The IRISH RUGBY thread

[deiseach]

Not so I thought at that stage they could have got over the line. I'm not blaming O'Connell...read my posts I accept that the decision is easy from here and two days later. Toner probably was most culple of any for his stupidity in giving away the penalty.

I am reading your posts and you clearly think a two score lead wouldn't have been enough. Fine, I can accept that. But what I can't accept is that given a choice between an easy chance (and it was a chance that Sexton should have been able to literally put over with his eyes closed but the pressure got to him) for a two score lead and a hard chance at a two score lead, you think they should have gone for the hard chance.

[Tony Baloney]

Well I disagree for the reasons I outlined that the All Blacks were always likely to get enough scores to beat 8 points given the heroic efforts Ireland had put in.

If you think they'd have gotten 8, you must also think they'd have gotten 14. Ireland might as well have just given up when they won the penalty and saved themselves the bruises.

Not so I thought at that stage they could have got over the line. I'm not blaming O'Connell...read my posts I accept that the decision is easy from here and two days later. Toner probably was most culple of any for his stupidity in giving away the penalty.

On the basis of risk v return for a penalty kick attempt over a try I don't think any coach/captain/player in the world would have opted to go for the try with 6 or 7 minutes left.

[muppet]

The one positive is that the rest of yiz know what it is like supporting Mayo.

[Tony Baloney]

The one positive is that the rest of yiz know what it is like supporting Mayo.

I'm very sorry for your troubles.

[johnneycool]

Best out for a while with a broken arm, mid january before he'll be back, just in time to get a few games under his belt for 6N's.

[CitySlicker11]

How does the allocating of tickets work for the six nations?

[J OGorman]

How does the allocating of tickets work for the six nations?

Clubs, corporate or competition sir.

[seafoid]

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/dec/13/death-of-a-schoolboy-ben-robinson-concussion-rugby-union

In the video, the action takes place in the background. In front, the schoolboy spectators are larking around, telling jokes and pulling faces. They are oblivious to the tragedy unfolding in front of them. Over their shoulders, you catch sight of Ben, conspicuous in his distinctive body armour, one arm black, the other white. You see him accelerating into a hard tackle. He is knocked to the ground. He stays there for 90 seconds. At the inquest, the Carrickfergus coach remembered that Ben stood up on his own, one of a series of misremembered facts that Peter and Karen disproved by showing the video. Ben was helped to his feet. Soon after he is hit again. It looks like there is a clash of heads. These two blows happened in the space of the first four minutes of the second half.

The video cuts. You see Ben holding his head. He walks over to the coach, who does a concussion test on him and decides he can play on. The coach didn't remember how that conversation went. The video cuts again. Now Ben is hobbling, holding his head, walking away from play. The coroner found that Ben continued to "play enthusiastically", and "displayed no immediately obvious physical signs that anything was amiss", but in the video, his symptoms clearly tally with those described on the Scat card. Again, you see the coach giving him a concussion test, holding up fingers in front of his face. In the end, it transpired that Ben was checked for concussion three times during the match, and each time he was allowed to play on. There was a doctor at the match, the father of a Dalriada player who hurt his leg in one of the collisions with Ben. He missed the symptoms too. "In court he said by the time he got over to Ben he was already up on his feet," Peter remembers. The video showed that he too was mistaken.

Karen wasn't oblivious. She was pacing up and down the side of the pitch. "There were stoppages, and I knew they were for Benjamin. I saw the coach doing the fingers test, moving them from left to right." Once, she was sure she saw the referee rolling his eyes. He admitted as much in the inquest, saying he thought some of the players were being "prima donnas and drama queens". Ben was heard to say: "I am not remembering this." The video shows Ben talking to his fellow centre, who said at the inquest that Ben had told him: "I can't remember the score."

"He had this very confused smile on his face," Karen remembers. "And I was thinking: 'That's not right.' But I was also thinking: 'He has been checked. He has been assessed. He is OK.'" She started to cry out to him: "Benjamin! Benjamin!" The referee told her to calm down. It made her think she was being silly. Just another over-protective mother. "I could see Ben, away to the left of me." He started to stagger. She cried again: "Benjamin! Benjamin!" and he turned to her and said: "I don't feel right." As she walked towards him, the ball came his way and he was sucked back into play. The game was almost over. People were shouting for the referee to blow his whistle. Karen told herself: "Just another minute." Then there was another stoppage. Karen turned to Steven. "Is it Benjamin?" She started running. She was halfway across the pitch when she passed the Carrickfergus captain. "It's Ben," he told her. "He is out cold."

[muppet]

I would give anything to see this happen to Chris Ashton: https://v.cdn.vine.co/r/videos/4EE0C59A7E1061978692722511872_12ecf231dea.4.8.1545218417760183932.mp4?versionId=Ulq5xB638YXKk5FUsDCUGFbF4LIwl7mw

[stephenite]

I would give anything to see this happen to Chris Ashton: https://v.cdn.vine.co/r/videos/4EE0C59A7E1061978692722511872_12ecf231dea.4.8.1545218417760183932.mp4?versionId=Ulq5xB638YXKk5FUsDCUGFbF4LIwl7mw

[Walter Cronc]

Ireland squad for two test tour of Argentina.

