The IRISH RUGBY thread

[Gmac]

Would like to see o halloran for zebo soon
Chan Healy playing a lot better today
Earls is looking good

[Walter Cronc]

Looks like Erasmus has handed in his notice. Shame that!

[gawa316]

Haven't seen enough of the provinces or Ireland of late but have we seen the last of Heaslip as a starter? I am thinking a backrow of POM, SOB and Stander playing 8.

[Syferus]

Haven't seen enough of the provinces or Ireland of late but have we seen the last of Heaslip as a starter? I am thinking a backrow of POM, SOB and Stander playing 8.

SOB is made of glass.

[Walter Cronc]

Team to face Japan. Still can't understand what T'OHalloran has to do to start. Is he not wise or something? Perhaps the Connacht men can shed some light. Surely rest Earls, Start Conway on the wing and O'Halloran at FB. Great to see Stockdale get another go. Superstar in the making!

Ireland: A Conway; K Earls, G Ringrose, L Marshall, J Stockdale; P Jackson, K Marmion; C Healy, J Tracy, John Ryan; K Treadwell, D Toner; R Ruddock, J van der Flier, J Conan.

Replacements: N Scannell, D Kilcoyne, A Porter, James Ryan, S Reidy, J Cooney, R Scannell, T O'Halloran.

[GaillimhIarthair]

Team to face Japan. Still can't understand what T'OHalloran has to do to start. Is he not wise or something? Perhaps the Connacht men can shed some light. Surely rest Earls, Start Conway on the wing and O'Halloran at FB. Great to see Stockdale get another go. Superstar in the making!

Ireland: A Conway; K Earls, G Ringrose, L Marshall, J Stockdale; P Jackson, K Marmion; C Healy, J Tracy, John Ryan; K Treadwell, D Toner; R Ruddock, J van der Flier, J Conan.

Replacements: N Scannell, D Kilcoyne, A Porter, James Ryan, S Reidy, J Cooney, R Scannell, T O'Halloran.

TOH was behind Conway in the pecking order during the 6N and with him now getting a run a FB as well as wing, it seem that is still the case.  I see TOH week in and out during the season and he is a fine player and would love to see him get a proper run to show his worth but it doesn't seem to be happening for him under Joe - the selections for the Autumn internationals will tell a lot.

[Walter Cronc]

He's a class player GI no doubt. Along with Sweetnam, Byrne and Stockdale all very exciting players coming through.

[dec]

It looks like South African teams might be joining the Pro12

http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/40522124

South African sides Cheetahs and Southern Kings have moved a step closer to joining the Pro12 by agreeing their departure from Super Rugby. Both sides are free "to explore other international opportunities" after reaching an agreement with the South African Rugby Union.

The Kings and Cheetahs are set to link up with the Pro12 from next season.

Super Rugby will be cut from 18 to 15 teams next season, with the exit of one Australian and two South African sides. A special SA Rugby general meeting in Cape Town on Friday formally announced South Africa's four participants in Super Rugby next season. As well as the four teams from South Africa - the Sharks, Lions, Bulls and Stormers - the restructured competition will comprise five from New Zealand, four from Australia and one each from Argentina and Japan.

The Cheetahs have opted for a settlement with SA Rugby despite having an agreement in place to play until 2020. Cheetahs chief executive Harold Verster welcomed the prospect of a move into another international competition. He said: "It will be an exciting challenge for our players, supporters and commercial partners and will be the start of a new chapter for rugby both in our region and in South Africa."

Andre Rademan - president of the Eastern Province Rugby Union, the Kings' controlling body - said: "It has been a rollercoaster ride for the franchise for a number of seasons but there is now a clear and viable way forward for rugby in the Eastern Cape to build on the foundations that have been laid - particularly in the past season." Rademan added that "the chance to test ourselves against different opposition in different conditions is a mouth-watering one".

There is only a 2 hour timezone difference but the flights are over 11 hours

[seafoid]

It looks like South African teams might be joining the Pro12

http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/40522124

South African sides Cheetahs and Southern Kings have moved a step closer to joining the Pro12 by agreeing their departure from Super Rugby. Both sides are free "to explore other international opportunities" after reaching an agreement with the South African Rugby Union.

The Kings and Cheetahs are set to link up with the Pro12 from next season.

Super Rugby will be cut from 18 to 15 teams next season, with the exit of one Australian and two South African sides. A special SA Rugby general meeting in Cape Town on Friday formally announced South Africa's four participants in Super Rugby next season. As well as the four teams from South Africa - the Sharks, Lions, Bulls and Stormers - the restructured competition will comprise five from New Zealand, four from Australia and one each from Argentina and Japan.

The Cheetahs have opted for a settlement with SA Rugby despite having an agreement in place to play until 2020. Cheetahs chief executive Harold Verster welcomed the prospect of a move into another international competition. He said: "It will be an exciting challenge for our players, supporters and commercial partners and will be the start of a new chapter for rugby both in our region and in South Africa."

Andre Rademan - president of the Eastern Province Rugby Union, the Kings' controlling body - said: "It has been a rollercoaster ride for the franchise for a number of seasons but there is now a clear and viable way forward for rugby in the Eastern Cape to build on the foundations that have been laid - particularly in the past season." Rademan added that "the chance to test ourselves against different opposition in different conditions is a mouth-watering one".

