The IRISH RUGBY thread

[Baile Brigín 2]

Let's get it straight from the start, soccer is way down my list of sports, rugby just as far down, I'd rather watch athletes over those sports btw.

It's the rules you are complaining about, if the rules allow non Irish born players to play for Ireland then so be it, having Irish grandparents makes it feel better for some I suppose, but if the country of their birth asked them to play they will pick England over Ireland every time, Rice and Grealish being the two obvious recent ones.

But I'm a racist for saying it!? Balloon

Change the rules and move on

The reference to 'plastic' paddies is racist. End of.

Do you think if Lowe or Aki got a sniff of an all black shirt it would be any different?

If you can't see the difference you are deliberately playing the thick.

[Milltown Row2]

Let's get it straight from the start, soccer is way down my list of sports, rugby just as far down, I'd rather watch athletes over those sports btw.

It's the rules you are complaining about, if the rules allow non Irish born players to play for Ireland then so be it, having Irish grandparents makes it feel better for some I suppose, but if the country of their birth asked them to play they will pick England over Ireland every time, Rice and Grealish being the two obvious recent ones.

But I'm a racist for saying it!? Balloon

Change the rules and move on

The reference to 'plastic' paddies is racist. End of.

Do you think if Lowe or Aki got a sniff of an all black shirt it would be any different?

If you can't see the difference you are deliberately playing the thick.

You're the only one using the term plastic paddy but knock yourself out

[Baile Brigín 2]

Let's get it straight from the start, soccer is way down my list of sports, rugby just as far down, I'd rather watch athletes over those sports btw.

It's the rules you are complaining about, if the rules allow non Irish born players to play for Ireland then so be it, having Irish grandparents makes it feel better for some I suppose, but if the country of their birth asked them to play they will pick England over Ireland every time, Rice and Grealish being the two obvious recent ones.

But I'm a racist for saying it!? Balloon

Change the rules and move on

The reference to 'plastic' paddies is racist. End of.

Do you think if Lowe or Aki got a sniff of an all black shirt it would be any different?

If you can't see the difference you are deliberately playing the thick.

You're the only one using the term plastic paddy but knock yourself out

Re read the thread

[Milltown Row2]

You've piled in after 3 of my posts and used racists bigotry and plastic paddy!! Get a f**king grip

[GAABoardMod5]

MR2 and BB2 sowing the seeds of a feud...I prefer to nip these things early, rather than await the full blown thing and issue bans.

I'll ask both of you to refrain from engaging the other for a few days. 

Thanks.

[Baile Brigín 2]

MR2 and BB2 sowing the seeds of a feud...I prefer to nip these things early, rather than await the full blown thing and issue bans.

I'll ask both of you to refrain from engaging the other for a few days. 

Thanks.

There is no feud. I called out racist terminology in general. He assumed I was referring to him. That reaction is his problem.

[Fear Bun Na Sceilpe]

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2021/1115/1259932-joe-biden-rugby/

Ah come on

[seafoid]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2021/11/14/complete-performance-ever-ireland-blacks-could-not-handle/

That was the most complete performance ever from Ireland - the All Blacks could not handle their dynamism
Where England showed promise against Australia, Ireland laid down a marker for the Six Nations with their victory over New Zealand
SIR IAN MCGEECHAN14 November 2021 • 8:05am

