Plenty for Leinster fans to be sad about this week, but still plenty to look forward to, writes Keego…
I really don’t know what to say. I am sitting here crying into my Leinster jersey.
A double whammy of bad news in the last 7 days. Firstly we failed to make it to the knock out stage of the Heineken cup, and Johnny is now off to France. This is worse than finding out that the burger I just had did NOT have any horse in it.
I suppose we should start with the Exeter match. The detail will be minimal due to the tears falling on the keyboard…
The team played well on Saturday. It can go either way when you know what you have to do. It was not just about the win, we needed to get the bonus point. Going in we where 1 try behind Munster. Again we had a dodgy 15 minutes without scoring, but aside from that we played well and got the BP. It is only the second bonus point that Exeter have given up at home. We would have qualified if Munster didn’t have Zebo lighting it up in Thomond Park. He was a flash of inspiration that they had been missing for a long time. But we all knew that we had left it far too late to qualify.
The positives are that we scored more tries in our last 2 Heineken matches than in the 4 previous. So we are definitely finding some form. The set piece has been solid, the scrum has been tank-like and the backs have been playing blinders. There is a lot to be positive about.
Then the news about Johnny arrived. We were ready to go after the Amlin and Rabo double, but then our 10 has moved to Euro Disney. Before we go any further, I do not blame him for taking the money. The career of a player could end in an instant. With two years in Paris he can take care of himself and his family without worrying. The two deals on offer where not even close. The max the IRFU was willing to go was €500k, which is a big wedge of cash. But racing where willing to go up to €750k and that is what he signed for. The IRFU where willing to let their top player leave.
If salary caps where ever made to be broken ……
The rest of the season will be very interesting. What will King Joe do about his team selection, does he pick Sexton as his number 10 or does he try to give Madigan more game time. The Amlin will be tough with some top teams in the running, but the double is on the table.
For Leinster, it is not all doom and gloom. Ian Madigan has been coming through at speed. He is a different type of player to Sexton, and will now assume the number 10 jersey. He should start a higher percentage of games from now until the end of the season with Sexton leaving.
It has been a big week for news, with the above and with the Ireland squad being named for the 6 Nations. The big news is Jamie Heaslip being kept on as captain. I am in two minds about this. While on the one hand, Brian O’Driscoll is the greatest player Ireland has ever produced and should be given the respect to remain captain until he decides he is not up to it. On the other hand, we have to look to the future at some stage. All the talk about looking to the next world cup is complete and utter nonsense! We should be looking at the 6 Nations at our world cup. If we can perform well, and finish in the top 2 every year, our ranking will improve along with our confidence. This will lead to stronger world cup campaigns.
Back to Kidneys squad. When the first announcement was made it was great to see Madigan in the squad. It was much deserved. There was no place for McLaughlin though. This was later corrected thankfully. McLaughlin deserves a place in the squad and has been one of the shining lights for Leinster all season. I think the only selection that is non-sensical (and this will annoy some readers) is picking Ronan O’Gara. If we are changing the captaincy for the sake of the future then we should be doing the same all round. I would have said the same about Donncha O’Callaghan but this has been a big season for him, he deserves to be there.
I await the wrath of Munster.
Until next week…..
Keego (@nkeegan): Newbie blogger, former professional wrestler, sometime attempted rugby player (@TheThirsty3rds), professional procrastinator and attempted musician with a fondness for long walks on the bar, tea and the couch. Opinionated Leinster fan and constant gardener.
