The IRISH RUGBY thread

[trileacman]

After the six nations you do get a feeling we are back to square 1.Had a real SN '07 feel to this championship.

Rory Best came and did what he does best, destroy the Irish lineout. We now have to go back to flannery.
Sexton has be measured and found wanting. I attribute the final defeat to him. He only gives the team one direction and is no good during a losing battle. ROG had to rescue the English game following his preformance and unfortunately the game was to far gone for ROG to do it again.
If you watched the French match you'll have seen Trinh-Duc play a defensive game, electing to kick away possession despite having the more potent attacking backline. He did this because he wanted to win and he knew how to protect a lead and play safe. Sexton has not displayed such qualities. Qualities that ROG has in spades. The points kicking scenario doesnt bother me as much as Sexton's lack of control. ROG knows when to kick and when to run, he relieves pressure and his style brings the more dominant Irish line-out (usually) to the fore and gets the forwards more involved. Sexton justs runs the play time and again irrespective of the situation or scoreline. It's hero or zero rugby. Sexton can still become a good international fly-half but he remains some way off and until such time he's not ready to lead this team from fly-half.

[Dinny Breen]

Sorry did I miss something and O'Gara was fantastic against France or was it as I actually remember an ineptitude display and trhe worst 10 performance of the 6 nations.

O'Gara was a great servant but time does not stand still so whether you agree or this agree Sexton is there to stay hopefully McKinney or Keatly can step up but when you seem such talented players such as Stauton and Andy Dunne fail to make it, you have to wonder we're they going to come from.  7,9 and 10 - that is where Ireland are stuggling to develop talent.

[INDIANA]

I'd disgaree with Dinny to an extent although he knows a lot more about rugby than me. Fly half has to be able to do the bread and butter. Sexton currently can't do it consistently, and to my mind as much as anything that contributed to Ireland flinging the ball about with a bit more abandon than usual. They don't trust him to land them and were too anxious in looking for tries. If O'Gara had played we'd have played a more patient game. Impossible to say whether we would have won or not

A long way to go, but at this stage what way do people think we are looking for WC? With Fitzgerald to come back I'd be very surprised if Darcy was in the match day 22, though not quite sure what our best way of reshuffling the backs are.

Same as ever. A Quarter final exit. that was made clear yesterday. When it comes to the crunch this team can't cash the chips.

In response to that statement please explain Grand Slam match last year in Cardiff and to a less extent, final few minutes of Autumn Internationals against Australia

Easily done. You're all talking about beating Australia in a high octane pressure game in the SH where we haven't won since the 70's in the 2011 WC.
We have no scrum and a lineout that cracks when put under serious pressure. We also have an ageing team. People are expecting miracles from guys in their mid 30's who have been to the well so often now its unfair to keep expecting miracles from them.
I think we've missed our cycle with this team. I'd be far more confident of doing well in 2015.

[Celt_Man]

Same as ever. A Quarter final exit. that was made clear yesterday. When it comes to the crunch this team can't cash the chips.

In response to that statement please explain Grand Slam match last year in Cardiff and to a less extent, final few minutes of Autumn Internationals against Australia

Easily done. You're all talking about beating Australia in a high octane pressure game in the SH where we haven't won since the 70's in the 2011 WC.
We have no scrum and a lineout that cracks when put under serious pressure. We also have an ageing team. People are expecting miracles from guys in their mid 30's who have been to the well so often now its unfair to keep expecting miracles from them.
I think we've missed our cycle with this team. I'd be far more confident of doing well in 2015.

That's why I said to a lesser extent, with THAT match in Cardiff last year being the prime example of Ireland taking care of business when the chips are down

[GalwayBayBoy]

Congrats to the U20s who won their 6 nations title by the way, back boned by Leinster as always 

Indeed, a fact that got very much overlooked over the the weekend, a great achievement which bodes well (hopefully) for the future

Two Connacht lads on the team as well which is nice.

[Dinny Breen]

Two Connacht lads on the team as well which is nice.

Easily could have been more, youths rugby in Connacht is very strong at the moment so hopefully that will start to bear fruit.

[Main Street]

By the time of the WC, Sexton should be well established.
As much as Sexton deserved a run out in this series, it was foolish for some to already dismiss O'Gara as a has been for us.
There is much I don't understand about the game of rugby but I just can't see what Hayes offers now to the team that somebody else couldn't.

[magickingdom]

Shutter island is creepy and dark and I can understand people not being into that type of movie, it probably got worse before the end in terms of darkness and creepiness. I did think it was entertaining and I have seen it twice, it reallly does grab your attention. It is a must see movie. I am surprised you could not get through the whole thing, did you download it. You should have gone to the cinema.

couldnt agree more...

it was also a horror for johnny sexton to make his 6 nations debut against england in twickenham, i think kidney has damaged his confidence big time by doing that and we paid the price yesterday

[Capt Pat]

You are right about Hayes good Buckley bad, there is no real difference between them now. John Hayes is Tony Buckley with 100 caps. In the same way people are talking about Sexton getting experienceI thnk Buckley should be given the chance to develop.