Tadhg Beirne salutes Ireland's fans at the Aviva Stadium CREDIT: REUTERS
What a fascinating day of rugby, a triptych of Northern Hemisphere versus Southern Hemisphere encounters which all came down to who can control the contact area and dictate the tempo.
We learned so much about all three Six Nations sides. Ireland were immense, an absolute revelation, while Scotland were profoundly disappointing, and I'll come onto them later.
But I want to start with an England side whose tactical approach is fast evolving. The contact area in cross-hemisphere matches is generally decisive and despite intermittent and frustrating lapses of patience which led to penalties that allowed an outmuscled Australia to stay in the game, England generally controlled the contact area, which allowed them to dictate the tempo and structure of the game. In turn that gave us a glimpse into how Eddie Jones sees this England side's shape ahead of the next World Cup.
Up front, England continued to inject tempo by using their forwards as the first-up ball-carriers, varying it nicely and using Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes, Jamie George, Tom Curry and Sam Underhill at various stages. The forwards were clearly encouraged to offload and there was great variety in their approach, and in particular the use of two out runners, which is a marked tactical development.
The way in which England tried to use their forwards was particularly clear at lineouts. Their use of six-man lineouts meant that they always had a forward available for ball-carrying in midfield. Often the playmaker would have a choice of a forward on one shoulder and Manu Tuilagi on the other, having come off his wing with a view to making ground up the middle of the park. Fielding Tuilagi on the wing was an astute use of a player who specialises in physically dominating opponents, while also allowing Eddie to include both Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith in his side.
The way that England tried to engineer scenarios where they had the choice of unleashing either a big forward or the hard-running Tuilagi at the Australian midfield was a Rugby League tactic modified for Union. That was just one of the ways in which Eddie's new attack coach, the former League centre Martin Gleeson, made his presence felt.
Another was the use of Farrell as first receiver, with Smith playing off him and directing play in the back field. This worked really well, especially as the Australians were trying to target Smith – it gave him added time, space and creative latitude.
It bore fruit on several occasions, most notably when Smith worked Freddie Steward into space for his try. Of all Eddie's selections, Steward was the most successful. He was rightly declared man of the match for a defensively imperious performance in which he was also a potent threat in attack.
I expect the big fullback to be playing next week against South Africa, but it will be interesting to see if there are changes elsewhere. I'm not convinced by Curry at No 8 and prefer his contribution from openside. Alex Dombrant adds something extra, especially in his ball-carrying either in heavy traffic or in midfield, and would help counteract the Springboks' physicality.
Australia offered so little consistent threat in attack that they never looked like scoring a try, but the Springboks will provide a much bigger challenge. Nevertheless, the win over the Wallabies provided a welcome glimpse into England's direction of travel.
If England are still a work in progress, Ireland are the real deal. Against New Zealand they were absolutely superb and produced the most complete performance I have ever seen from an Ireland side (and yes, that includes their two previous wins over the All Blacks). They showed an astonishing level of accuracy and maturity in contact, and every player who took the ball not only did so at pace but was actually accelerating onto the ball.
Andy Farrell is fortunate that the bedrock of his team is made up of Leinster players who are together week-in, week-out, allowing the Ireland coach to create a gameplan that is a far more innovative and dynamic approach than we've seen from them for many years.
The maturity in their game is reflected in the mix of patience and intensity that they bring, especially up front. Their ball-carriers were never greedy or tried to eke out every available inch from each carry, instead prioritising body angle into contact and ball placement. The ball would be placed back half a metre, giving the supporting player the maximum chance of clearing out potential jackallers, the key to successful ball retention.
In a team that is less dynamic, this approach can create slow, ponderous ball, but Ireland played at such tempo and with such ambition that they recycled dizzyingly quickly.
The resulting front-foot ball allowed the impressive Jamison Gibson-Park at scrum-half to play at a high tempo, and with ball-carriers of the quality of Tagdh Furlong and Caelan Doris, Ireland were making five to ten yards with every carry. With their tight five gaining parity at the set-piece, their domination of the contact area from beginning to end was the bedrock of this stunning win.
New Zealand were on the back foot for about 80 per cent of this game, with Ireland's ball-carriers running at space with a man on each shoulder, meaning that the Kiwis were unable to line up a big hit to slow Ireland's momentum. The All Blacks will always conjure a score or two, but this was as complete a performance against them as I've seen for many years.

[seafoid]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2021/11/15/andy-farrell-englands-world-cup-fall-guy-2015-now-looks-like/?li_source=LI&li_medium=liftigniter-rhr

Ireland's starting front row last Saturday of Andrew Porter (now playing at loosehead and arguably doing it better than anyone else in the world right now), Ronan Kelleher and Tadhg Furlong are all under 30. As are locks Iain Henderson and James Ryan. And back row Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan.Behind the scrum, the way in which players such as Hugo Keenan, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe have bedded in, playing with a confidence and accuracy that belies their experience, suggests that Farrell is striking the right balance between coaching his players and trusting them to express themselves.

[Itchy]

Our-rugby-heroes-served-us-up-a-banquet-to-savour

https://www.independent.ie/opinion/editorial/our-rugby-heroes-served-us-up-a-banquet-to-savour-41051597.html

[RedHand88]

Our-rugby-heroes-served-us-up-a-banquet-to-savour

https://www.independent.ie/opinion/editorial/our-rugby-heroes-served-us-up-a-banquet-to-savour-41051597.html

Christ.

[dec]

Sexton out

https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/59292633

Ireland captain Johnny Sexton has been ruled out of action for up to six weeks after being forced off injured during Saturday's 29-20 win over New Zealand.

Fly-half Sexton twisted an ankle and a knee against the All Blacks in Dublin and will miss his country's final autumn international against Argentina.

The 36-year-old Leinster player will remain with Andy Farrell's squad this week as they prepare to face the Pumas.

Connacht's Jack Carty has been added to the group ahead of Sunday's game.

"Captain Johnny Sexton twisted a knee and ankle against New Zealand at the weekend which will rule him out of action for between four to six weeks," read a statement from the Irish Rugby Football Union...

[seafoid]

Sexton out

https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/59292633

Ireland captain Johnny Sexton has been ruled out of action for up to six weeks after being forced off injured during Saturday's 29-20 win over New Zealand.

Fly-half Sexton twisted an ankle and a knee against the All Blacks in Dublin and will miss his country's final autumn international against Argentina.

The 36-year-old Leinster player will remain with Andy Farrell's squad this week as they prepare to face the Pumas.

Connacht's Jack Carty has been added to the group ahead of Sunday's game.

"Captain Johnny Sexton twisted a knee and ankle against New Zealand at the weekend which will rule him out of action for between four to six weeks," read a statement from the Irish Rugby Football Union...

No harm really. The understudies all need more game time

[Hound]

I'd imagine the plan was to start Carberry this week anyway and probably to give Harry Byrne some time off the bench, so more Leinster's loss than Ireland's.

[Itchy]

Our-rugby-heroes-served-us-up-a-banquet-to-savour

https://www.independent.ie/opinion/editorial/our-rugby-heroes-served-us-up-a-banquet-to-savour-41051597.html

Christ.

Some statement for Rugby's version of the McKenna Cup.