The IRISH RUGBY thread

[Dinny Breen]

But a 'choke' tackle is effectively just creating a maul, with the intention of winning a scrum. If you outlaw it, how do you legislate for mauls, and do you encourage teams to just try maul the ball, even from open play? Especially if you say that the team bringing the ball in will get the ball back via scum if the mall is legally brought down?

No mini-mauls or mauls in open play. Mauls only from line-out. If the defensive player tries to hold up a player and stops that player getting to ground to place the ball penalty against him. If the offensive player tries to form a min-maul (rare these days) penalty against him.

[AZOffaly]

Fair enough. The mini maul is rare these days, because of the choke tackle. Eliminate the choke tackle without outlawing the mini maul would bring it back in. Jaysus Munster would have an entirely new dimension

[Dinny Breen]

Fair enough. The mini maul is rare these days, because of the choke tackle. Eliminate the choke tackle without outlawing the mini maul would bring it back in. Jaysus Munster would have an entirely new dimension

Ha! I did think that - but it would help quicken up the game, which means guys might need to be lighter to be quicker. Lighter guys less impact less concussions perhaps....

[AZOffaly]

On a separate topic, did you see the mini-maul brewing up between Portarlington and Cill Dara re a mini blitz and goggles?

[Walter Cronc]

Ireland U20 squad named. 14 Leinster, 6 Munster, 4 Connacht and 4 Ulster.

Glad to see the number rising in Munster but a little disappointing from an Ulster point of view - still too reliant on Leinster.

Ireland U20 Six Nations squad - Forwards: James Bollard (Dublin University/Leinster), Kelvin Brown (Shannon/Munster), Peter Claffey (Galwegians/Leinster), Will Connors (UCD / Leinster), Max Deegan (Lansdowne/Leinster), Shane Fenton (Young Munster/Munster), John Foley (Shannon/Shannon), Cillian Gallagher (Sligo RFC/Connacht), Greg Jones (UCD/Leinster), Conor Kenny (Buccaneers/Connacht), Adam McBurney (Ballymena/Ulster), Sean O'Connor (Cashel/Munster), Conan O'Donnell (Sligo/Connacht), Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster), James Ryan (Lansdowne/Leinster), Dan Walsh (Cork Con/Munster)

Backs: Matthew Byrne (Terenure/Leinster), Brett Connon (Newcastle Falcons/Exlies), Shane Daly (Cork Con/Munster), Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster), Terry Kennedy (St Mary's/Leinster), Stephen Kerins (Sligo/Connacht), Paul Kiernan (UCC/Leinster), Robert Lyttle (Queen's University/Ulster), Johnny McPhillips (Queen's University/Ulster), Conor O'Brien (Clontarf/Leinster), Jimmy O'Brien (UCD/Leinster), John Poland (Cork Con/Munster), Jack Power (UCD/Leinster), Jacob Stockdale (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)

[AZOffaly]

I make that 7 from Munster? Assuming the Shannon lad is Munster? He's down as Shannon/Shannon....

[Walter Cronc]

Go easy AZ. Its Monday

My bad. 7 from Munster.

[AZOffaly]

Hey, when you're scrapping for everything, every single one is important I think the Munster lads won the U20 and U19 interpros last year, so I'd expect a few of them to be coming on to squads like this.

It is still telling that of the 7, 5 are forwards and 1 is a scrum half.

[Tony Baloney]

On a separate topic, did you see the mini-maul brewing up between Portarlington and Cill Dara re a mini blitz and goggles?

I take it someone was banned? The minis regs are clear on the wearing of goggles so whilst hard on the kids involved you can imagine the uproar in the event of a related injury.

[Walter Cronc]

Hey, when you're scrapping for everything, every single one is important I think the Munster lads won the U20 and U19 interpros last year, so I'd expect a few of them to be coming on to squads like this.

It is still telling that of the 7, 5 are forwards and 1 is a scrum half.

Different coaching structures needed in Munster to encourage better back play?

Off-topic here but can the introduction of more synthetic pitches (say Donneybrook) lend itself to more running rugby. Was that a step change from the Leinster branch to encourage more running or was it purely a maintenance thing?

[AZOffaly]

Yeah, apparently they've been playing away with the goggles since the rule came in in 2012, at mini blitz level. Then this weekend, after 10 minutes of the blitz, Cill Dara insisted the young lad wearing the goggles couldn't play with them on. The Portarlington lads decided they wouldn't play without him, so they walked off.

[Dinny Breen]

On a separate topic, did you see the mini-maul brewing up between Portarlington and Cill Dara re a mini blitz and goggles?

Yea, Portarlington are circumventing IRFU regulations by allowing players play with goggles, although one of the players in this instance didn't even have proper goggles. Cill Dara are caught between the IRFU and the Port by upholding the regulation. The IRFU need to speak to Portarlington. No surprise at that age it's parental driven but Cill Dara are staying well out it.

[AZOffaly]

Hey, when you're scrapping for everything, every single one is important I think the Munster lads won the U20 and U19 interpros last year, so I'd expect a few of them to be coming on to squads like this.

It is still telling that of the 7, 5 are forwards and 1 is a scrum half.

Different coaching structures needed in Munster to encourage better back play?

Off-topic here but can the introduction of more synthetic pitches (say Donneybrook) lend itself to more running rugby. Was that a step change from the Leinster branch to encourage more running or was it purely a maintenance thing?

UL has a fantastic set of synthetic pitches, including dedicated Rugby versions, so that should not be the issue. I think it's the approach and skills that are being coached down here. They produce a bale of back row forwards, a few out halves and scrum halves, and very few outside backs.

[AZOffaly]

On a separate topic, did you see the mini-maul brewing up between Portarlington and Cill Dara re a mini blitz and goggles?

Yea, Portarlington are circumventing IRFU regulations by allowing players play with goggles, although one of the players in this instance didn't even have proper goggles. Cill Dara are caught between the IRFU and the Port by upholding the regulation. The IRFU need to speak to Portarlington. No surprise at that age it's parental driven but Cill Dara are staying well out it.

But apparently this is now a new thing (that Cill Dara care about it, and they are the only club to have done so), and those goggles are going to be allowed very shortly anyway? It appears to be nuts given the age group and the the fact that it was a mini blitz? Obviously I'm only hearing one side of it i used to play football with one of the Portarlington coaches

[Dinny Breen]

Yeah, apparently they've been playing away with the goggles since the rule came in in 2012, at mini blitz level. Then this weekend, after 10 minutes of the blitz, Cill Dara insisted the young lad wearing the goggles couldn't play with them on. The Portarlington lads decided they wouldn't play without him, so they walked off.

As TB says what if a Cill Dara player damaged their cornea from these goggles which aren't approved for use yet? I'm all for inclusion but Port are playing a dangerous game and could run the risk of A) Getting suspended form the IRFU or B) a legal case against them. The old farts don't like clubs acting independently.