[Capt Pat]

Tomas O'Leary was the standout scrumhalf in the 6 Nations in terms of fantasy points in the Irish Times League. This is not a true measure of a players value but does tell you that he got things done during the 6 nations.

[Dinny Breen]

And the Hask, would have brought in Parra two weeks alas made a balls of my transfers in the first week...poor management from me..

Those Derry feckers will be happy too...

[Bord na Mona man]

If you watched the French match you'll have seen Trinh-Duc play a defensive game, electing to kick away possession despite having the more potent attacking backline. He did this because he wanted to win and he knew how to protect a lead and play safe. Sexton has not displayed such qualities. Qualities that ROG has in spades. The points kicking scenario doesnt bother me as much as Sexton's lack of control. ROG knows when to kick and when to run, he relieves pressure and his style brings the more dominant Irish line-out (usually) to the fore and gets the forwards more involved. Sexton justs runs the play time and again irrespective of the situation or scoreline. It's hero or zero rugby. Sexton can still become a good international fly-half but he remains some way off and until such time he's not ready to lead this team from fly-half.

That's certainly not how I remembered the French game!
According to scrum.com Trinh-Duc carried the ball 83 metres while O'Gara ran 0 metres (forward I presume) with it.
http://www.scrum.com/sixnations/rugby/match/94947.html
He certainly knew when not to run with it anyway!   

The French game also featured Ireland going through loads of phases and not making inroads in the French 22, some of this was down to O'Gara being too deep when receiving the ball and distributed it without ever fixing a French defender in the tackle. Meaning that the first thing the next Irish player had to do was make up lost yards and beat a spare defender.

Sexton's goal kicking problems may have created a confidence crisis for him. The best option might now be to play him at 12 and leave O'Gara at 10 to take the goal and tactical responsibilities.

[Bord na Mona man]

You are right about Hayes good Buckley bad, there is no real difference between them now. John Hayes is Tony Buckley with 100 caps. In the same way people are talking about Sexton getting experienceI thnk Buckley should be given the chance to develop.

Buckley looks decent enough in open play. He could deliver a turnover or too and generally cause hassle.
I'd chance him for Ireland and see if he can learn how to scrum.
He couldn't make it much worse...

[mc_grens]

Surely alot of the woes suffered by both 10's in this championship have to be linked to a pack which has more often than not been on the back foot?

We've had poor possesion, a wobbly scrum, and most of our tries have cone through individual brilliance in midfield and the back 3.

We're in trouble at 7 with Wally starting to show his age against quality opposition, we're fucked in the front row, and we're strangely static and lacking in impact at the breakdown.

[trileacman]

If you watched the French match you'll have seen Trinh-Duc play a defensive game, electing to kick away possession despite having the more potent attacking backline. He did this because he wanted to win and he knew how to protect a lead and play safe. Sexton has not displayed such qualities. Qualities that ROG has in spades. The points kicking scenario doesnt bother me as much as Sexton's lack of control. ROG knows when to kick and when to run, he relieves pressure and his style brings the more dominant Irish line-out (usually) to the fore and gets the forwards more involved. Sexton justs runs the play time and again irrespective of the situation or scoreline. It's hero or zero rugby. Sexton can still become a good international fly-half but he remains some way off and until such time he's not ready to lead this team from fly-half.

That's certainly not how I remembered the French game!
According to scrum.com Trinh-Duc carried the ball 83 metres while O'Gara ran 0 metres (forward I presume) with it.
http://www.scrum.com/sixnations/rugby/match/94947.html
He certainly knew when not to run with it anyway!   

The French game also featured Ireland going through loads of phases and not making inroads in the French 22, some of this was down to O'Gara being too deep when receiving the ball and distributed it without ever fixing a French defender in the tackle. Meaning that the first thing the next Irish player had to do was make up lost yards and beat a spare defender.

Sexton's goal kicking problems may have created a confidence crisis for him. The best option might now be to play him at 12 and leave O'Gara at 10 to take the goal and tactical responsibilities.

I was talking about the England-French match but I'm glad you brought up the French game. I think Kidney got the tactics spot on in the French game and he was undone by two moments of madness, Flannery and Healy. Ireland were defending well and showing a decent cutting edge, creating some good chances. Also Rog's style may have stifled our attacking game (compared to Sexton) but his kicking was also stifing the French attack, peging them back into area's of the field were they coudn't attack at will, keeping the ball out of Jauzion's hands and giving Poitrenaud ball from which he couldn't counter attack. Say we had been able to play Sexton, an open game against the French and alot of knock-on scrums (as seen yesterday) would have led to a massacre.