Any word if this is shown in the dail bar. It's on French tv which means they'll be a link online somewhere

Borders no.2 wrote: It could well be. The important thing is to hang in there for the first 15-20 minutes but if Bayonne get on an early roll it'll be very difficult to stop. If we can frustrate them early on, keep our discipline and shape we can work our way into the game but its a huge ask.

Very few of these combinations have ever played together even at A level. The British and Irish Cup may help to some degree (as you mentioned earlier) in that some of the lads won't be completely new to each other but as a unit its very hard to see this team functioning. Man for man the team is ok in most positions but making 15 changes is very drastic. Bayonne have a weakened team also but they'll be much more used to playing with one another.

Lads like Ronan Loughney, Muldowney, Swifty, Faloon etc. have important roles to play here. Nikora and Ronaldson needs to try and get us playing in the right areas which will be a difficult task.

I'm resigned to a 15-20 point defeat, anything better and I think that team will have done as much as could reasonably be expected.

Hold on, you're kinda extreme here! I can't see why this Bayonne team is an better unit..
top 14 stats
10 . Otazo 1 start
15 Elissalde 1 start
11. Sayrese 0 start
7. Ancely 0
6. Chouzenoux 0
3. Lapeyrade 0

Cohesion with those neophytes??? No way ! I think it's clearly a 50/50, hope the home advantage won't infuence the ref..

Really hope James Connolly has a good game we need options at six Muldoon can't keep going forever and it would be good if we had someone we could rotate him with.

It could well be. The important thing is to hang in there for the first 15-20 minutes but if Bayonne get on an early roll it'll be very difficult to stop. If we can frustrate them early on, keep our discipline and shape we can work our way into the game but its a huge ask.

Very few of these combinations have ever played together even at A level. The British and Irish Cup may help to some degree (as you mentioned earlier) in that some of the lads won't be completely new to each other but as a unit its very hard to see this team functioning. Man for man the team is ok in most positions but making 15 changes is very drastic. Bayonne have a weakened team also but they'll be much more used to playing with one another.

Lads like Ronan Loughney, Muldowney, Swifty, Faloon etc. have important roles to play here. Nikora and Ronaldson needs to try and get us playing in the right areas which will be a difficult task.

I'm resigned to a 15-20 point defeat, anything better and I think that team will have done as much as could reasonably be expected.

Borders no.2 wrote:
I'm sorry but this is a lambs to the slaughter selection

I don't think it 's that bad, there's enough experience in the team to help the debutants, so you're expecting a mauling tomorrow?

Borders no.2 wrote: While the home record so far is good I don't think Munster or Exeter are suddenly going to fear coming here because we've beaten a string of understrength teams at home. In all honesty, looking back through the games is there any game apart from Leinster where you wouldn't feel we should have been doing well in anyway?

The irony of this is that for all our preserving of the home record, the game against Exeter may well mean diddly squat due to our policy of going with weakened sides for the away games.

With a bit of smart management we could have got 8 or 9 points from these two games and been in a great position when the competition resumed, instead we're looking at 5 and blowing any chance we had in the competition.
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Thanks !! already tried to say this, especially the mythified "home record". But I guess it could still be positive for players and gloobal atmosphere around the Sportsground before Munster

I'm in the minority but I think we've made a complete mess out of this. We really haven't handled the Challenge Cup well this year.

I know people will go on about home record etc but even if we wouldn't have beaten La Rochelle and Bayonne 2nd string with a somewhat weakened team at home what does it matter if we don't make the knock out stage of the competition. Either we should have used this as a competition to blood young players or we should have taken every game seriously in so far as we can with our squad depth.

Bayonne weren't bad last weekend but weren't strong enough that we wouldn't have got away with a few changes.

I'm sorry but this is a lambs to the slaughter selection giving debuts to a number of players in a scratch team away in the south of France. To be fair to the likes of Bealham, Blade, Connolly, Qualter etc. they can't be judged here and it risks setting them back more than anything.

While the home record so far is good I don't think Munster or Exeter are suddenly going to fear coming here because we've beaten a string of understrength teams at home. In all honesty, looking back through the games is there any game apart from Leinster where you wouldn't feel we should have been doing well in anyway?

The irony of this is that for all our preserving of the home record, the game against Exeter may well mean diddly squat due to our policy of going with weakened sides for the away games.

With a bit of smart management we could have got 8 or 9 points from these two games and been in a great position when the competition resumed, instead we're looking at 5 and blowing any chance we had in the competition.

If we get a result against Leinster Lam can take some justification I suppose but I think we need to get our priorities straight one way or another.

Agree with all of that and I doubt many people disagree wit the squad selection (I don't) but after the start we've had it's not great to be expecting a defeat as I think many of us are, and I hope it doesn't backfire on squad morale

phatguerilla wrote: The other thing for me is this seems to basically confirm that ronaldson is primarily a centre/utility option in lam's mind, and I wouldn't even be surprised to see nikora play 80 as swift would be the obvious captain option IMO of those two.

I have been thinking along these lines about Ronaldson for a while. There have been any number of opportunities for him to get a start at 10 and Lam has not taken them. You're probably right about captain. I would have gone with Swifty and, even if you know he won't make the full 80, hand off the captaincy to George when he comes on. But have a feeling Marmion, McSharry and Healy will be held out as long as possible so Pat decided to go with someone he expects to be out there most of the game as you said. I probably would have gone with Faloon before Nikora even. A minor point in the end as Connacht will need a few early breaks to go their way to come away with anything from this. Nothing against the side Pat has selected just think Bayonne will be too clever for them considering the number changes made and the youth that's in them.

any news on how bad the injury is to mick kearney?

Could be a long hard game for some of the young lads, happy for Saba and blade to get game time but that back row looks extremely iffy even if he is resting players. If either young player comes out of it looking good then that would be a lot of credit in the bank IMO as they will have a tough time of it. The other thing for me is this seems to basically confirm that ronaldson is primarily a centre/utility option in lam's mind, and I wouldn't even be surprised to see nikora play 80 as swift would be the obvious captain option IMO of those two.

it's going to be tough to come away with a win but not surprised, Lam had to do something different with all the fixtures coming up in the net few weeks. i guess a call will have to be made during the game just how early or late he can risk bringing on some of the 1st teamers we have on the bench. Also I guess we'll see also just how beneficial the B&I Cup has been to some of the frings players who now get their chance. Overall good call from Lam with the team selection

Cant see us getting anything from this fixture now but looking forward to seeing how the young lads get on.

Ah You has to be (declared as) injured to allow a player from outside our European sqaud (Meunargia) to be added to the 23.

Basically you can add academy/espoirs front rows on a game-by-game basis where otherwise you couldn't name 6 front rows in your matchday 23.

sea_point wrote:
They're in the Injured / Unavailable list, I wouldn't worry too much...
I suspect they are just being rested, as form attacking players...

But I think it is only TOH who is unavailable (due to being replaced by Bundee in the Euro squad)
I'm sure we would have heard more if you they were serious injuries though

_nobody_ wrote: It is worrying to see Bundee and Danie in the injured list. Hopefully it is nothing serious.

They're in the Injured / Unavailable list, I wouldn't worry too much...
I suspect they are just being rested, as form attacking players...