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Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 9:19 am
by BigD163
Great win. Some exciting young players in the team who stood up well.

Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 9:32 am
by Crichton Gunner
Enjoyable game and a great win, but like Cockers I'm a bit mystified as to how we did it. I think we must have scored almost every time we got into their 22, and Leinster must be wondering how on earth they lost given how they dominated possession. Our bench made a big difference up front (not surprisingly), but although a lot of players dug in and showed some real commitment, we turned over possession far too easily and frequently. We need to hold onto the ball much better if we're going to seriously challenge for a play off place. Leinster moved the ball quickly with players taking passes at full speed, and we struggled to get the ball off them for long periods. That's what we've got to aim for.

Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 10:20 am
by Wottie
We are leaving a lot of points from the kicking tee on the pitch just now which could have cost us the game last night and will cost us matches in the run in if we don’t sort it out. This is emerging as the biggest impetus to play SHC. Our new 10 is a bit inconsistent at the moment on that front (and that front alone!). Still some improvement to come from reducing the error count which is encouraging but the thing that is just so different under Cockers is the belief that they can win these games from behind in the final 10 mins. Well done to Lewis on his MOM but Mata deserved it for me. He got through a hell of a shift was absolute done in by the final whistle!

Looks like I picked the best of seasons for my first visit to Ravenhill. Massive game next week now. Bring it on!

Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 10:46 am
by dolf_lundgren
A good gutsy performance and definitely one we would have lost a year ago.

Not sure I agree with Mata, I thought he dropped off a few tackles and a couple of offloads were poor.

Agree on the kicking front, we cant afford to lose out on those points. Certainly the first 3 were relatively straightforward. Good to see Bennet having a go, shows confidence and he will be handy to have when needing the get the driver out from half way.

Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 1:17 pm
by Tichtheid
Crosbie goes from strengh to strength.

I do wonder about the lineout, how can we have, in Scotland as a whole, a succession of awful lineouts. Bulloch was probably the last hooker I remember us not having a problem in that regard, honourable exception being Cochrane, but otherwise both Glasgow and us have produced a terrible run of throwers, it must be in the coaching, there has just been too many players with poor darts. Aye that’s only one part of the mechanism and last night was windy etc etc, but it’s an ongoing problem.

Less said about the reffing of the scrum last night the better.

Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 3:54 pm
by doedin
There was lots to be pleased about last night but a few things we need to improve.

I thought that our forwards stuck in despite struggling in the scrums and the breakdown. Our defence was fairly good from forwards and our maul defence was excellent. Crosbie and Carmichael both excellent and Cockerill has instilled a real dog like attitude in the guys. The scrum was a problem but lets remember we had (arguably) 4th choice LH and 3rd choice TH and 4th choice hooker starting. We also struggled with the breakdown, Leinster are just excellent at protecting their own ball and as a result we struggled to slow them down at times, often just not competing and just fanning out across the pitch. Crosbie looks like the 6 we have needed for a quite a while. Fenton looked good across the park but his throwing is a bit of a problem, he was ok going to front and middle but couldn't get it to the back of the line, not sure why we insisted in trying to do that? However the class act was Fardy, he ran the show for Leinster and was just different class.

Our exit strategies were pretty poor and combined with poor box kicking just ended up putting us under pressure and giving the ball back to Leinster. No sure Fowles knows how to run a game and made a number of wrong decisions although he took his try well.

Our backs gave nothing away and looked very good all night.Bennet seems to have brought a professionalism and decision making at 13 that we needed. They strangled the Leinster backs all night and looked dangerous at times and we played at a pretty fast pace with the ball. We are still a bit lateral at times and need a bit more penetration, I would like to see the big VdM coming in off his wing more and punching holes off of first phase ball, he is a beast and we need to use him more. Graham showed him how to do it a few times and he looked solid. Fife was very solid at FB.

