The Official Munster Rugby Thread™

[Hank Scorpio]

What exactly is the impact of a lack of funds for Munster? Is it the budget for players isn't enough?
Those players were privately funded, yes, but the fact of the matter is that Munster have been able to bring in some of the best players in the world.

Do you think that if the IRFU simply handed Munster an extra €2M a year, it'd greatly improve their results against Leinster?

I'm not convinced it would.

You've answered your own question.

 

[Handy Run]

You've answered your own question.

As you saw at manyoo, spending money on big names doesn't fix underlying structural problems

 

[How bad boy]

You've answered your own question.

So is the privately funded players no longer an option?

 

[Hank Scorpio]

As you saw at manyoo, spending money on big names doesn't fix underlying structural problems

Expecting Munster to compete with sides operating with budget many multiples of ours is unrealistic.

Donal Lenihan isn't impressed

https://twitter.com/x/status/1528993700537241601

 

[Handy Run]

Expecting Munster to compete with sides operating with budget many multiples of ours is unrealistic.

Way to miss my point.

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Way to miss my point.

What is your point?

Irish rugby is in no way comparable to English football.

Chalk and cheese

 

[Lee Bushwacker]

First of 4, possibly 5. With plenty of more to come.

Our results back then were unsustainable in the long run as they were the result of a once in a generation group of players as opposed to an infrastructure consistently producing talent.

You couldn't have missed my point any more if you tried.

I didn't actually disagree with your post Handy. I only stated a fact.
Actually, I agree with the points you've made re Munster.

 

[How bad boy]

Listening to the commentary about Leinster's success, ruck speed is clearly the key. From OTB, 70% of their rucks Vs Toulouse were 3 seconds or less, the 4 rucks leading up to one of Lowe's try were under 1.5 seconds.

That both hides a multitude of sins and helps you do so much. Defences are fucked against that speed of ball, especially if you gain even a few metres between rucks.

Munster do have the young back rowers to potentially play that sort of game and with Leamy, possibly the coaching staff to help achieve it. Combined with Casey as a fast scrum half, there's the possibility of at least emulating and replicating what Leinster have done, which makes your backs look a hell of a lot better

 

[nelly sham]

Listening to the commentary about Leinster's success, ruck speed is clearly the key. From OTB, 70% of their rucks Vs Toulouse were 3 seconds or less, the 4 rucks leading up to one of Lowe's try were under 1.5 seconds.

That both hides a multitude of sins and helps you do so much. Defences are fucked against that speed of ball, especially if you gain even a few metres between rucks.

Munster do have the young back rowers to potentially play that sort of game and with Leamy, possibly the coaching staff to help achieve it. Combined with Casey as a fast scrum half, there's the possibility of at least emulating and replicating what Leinster have done, which makes your backs look a hell of a lot better

Leinster are very good at shifting the point of attack too, all the forwards don’t just act as battering rams they’ll shift their feet to hit shoulders meaning defending players are never in on top of rucks directly.
There was an interesting article from one of the fan run sites the other day about “big bold La Rochelle and how they’ll slow down the rucks”. They highlighted the extract same thing that Leinster do consistently. They need to be careful what they ask for there, if you ask someone like Barnes to watch out for that’s he’s going to (or should) ping it for both sides.

 

[How bad boy]

Leinster are very good at shifting the point of attack too, all the forwards don’t just act as battering rams they’ll shift their feet to hit shoulders meaning defending players are never in on top of rucks directly.
There was an interesting article from one of the fan run sites the other day about “big bold La Rochelle and how they’ll slow down the rucks”. They highlighted the extract same thing that Leinster do consistently. They need to be careful what they ask for there, if you ask someone like Barnes to watch out for that’s he’s going to (or should) ping it for both sides.

The speed of ruck and ball gives you that time though and takes time away from defences. If, as a defender, you're trying to get backonside, then press again, you're still on the turn by the time the ball is out of the ruck.
It's pretty easy to step, pick a contact point on a static defender or even pass if you've got time. It's also a lot easier to hit a line with momentum as if you're a forward getting off the ground from a previous ruck, running over to get to be part of the attacking line and another attack has already started by the time you get there, you've already got the momentum to take the ball, rather than have to time your run precisely.
That uncertainty and multi-layered attack structure means defending teams simply can't commit players to the breakdown either.

Speed makes up for a lot of flaws. If you can kill the speed, I reckon Leinster are vulnerable.

But it's a hell of a tactic and if you've got the accuracy to get it right, very, very difficult to defend against. It's good that's it's a style Ireland are going towards, let's hope we get better at it at an international level and we're not too close to the world cup for countermeasures to start to work.

That was the problem joe Schmitt had, developed that effective Schmittball style but other teams figured out how to counter it within 12 months...

Expecting Munster to compete with sides operating with budget many multiples of ours is unrealistic.

Donal Lenihan isn't impressed

https://twitter.com/x/status/1528993700537241601

Lenihan has always had an absolutely top drawer moustache.