The IRISH RUGBY thread

[seafoid]

What do we think about the doctors call for tackling to be banned in underage rugby?
http://www.bbc.com/news/education-35696238

Makes sense objectively but if they are not taught how to tackle properly is it not more risky as they get older and continue to play?

Good idea. The game needs radical change.

[Walter Cronc]

Rory Scholes off to Edinburgh. Hope the Irish set up doesn't lose track of him like Tommy Seymour

[michaelg]

Rory Scholes off to Edinburgh. Hope the Irish set up doesn't lose track of him like Tommy Seymour

Shame to see him go.  He has been a solid performer for Ulster when called upon.

[Tony Baloney]

What do we think about the doctors call for tackling to be banned in underage rugby?
http://www.bbc.com/news/education-35696238

Makes sense objectively but if they are not taught how to tackle properly is it not more risky as they get older and continue to play?

Good idea. The game needs radical change.

Alright in practice but it is sure to put off many children from playing. My eldest 2 lads play and the younger of the 2 loves the physical aspect of it. If as a 9 year old he had to play touch I don't think he'd bother with it to be honest.

[square_ball]

Rory Scholes off to Edinburgh. Hope the Irish set up doesn't lose track of him like Tommy Seymour

I have actually been pretty impressed by him this season. Surprised by that move.

[johnneycool]

What do we think about the doctors call for tackling to be banned in underage rugby?
http://www.bbc.com/news/education-35696238

Makes sense objectively but if they are not taught how to tackle properly is it not more risky as they get older and continue to play?

Good idea. The game needs radical change.

Alright in practice but it is sure to put off many children from playing. My eldest 2 lads play and the younger of the 2 loves the physical aspect of it. If as a 9 year old he had to play touch I don't think he'd bother with it to be honest.

Paddy Wallace was on something or other last night and whilst he thought tackling should remain as an intergral part of schools rugby he did mention the fact that a lot of these schools teams are on intensive weights programs which concerned him.
Is this just like what happens in the GAA, someone does something, is reasonably successful, so everyone thereafter apes it?
I also read an article recently on southern hemisphere rugby, NZ in particular that they're spending a lot more time teaching youngsters footwork to avoid collisions and making space, technical stuff rather than brute force and ignorance.
Looking at the NZ team that won the world cup, you'd have to say they were all pretty lean looking in the pack compared to other nations and also didn't waste too much time with the ball in the scrum or rolling mauls and it didn't do them any harm, but is that too big of a leap for youth coaches in Ireland as in all likelihood you'd need to go backwards to go forwards?

[Walter Cronc]

What do we think about the doctors call for tackling to be banned in underage rugby?
http://www.bbc.com/news/education-35696238

Makes sense objectively but if they are not taught how to tackle properly is it not more risky as they get older and continue to play?

Good idea. The game needs radical change.

Alright in practice but it is sure to put off many children from playing. My eldest 2 lads play and the younger of the 2 loves the physical aspect of it. If as a 9 year old he had to play touch I don't think he'd bother with it to be honest.

Paddy Wallace was on something or other last night and whilst he thought tackling should remain as an intergral part of schools rugby he did mention the fact that a lot of these schools teams are on intensive weights programs which concerned him.
Is this just like what happens in the GAA, someone does something, is reasonably successful, so everyone thereafter apes it?
I also read an article recently on southern hemisphere rugby, NZ in particular that they're spending a lot more time teaching youngsters footwork to avoid collisions and making space, technical stuff rather than brute force and ignorance.
Looking at the NZ team that won the world cup, you'd have to say they were all pretty lean looking in the pack compared to other nations and also didn't waste too much time with the ball in the scrum or rolling mauls and it didn't do them any harm, but is that too big of a leap for youth coaches in Ireland as in all likelihood you'd need to go backwards to go forwards?

