The UAFC

big mervyn wrote:Aye. Yiz almost made an even bigger ballix of the day for those of us with tkts.

Are you going to grace us with your presence for this wan Shan? You can park the 'van in Onslow - sure the residents won't mind.

I'll be wearing my red Ulster gym tee to show a bit of Oirish solidarity. Gwan Munster!

Gwan Mervyn and good man. We'll need all yer support. Unfortunately I can't make the trip up. A pity but we don't get everything we want in this life. As long as we get the win though I'll be happy.

BaggyTrousers wrote: The more I've watched Keatley this season the more I think he is better than I've given him credit for in the past, some very good moments but that kicking has to be a big concern for the final.

I've always seen him as a hit or miss kicker who has very good or very bad days. What I don't know is how he reacts to a day like that, can he recover his poise in a week? He certainly has had moments this year when he has shown "character" like the winning drop goal at Sale.

His intestinal fortitude issue is the big one for me this week, if he comes back fairly strong I expect Munster to win, a repeat of yesterday & Weegies will scent blood, that is one of their strong points, they are good scavengers.

I wouldn't dispute that he is capable of performing sometimes but if you are team who wants to be competing at the top end you need to be able to rely on your kicker all the time. He can't be relied on so despite his decent general play he is not good enough, unless we can get someone else to take the kicks and we don't have anyone else.

Rumours here about Madigan. He's certainly a reliable kicker but I don't think he's a 10.

I've heard no such rumours. Blyendaal is 10 next season, Keatley will we back with the Cookies,if they'll have him.

I did hear from a usually reliable source in D4 that Mads had definitely
put feelers out after it was confirmed that JS was to return. Sees himself
as a 10 and wants to play there. The return of JS will again have him playing
second fiddle for the next number of years. I did not hear that he was having
specific talks with any club, whether it be Munster, Ulster or anyone across the
water but that he was testing the water to see would anyone bite. This, as I've
said, was a good few months back and I've heard nothing at all on the topic since,
...........but he was looking and to be fair to him you can understand his position.
He's in exactly the same position with Leinster as he is within the Ireland setup.

I've seen plenty of interviews where he has expressed he's delighted Sexton is returning (of course, I realise this is just the party line) so I will laugh if he does leave.

Personally I feel he'd be better continuing at 12. No side will win a major trophy with him at 10, he's too erratic.

Looks like the big man is indeed away to Toulon (for 2 years!).
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/p ... 58.twitter

shamalicious wrote:Looks like the big man is indeed away to Toulon (for 2 years!).
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/p ... 58.twitter

Dire news. I will continue to hate Toulon and every thing about them. Sad to hate Paulie.

I assume he will retire from international rugby.

Shame. Didn't think Paulie would be the kind of player to leave Munster.

Shan wrote:

BaggyTrousers wrote: The more I've watched Keatley this season the more I think he is better than I've given him credit for in the past, some very good moments but that kicking has to be a big concern for the final.

I've always seen him as a hit or miss kicker who has very good or very bad days. What I don't know is how he reacts to a day like that, can he recover his poise in a week? He certainly has had moments this year when he has shown "character" like the winning drop goal at Sale.

His intestinal fortitude issue is the big one for me this week, if he comes back fairly strong I expect Munster to win, a repeat of yesterday & Weegies will scent blood, that is one of their strong points, they are good scavengers.

I wouldn't dispute that he is capable of performing sometimes but if you are team who wants to be competing at the top end you need to be able to rely on your kicker all the time. He can't be relied on so despite his decent general play he is not good enough, unless we can get someone else to take the kicks and we don't have anyone else.

Rumours here about Madigan. He's certainly a reliable kicker but I don't think he's a 10.

Shan I only said "better than I have given him credit for", in all honesty that was starting from a pretty low base.

No POM or Murray for Munster tomorrow. Matalawu on the bench for Glasgow.

Munster: Felix Jones; Keith Earls, Andrew Smith, Denis Hurley - capt., Simon Zebo; Ian Keatley, Duncan Williams; Dave Kilcoyne, Eusebio Guinazu, BJ Botha; Billy Holland, Paul O'Connell; Donnacha Ryan, Paddy Butler, CJ Stander.

Replacements: Duncan Casey, James Cronin, Stephen Archer, Sean Dougall, Jack O'Donoghue, Cathal Sheridan, JJ Hanrahan, Ronan O'Mahony.

Glasgow Warriors

15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Richie Vernon, 12 Peter Horne, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Henry Pyrgos

1 Gordon Reid, 2 Dougie Hall, 3 Rossouw de Klerk, 4 Leone Nakarawa, 5 Jonny Gray, 6 Robert Harley, 7 Ryan Wilson, 8 Josh Strauss (Captain)

16 Fraser Brown, 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa, 18 Jon Welsh, 19 Alastair Kellock, 20 Chris Fusaro, 21 Nikola Matawalu, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Sean Lamont

POM & Conor Murray are massive losses, maybe advantage Glasgow, then again, Paulie will play like two men & a wee falla.

Matudoodah benched is purely because DHT is a proper winger, don't mistake this as anything censorious by Toonie. I trust we will not be deprived of the opportunity to razz the diver.

shamalicious wrote:Looks like the big man is indeed away to Toulon (for 2 years!).
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/p ... 58.twitter

Yes and fair play to him. He deserves the chance to pick up some crazy money after all he has contributed to Munster and Ireland.


Now we only ask for one more big contribution to Munster tomorrow from him. We want to win that final. With POM and Murray out this now becomes much more difficult. Glasgow probably delighted at this news. Need Paulie more than ever to grab this one and drive us over the fecking line.

BaggyTrousers wrote: Dire news. I will continue to hate Toulon and every thing about them. Sad to hate Paulie.

I assume he will retire from international rugby.

Yerra you'd do well on the stage with that level of drama. Dire - gwan and get up the yard.

There is no requirement to hate Paulie. You can hate the club he plays for but still hope that he does well on an individual level. I wouldn't say I love Toulon but I always liked to see Wilko doing well there. Will we hear them being called Paul O'Connell's Toulon I wonder...

He is going so that he doesn't have to play international rugby any more as far as I know.....well that and the dollars.

Shan wrote: Yes and fair play to him. He deserves the chance to pick up some crazy money after all he has contributed to Munster and Ireland.

Yes of course, but is there not just a bit of you says, "ah feck Paulie, not Toulon"?

I know it's his best chance to add to his medals, and bank balance obviously, but jesus ...........Toulon.

Have to say it just won't seem right to see him in anything but a Munster jumper.

BaggyTrousers wrote:

Shan wrote: Yes and fair play to him. He deserves the chance to pick up some crazy money after all he has contributed to Munster and Ireland.

Yes of course, but is there not just a bit of you says, "ah feck Paulie, not Toulon"?

I know it's his best chance to add to his medals, and bank balance obviously, but jesus ...........Toulon.

Have to say it just won't seem right to see him in anything but a Munster jumper.

Sure horse. I get that. If it was Toulouse for example it would be different. But feck it I can't be ársed getting energised without very good reason. Toulon offered him the chance and he'd have been mad to turn it down.

Some Munster folk going on about him letting them down or going down in their estimation. It's fecking rugby for the love of f-ck and not one of your own family turning their back on you. Anyone getting that faux outraged, or heaven forbid actually emotionally unbalanced, requires an urgent appraisal of their state of mind......unless they are under 20 or maybe 25 when it's more understandable to be a bit of a fecking eejit.