you never had any confidence in their chances.

[wixfjord]

Take a bow coaching team. Absolutely brilliant stuff.

We simplified the game plan, made it easier on younger guys and there were some excellent individual performances.

Brownlee looks a really good player.

Milne could be a real high level LH option if he continues to scrummage like that and keeps up the other parts of his game which are excellent.

Backrow predictably far better than their counterparts.

Harry/Luke ran the show.

[wixfjord]

So good to see Will Connors back and go straight into his all action style. He’ll be a very welcome addition in second half of the season.

[hugonaut]

So good to see Will Connors back and go straight into his all action style. He’ll be a very welcome addition in second half of the season.

17 tackles from Connors in the 24 minutes he was on the pitch. He was unlucky with his poach attempts, close on all three. Really good return to the team.

In my point of view, it's only a matter of time before he is back in Irish training squads. It will be interesting to see if Farrell brings him in during the Six Nations or not.

[RoboProp]

Cardiff missed Halloween and decided to break out their Canterbury Crusaders costumes. Thankfully they still played like Cardiff

[bronxbull]

It will be hard to keep Connors out of a full strength Heineken Cup 23.
Probably the most powerful tackler and jackler that we have.
He really played with a fierce intent.
A constant nuisance,I hope he stays fit.

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[wixfjord]

It will be hard to keep Connors out of a full strength Heineken Cup 23.
Probably the most powerful tackler and jackler that we have.
He really played with a fierce intent.
A constant nuisance,I hope he stays fit.

Sent from my CPH2145 using Tapatalk

Yep agreed. I think with Baird at 6 we might have Conan/Connors benching in some games.

He's too good and too impactful in the tackle to keep out.

[cormac]

Delighted for the young lads to play so well. You can see the way they train in how they play. Inexperienced players can come in and look comfortable in the system.

Hats off to the starting pack in particular. They built the platform to ensure a comfortable victory.

[ronk]

Cardiff were playing out of their 22 against a set defence with the clock in the red. Very hard to score from those positions. They turned over the ball and coughed up a try.

It didn't affect the game result but they're now on a worse points difference than the Ospreys. Carelessness with points difference could cost them a place in the Heineken Cup.

When will teams start showing some more awareness of their situations at the end of games?

[nc6000]

Maybe that would happen in a final European group game or the last round of URC games but to expect a team to be worried about points difference like that at this stage is a tad unrealistic.

Edit: Plus Cardiff are 5 league points ahead of Ospreys and when is the last time points difference made a difference?

Edit 2: I mean points difference in the URC.

[ronk]

There are 4 clubs in the playoff/qualification picture between -27 and -47 points difference. 5/6 games out is early to be worrying about small differences.

But if you play the percentages right over the season you end up with 2 things: playing smart is a habit and you came out ahead a few times and will look a little better on the table.

Late in the first half Leinster went for territory with a penalty, failed to score and Cardiff got off the field without exiting. 19-0 and with a strong platform it wasn't a bad move to go for a 1st half bonus point. But kick the penalty and go in 22-0 is also pretty compelling.

[ronk]

Maybe that would happen in a final European group game or the last round of URC games but to expect a team to be worried about points difference like that at this stage is a tad unrealistic.

Edit: Plus Cardiff are 5 league points ahead of Ospreys and when is the last time points difference made a difference?

Edit 2: I mean points difference in the URC.

Leinster finished ahead of Cardiff in the Rainbow Cup and ahead of Scarlets in 17-18. Points difference was less important in the old conference system.

[nc6000]

Late in the first half Leinster went for territory with a penalty, failed to score and Cardiff got off the field without exiting. 19-0 and with a strong platform it wasn't a bad move to go for a 1st half bonus point. But kick the penalty and go in 22-0 is also pretty compelling.

I think we should have had another tap penalty for that one seeing as the first two went so well.

[cormac]

There are 4 clubs in the playoff/qualification picture between -27 and -47 points difference. 5/6 games out is early to be worrying about small differences.

But if you play the percentages right over the season you end up with 2 things: playing smart is a habit and you came out ahead a few times and will look a little better on the table.

Late in the first half Leinster went for territory with a penalty, failed to score and Cardiff got off the field without exiting. 19-0 and with a strong platform it wasn't a bad move to go for a 1st half bonus point. But kick the penalty and go in 22-0 is also pretty compelling.

Leinster have kicked 8 penalties* in 17 games so far this season. Kicking a penalty in this kind of game is an admission of defeat. The change in attitude towards this since Lancaster’s arrival is stark. In the first 20 seasons of the pro era (1995-2016) penalty kicks accounted for an average of one third of Leinster’s points. Since then it’s about 10-15%. The game has moved on. There’s next-to-zero benefit in kicking a penalty at home to Cardiff when you’re already 19-0 ahead.

* only one of those penalties was against non-Irish opposition.