There is only a 2 hour timezone difference but the flights are over 11 hours

Sounds nuts and all because the SA league has 2 rejects

[Kilkevan]

It's confirmed. Cheetahs and Southern Kings will play in the Pro 12 next year making the tournament a 14 team competition. Two groups of seven; 2 Irish, 2 Welsh, 1 Scottish, 1 Italian and 1 South African in each group. I had heard the South African teams will play a lot of their matches in Europe but how that works for their home support is a mystery.

[Walter Cronc]

It's confirmed. Cheetahs and Southern Kings will play in the Pro 12 next year making the tournament a 14 team competition. Two groups of seven; 2 Irish, 2 Welsh, 1 Scottish, 1 Italian and 1 South African in each group. I had heard the South African teams will play a lot of their matches in Europe but how that works for their home support is a mystery.

Yeah I think both teams will be based out of Saracens ground in North London. Must be banking on the big Saffa community in London to support them. Not sure how successful this will be tbh.

[square_ball]

It's confirmed. Cheetahs and Southern Kings will play in the Pro 12 next year making the tournament a 14 team competition. Two groups of seven; 2 Irish, 2 Welsh, 1 Scottish, 1 Italian and 1 South African in each group. I had heard the South African teams will play a lot of their matches in Europe but how that works for their home support is a mystery.

Yeah I think both teams will be based out of Saracens ground in North London. Must be banking on the big Saffa community in London to support them. Not sure how successful this will be tbh.

Not sure I like the sound of this at all. So for example Ulster might not play Leinster in that season or there mightn't be a Munster v Leinster game? I just don't see what this offers the Pro 12 league.

[Kilkevan]

It's confirmed. Cheetahs and Southern Kings will play in the Pro 12 next year making the tournament a 14 team competition. Two groups of seven; 2 Irish, 2 Welsh, 1 Scottish, 1 Italian and 1 South African in each group. I had heard the South African teams will play a lot of their matches in Europe but how that works for their home support is a mystery.

Yeah I think both teams will be based out of Saracens ground in North London. Must be banking on the big Saffa community in London to support them. Not sure how successful this will be tbh.

So basically they're moving the entire clubs over to London and leaving their home support in South Africa with nothing? That's rough. I know they were being dropped from the Super Rugby championship but is there literally nothing else they could have competed in?

It's also not going to do the pitch at Allianz Park any favours having three teams playing on it for a season.

It's confirmed. Cheetahs and Southern Kings will play in the Pro 12 next year making the tournament a 14 team competition. Two groups of seven; 2 Irish, 2 Welsh, 1 Scottish, 1 Italian and 1 South African in each group. I had heard the South African teams will play a lot of their matches in Europe but how that works for their home support is a mystery.

Yeah I think both teams will be based out of Saracens ground in North London. Must be banking on the big Saffa community in London to support them. Not sure how successful this will be tbh.

Not sure I like the sound of this at all. So for example Ulster might not play Leinster in that season or there mightn't be a Munster v Leinster game? I just don't see what this offers the Pro12 league.

I'd say it's up in the air at the moment. In terms of what it offers the Pro12, about £7million for a start off and additional TV rights. They're also trying to build the product so it can compete with Premiership Rugby and the Top 14. I think they face an impossible task though. The early outline for how the competition will proceed will deny fans their quota of derby matches and will surely add to the contrived nature of the competition; local rivalry builds interest and intensity and this is something the Rugby Premiership and the Top 14 have which the Pro12 can't get. Most teams in the two former competitions are playing teams they are relatively geographically close to or have a history with on a very regular basis, whilst that's not true in the latter... And wait until you hear the next great idea... Adding two North American franchises...

I lost interest in the Pro12 years ago and get my fix from the Top 14 and I can't see these ideas pulling me back any time soon.

[Walter Cronc]

Would a European league - Div 1 & 2 or Regional based not make more sense to the blazers??

Surely the French and English Clubs would love the potential of big travelling support from Ireland. Better TV deals etc

These South African franchises might eventually morph into London based clubs with no ties to the homeland.

[Kilkevan]

Would a European league - Div 1 & 2 or Regional based not make more sense to the blazers??

Surely the French and English Clubs would love the potential of big travelling support from Ireland. Better TV deals etc

These South African franchises might eventually morph into London based clubs with no ties to the homeland.

The simple fact is the Rugby Premiership and the Top 14 don't need the Irish, Welsh, Scottish and Italian teams. The quality in both is top notch, though I much prefer the French style of the competition to the English, and they're making megabucks from the competitions each year. It's a non-starter to even think of developing a competition with the English and French teams.

I don't know about in England but in France the Champions Cup isn't even seen as the pinnacle; the Top 14 is. The French teams in the Challenge Cup aren't really interested in it until it gets to semifinal stage; the quality and depth of their squads means they often get there anyway and whilst the Champions Cup is seen as highly desirable, clubs would still rather win the national championship.

The Welsh regions have tried a number of times to get into the Rugby Premiership but it hasn't worked. A bit like Celtic and Rangers trying it with soccer. The Welsh regions are a load of cr@p anyway as they supposedly put together clubs which hate each other; the Blues supposedly include, for example, Cardiff and Pontypridd whilst Ponty despise Cardiff and the Ospreys include Swansea and Neath who have never gotten on. Hence the disengagement from the public.

The Pro12 is in serious trouble going forward, especially when you read this: http://www.punditarena.com/rugby/gbrennan/proposed-pro-12-format-decimate-provincial-derbies/

The first thing I get from that is the organisers are so clueless that they don't even know the biggest Irish derby is Munster v Leinster nor that rivalry in Wales is most intensely felt when Cardiff meet Newport and Llanelli play Ospreys.