The IRISH RUGBY thread

[trileacman]

You would have to feel sorry for Leamy, plays his best match of the season and then gets told his years over. He must be a unlucky fella considering the other injuries and setbacks in his career.

I suspect Ronan goes to 7 and Wallace to 8. At what point does Mick O'driscoll come into the frame should someone else gets injured? And if Ronan's injured does that New Zealander Williams(? i think) come into play 8 and return Wallace to flanker or is the another possible combination?

[orangeman]

Does anyone know what the nature of the knee injury is

[Hoof Hearted]

Does anyone know what the nature of the knee injury is

it's in his knee, and it's sore so it needs an operation.

[trileacman]

Does anyone know what the nature of the knee injury is

it's in his knee, and it's sore so it needs an operation.

I can tell you have read much on the subject, Doctor.

[screenexile]

You would have to feel sorry for Leamy, plays his best match of the season and then gets told his years over. He must be a unlucky fella considering the other injuries and setbacks in his career.

I suspect Ronan goes to 7 and Wallace to 8. At what point does Mick O'driscoll come into the frame should someone else gets injured? And if Ronan's injured does that New Zealander Williams(? i think) come into play 8 and return Wallace to flanker or is the another possible combination?

Mick O'Driscoll comes in when DOC or POC get injured... other than that I'd agree with Ronan in and Wallace moving to 8.

Does anyone know what the nature of the knee injury is

I'd imagine it's an ACL injury which generally takes 6-8 months depending on speed of recovery.

[muppet]

Does anyone know what the nature of the knee injury is

it's in his knee, and it's sore so it needs an operation.

I can tell you have read much on the subject, Doctor.

I can confirm that he studied his medicine very carefully in Edinburgh.

[trileacman]

Does anyone know what the nature of the knee injury is

it's in his knee, and it's sore so it needs an operation.

I can tell you have read much on the subject, Doctor.

I can confirm that he studied his medicine very carefully in Edinburgh.

Are you his mother?? 

[Hoof Hearted]

leave mother muppet alone, he took good care of me that weekend when i took too much medicine. Thats what your elders do ! Not sure of his exact age, but he remembers being in Ballina on the monday night the last time Sam was there

[Gnevin]

So here's the big one! As voted for by you, by hundreds of emails, here is the Planet Rugby XV of 2009 - replete with bench.

15 Rob Kearney - Leaving aside a peculiar performance against the Scarlets in the Heineken Cup right at year's end where he trebled this year's spilled high ball count, Kearney has been fantastic. A siege gun boot has helped him through ELV issues, while once given the licence and freedom to roam and attack on the Lions tour he showed just what he can do. High point of the year was that try in the Lions' second Test.

14 Tommy Bowe - It's not often you become a folk hero and have songs made and sung about you. But such was Bowe's form on the Lions tour (on and off the field), that he became the focal point of much of the affection of the touring hordes. All together now: Tommy...Tommy Bo-oooowwwwe!'

13 BOD - It is a vast injustice that, in the year when he sealed his 100th cap for his country by sailing through a gap for a last-minute equalising try and led the Lions once again to victory with every sinew, Brian O'Driscoll missed out on the IRB Player of the Year award. But some scant consolation may come from the fact that he is the captain of this year's team...

12 Jamie Roberts - One of those who skipped the 'Newbies' list and made it straight into the senior XV, Roberts deservedly took the Lion of the Tour' gong for his destructive running power in the middle of the park.

11 Bryan Habana - This one was a close one, with Sitiveni Sivivatu less than 20 votes behind. But - and once again, probably courtesy of the Lions tour and his team's success - Habana clinched it on account of his ability to be a little more reliable at the back.

10 Matt Giteau - While Australia have floundered, Giteau's sparkling form - with on glaring exception - never let up. At times early in the year, it occasionally seemed like Giteau taking on the entire opposition. But once Australia did gel in that final game against Wales, we saw just how devastating Giteau's maverick talents can be.

9 Fourie du Preez - Our Player of the Year (when there's no sentimentality taken into account anyway), Du Preez is a shining example of how to execute a game-plan down to it's final crossed 't', as well as adding to it along the way.

8 Jamie Heaslip - An old school rumbler of a number eight who eschews video analysis and dieting for a heck of a lot of hard yards and work, Heaslip had a fantastic year.

