connachta wrote: we need a LH anyway...
2 injuries would mean absolutely no-one on the bench...

Agreed. We have only 10 senior front rows and need 11 for the European squad. There's no benefit in naming academy front rows to the EPCR squad as they can be added on a per match basis if needed. What sort of prop we need depends on whether O'Donnell is seen purely as a loosehead (in which case we need an omni-prop as opposed to a loosehead) or as covering both sides. Was Rodney released by Ulster? :whistle:

we need a LH anyway...
2 injuries would mean absolutely no-one on the bench...

connachta wrote:

Mark Mostyn wrote:

connachta wrote: We still desperately need a 7 and a LH

if Connors doesn't come maybe we'll trust Boyle.
But we definitely can't have only 6 senior props, including O'Donnell

Agreed. O'Donnell is completely untested at senior level.

+Dawai NIQ spot is available, isn't it...

Who knows, the NIQ guidelines never seemed particularly set in stone, and the residency rules have changed since we last heard anything about them.

Mark Mostyn wrote:

connachta wrote: We still desperately need a 7 and a LH

if Connors doesn't come maybe we'll trust Boyle.
But we definitely can't have only 6 senior props, including O'Donnell

Agreed. O'Donnell is completely untested at senior level.

+Dawai NIQ spot is available, isn't it...

connachta wrote: We still desperately need a 7 and a LH

if Connors doesn't come maybe we'll trust Boyle.
But we definitely can't have only 6 senior props, including O'Donnell

Agreed. O'Donnell is completely untested at senior level.

We still desperately need a 7 and a LH

if Connors doesn't come maybe we'll trust Boyle.
But we definitely can't have only 6 senior props, including O'Donnell

Think Connors is staying with Leinster. We've signed Munster winger Conor Hayes to the academy apparently.

So Murray Kinsella is saying the Nucifora has revealed new competiion

"Meanwhile, Nuciford revealed that a new eight-team Irish/Welsh competition will kick-off this September to replace the defunct British & Irish Cup, in which the provinces’ A sides “were at the whim of the English clubs.”

The new Irish/Welsh competition will be played across seven weeks “with the aim of mimicking the intensity required and week-to-week competition that PRO14 gives our players.”

“It’s a development competition,” continued Nucifora, “but hopefully the fact that we’ll be doing it over seven consecutive weeks gives us a lot more replication of what the players, coaches, support staff and match officials will receive when they get promoted up into a proper league.”

RoadRunnerR1 wrote: I think the reality here is that the IRFU is doing what's good for the IRFU and the national team and not trying to do any favours to the provinces. With a WC just round the corner, they need Carberry playing regularly at 10 in case anything happens to Sexton. Schmidt allegedly told him this and suggested Ulsters need might afford him that opportunity.

The deal was sweetened as a one season loan idea allegedly as it gives him the playing time at 10 for the WC and then he could go back to Leinster where Sexton would be one year older and closer to retirement. But the sugar didn't work and Munster seized the opportunity and sold him on a partnership with Conor Murray ect. and the rest is history.

I'm normally the first one to have a go at Munster as I believe their unpaid €9 M Thomond park "Loan" is the main reason that Connacht's new stadium has stagnated as the IRFU won't risk getting burned again but this was just smart business on their part. A win for them and for Ireland.

Leinster though have just lost a genuine world class 10 and added to the loss of Jordi Murphy, the idea that this might possibly lead to more fringe players leaving in the future to better their Irish chances, can't have escaped them despite all of their arrogance and belief that their not just the best but the only show in town. So maybe Munster's good fortune this year can benefit Connacht after the WC. We can only hope.

Joey Carbery is a very good player, but to call him a genuine world class 10 is premature for me. Sexton yes, Murray yes, but Carbery has a way to go yet before that accolade is thrown at him.

Mr Friend who loves a bit of 7s by all accounts.

