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'Munster v Leinster war will be won in battle of the fringes'

With Christmas upon us, we decided to turn Wednesday Night Rugby into Tuesday Night Rugby. So Kei...



'Munster v Leinster war wi...
Rugby

'Munster v Leinster war will be won in battle of the fringes'

With Christmas upon us, we decided to turn Wednesday Night Rugby into Tuesday Night Rugby.

So Keith Wood and The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley joined us to preview the festive fixtures.

First off, they looked at the oddly low-key build up to Munster v Leinster at Thomond Park on St Stephen's Day.

"With the week that's in it, there isn't much of a media build-up either. I also think, frankly, that Leinster and Munster could do a lot more in terms of their PR and their media relations. They should be pushing the brand more," said Gerry.

Keith also feels attention is being diverted by other things.

"I'm not a huge fan of a Christmas week international training camp. I think it diverts attention away from where people absolutely need it at the moment," he said.

On the game itself, Gerry believes it will be a "battle of the fringes" between the two rivals, with the winner of that battle going on to win the war. Both he and Keith highlighted the importance of Leinster's Shane Jennings.

Gerry also noted the impressive performance of summer arrival Kane Douglas for Leinster in their last game, just in time for the Munster clash. 

He also thinks Ulster's fall from grace has been "alarming" before they face Connacht who have an outside chance of qualifying for Europe, while Keith feels Neil Doak's side are too reliant on Ruan Pienaar.

"They are very reliant on him and they need him back at full tilt," said Keith of Ulster.

But Gerry thinks that the real threat that Connacht provide this year could see them overcome a poor record at Ravenhill. 

We also took the opportunity to quiz the guys about the trends they are noticing in rugby at the close of 2014, with Keith saying that he was "really worried about concussion."

They also looked at what changes can be made to boost the attacking side of the game.

And do you want to know who Gerry and Keith have tipped to win the Champions Cup, Six Nations, Pro 12 and World Cup?

Then listen in via the podcast.

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