Interesting interview between Kinsella and Earls on the42.ie
www.the42.ie/keith-earls-munster-connach...ogs-2715839-Apr2016/

“It’s the same game plan Rob Penney brought in to us, the two-four-two, and obviously we didn’t take to it as well as Connacht. It’s obviously good to the eye.”

One wonders why Penney’s game plan was not totally accepted in Munster. The southern province reached two semi-finals under the former Canterbury back row, but there was so often a sense that they hadn’t fully bought into Penney’s ideas.

I don’t know,” says Earls when asked why Munster didn’t take to it as well as Connacht have. “I think there were a couple of games; out of the two years, it probably worked out for us seven times. We played really well, but different squads, and different characters.
“It’s probably tradition in Munster that we are able to go and beat up teams. They wouldn’t be used to Donncha O’Callaghan or someone out on the wing. And the lads like getting stuck in, Munster boys like getting stuck in.

Interview is with Conor O'Shea, but last third is him talking about us.

www.the42.ie/conor-oshea-rugby-2713984-Apr2016/

- He considered signing Matt Healy when he was in Lansdowne but Connacht took the plunge first.
- Highlights Jack Carty & Aj MCGinty as particularly impressive.

I think Alan's winning ugly strategy stems from watching Munster for too long. Alan we do not win ugly and we will not win ugly. What we will do is play more sensibly. We will not kick across our 22 again. We will not kick the ball out on the full at restarts, Denis Buckley will think twice about going in where he shouldn't and James Connolly will tackle with a bit more vigour on his own line. Other than that we will play exactly the same game against Munster next week and we will win. While I appreciate that Pat says all the players know the system and can step-up when called upon, Connacht are weakened by injuries. So if we lose on Saturday (and that's a big IF) it will be because we are not at full strength. If we were at full strength these lapses would be less likely and Saturdays result a foregone conclusion. Yes I'm am a bit worried about so many players side-lined but it will not start us playing ugly. Why would we play a game we don't know how to play.

Had a listen back to Quinny and Hogan on off the ball last night and I don't think they were unfair with their criticism. Our restarts are bad and sometimes we make work for ourselves when exiting our 22. Sometimes its OK to kick.

Another positive article. This time from ROG.

www.the42.ie/ronan-ogara-munster-connach...cup-2709215-Apr2016/

"Them all suppin’ pints in the crowd, everyone going bananas." Wrong Ronan, we were suppin jugs......

Darragh wrote: ...patronising and having a bit of a go (because that is definitely what he was doing)...

Quinny and Outrage's Trevor Guy-at-the-bar having a go last night; we now await Triminjus' next missive in De Paper.

These lads are all Munster and they're petrified, and rightly. Last weekend we played away against a mid-table team from arguably Europe's strongest league who had won three on the bounce and possess a varied and intelligent attack. Next weekend we play at home against a mid-table team from arguably Europe's weakest league who are inventive mostly in finding ways to lose games.

Munster's only realistic route to a win is turning the game into a dour, low-scoring arm wrestle.

Of Munster's 10 away games, 6 of them have have 2 or fewer tries (in the whole game), and they've won 4 of them. Of the 4 games with 3 or more tries they've lost 3; the two games before Leinster were the only times they've scored 3 tries away from home, but they conceded 4 both times.

An arm wrestle far from guarantees them a win - 3 of Connacht's home games were low scoring games (only 1 try in each of the Ulster, Edinburgh & Leinster matches), of which we won 2 and lost 1 - but certainly if it's windy and the game is rubbish you'd think they have a fifty-fifty chance.

The other 6 Connacht home games had 5 or more tries and we've won them all, so if a game of rugby breaks out things could get really ugly for Munster.

So you can see why they're hoping we play "pragmatic" "safe" "percentage" rugby, because that's Munster's chance of victory. It's probably more their (unconscious?) panic as they realise how close Munster are to ejection from Europe's top tier (they could lose all three matches), rather than a failure to see how the game is changing, that has them imploring Connacht to stop getting ideas above their station.