Dare I? Dare I? Sorry I dared

Conroy has been scoring some sensational tries in the 7s this weekend, that won't have gone unnoticed by Mr Friend who loves a bit of 7s by all accounts.

Lads the title of this thread is “Connacht Squad 18-19. No need to get carried away with other provinces problems.

I think the reality here is that the IRFU is doing what's good for the IRFU and the national team and not trying to do any favours to the provinces. With a WC just round the corner, they need Carberry playing regularly at 10 in case anything happens to Sexton. Schmidt allegedly told him this and suggested Ulsters need might afford him that opportunity.

The deal was sweetened as a one season loan idea allegedly as it gives him the playing time at 10 for the WC and then he could go back to Leinster where Sexton would be one year older and closer to retirement. But the sugar didn't work and Munster seized the opportunity and sold him on a partnership with Conor Murray ect. and the rest is history.

I'm normally the first one to have a go at Munster as I believe their unpaid €9 M Thomond park "Loan" is the main reason that Connacht's new stadium has stagnated as the IRFU won't risk getting burned again but this was just smart business on their part. A win for them and for Ireland.

Leinster though have just lost a genuine world class 10 and added to the loss of Jordi Murphy, the idea that this might possibly lead to more fringe players leaving in the future to better their Irish chances, can't have escaped them despite all of their arrogance and belief that their not just the best but the only show in town. So maybe Munster's good fortune this year can benefit Connacht after the WC. We can only hope.

That's probably a bit over the top on the Munster bashing. Like it or not Munster have had 8 post-season games over the last two years. That's top 8 in Europe right there, along with Leinster, Scarlets, Exeter, Saracens, Racing, and whatever other two teams you're having yourself.

And as for the worst centre partnership, I'd have Arnold/Farrell over McCloskey/Marshall any day, if Munster have better luck with injuries and realise that Scanell is simply not-all-that, then a 10/12/13 of Carbery/Arnold/Farrell could be hugely exciting.

But I do kind of see where you're coming from. I have a gut feeling that they've massively over-performed relative to their talent pool recently, they seem to put all their NIQ/NIE resources into injury prone players, and when they abandoned their pressure game (which is, in fairness, pretty darn effective) in the latter part of this season, their attempts to play a wide game have been mortifying.

Betty Swallocks wrote: Couldn't agree more with you Mulman, but Munster will still be fu@k all good. The Carberry parachuting will have major league destabilised JJ, Keatley, Bleyendaal, and young Johnston (who may be the best of all that lot). Van Graan has done absolutely nothing to convince in his tenure as Head Coach down there yet, and their midfield is the worst of all the four provinces by a country mile (and that's even when they get Chris Farrell back). No amount of Munster Mafia-mongering or continued bias towards them by the IRFU can camouflage the fact that they are just not very good, poorly coached, with mediocre players throughout the park, and whose natural ceiling is Pro14 semi-finals or Euro q/finals (this season's semi was a fluke). I for one would be confident we will outshine them next season.
Rant over!!

Don't see anything wrong with their midfield choices of R. Scanell, C.Farrell, S. Arnold and Taute
Beirne, Carbery, Botha and Haley are 4 really clever additions to an already decent side, and a fully fit Cloete will make them that bit more competetive
Jury still out on Van Graan

Couldn't agree more with you Mulman, but Munster will still be fu@k all good. The Carberry parachuting will have major league destabilised JJ, Keatley, Bleyendaal, and young Johnston (who may be the best of all that lot). Van Graan has done absolutely nothing to convince in his tenure as Head Coach down there yet, and their midfield is the worst of all the four provinces by a country mile (and that's even when they get Chris Farrell back). No amount of Munster Mafia-mongering or continued bias towards them by the IRFU can camouflage the fact that they are just not very good, poorly coached, with mediocre players throughout the park, and whose natural ceiling is Pro14 semi-finals or Euro q/finals (this season's semi was a fluke). I for one would be confident we will outshine them next season.
Rant over!!