connachta wrote: crying souls will say "it's bad luck we've just JP Cooney at tighthead"

Don't knock JP. He's never let us down. Underused in my humble opinion.

its_phil wrote:

connachta wrote: Consequences of over-using players won't be seen immediatly. But when the last match of the season will come, and be decisive to separate us and Scarlets/Edimb, some crying souls will say "it's bad luck we've just JP Cooney at tighthead". It would seem to be bad luck, but if White, 34 years-old, hadn't played on one unwinable match earlier in the season, he could have had the reflex, the speed, the vigilance, the energy to avoid a stupid contact.

I know it's rugby-fiction, but it's realistic...

It's rugby fiction more than anything else. It's a physical game and injuries are bound to happen. Wrapping players in cotton wool like that is just silly and just sounds like OTT hedge betting.

we have a history of players picking up long term injuries, if you've a Heaslip in the team it doesnt matter he plays every game and never gets injured, I look at the list of our players and I'm concerned as the majority are susceptible why risk for a game we more than likely will lose, sure they could get injured in the Cardiff game but at least we managed them a bit better. Thats why Ireland has a player management program, in makes complete sense to me.

connachta wrote: Consequences of over-using players won't be seen immediatly. But when the last match of the season will come, and be decisive to separate us and Scarlets/Edimb, some crying souls will say "it's bad luck we've just JP Cooney at tighthead". It would seem to be bad luck, but if White, 34 years-old, hadn't played on one unwinable match earlier in the season, he could have had the reflex, the speed, the vigilance, the energy to avoid a stupid contact.

I know it's rugby-fiction, but it's realistic...

It's rugby fiction more than anything else. It's a physical game and injuries are bound to happen. Wrapping players in cotton wool like that is just silly and just sounds like OTT hedge betting.

15. Layden
14. Healy
13. Henshaw
12. McSharry
11. Poolman
10. Ronaldson
9. Cooney

1. Loughney
2. Heffernan
3. Rodney
4. Muldowney
5. Kearney
6. Muldoon
7. Faloon
8. George

16. ?
17. Buckley
18. White
19. Roux
20. McKeon
21. Marmion
22. Carty
23. Carr


McSharry and Henshaw have actually played damn all games together in the center as it was either Griffin and Ronaldson playing 12 last year from a combination of form and injury. I'd be surprised if the number was above 4 last year.

That XV could give Glasgow a game for 50 minutes and then you could empty the bench to take it home if we are in with a shout as long as that is.

Westie85 wrote:

connachta wrote:

ConnachtCows wrote: While I agree that we probably wont come home with anything from this game, I dont think we can just write it off, and send over a skeleton team

Do we then start making decisions before every game. What happens if we dont bother with this game, and then lose to Cardiff? Morale will take a big hit.
Rest players who have knocks, that's fine, but dont give half the team a day off.

Reciprocally, what happens if White Buckley Kearney Henshaw or Poolman, who have no knocks (so must play in your opinion), contract a 6-months injury for a useless purpose? (just keeping the "momentum")

Thats not a great argument, a player runs the risk of picking up an injury in any match or any training session. If they are rested against Glasgow and pick up the injuries against Cardiff, we'd still be in the same situation. By all means we should rotate but 3-4 players at most.

it's not a one-match question, it's accumulation, illustration above

connachta wrote:

ConnachtCows wrote: While I agree that we probably wont come home with anything from this game, I dont think we can just write it off, and send over a skeleton team

Do we then start making decisions before every game. What happens if we dont bother with this game, and then lose to Cardiff? Morale will take a big hit.
Rest players who have knocks, that's fine, but dont give half the team a day off.

Reciprocally, what happens if White Buckley Kearney Henshaw or Poolman, who have no knocks (so must play in your opinion), contract a 6-months injury for a useless purpose? (just keeping the "momentum")

Thats not a great argument, a player runs the risk of picking up an injury in any match or any training session. If they are rested against Glasgow and pick up the injuries against Cardiff, we'd still be in the same situation. By all means we should rotate but 3-4 players at most.

Consequences of over-using players won't be seen immediatly. But when the last match of the season will come, and be decisive to separate us and Scarlets/Edimb, some crying souls will say "it's bad luck we've just JP Cooney at tighthead". It would seem to be bad luck, but if White, 34 years-old, hadn't played on one unwinable match earlier in the season, he could have had the reflex, the speed, the vigilance, the energy to avoid a stupid contact.