7 Heinrich Brüssow - Pushed up from the 'Newbies' list after Schalk Burger's moments of injury/idiocy* and thrust into the limelights of a Lions tour, Brüssow is now South Africa's top openside in his own right. There can be no greater compliment than this fact: Brüssow so eclipsed Richie McCaw this year that the Kiwi did not get enough votes to even feature on the bench!

* - delete as applicable

6 Rocky Elsom - How many people can say they won a continental championship, headed to the other side of the world and became captain of a top eight country, all within a year? Rocky Elsom can...

5 Victor Matfield - The vote for second-row was a close-run thing between all the people vying for a spot to partner a man who is surely now deeply ensconced in South African rugby folklore.

4 Bakkies Botha - That race to partner Victor Matfield mentioned above? Bakkies won it by eight votes, the tightest call of the entire team.

3 Martin Castrogiovanni - Italy and Leicester's cornerstone had a comparatively quiet year, but his was the performance that helped dismantle an All Black scrum in Milan in November.

2 Bismarck du Plessis - Light years ahead of all others in this position, Du Plessis had hooker after hooker come his way and leave with tails between legs. And a couple of tighthead props for that matter. And we've not yetmentioned his line-out throwing.

1 Gethin Jenkins - The world's most athletic prop, with the ability to play either side of the scrum if need be. Could you ask for any more? Indicative of Jenkins' success was the number of South Africans who gave him the nod ahead of their very own 'Beast'.

The Bench - These were the players in their respective positions who garnered the second-highest number of votes - but for Smit, Robinson and Parisse, it was also a case of tallying up the total votes from the two positions people had voted them in for, which allowed us scope to factor in a degree of versatility to our pine-riders.

16 John Smit
17 Benn Robinson
18 Paul O'Connell
19 Sergio Parisse
20 Will Genia
21 Morne Steyn
22 Sitiveni Sivivatu

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16016_5813357,00.html

4 Irish starters. Great year

[Celt_Man]

O'Driscoll named World Player of the Decade

Wednesday, 6 January 2010 12:16

Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll has been voted as Rugby World magazine's player of the decade.

The Leinster centre announced his arrival on the world stage in 2000 with a stunning hat-trick in Ireland's Six Nations victory over France in Paris.

O'Driscoll finished the decade captaining Ireland to their first Grand Slam in 61 years and playing an instrumental role in Leinster's long-awaited Heineken Cup triumph.

A three-time nominee for the International Rugby Board's world player of the year, O'Driscoll played on three Lions tours, including one as captain.

Rugby World team of the decade:

M Muliana (New Zealand); J Robinson (England), B O'Driscoll (Ireland), M Giteau (Australia), S Williams (Wales); D Carter (New Zealand), A Pichot (Argentina); G Jenkins (Wales), J Smit (South Africa), C Hayman (New Zealand), M Johnson (England, capt), V Matfield (South Africa), R Hill (England), R McCaw (New Zealand), S Parisse (Italy).

Replacements: R Roncero (Argentina), M Ledesma (Argentina), S Marconnet (France), JM Fernandez Lobbe (Argentina), F Du Preez (South Africa), J Wilkinson (England), Y Jauzion (France), JM Hernandez (Argentina).

Delighted to see O'Driscoll getting an "award" like this...  Also great to see Parisse being recognised for all his efforts, sometimes on his own, for Italy

[muppet]

O'Driscoll named World Player of the Decade

Wednesday, 6 January 2010 12:16

Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll has been voted as Rugby World magazine's player of the decade.

The Leinster centre announced his arrival on the world stage in 2000 with a stunning hat-trick in Ireland's Six Nations victory over France in Paris.

O'Driscoll finished the decade captaining Ireland to their first Grand Slam in 61 years and playing an instrumental role in Leinster's long-awaited Heineken Cup triumph.

A three-time nominee for the International Rugby Board's world player of the year, O'Driscoll played on three Lions tours, including one as captain.

Rugby World team of the decade:

M Muliana (New Zealand); J Robinson (England), B O'Driscoll (Ireland), M Giteau (Australia), S Williams (Wales); D Carter (New Zealand), A Pichot (Argentina); G Jenkins (Wales), J Smit (South Africa), C Hayman (New Zealand), M Johnson (England, capt), V Matfield (South Africa), R Hill (England), R McCaw (New Zealand), S Parisse (Italy).

