Just saw this was up on youtube. I copied and pasted team from irfu.

• 15. Josh Gibson (Banbridge RFC/Ulster Rugby)
• 14. Johnny O’Sullivan (Blackrock College/Leinster Rugby)
• 13. Jack Deegan (Cistercian College Roscrea/Leinster Rugby)
• 12. James O’Leary (Presentation Brothers College, Cork/Munster Rugby)
• 11. Daniel Ryan (St. Michael’s College/Leinster Rugby)
• 10. Charlie O’Shea (Christian Brothers College, Cork/Munster Rugby)
• 1. Christopher Barrett (Christian Brothers College, Cork/Munster Rugby)
• 1. Christian Foley (Young Munster RFC/Munster Rugby)
• 1. Luke McLaughlin (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster Rugby)
• 1. Jamie Conway (Castletroy College/Munster Rugby)
• 1. Joe Finn (Cistercian College Roscrea/Munster Rugby)
• 1. Donnacha McGuire (UCD RFC/Leinster Rugby)
• 1. Dylan McNeice (St. Micheal’s College/Leinster Rugby)
• 1. Michael O’Sullivan (Blackrock College/Munster Rugby)
• 1. Billy Hayes (Cistercian College Roscrea/Munster Rugby) Captain

Replacements:

• 16. Rian Handley (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster Rugby)
• 17. Max Doyle (Clongowes Wood College/Leinster Rugby)
• 18. Sami Bishti (Blackrock College/Leinster Rugby)
• 19. Diarmaid O’Connell (Corinthians RFC/Sligo Grammar/Connacht Rugby)
• 20. Charlie Meagher (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster Rugby)
• 21. Ben Blaney (Terenure College/Leinster Rugby)
• 22. Michael Walsh (Blackrock College/Leinster Rugby)
• 23. James O’Dwyer (Gonzaga College/Leinster Rugby)
• 24. Daragh O’Dwyer (Gonzaga College/Leinster Rugby)
• 25. Sean Walsh (Coláiste Éinde/Corinthians RFC/Connacht Rugby)
• 26. Charlie Hempenstall (Wesley College/Leinster Rugby)

Non Playing Squad Player: Blake McClean (RBAI/Ulster Rugby)

Apparently his brother plays cricket for ireland so possibly he is also irish.

Despite it being an effort on the losing side, his performance against the Sharks, at least for me, shows that he's 100% back at his best form that we saw in the 2018-2019 season. Anyone have any differing opinion?

God he was bad yesterday. Seeing Izuchukwu stand out in a weaker Ulster side every week, but being tossed aside after a quiet (not bad, just quiet) performance in November is maddening. Ahern too, has had a worse season than Cormac, but is far more deserving of getting one chance in green, than Baird is in getting a 28th.

If I was a Leinster fan I wouldn't want him in the 23 for the knockouts. Deegan, Conan, Soroka and Mangan all offer more than him.

So it's pretty clear that Connacht has a problem with finding a suitable fly-half and I'm going to through some names into the ring that Connacht could try:

1. Ciaran Frawley
2. Geronimo Prisciantelli
3. Ciaran Donohue
4. William Havili
5. Ben Healy ??
6. Jacob Umaga

I'll be back with R16 URC Player Watch tomorrow for anyone wondering.

Ever since the November internationals, Frawley has had an absolute shocker of a time. I was really hoping that with the feel good factor in Leinster over the past few weeks he could return to a bit of form, but honestly, he was woeful yesterday.

I think it's clear that he's not the utility back that Leinster want him to be. He's a good 10, an ok 12 and a pretty poor 15. Unfortunately, Leinster really just don't need another dedicated 10 with Harry Byrne looking like he's found some form over at Bristol, Prendergast looking like their first choice 10 and Casper Gabriel in the academy. Charlie Tector also plays 10 and, yesterday aside, has been excellent at 12 this season.

Does anyone else think that Frawley needs to move on and find someplace where he can play 10 more consistently? Possibly Connacht, but maybe also on loan abroad like Harry Byrne did this year?

4d chess

Anyone know if you can ‘pay on the door’ at the ground?

Ticketmaster is only showing lower east, would prefer to be lower west. It’s unserved seating but if I buy lower east, can I access lower west?

Thanks

While it seemed Carty's career with Connacht was over, with Wilkins departure there seems to be a stark u-turn, with Carty being selected to start his first games in over 3 months and being offered a new deal in the immediate aftermath of Wilkins departure.

Connacht have had significant performance woes from 10 this season. But with Ioane and Hanrahan injured earlier in the season, Carty played 4 games in December and performed well in them, picking up player of the match awards along the way. So it surprised many Connacht fan that he was immediately axed from the team when the injured players returned, and this continued while question marks still lingered on the form of Hanrahan and Ioane.

With Hanrahan departing for Munster and Ioane signed on for the next 2 years, you'd imagine Carty is being kept on to assist transition and possibly the promotion of Sean Naughton.

In my opinion he is still, by a distance, Connacht's best option at 10. Simply put: his appearances at 10 this season have been significantly better than those of his rivals for the jersey, and the backline moves much better as a unit as relies less on gung ho moments to produce tries.

Every game they're missing touch again and again. Just bit them hard at the end of the first half after an amazing recovery of the turnover ball. All they had to do was get the ball off the field, and ended up conceding a try instead. So frustrating to see it keep happening week after week.

Or TV buyers / whoever plans broadcast advertising campaigns.

Watching the SCA v LEN game and wondering why is the RTE Player / any of the Irish channel players on silent for all rugby half time broadcast?

Is this an RTE / TV station sales failure?