I much prefer being critised than being patronised, shows how far we've come and how seriously we're now taken

Westie85 wrote: www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/connacht-...ifully-34615778.html

Good article from Quinlan I think it sums up the game and the result quite well

Quinlans criticism is off the mark. Firstly he's complaining that our fourth choice outhalf is playing too much rugby, Munster would give their left nut to have one guy able to play some rugby from 10 yet you don't see him banging on about the brain dead caveman rugby his home province is playing because he knows it's not in his best interest. Secondly comparing us to the Munster team he played in is pointless; they played 10 man rugby and made hay off a big aggressive pack whereas we are consistently playing against bigger teams so winning collisions and looking for quick ruck ball or grinding down the opposition when leading by a point is not ever going to work for us. No one thinks running everything and fling the ball around in every situation is what we should do, and indeed it isn't what we do, but when you're making breaks and scoring tries why would you look at their hulking set of forwards and think "what we really need to do now is get in an arm wrestle with these guys".

It all comes from the Irish approach to rugby which is: we don't trust our player to be able to pass and catch a ball so if there is even a little danger kick it away and hope for the best.

If he can't take at least some pleasure in the fact that at least on team on this f**king island is trying, and bloody well succeeding, to play some rugby then he's more than welcome to not venture out of Thomond Park where he can watch Axel's boys squeeze any chance of enjoyment out of what should be a beautiful game.

Sorry for the rant but they're taking pot shots at us for sticking our heads above the parapets yet none of the pundits have the stones to state the bleedin obvious about their own teams [/rant]

Edit: or what Darragh said

That's the thing for me. His article was all about 'when I was playing, we knew how to do this , that and the other'.

The game today has moved on even from when he did play. And how well have his proud team been doing lately? They can't even draw a game with two or three penalty opportunities.

So instead of being patronising and having a bit of a go (because that is definitely what he was doing), why not see it for what it was, a young team, playing open rugby and making some mistakes as they learn along the way.

Westie85 wrote: I wouldn't say it was fairly harsh.

I think a lot of what they said is fair and if we do want to improve and win trophies they are things we need to work on and the players and management do in certain situations need to work on getting the balance right on the way we play and execute things in certain situations.

Possibly it was more constructive criticism then just sticking the boot in.

You're right. Alot of it was the truth. ie, that cross kick in Connachts 22 was madness.
However, I think Quinlans criticism especially was sticking the boot in. I found him very patronising.
He is going to be there on Saturday for Sky so I may have to create a sign just for him......

I wouldn't say it was fairly harsh.

I think a lot of what they said is fair and if we do want to improve and win trophies they are things we need to work on and the players and management do in certain situations need to work on getting the balance right on the way we play and execute things in certain situations.

Possibly it was more constructive criticism then just sticking the boot in.

Darragh wrote: Absolutely not all doom and gloom!

Exciting times!

Did anyone hear the rugby chat on Off the Ball last night? Quinlan & Hogan had fairly harsh criticism for Connacht.
www.newstalk.com/podcasts/Off_The_Ball/R...Brilliant_Matt_Healy

The love-in continues:

www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/connacht-...ignore-34618856.html

Absolutely not all doom and gloom!

Exciting times!

It's not all doom and gloom.
www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/connacht-...e-of-glory-1.2605497

I think the Quinlan piece, like a few other commentators, doesn't quite factor in our fly half situation and wider injury profile.

What other province would do any better down to the bare bones at 10? That was where the game was lost for me. Simple in-experience. And I have no major gripes about it.

Some things sometimes have to be about more than just winning and I am enjoying watching my home province play the way the game was intended. The other provinces have largely forgotten that humble design and I think their noses are out of joint and they are jealous. Each of them feel how dare we have the right.......

It is all too easy to say we need to learn how to win ugly and all that bolx, but Munster for example couldn't even draw their game the last day. That is far more damning in my mind.

He is (like Gordon D'arcy) a bit patronising regarding saying Connacht are nieve, etc.

Provincial bias is truly alive with these ex players turned commentators.