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Seventeen years after it was scrapped, Leinster tightening grip on unofficial 'third title'
Not since 2002 has the IRFU’s interprovincial title officially been played for. However, Leinster’s derby demolition of Ulster on Saturday night has Leo Cullen’s side three points clear of Munster and primed to clinch the unofficial Irish competition within the Pro14 for the third time in four seasons.
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Cullen’s reigning European cup and league champions have become an Irish derby powerhouse since he took over the reins in 2015. Matt O’Connor’s Leinster won just two of their half-dozen fixtures in 2014/15 to finish bottom of the four provinces, their worst effort since Gary Ella was in charge in 2003/04.
Having fought in the trenches for years as a player in the second row, Cullen has shown a knack of getting his selections right for these derby games. Their 40-7 bonus win over Ulster was their 17th success in 23 regular season Irish derbies with Cullen in charge and their second in their three all-Irish fixtures over the Christmas/New Year period.
The holiday programme, where Leinster beat Connacht and Ulster in Dublin and lost to Munster in Limerick, highlighted the greater squad depth that Cullen has at his disposal compared to his Irish rivals.
Full-time! A great start to the new year! #LEIvULS pic.twitter.com/7w3Dn4tttj
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) January 5, 2019
Leinster had 38 different starters for their three games, eight more than Munster, nine more than Ulster and a massive 13 more than Connacht, whose lack of depth was further illustrated by them having seven players – Darragh Leader, Cian Kelleher, Tom Farrell, Jack Carty, Caolin Blade, Gavin Thornbury and Colby Fainga’a – starting all three matches. The only other player in the provinces to start three games over the holiday period was Munster’s Jean Kleyn.
The emphasis for the rotating Irish provinces now quickly shifts to Europe’s round five and six fixtures in the coming weekends and the Irish league within the Pro 14 won’t be completed until the weekend of April 26 when Leinster face Ulster in Belfast and Munster host Connacht in Limerick.
In the 15 previous seasons featuring six rounds of home-and-away Irish derby fixtures in the league, Leinster have been “champions” on eight occasions followed by Ulster on four and Munster on three. The IRFU’s official interprovincial championship ran from 1946/47 until 2001/02.
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PRO14’S IRISH LEAGUE
P W L F A BP PTS
Leinster 5 4 1 140 87 2 18
Munster 5 3 2 155 97 3 15
Connacht 5 2 3 99 111 3 11
Ulster 5 1 4 60 159 0 4
Results: Leinster 40 Ulster 7, Connacht 24 Munster 31, Munster 26 Leinster 17, Connacht 21 Ulster 12, Leinster 33 Connacht 29, Ulster 19 Munster 12, Leinster 30 Munster 22, Ulster 15 Connacht 22, Munster 64 Ulster 7, Connacht 3 Leinster 20
Comments on RugbyPass
A long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
2 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
2 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to comments