Grahamunster - Graham Rowntree's Munster 2022/2023

[blockhead]

50 pts conceded...burn!
So thats 130 pts conceded in the last 3 games.

[naraic]

I'm beginning to think there may be a Challenge cup winner who doesn't qualify for the Champions Cup through the league which would mean top six is necessary for European qualification.

[Schumi]

I'm beginning to think there may be a Challenge cup winner who doesn't qualify for the Champions Cup through the league which would mean top six is necessary for European qualification.

I think if a URC team wins the Challenge Cup, it'll be Glasgow so no effect on qualification. The Lions are the only other likely URC winners for me but if Glasgow want it, they're strong favourites for me.

[offshorerules]

Coombes & Hodnett were dire. It's like they had some notion that getting involved in breakdowns was none of their business. I have no idea where they learned their backrow trade, but it was amateur from them both.

Got to agree with you. 2nd week in a row their backrow didn't show up.

[FtD]

Coombes & Hodnett were dire. It's like they had some notion that getting involved in breakdowns was none of their business. I have no idea where they learned their backrow trade, but it was amateur from them both.

Got to agree with you. 2nd week in a row their backrow didn't show up.

Part of how they're systemically set up - for whatever reason they leave Hodnett hanging around in wide channels, where tbf he can make impactful carries, but it makes no sense when you cannot retain your own ruck ball.

Both of them look to be carrying too much bulk to play the sort of gameplan Munster are trying to implement. Hodnett in particular always looks kind of jowly.

[neill_m]

I'm beginning to think there may be a Challenge cup winner who doesn't qualify for the Champions Cup through the league which would mean top six is necessary for European qualification.

I think if a URC team wins the Challenge Cup, it'll be Glasgow so no effect on qualification. The Lions are the only other likely URC winners for me but if Glasgow want it, they're strong favourites for me.

Benetton have a shot also, fancy them to get to semi finals. Might have to go to Toulon in semi final mind which would be difficult.

[Schumi]

I'm beginning to think there may be a Challenge cup winner who doesn't qualify for the Champions Cup through the league which would mean top six is necessary for European qualification.

I think if a URC team wins the Challenge Cup, it'll be Glasgow so no effect on qualification. The Lions are the only other likely URC winners for me but if Glasgow want it, they're strong favourites for me.

Benetton have a shot also, fancy them to get to semi finals. Might have to go to Toulon in semi final mind which would be difficult.

It's possible I suppose. They've struggled in away games all season which is why I didn't think much of their chances. Beating Toulon away and then Glasgow in the final sounds like a tough ask but they might get lucky and avoid both.

[naraic]

I'm beginning to think there may be a Challenge cup winner who doesn't qualify for the Champions Cup through the league which would mean top six is necessary for European qualification.

I think if a URC team wins the Challenge Cup, it'll be Glasgow so no effect on qualification. The Lions are the only other likely URC winners for me but if Glasgow want it, they're strong favourites for me.

You might be right. My feeling is that someone who doesn't have to worry about league playoffs could sneak in.

[ormond lad]

by munster#1

Great to see Munster expanding their initiative for Centres of excellence.
Munster will build a full sized indoor pitch along with an full sized outdoor pitch along with gym and other facilities, for use in the development of grass roots rugby.

https://www.live95fm.ie/news/live95-new ... -rosbrein/

Hopefully this is the shot in the arm Limerick Rugby needs to consistently start producing players again. Apparently it's close to Old Cresecent RFC too. Hope this works out.

Have Connacht anything like this or anything planned

Theyre concentrating on sportsground redevelopment which will allow more work done with non pro players. Back pitch in sportsground will be removed to allow for bigger/better centre for gym etc.

On the centre in Limerick This isnt going to change too much down there tbh

[Blue Man]

The only thing more pathetic than the turnips performance is the reaction of their fans; deluded bunch. I wish them nothing but the worst

[Avenger]

I haven’t looked on munsterfans but the Munster thread on boards seems reasonable enough.

[ronk]

Dan Goggin left Munster last week

https://www.munsterrugby.ie/2023/04/05/ ... ter-rugby/

Statement is terse. No quote from the player, never thanks him.