I know it's rugby-fiction, but it's realistic...

Agree with S4P - is just Faloon I'd be worried about sending over due to our 7 crisis and fact he went off early. Him back at training already is a great sign though and I'd expect to see him start Friday night
Players can get injured in training, so no need to be over protective of them. Like to see Mick Kearney, Rodney and George get a start, and Niyi deserves a break. Not wholesale changes by any means but a bit of juggling

I'd stay put with Carty at OH aswell

No way should we send over a second team. No way
Glasgow picked up a few knocks vs dragons. If we send over a second team, we are basically telling the players that it's okay to lose. It's not, give 100 % and points can be picked up. All well and good resting players but they can get injured inside the first min vs Cardiff.
We haven't clicked yet so we need game time to click.

Agree a win is unlikely and a bonus point will be hard enough work but I wouldn't be for wholesale changes to the team like the first one Connachta has suggested. That number of changes is a recipe for disaster and would do more harm than good to the young players you're trying to give experience to. Done wisely changes can be made over the next three games that will give certain players rest while keeping the team strong enough to get the job done. In the case of Glasgow that means staying competitive and maybe sneaking a losing bonus point if a few bounces go Connacht's way.

ConnachtCows wrote: While I agree that we probably wont come home with anything from this game, I dont think we can just write it off, and send over a skeleton team

Do we then start making decisions before every game. What happens if we dont bother with this game, and then lose to Cardiff? Morale will take a big hit.
Rest players who have knocks, that's fine, but dont give half the team a day off.

Reciprocally, what happens if White Buckley Kearney Henshaw or Poolman, who have no knocks (so must play in your opinion), contract a 6-months injury for a useless purpose? (just keeping the "momentum")

ConnachtCows wrote: While I agree that we probably wont come home with anything from this game, I dont think we can just write it off, and send over a skeleton team

Lam consistently talks about the value of culture and consistency, so there's no way he'll send a shadow team. In any case we are carrying fewer passengers than ever before, so we can rotate a bit without sending the under 12s.

For instance you could start Loughs and Rodney and put Buckley and White on the bench, in the second row you could leave Roux on the bench as he's the most gametime, you can start George in the backrow if Mul or McKeon needs a rest. I'd have no problems with Healy and Carr starting if Niyi or Poolman aren't exactly 100%.

Realistically neither Cardiff nor ourselves are getting anything out of next weekend, unless our match referee recompenses us in full for past wrongs. The Cardiff match is then vitally important, win it, and our lead stretches to 10 or 11 points over them, and they can kiss 6th place goodbye; lose and it's down to a 2-4 point gap.

So we take no risks with players this weekend. I guess I'm calling for a quarter-Bradley

ummm, wrote: Ref for the game is Claudio Blessano.

For those of you scratching your heads and saying "Now where do I know that name from" auld Claudy was the ref in the Cardiff away game last year when the penalty count was 6-18. You remember, the game that was to be Claudio's last in the Pro12 for many many months after he was demoted for being a complete spanner.

Others might remember him from the Edinburgh home game in Feb, when I think the penalty count was more like 12-2 to us. He's a guy I'd much rather invite to the Sportsground than go on holiday with.

While I agree that we probably wont come home with anything from this game, I dont think we can just write it off, and send over a skeleton team

Do we then start making decisions before every game. What happens if we dont bother with this game, and then lose to Cardiff? Morale will take a big hit.
Rest players who have knocks, that's fine, but dont give half the team a day off.
We picked up a losing bonus point here last season (During November Internationals I think), but if we can replicate that again this weekend, it will be another boost to the lads

ummm, wrote: Ref for the game is Claudio Blessano.

For those of you scratching your heads and saying "Now where do I know that name from" auld Claudy was the ref in the Cardiff away game last year when the penalty count was 6-18. You remember, the game that was to be Claudio's last in the Pro12 for many many months after he was demoted for being a complete spanner.

I'm hoping for a "Fitzgibbon effect": after shafting us away to Leinster (in 2008 or 2009 I think) to the extent that the fallout from the game eventually led to the League's disciplinary code being re-written, he then reffed us at home to Leinster in 2010 and gave us everything.

Ref for the game is Claudio Blessano.

For those of you scratching your heads and saying "Now where do I know that name from" auld Claudy was the ref in the Cardiff away game last year when the penalty count was 6-18. You remember, the game that was to be Claudio's last in the Pro12 for many many months after he was demoted for being a complete spanner.