I think suggesting that that Leinster squad sent to Ravenhill was a 3rd string or even a 2nd string side is a bit of a let off for them, and probably downplays the Ulster result quite a bit. Take a look at who played. Was it a full strength 1st team? No, but it was full of internationals and regular 1st side players and the balance was made up of the best 2nd choice players. That was a very strong team sent to Belfast, fully wanting to win that game. Probably expecting to win too. Never underestimate the hubris of Leinster, & you are correct in some of your closing remarks .. they are not looking top of their game recently (even in europe), and are definately beatable, even with their 1st team. They may end up winning nothing again this year.
Leinster paid dearly for turning down the easy 3 late in the game. Ulster fully deserved the victory. Leinster would be better off finishing fourth and not having to travel to South Africa to play Bulls. If they take 5 points from Connacht game then they will probably finish 3rd and would have a possible semi final against Bulls in South Africa. It would be better to face Munster in Ireland than have the long travel to play the Bulls.
a question what would the challenge cup win mean to SA teams, la rochelle lost theirs in 2019, so its a stepping stone, the excuse for champions cup travel is rubbisgh as they do it every week for urc
Benneton play Edinburgh in Italy both on 49 pts same as the Lions. So the loser of that game will be eliminated if Lions win. But also, potentially the Lions could qualify with a losing bonus pt or 4 try bonus pt if the loser gets no pts or a single pt. So it's really interesting, also Ulster 53 pts play Leinster. So the Lions have a decent more than a slim chance.
I'm an aussie .seen a lot of players over years .I m a red man but also love munster. Still can't fathom why the hell why gavin Coombes is not in irish team. He is a monster near line .stats prove it.? Are they blind or what.?
@@michaelmoynihan9591 You'll find that most Connacht/Ulster/Munster fans would agree with you. However he loses out to Conan at 8, who is a great player, but who is a behind Gavin under every single metric. Conan gets the nod though, largely because he is a Leinsterman. It's not that people are blind, I assure you. There's a fair bit of friction between Leinster and the other provinces atm, and it's largely due to preferential treatment, of which the Coombes/Conan dynamic could be seen as a microcosm.