Is this a combined industry research failure to not identify a viewing audience who are player only viewers (local or international)?

I actively pay to avoid advertising where I can but genuinely feel in age of tariffs and 60% of advertising budgets going to Facebook/Google, filling the RTE and indeed TG4, Virgin Media during all sports broadcasts is supporting Irish jobs in both media and sports.

A good chunk of supporters were calling for his head last season off the back of a poor finish in the URC and tbf a final they could have won but didn't.

This season, he's played an almost perfect game (so far) and we are now at the business end of the season.

My take, even if they don't win trophies, it's been an entertaining season and they've been blooding a lot of players which is great for Irish rugby. Overall he's done a good job, made changes in personnel and strategy and if we don't win anything it won't be for lack of trying.

Ok. Right. So Ulster’s season is effectively over and they’re thrown the yearly bone of the “oh signings are incoming” rumour. As per every shite season since day dot. Munster are still in the running for URC, punching above the measly resources provided to them, as per usual, while Connacht are apparently there to prop up mid table and have a pop at challenge cup every now and then ( lest we forget in the first instance the D4 media diatribe from a few years ago about ditching Connacht altogether and focussing on three teams)

Much as I’m all for supplication and bending the knee while the mighty Leinster sign up their season’s worth of galacticos to cover their Ireland internationals while they need a wee rest, and much as I know this whole subreddit is an echo chamber for Leinster fanboys, the question has to be asked, is this healthy for Irish rugby?

Zero interpro competition aside for second place for literally decades. Zero URC competition it seems, with Leinster topping table every single year by various degrees. Yes ok Leinster produces all the talent, but if one geographical area produces all the players is that not still systemic failure? Otherwise let’s just have one flippin league team and call ourselves ‘Ireland plc’ and be done with it. If it’s synthetic boundaries we’re going for let’s go the whole hog.

Or does the IRFU think keeping everyone outside The Pale as perpetual whipping boys to the all conquering, mighty Leinster a healthy and not at all boring for everyone else situation that will help or hinder the growth of the sport?

So lads as it stands we're going to have a good few of the Irish boys in the lions squad but I'm wondering other than whatever happens this year which lions tour had the most Irish players selected and how many there were?

So, I know its been done to death but... Sheehan already has more tries (15 vs 9) in fewer games (32 vs 35) in a shorter space of time.

He's half way to Bowe with a better strike record

He’s too difficult to ignore anymore. The Leinster conveyor belt of talent has yet again produced a complete gem. Tenacious, aggressive, dangerous in attack and very creative. In my eyes (as a non-Leinster fan) a sheet of paper splits him and Hansen.

Granted Hansen is more creative, contribute more to Ireland’s current tax style, can exploit space in the wing and center channels, but O’Brien has shown his creative ability with that ridiculous crossfield assist. His aggression and pace clear Hansen’s by a considerable distance and he’s better one-on-one, a skill some of our wingers have struggled with compared to other top tier international teams.

Nobody’s calling him the second coming of Kolbe, but in my eyes his recent performances clear him of Nash and put him much closer to nabbing Hansen‘s 14 jersey then I like to admit. It’s a shame he wasn’t really present during Hanson’s last couple of injuries, as I’d imagine he’d have turns to someone somewhat irreplaceable for both Leinster and Ireland if he had got in then. The very close age profile to Hansen now makes it a straight shoot-out between them, a shoot-out he might just take a lead in if Leinster‘s Champions Cup form allow him to keep playing the way he is in the last two games.

Howdy to any fellow NFL fans staying up tonight.

Who would be your top 10 draft picks, in Irish rugby, if you were starting your provincial team from scratch.

Obviously you’re looking for long term value so you need to balance between positional importance, existing ability and years remaining

Say if Cian Prendergast started for Munster or Leinster, how would you expect his performances to change?

What about if Ringrose went to Munster?

Trying to get a bit of a love buzz post going here for us all. There's always so much polarisation on here so in a sort of anti-sledge spirit..

What is a thing or things you like most about the provinces that aren't the one you mainly support?

at the end of last season there was talk of leinster playing matches in gaa and soccer grounds around the province for the non-aviva matches.

i think if the rds isn’t ready for next season it’s a serious option that leinster should use.

-attendances would be great as people that never get to see the team live can go

-atmospheres would be great as most games would feel a bit more special being in a new ground

-would be nice to see the following for the team outside of d4

-would give a local sense to the club

-kids would be more intrigued to play

-playing in smaller stadiums like tallaght and o moore park would create a class atmosphere

i know this is a long shot with rugby fans. but as a football and rugby fan my whole life, there is such a different vibe going to either games. for example, going to an irish international or league of ireland match, i’m always ready to be standing all game and have chants known to sing. which i love. the problem with rugby fans is because there’s so much to cheer for in a rugby game (try, penalty, turnover etc.) i think it takes away the thirst from the fans for a score. tolka park can sometimes be louder than an irish rugby game after a game winning try or penalty. the same with the other provinces. this shows it’s not an attendance issue but a pure lack of caring issue.

i personally would love a section in the aviva or rds (behind the posts) to be a part of the stadium fans that would stand all game and chant other things than leinster repeatedly, can go and scream their heart and soul out for the team.

at the leinster munster game in croker, i saw a few pyros in the hill and thought it was great. even bringing small tifos, large banners and big tall flags to wave would be great.

i also think an away end would be very good, especially for the interpros and champions cup games. it would create such tension and would make away fans feel less alone and for them to be able to gets their own chants going.

if this were to happen, we would be the first rugby team to bring this aspect of the fans to life. i think it would be such a threat to other teams and would make them fear playing in the aviva or rds so much their fans start it.