RugbyRebels

STARTING XV
15 Freddie Steward [51]
14 Chris Ashton [8]
13 Matías Moroni [31]
12 Guy Porter [40]
11 Harry Potter [37]
10 George Ford [124]
9 Ben Youngs [278]
1 Ellis Genge (c) [106]
2 Julián Montoya [24]
3 Dan Cole [285]
4 Ollie Chessum [26]
5 Calum Green [87]
6 Hanro Liebenberg (vc) [54]
7 Tommy Reffell [73]
8 Jasper Wiese [40]

REPLACEMENTS
16 Nic Dolly [21]
17 James Whitcombe [22]
18 Joe Heyes [97]
19 Harry Wells [151]
20 George Martin [34]
21 Richard Wigglesworth [34]
22 Freddie Burns [98]
23 Nemani Nadolo [33]

Leinster XV: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Jimmy O’Brien, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Johnny Sexton (c), 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 1 Andrew Porter, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 4 Ross Molony, 5 James Ryan, 6 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 8 Jack Conan

Leinster Replacements: 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Michael Ala’alatoa, 19 Joe McCarthy, 20 Rhys Ruddock, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Tommy O’Brien

Both teams are pretty stacked for this one. No Dan Kelly is a blow but great to see Martin back. Disappointed not to see JVP on the bench.

Leinster are absolute quality and bar an injury at lock they are fully charged for this. Hopefully a cracking game and Tigers can cause an upset.

That's almost exactly the XXIII I would've picked for this match, with the only exception being JVP for Wigglesworth on the bench (but IBWT and it's close enough that I won't argue). Ashton over Nadolo is a tight one, but Ashton's got a much better (and heavily underrated) all around game, including kick-chase, kick-receipt, and decent wing defence. Nadolo's stronger in attack, but Keenan and Lowe would've been looking to exploit his flat-footedness in defence.

Great to see Chessum starting over Wells at 4 - he really has been the breakout of the season and it's another big test of his credentials. Lovely to see Martin return from the black hole of injury - big ask to come back into such a big game after so long off though. It's a dynamic forwards bench though - the likes of Wells, Martin, Dolly, and Heyes could add real punch coming on in the second half.

We're not favourites, but our team rapport has been so strong and home advantage is worth a lot. We've definitely got a half-decent chance.

Puja

Should have just stuck Nadolo at 12.

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/ill-prob ... -hype-job/

Eddie O’Sullivan thinks Tigers are a ‘hype job’, mostly citing the close games with Connacht in the group stages for this. Not the right data point IMO given the sides Tigers put out for these games were nowhere near first choice.

I've been watching Tgers' games this season to keep an eye on Tommy Reffell and he is very consistent in performance and also seemingly impurvious to injury, Wales should be looking to take him to SA in the summer but with all the other backrow options he'll most likely be ignored again.

I fancy Tigers to win this one.

Nadolo might end up there, Porter received treatment on field a few times last weekend and got subbed about midway through the second half.

The bench is bar Wigglesworth all mobile impact. It'll be interesting to see what Borthwick's game plan is.

I'm not a big fan of the Ashton/Potter combination I think it lacks a bit of physicality, especially when Moroni is in the centres as well as he's not going to hammer the ball up. Leaves Porter the sole physical focus in attack. The weather should be good so at least it'll suit the two quick guys. I'd have maybe dropped Ashton, started Nadolo or Saumaki and then had Kini on the bench. PI power is always handy.

Scrumhead wrote:https://www.rugbypass.com/news/ill-prob ... -hype-job/

Eddie O’Sullivan thinks Tigers are a ‘hype job’, mostly citing the close games with Connacht in the group stages for this. Not the right data point IMO given the sides Tigers put out for these games were nowhere near first choice.

Yes I saw that. His point seems to be that Leinster are a high quality outfit and that they'll probably have too much for Tigers. Which is a fair point, Leinster are a superb well rounded side and Tigers are still undergoing development. Unfortunately he puts it across (or it's been edited in a way that makes him across) like a bit of a tit. Pretty much writes Borthwick's pre game chat doesn't it. "The Irish lads think we're all hype, we're overrated, they've come here to our place expecting a win" etc. Let's face it, a lot of those Leicester forwards don't need much to fire them up.

Odds on Genge references the article in a post game interview.

Leinster probably right to start as favourites but is going to be fascinating to see if Tigers can take a step up and really mix it with one of Europe's finest. Huge test for them and exactly what they need right now.

FKAS wrote:Nadolo might end up there, Porter received treatment on field a few times last weekend and got subbed about midway through the second half.

The bench is bar Wigglesworth all mobile impact. It'll be interesting to see what Borthwick's game plan is.

I'm not a big fan of the Ashton/Potter combination I think it lacks a bit of physicality, especially when Moroni is in the centres as well as he's not going to hammer the ball up. Leaves Porter the sole physical focus in attack. The weather should be good so at least it'll suit the two quick guys. I'd have maybe dropped Ashton, started Nadolo or Saumaki and then had Kini on the bench. PI power is always handy.

Saumaki defending against Lowe . Yeah, think I'm more comfortable with Ashton/Potter on that front!

I get what you mean about the lack of physicality, but I don't think it'd work especially well against this Leinster team - let's face it, they've probably been practicing for Nadolo up the centre for the past week or so, as we're hardly subtle about it. I think the wing selection is more about defence than attack, but there is also merit to the fleeter attack offered by Moroni/Potter/Ashton.