Replacements: R Roncero (Argentina), M Ledesma (Argentina), S Marconnet (France), JM Fernandez Lobbe (Argentina), F Du Preez (South Africa), J Wilkinson (England), Y Jauzion (France), JM Hernandez (Argentina).

Delighted to see O'Driscoll getting an "award" like this...  Also great to see Parisse being recognised for all his efforts, sometimes on his own, for Italy

Hard to argue with any of that. O'Connell was up against Matfield and Johnson both World Cup winners while the only other real candidate from these shores would have been Keith Wood who again was beaten a WC winner. Though on his day I would have Wood ahead of Smit.

[Declan]

Heard Eamon Keane interviewing O'Driscoll's dad on Newstalk at lunchtime - He came across as some character and said although Brian had put the Kiwis assault on him behind him he would never forget the cover up.

[fingerbob]

More argentinians than kiwis on the team.

[Capt Pat]

Keith Wood is maybe a pick for the previous decade, Smit is a very good player and the Captain of South Afirca but is not in Woods league. There are other hookers that could have got that spot. I would have gone for the Argentine hooker ahead of Smit, but Wood ahead of both.

[tyroneboi]

Rory Best is named in Ireland's Six Nations squad


Ulster hooker Rory Best has been named in Ireland's extended 44-man squad for the RBS Six Nations Championship.

Best has not played this season because of a serious neck injury but has resumed contact training after making good progress in his rehabilitation.

Prop Marcus Horan also returns to the panel after his lengthy injury layoff.

The squad contains nine uncapped players, with Ulster pair Dan Tuohy and Declan Fitzpatrick the newest members to the squad for this season.

The other uncapped men are Leinster's Fergus McFadden, Kevin McLaughlin, Devin Toner and John Fogarty, Leicester wing Johne Murphy, Connacht prop Brett Wilkinson and Ulster number eight Chris Henry.

Shane Jennings is named in the squad after his return to playing.

Best was not expected to return to action until after the Six Nations series but may now make a comeback sooner than anticipated.

Munster prop Horan returns, having missed out on the autumn internationals after undergoing a routine medical procedure for a minor heart ailment.

The loosehead has not played for his province since the Heineken Cup win over Treviso in October but played 80 minutes for Shannon in their All-Ireland League match against Dolphin on Saturday.

Ireland are without injured duo Luke Fitzgerald and Denis Leamy.

   
The aim is to increase the competitiveness that we need for the Italy game

Declan Kidney

Ireland begin their campaign with a home game against Italy at Croke Park on Saturday 6 February.

Ireland A will play two international games in quick succession, against England Saxons on 31 January and Scotland A at Ravenhill on 5 February.

Irish coach Declan Kidney said his main consideration was "the opening game against Italy, followed by the A games and further down the line the Rugby World Cup".

"Building a squad has always been a priority for us and the work done during the first half of the season means there is a little more experience accumulated in the squad than we had a couple of months ago.

"While there were new players who gained vital experience during the autumn series, the goal is to keep that experience ticking over with all the players who need international level game time.

"The aim is to increase the competitiveness that we need for the Italy game.

"The provinces have all been in good form, making selection even more difficult, but we will need that for the big challenges that are ahead for the group over the next couple of weeks.

"The focus is very much on our game against Italy in a fortnight's time and we are preparing for that first challenge," said Kidney.

Ireland squad: Rory Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Isaac Boss (Ballymena/Ulster), Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster), Tom Court (Malone/Ulster), Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht), Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster), Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster), Ian Dowling (Shannon/Munster), Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster), Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster), Declan Fitzpatrick (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster), John Fogarty (De La Salle Palmerston/Leinster), John Hayes (Bruff/Munster), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster), Chris Henry (Ballymena/Ulster), Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster), Shane Horgan (Boyne/Leinster), Denis Hurley (Cork Constitution/Munster), Shane Jennings (St.Mary's College/Leinster), Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster), Fergus McFadden (UCD/Leinster), Kevin McLaughlin (UCD/Leinster), Johne Murphy (Leicester), Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster), Mick O'Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster) , Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster), Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster), Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin/Munster), Sean O'Brien (Clontarf/Leinster), Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster), Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster), Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster), Jonathan Sexton (St Mary's College/Leinster), Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster), Dan Tuohy (Ballymena/Ulster), David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster), Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster), Brett Wilkinson (Galwegians/Connacht).