Leinster had the forward power and they know what they are doing with the ball and over powered us at times. However the guys hung in and then took advantage of the ball when they got it. We would have lost that game by 20-30 points in the last few seasons. Cockerill delivering on his promises.

Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 4:03 pm
by Old West Stand
Just watching Ireland’s fourth conversion there, which seemed to take an age - try scored at 34.55, kick struck at 36.33, total time taken 1.38 - reminded me of the finish last night. In the end it didn’t make a difference, but SHC was furious about a restart being ordered after the last try. And rightly so. It was clearly a wrong decision. The law states 90 seconds are allowed for the kick to be taken from the try being dotted down. I think the assumption is 30 seconds to get everyone back and get the tee on (no jokes about Glasgow please), then 60 seconds for the kicker to take the kick.
I just watched it back.

78.46 Bennett touches down
Already only 74 seconds are left on the game clock. There is no time for a restart under the laws if everyone sticks to the script.
79.12 Ref says ‘time off’ to check for a knock on.
Try stands, time comes back on.
SHC is lined up to take the kick. He still has his full 60 seconds, so time should comfortably run out.
TMO says ’33 seconds’ left on the match clock.
For some unaccountable reason the Ref and TMO then agree they will have a restart and the ref tells SHC this even before he takes the kick.
The ref seems to be implying, ‘it doesn’t matter how much time you now waste, we’re going to have a re-start anway’.
Eh???? Poor Sam hadn’t wasted any time. He was nowhere near his time allowed.
If Leinster had scored it would have been a very sore one.

Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 5:26 pm
by dolf_lundgren
Totally agree, it seems the TMO took it upon himself to state there was time for the restart, when really there wasn't.

I think what SHC was just as annoyed about was the ref starting to talk to him when he was in his routine. As you say he wasn't exactly wasting time and the ref ended up with "just kick it".

I thought that was the best game I have seen Fowles play, he looked very sharp. Although I take the point re SHC and kicking. It would be nice to see both of them play at their best rather then a shadow as we have seen,

Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 5:26 pm
by Frenchy
Indeed. At the time, I assumed that the try must have been scored before 78:30, and the referee was counting the 90s from when the try was first awarded, whilst SHC was trying to make it 90s from when it was awarded following review.

But no, there clearly shouldn't have been a restart.

Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 5:33 pm
by Friday Knight Lights
Agree with deodin about Crosbie and Carmichael. Crosbie looks like the 6 not only Edinburgh need but the one Scotland need too. Carmichael adding to a second row embarrassment of riches.

Very pleasing to see a young team coming together and being incredibly gritty. Love how Cockers has got us to a point if you're not the top of your game you're not going to beat us.

Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 9:31 pm
by Tichtheid
There are some pretty savage short back and sides going on with the team, particularly Crosbie, Hardie, VDM.

Is this something we should be concerned about?

Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 9:53 pm
by Frenchy
Tichtheid wrote:There are some pretty savage short back and sides going on with the team, particularly Crosbie, Hardie, VDM.

Is this something we should be concerned about?

At least there aren't any mullets any more.

Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 11:13 pm
by The Feral Goat
Frenchy wrote:
Tichtheid wrote:There are some pretty savage short back and sides going on with the team, particularly Crosbie, Hardie, VDM.

Is this something we should be concerned about?

At least there aren't any mullets any more.


Wow we are looking at haircuts as one of ERs current issues...changed days indeed used to be be tackling, passing, running kicking. All change under Cockerill indeed, a man who has probably not thought about hair in a while! :)

Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sun Feb 11, 2018 8:02 am
by dolf_lundgren
actual footage from Edinburgh training.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oi_5lXIT5AY

Re: Edinburgh - Leinster

PostPosted: Sun Feb 11, 2018 11:24 am
by Frenchy
Mata made 21 tackles, but missed 5, according to stats here: http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/playerstats ... gue=270557

RItchie made 15 and missed 0.