FKAS wrote:

Scrumhead wrote:https://www.rugbypass.com/news/ill-prob ... -hype-job/

Eddie O’Sullivan thinks Tigers are a ‘hype job’, mostly citing the close games with Connacht in the group stages for this. Not the right data point IMO given the sides Tigers put out for these games were nowhere near first choice.

Yes I saw that. His point seems to be that Leinster are a high quality outfit and that they'll probably have too much for Tigers. Which is a fair point, Leinster are a superb well rounded side and Tigers are still undergoing development. Unfortunately he puts it across (or it's been edited in a way that makes him across) like a bit of a tit. Pretty much writes Borthwick's pre game chat doesn't it. "The Irish lads think we're all hype, we're overrated, they've come here to our place expecting a win" etc. Let's face it, a lot of those Leicester forwards don't need much to fire them up.

Odds on Genge references the article in a post game interview.

It shows a complete lack of knowledge of rugby outside of Irish borders that his only data point is the two games against Irish opposition. He probably doesn't even know that those games were both with heavily rotated sides. That's not unfair in and of itself - I don't know a huge amount about the URC cause my main focus is England, but also I don't spout off publically about whether teams from there are overrated. It's a bit embarrassing for him and, like you said, writes the pre-match team-talk for us.

Puja

Totally agree.

Then again he knew he was going to ‘get hammered’ for saying it.

A Tigers win would be good for European rugby IMO.

Weise has said in an interview he's taken the comments coming out if Ireland personally. So that's either a man of the match display and days of pain for the Leinster players that are unfortunate enough to be in his way or a first half red card then.

Tigers look tense and error strewn. Leinster look brutally clinical.

FKAS wrote:Tigers look tense and error strewn. Leinster look brutally clinical.

Yeah
I know that you can argue this both ways, but I would have definitely taken the points when they had that penalty at only 3 down. That would have taken them to 3-3 and given them a feeling that they were in the game.
Oh well.

badback wrote:

FKAS wrote:Tigers look tense and error strewn. Leinster look brutally clinical.

Yeah
I know that you can argue this both ways, but I would have definitely taken the points when they had that penalty at only 3 down. That would have taken them to 3-3 and given them a feeling that they were in the game.
Oh well.

Hindsight is 20/20. A lineout maul or two rumbling towards the tryline would have really asked questions of Leinster but we stuffed up the lineout throws.

I'm not sure that a) wasn't straight and b) no one was up there to contest so it's just overly pedantic.

Now the maul game works and we get the try at last.

FKAS wrote:

badback wrote:

FKAS wrote:Tigers look tense and error strewn. Leinster look brutally clinical.

Yeah
I know that you can argue this both ways, but I would have definitely taken the points when they had that penalty at only 3 down. That would have taken them to 3-3 and given them a feeling that they were in the game.
Oh well.

Hindsight is 20/20. A lineout maul or two rumbling towards the tryline would have really asked questions of Leinster but we stuffed up the lineout throws.

True. As I say you can argue it both ways
Glad they got the first score

It's been all Tigers this half but now we're are under pressure with a Leinster scrum on the 5m. Ref is doing his best to depower the Tigers scrum this game. Twice the assistant has called Tigers pens and twice sir has said play on. Again Leinster's front row go down and again he refuses to give anything.

Another knock on kills another Tigers move. We've hammered Leinster in the second half but haven't been clinical enough and left far too many points out there.

Raynal is a shocking ref. Honestly. This is Karl Dickson level of incompetence. Adjudged Leinster to have knocked on when it went back and then pings Tigers when the Leinster tighthead is lying flat on his stomach because he's not supported his weight. Incompetent.

Tigers get another consolation try to ensure the second half domination is at least shown a bit on the scoreboard. All the damage done in the first, talk about a game of two halves.

Good comeback from Tigers but Leinster had the edge, played the smarter, more controlled rugby and were the better side.

Agreed with the above points about the ref and particularly the scrum. But overall Leinster a cut above, particularly ball in hand and in terms of cutting edge.

Biggest frustration watching that is the feeling that Tigers could challenge at this level in a year or two, except for the fact that they’ll have it all on just to keep this squad together over the next 12-24 months. Other than retirements will Leinster be in any danger of losing a proper front line player? Unlikely.

Ford, Nadolo and Genge is a big loss but I think Cronin will do a job as will Pollard. Watson if fit is a big improvement over Ashton and Potter.
Outside that don't really expect Tigers to lose any front line player till the cap goes back up in 2 seasons.

Leinster are a class act, they haven't been one of the top teams in Europe for the last decade plus by accident. It's a good reminder of where we want to be and that we are not there yet.

Tigers will hopefully keep most of the side together, though losing Ford and Genge are body blows as we developed them and they really have the Tigers DNA. Reffell will be the next big one with the Welsh set up not evening hinting that if he comes home he'll be capped though why he'd want to play for one of the region's I'm not sure.

Was good to hear Weise give an interview this week saying he bleeds green, red and white and loves Tigers and what the coaches have done for him. Hopefully keep him and build a big homegrown pack around him. Martin was good off the bench, Chessum was everywhere, Steward classy as always at the back. The future is bright as long as we can keep the coaching side together.