[joooooe]

There are 4 clubs in the playoff/qualification picture between -27 and -47 points difference. 5/6 games out is early to be worrying about small differences.

But if you play the percentages right over the season you end up with 2 things: playing smart is a habit and you came out ahead a few times and will look a little better on the table.

Late in the first half Leinster went for territory with a penalty, failed to score and Cardiff got off the field without exiting. 19-0 and with a strong platform it wasn't a bad move to go for a 1st half bonus point. But kick the penalty and go in 22-0 is also pretty compelling.

Leinster have kicked 8 penalties* in 17 games so far this season. Kicking a penalty in this kind of game is an admission of defeat. The change in attitude towards this since Lancaster’s arrival is stark. In the first 20 seasons of the pro era (1995-2016) penalty kicks accounted for an average of one third of Leinster’s points. Since then it’s about 10-15%. The game has moved on. There’s next-to-zero benefit in kicking a penalty at home to Cardiff when you’re already 19-0 ahead.

* only one of those penalties was against non-Irish opposition.

Thats an amazing stat.

[hugonaut]

There are 4 clubs in the playoff/qualification picture between -27 and -47 points difference. 5/6 games out is early to be worrying about small differences.

But if you play the percentages right over the season you end up with 2 things: playing smart is a habit and you came out ahead a few times and will look a little better on the table.

Late in the first half Leinster went for territory with a penalty, failed to score and Cardiff got off the field without exiting. 19-0 and with a strong platform it wasn't a bad move to go for a 1st half bonus point. But kick the penalty and go in 22-0 is also pretty compelling.

Leinster have kicked 8 penalties* in 17 games so far this season. Kicking a penalty in this kind of game is an admission of defeat. The change in attitude towards this since Lancaster’s arrival is stark. In the first 20 seasons of the pro era (1995-2016) penalty kicks accounted for an average of one third of Leinster’s points. Since then it’s about 10-15%. The game has moved on. There’s next-to-zero benefit in kicking a penalty at home to Cardiff when you’re already 19-0 ahead.

* only one of those penalties was against non-Irish opposition.

Great research Cormac.

I have thought about this with regards to Ross Byrne's points scoring record. Ross has played 143 games [96+47] and has scored 925 pts. 790 of those points have been scored as the starter, the remainder [135] as a sub.

So his average pts/game for Leinster = 6.5, and average pts/start = 8.2.

From the start of the season 2016-17 to the time of writing – so from when Byrne was 21-27 – he has kicked 296 conversions and 95 penalties. The most penalties Ross has ever kicked in a season is 19, and he's an excellent placekicker.

2016-17: 38C, 5P
2017-18: 43C, 16P
2018-19: 44C, 18P
2019-20: 36C, 17P
2020-21: 35C, 19P
2021-22: 58C, 15P

Then you contrast that with Sexton's career, especially before his stint with Paris:

2009-10: 16C, 50P
2010-11: 28C, 52P
2011-12: 29C, 47P
2012-13: 42C, 41P

Looking at RB and putting him in the context of having seen a lot of outhalves play, you would categorise him as a kicking outhalf, the type of player built to hold point-scoring records. But we actually take very few penalty kicks at goal these days. Secondly, one of the strongest reasons to kick for goal from pennos is because they are 'kickable', i.e. you have a good chance of kicking them. In contrast, you have to take a conversion from in line with wherever the ball is touched down ... you don't have a choice whether to kick for goal or for touch with a conversion.

RB: https://www.leinsterrugby.ie/player?PlayGuid=RB187137
JS: https://www.leinsterrugby.ie/player?PlayGuid=JS228312

[joooooe]

Luke McGrath has now gone ahead of Sean Cronin and level with Isa Nacewa on the list of all time Leinster try scorers on 47. He turns 30 this week.

[ronk]

It's a brilliant achievement in a position where your stats aren't really padded by walk ins like winger, hooker or even number 8.

[blockhead]

It's a brilliant achievement in a position where your stats aren't really padded by walk ins like winger, hooker or even number 8.

He's been brilliant for Leinster, his willingness to make a dart at anytime keeps defenses on their toes, and he has a real turn of pace.

Re. the Game.
It happens so often now that its hardly commented on. But for Plumber to put out a team as callow as that and sweep the floor against a very experienced Cardiff team is simply amazing, yet unsurprising.
Good few loose passes but they kept on going.

[paddyor]

It's a brilliant achievement in a position where your stats aren't really padded by walk ins like winger, hooker or even number 8.

He's been brilliant for Leinster, his willingness to make a dart at anytime keeps defenses on their toes, and he has a real turn of pace.

Re. the Game.
It happens so often now that its hardly commented on. But for Plumber to put out a team as callow as that and sweep the floor against a very experienced Cardiff team is simply amazing, yet unsurprising.
Good few loose passes but they kept on going.

Awful conditions too. Forecast was to be dry so they must have had that in their game plan.

I made the mistake of not properly wrapping up, had to bail at half time