Healy has signed up for two more years (until summer 2018).

And remember there's still one abroad IQ card to be played, if Bristol doesn't offer him enough gametime : Jack O'Connell. Such a pity he's primarily a LH...

Maybe but next season I can't see any of your Connacht/Munster TH able to compete against any of the 4 Ulster/Leinster ones.
hope this scenario isn't the reel one, I think it just can't be, NIQ spots will be used

connachta wrote:

salmson wrote: From an Irish pov it would make sense to have the THs split with Herbst(project)/Rodney, White/Bealham, Moore/Furlong, and maybe Ross/Ryan at Munster.

I think you're kidding, right?

On one side Ulster and Leinster with 4 international level props, or close to it
On the other Munster and Connacht with 2 unproven talents and 2 36 year old guys for next season
Really think it's well balenced?

Ah here you're still talking about potential with Moore and Furlong though, on some days' they look great and others they look bang average...

Currently there are no International level young tight heads in Ireland, there are a few with potential but who can't currently deliver consistent performances and that's if they can be kept fit long enough to do so...

salmson wrote: From an Irish pov it would make sense to have the THs split with Herbst(project)/Rodney, White/Bealham, Moore/Furlong, and maybe Ross/Ryan at Munster.

I think you're kidding, right?

On one side Ulster and Leinster with 4 international level props, or close to it
On the other Munster and Connacht with 2 unproven talents and 2 36 year old guys for next season
Really think it's well balenced?

Completely agree with Seapoint on this one.
The way the IRFU funds provincial contracts is 90k towards X number of contracts and 50k towards Y number of contracts. Save numbers and monetary total for each province. So at the moment Connacht probably don't need to find much if anything to pay Rodney. If we sign hin him to a significant contract, we have to find that 50 or 100k ourselves. Is that outlay on a second choice player the best use of our limited funds when we have Bealham and O'donnell and 20k would cover a development contract for one of our youngsters?
As for Rodney going to Ulster, good luck to him. From an Irish pov it would make sense to have the THs split with Herbst(project)/Rodney, White/Bealham, Moore/Furlong, and maybe Ross/Ryan at Munster.

Shelflife wrote: I agree with a lot of what you are saying sea point, but why is he being moved on in the first place ? why cant we keep Nathan and Rodney and have the younger lads learning their trade in the eagles and from covering injuries and bring them on slowly as Nathan starts to slow down ?

Leinster have a serious backlog in the front row and effectively have the whole Irish front row with them,if anyone needs to move on players its clearly Leinster.

It'll be money pure and simple, his move will free up some dosh for keeping others who aren't likely to plateau once they achieve a certain amount of success..Once he was capped his cost to performance ratio became untenable for a club like us,. Any agent in the world worth his salt (and with absolutely no concern for their commissions) would be in his ear telling Rodney that he's gold right now and might be aluminium in a season or two (or worse scrap) if he get an injury. There are bound to be a fair few clubs with more money stupid enough to pay more than we would be prepared to offer him, especially with all the sucker French clubs willing to pay top dollah for Eastern European & Islander props...

The way I look at it, Rodney has never been as good a TH as Jamie Hagan was between 09/11 for us (before he jumped too early).... .

Basically Nathan (even with injuries and Ireland commitments) is worth the big moolah, Rodders on the average of his form, not so...
Of course the Big upside for Connacht, the Food Bill should come down some..... :whistle:

I agree with a lot of what you are saying sea point, but why is he being moved on in the first place ? why cant we keep Nathan and Rodney and have the younger lads learning their trade in the eagles and from covering injuries and bring them on slowly as Nathan starts to slow down ?

Leinster have a serious backlog in the front row and effectively have the whole Irish front row with them,if anyone needs to move on players its clearly Leinster.

Sources close to sources close to sources close to me indicate that of all the rumoured deals, Nucifora may have had a bigger hand in Rodders going North than any others and that the Aussie would prefer if Rob stayed put for reasons unknown. Of course sugar plantations should be taken for all of this

AJ6000 wrote: Had the news from one of the players themselves that Rodney is going so I'd expect to hear something on it soon

Like Rodney as a person, but he's still as infuriating as a player in his inconsistency now as the day he arrived (maybe be a tiny bit fitter though). I can see the rationale with Ulster as his destination, they have a huge number of holy-rollers in their squad there and as an Islander he'd be pretty from an evangelical background I suspect.

Not too worried by losing him, would be way more concerned with losing White/Buckley or any of the young lads like O'Donnell that have already and will continue to come through...

The likes of Seba needs to be progressed too..huge promise but needs to be pushed along and Rodney's departure creates some space in the Prop roster...

goconn wrote: Any idea when we will finally hear the position on Robbie? After the New Year's day game with Leinster?

Both announcements will probably be made next week sometime. Can't see why they'd delay it if the deals are done. Leinster need a good news story after losing Teo'o and Madigan. What a morale booster for us going into the Scarlets game...

Any idea when we will finally hear the position on Robbie? After the New Year's day game with Leinster?

Had the news from one of the players themselves that Rodney is going so I'd expect to hear something on it soon

To be honest it would be a huge kick in the teeth to lose Rodney. After his first 18 months or so I wasn't alone in thinking why are we wasting our time on this lad but the lads backed him, put the work in with him and over time he's done a lot to repay that trust. Rodney has to do what's right for his career but a move to any of the other provinces is almost certainly a bad move for his future in my opinion.

Longer term it would leave us in a tough position. Nathan White hasn't a huge amount left in the tank, Bealham is showing some potential but still needs a lot of work to be a longer term option at tight-head and the likes of the Georgian lad in the Eagles is a long way off being ready for first team action yet.

Couldnt agree more. Effectively saying a big Feck Ye to us by insisting we cant have two capped players competing for one position but absolutely fine for Leinster to have three

Well if Rodney goes and there is no movement on the 6 international front rowers at Leinster i will tear what little hair I have out.

Makes no sense to have international players grabbing 20 mins here and there if they are to develop.