connachta wrote: I'd keep the team unchanged, except Beaham Dillane and Marmion starting if Joe allows it within international break.

And maybe we may put Marshall on the bench for Naoupu, depends on how well he feels after his recovery

Nope George stays in, Marshall should get a run in AIL first before he gets a slot in Matchday Squad.

Big Gorge is playing well at the moment (playing for a contract), so you go with him. More durable than Marshall anyway and offer excellent backrow cover..

Who has been released back to the club from the international squad?

For Top 6 purposes, I would feel fairly confident now that we'll finish in front of one or other of Glasgow or Edinburgh which is what we need to do there. Ospreys worry me a little, and we could do with them losing at home this weekend. However if we can beat them at home the week after then we should be able to stay in front of one of them or Scarlets till the end.
And then of course there's always Munster. If we can stay in front of them that should copperfasten Top 6.
Top4 - don't even want to think of that yet.

Hi folks, the Clan will be in the usual spot in the Dail this Saturday for the match!

You'd have to think this'd be a comfortable win for the ads, but can't get complacent. If it's a similar team to that fielded against Robbies new team last week they'd have a lot of work to do, but we all know what a young team with something to prove can do. Should be a bit of a spectable, anyway!

We all know of bad experiences over the years in games like these that we should be winning comfortably especially away from home so I take nothing for granted in any game. Zebre have taken some notable scalps at home this year (Edinburgh & Cardiff) along with some good Challenge Cup results and ran Munster and Gloucester among others close. Cardiff found out on Saturday what can happen if you don't do your job professionally.

Having said that they are minus a number of first teamers and seeing them at the Sportsground during the World Cup they had little to offer and we had a bonus point by half time with a very moderate performance. I think we have moved to the stage where we are professional enough to go there and secure a routine win and hopefully a bonus point. We did the job without much fuss out there last year and ran out good winners. For me go with the best team at the start, they will throw anything they have to offer at us early on so withstand that and we should be in a position to get it won as early as we can and collect all 5 if possible.

Ospreys and Edinburgh are huge games coming up but one game at a time and for me we need to look to keep the momentum going with a big win.

clanman wrote: it will be interesting to see who Joe wants to bring into the Ireland Team for the following week, I guess the fact that it is England he won;'t want to blood younger players. so that might mean Marmion, Dillane and Bealham will be available, anyway I think we haver good enough replacements even if they are'nt availalble. Also I would say Italy will be drafting in a few more players from Zebre and Treviso as they suffered a lot of injuries against England. I think the 5 points is easily within our reach, and I'd have some of the players on the margins of the team involved in this one like Robb and Parata in the backs, O'brien and Loughney in the forwards. Blade and AJ should continue at halfback pairing, if any of the a recently returned from injury players are available they should be thrown into the mix.

The Ospreys game is the big one for me. since we beat them they've being showing a return to form and some of their younger players are starting to front-up.

would it be worth risk resting either Ronaldson or Aki, i think so.

Hell no, the next 3 games are too important. We must go full-strenght and get 9 or 10 points to end the season with serenity, looking up (top 4) rather than down (top 6). Then, after having released that pressure, there's a rest week and Ulster to reintroduce injured/junior players in.

The only question mark for Zebre is will returning Ben Marshall can bring more than quite in form Naoupu in 2nd row? That's up to the coaches.

I wonder will Mils make an appearance? We never got to say goodbye...

it will be interesting to see who Joe wants to bring into the Ireland Team for the following week, I guess the fact that it is England he won;'t want to blood younger players. so that might mean Marmion, Dillane and Bealham will be available, anyway I think we haver good enough replacements even if they are'nt availalble. Also I would say Italy will be drafting in a few more players from Zebre and Treviso as they suffered a lot of injuries against England. I think the 5 points is easily within our reach, and I'd have some of the players on the margins of the team involved in this one like Robb and Parata in the backs, O'brien and Loughney in the forwards. Blade and AJ should continue at halfback pairing, if any of the a recently returned from injury players are available they should be thrown into the mix.

The Ospreys game is the big one for me. since we beat them they've being showing a return to form and some of their younger players are starting to front-up.

would it be worth risk resting either Ronaldson or Aki, i think so.

I was at the Leinster game on Friday night. Leinster were lethal with the clearout and great presentation of ball. Zebre were a poor side with a poor ten who they took off in the second half and moved their 15 to 10. The rather chubby player that replaced the ten was Mills.
Zebre seemed to be all over the place. Turned down points in front of the posts instead opting for a scrum and gave away the freekick.
Probably the worse side Ive seen play at pro 12 in a good few years.
If thats the same squad for Zebre next weekend I'd expect 5 points.

I'm more a fan of Ronaldson at 10 than McGinty.

Yeah, it's probably too much to ask for them to run out the same team as yesterday. That was some thrashing they took.

Zebre have done quite well at home this season. They might get some squad players back from Italy but they will be stretched. 4 pts at a minimum hopefully 5 to keep momentum going for ospreys.

You're probably right. I was thinking recently as he's put in the full 80 in the last four games and forgot how long he was actually out.

Poolman doesn't need a break, he barely played for 2 years. Gametime could even make him better in March/April

connachta wrote: I'd keep the team unchanged, except Beaham Dillane and Marmion starting if Joe allows it within international break.

And maybe we may put Marshall on the bench for Naoupu, depends on how well he feels after his recovery

No problem with any of those changes. Again, as I said before the Dragons game, I would go with Ronaldson at outhalf, AJ to the bench and mix in Robb, Parata or even Pewhairangi to partner with Aki. I might even be tempted to start Adeolokun on the wing and give either Healy or Poolman a break, but I have a feeling Pat's policy going forward will continue to be to put out his best side available regardless of the strength of the opposition.

I'd keep the team unchanged, except Beaham Dillane and Marmion starting if Joe allows it within international break.

And maybe we may put Marshall on the bench for Naoupu, depends on how well he feels after his recovery