Forwards: Rory Best (Ulster), James Cronin (Munster), Robbie Diack (Ulster), Iain Henderson (Ulster), Chris Henry (Ulster), Jamie Heaslip (Leinster), Rob Herring (Ulster), Dave Kilcoyne (Munster), Jack McGrath (Leinster), Marty Moore (Leinster), Jordi Murphy (Leinster), Paul O'Connell (Munster), Mike Ross (Leinster), Rhys Ruddock (Leinster), Devin Toner (Leinster), Damian Varley (Munster).

Backs: Darren Cave (Ulster), Keith Earls (Munster), Robbie Henshaw (Connacht), Paddy Jackson (Ulster), Felix Jones (Munster), Rob Kearney (Leinster), Kieran Marmion (Connacht), Luke Marshall (Ulster), Fergus McFadden (Leinster), Conor Murray (Munster), Eoin Reddan (Leinster), Jonny Sexton (Racing Metro), Andrew Trimble (Ulster), Simon Zebo (Munster).

Thoughts on squad? Good to see Zebo back in on merit. Marmion has been excellent for Connacht and I'm excited about Marshall and Henshaw getting time in the centres. I suppose the biggest disappointment is the omission of Ian Madigan. This time last year we were lauding his performances and really expecting him to step up filling the void left by the departing Sexton. Instead his confidence has been shattered by Matt O'Connor who picks the conservative Gopparth for key games. O'Connor has past history of ruining young talent. Billy Twelvetrees and George Ford had to leave Leicester for more game time and in doing so their careers flourished.

[screenexile]

Ireland squad for two test tour of Argentina.

Forwards: Rory Best (Ulster), James Cronin (Munster), Robbie Diack (Ulster), Iain Henderson (Ulster), Chris Henry (Ulster), Jamie Heaslip (Leinster), Rob Herring (Ulster), Dave Kilcoyne (Munster), Jack McGrath (Leinster), Marty Moore (Leinster), Jordi Murphy (Leinster), Paul O'Connell (Munster), Mike Ross (Leinster), Rhys Ruddock (Leinster), Devin Toner (Leinster), Damian Varley (Munster).

Backs: Darren Cave (Ulster), Keith Earls (Munster), Robbie Henshaw (Connacht), Paddy Jackson (Ulster), Felix Jones (Munster), Rob Kearney (Leinster), Kieran Marmion (Connacht), Luke Marshall (Ulster), Fergus McFadden (Leinster), Conor Murray (Munster), Eoin Reddan (Leinster), Jonny Sexton (Racing Metro), Andrew Trimble (Ulster), Simon Zebo (Munster).

Thoughts on squad? Good to see Zebo back in on merit. Marmion has been excellent for Connacht and I'm excited about Marshall and Henshaw getting time in the centres. I suppose the biggest disappointment is the omission of Ian Madigan. This time last year we were lauding his performances and really expecting him to step up filling the void left by the departing Sexton. Instead his confidence has been shattered by Matt O'Connor who picks the conservative Gopparth for key games. O'Connor has past history of ruining young talent. Billy Twelvetrees and George Ford had to leave Leicester for more game time and in doing so their careers flourished.

Seems strange alright especially when he made such a difference in the game v Ulster at the weekend, but you would think Schmidt would know plenty about Madigan at this stage. I think that squad is more than capable of beating Argentina in both tests. In truth I'm surprised we haven't gone for a bigger Tour as a few games against the Springboks or the Wallabies would have been a good acid test the year before the World Cup!

[AZOffaly]

Madigan was excellent when he came on against Ulster on Saturday. I can't believe he's not in a squad like this.

[whitegoodman]

Madigan came on and made an impact at centre on Saturday which isn't enough for him to be brought on tour as an outhalf.  His form this year has been poor ( he was dreadful against Ulster at Ravenhill) and although some of this may be down to O Connor it still doesn't merit a squad place with Jackson well ahead of him at the moment.

As an Ulster supporter Marshals form also hasn't been great and I would have Cave ahead of him at the moment, even at inside centre.  Olding is going to be the man for 12 though!! I hope Henshaw is the answer at 13 because Payne isn't. A world class full back but an average 13.

[Walter Cronc]

Madigan came on and made an impact at centre on Saturday which isn't enough for him to be brought on tour as an outhalf.  His form this year has been poor ( he was dreadful against Ulster at Ravenhill) and although some of this may be down to O Connor it still doesn't merit a squad place with Jackson well ahead of him at the moment.

As an Ulster supporter Marshals form also hasn't been great and I would have Cave ahead of him at the moment, even at inside centre.  Olding is going to be the man for 12 though!! I hope Henshaw is the answer at 13 because Payne isn't. A world class full back but an average 13.

How can you develop form if you are a bit part player? It was clearly obvious that O'Connor favoured Gopparth. Jackson is a decent player but Madigan has an x-factor (stronger, makes breaks, as good a kicker, covers 12). Those type of players have to be encouraged.