[wixfjord]

Strange for a player to leave with two games left in the season.

Probable he wasn't being renewed and didn't take it well?

Never rated Goggin much at all, but it's another blow to Munster's centre depth chart which by reckoning for next year will be:

Frisch
Nankivell
Scannell

with Crowley & Daly backing them up and Oli Morris/Liam Coombes/Fionn Gibbons knocking around as well.

That's not a great looking depth chart.

[FtD]

Nankivell has looked good for the Chiefs this year, but he looks to be much more of a thirteen than a 12, so a somewhat unusual signing as Frisch certainly doesn't look like a 12 either.

I guess the Chris Farrell situation has really hurt them here, plus a couple of years of stupid recruitment decisions in this position.

[Topdawg]

Strange for a player to leave with two games left in the season.

Probable he wasn't being renewed and didn't take it well?

Never rated Goggin much at all, but it's another blow to Munster's centre depth chart which by reckoning for next year will be:

Frisch
Nankivell
Scannell

with Crowley & Daly backing them up and Oli Morris/Liam Coombes/Fionn Gibbons knocking around as well.

That's not a great looking depth chart.

Rowntree alluded to an IQ depth guy coming in from to quote him “down the road” so I assume it’s one of the centres from one of the other provinces out of contract such as Angus Curtis, Shayne Bolton, Liam turner or Sean O’Brien at Exeter can’t think of many more

[StopTheLights]

The potential to make a move for one of the two prodigal sons, Karl Martin and Lucas Berti Newman, has surely been bandied around by now. Although I have to admit I have not been following their progress since moving abroad. But I would have thought, considering Munsters situation at center, that they might have sounded it out.

[naraic]

Strange for a player to leave with two games left in the season.

Probable he wasn't being renewed and didn't take it well?

Apparently he is taking a move to sunnier climes and playing in the semi professional schute shield in Australia for a few months. Last weekend was the first week of games.

I haven't seen confirmation of which Schute shield team he is going to play for.

[naraic]

The potential to make a move for one of the two prodigal sons, Karl Martin and Lucas Berti Newman, has surely been bandied around by now. Although I have to admit I have not been following their progress since moving abroad. But I would have thought, considering Munsters situation at center, that they might have sounded it out.

Unless you follow the Top 14 Espoirs I don't think anyone is aware of their progress. I don't even know how or where to follow the Espoirs so I can't help.

[ronk]

Strange for a player to leave with two games left in the season.

Probable he wasn't being renewed and didn't take it well?

Apparently he is taking a move to sunnier climes and playing in the semi professional schute shield in Australia for a few months. Last weekend was the first week of games.

I haven't seen confirmation of which Schute shield team he is going to play for.

I guess if he wasn't going on the SA tour and he had somewhere else he could be then it makes sense rather than running down the weeks on the end of his contract. He's played once since October.

He started 6 games in a row but it looks like Scannell was preferred after that and he dropped fast.

At 28 you'd have to think that his chance at the big time had slipped by.

[Colmodon]

Strange for a player to leave with two games left in the season.

Probable he wasn't being renewed and didn't take it well?

Apparently he is taking a move to sunnier climes and playing in the semi professional schute shield in Australia for a few months. Last weekend was the first week of games.

I haven't seen confirmation of which Schute shield team he is going to play for.

I guess if he wasn't going on the SA tour and he had somewhere else he could be then it makes sense rather than running down the weeks on the end of his contract. He's played once since October.

He started 6 games in a row but it looks like Scannell was preferred after that and he dropped fast.

At 28 you'd have to think that his chance at the big time had slipped by.

I know it was raised quite a bit in the extended period where van Graan was still in situ but was known to be leaving as to who was making decisions about contracts. Goggin signed last January until June 2024 https://www.limerickpost.ie/2022/01/28/ ... nd-french/

Seems like they may have come to some sort of agreement where it was made known he wasn't going to be picked so he had the option to seek other opportunities. Good sign that Munster are hopefully turning the corner in terms of trimming the flan on the squad but what seemed like a mad extension at the time has been proved to be so.