For the life of me I can't fathom why Ireland doesnt adopt the NZ approach of exploiting space rather than trucking up the middle. Genetically we are never going to match England, France & South Africa for power yet it seems to be the case of engage contact first with our senior side.

We have plenty of players with the core fundamentals of Gaelic Football in their locker and we should be doing a lot better in this regard, stepping/footwork. If anything our kicking game has got progressively worse of late!

Thankfully Pat Lam and Connacht seem to be bucking the trend with results to prove that moving the ball works.

[seafoid]

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2016/mar/04/six-nations-rugby-union-change-health-future

It may well be too late for any radical remedy. But if a plan is not devised to restore something like parity between attackers and the defences whose tactics define the way the game currently sees itself, a healthy long‑term future is hard to imagine, except as a pale imitation of grid‑iron football, with its concussive hits and endless stoppages. And that is probably not something we would want for our children.

[seafoid]

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/jan/09/barry-john-wales-andre-schurrle-chelsea-arwel-thomas

No game stands still, and players must evolve to meet the changing requirements. The darker aspect concerns not just the use of questionable and sometimes illegal body-building substances, from creatine to steroids, but the additional demands now resulting in two kinds of injury: those caused by higher-impact collisions and an epidemic of ligament and hamstring injuries caused by the extra torque and thrust that muscles are being asked to accept. At some point there will have to be a responsible assessment of how much the human frame can bear.
No one wants to see top-flight rugby returning to the days when a 3-3 draw on a mud-heap was a common result and the half-backs were the only players permitted to show their handling skills. There is no point in expecting Premier League midfield players to put their foot on the ball and examine their options with the luxury of time and space once permitted to a Jim Baxter.
But when the process of evolution threatens to condemn an entire species to extinction, it is important to ensure that, somehow, ways are found of preventing the obliteration of the finer qualities that made people fall in love with the sport – whether football, rugby, or anything else – in the first place.

[johnneycool]

What do we think about the doctors call for tackling to be banned in underage rugby?
http://www.bbc.com/news/education-35696238

Makes sense objectively but if they are not taught how to tackle properly is it not more risky as they get older and continue to play?

Good idea. The game needs radical change.

Alright in practice but it is sure to put off many children from playing. My eldest 2 lads play and the younger of the 2 loves the physical aspect of it. If as a 9 year old he had to play touch I don't think he'd bother with it to be honest.

Paddy Wallace was on something or other last night and whilst he thought tackling should remain as an intergral part of schools rugby he did mention the fact that a lot of these schools teams are on intensive weights programs which concerned him.
Is this just like what happens in the GAA, someone does something, is reasonably successful, so everyone thereafter apes it?
I also read an article recently on southern hemisphere rugby, NZ in particular that they're spending a lot more time teaching youngsters footwork to avoid collisions and making space, technical stuff rather than brute force and ignorance.
Looking at the NZ team that won the world cup, you'd have to say they were all pretty lean looking in the pack compared to other nations and also didn't waste too much time with the ball in the scrum or rolling mauls and it didn't do them any harm, but is that too big of a leap for youth coaches in Ireland as in all likelihood you'd need to go backwards to go forwards?

For the life of me I can't fathom why Ireland doesnt adopt the NZ approach of exploiting space rather than trucking up the middle. Genetically we are never going to match England, France & South Africa for power yet it seems to be the case of engage contact first with our senior side.

We have plenty of players with the core fundamentals of Gaelic Football in their locker and we should be doing a lot better in this regard, stepping/footwork. If anything our kicking game has got progressively worse of late!

Thankfully Pat Lam and Connacht seem to be bucking the trend with results to prove that moving the ball works.

Funnily enough on 2FM the other night Tony Ward and Bernard Jackman were discussing this very point about Connacht and the success Lam is having by trying to engineer space and openings rather than bludgeon your opponent as a model for the other provinces and Ward mentioned a Leinster schools game where the skills of passing and offloading were of a high standard, so maybe it's not all doom and gloom

[Il Bomber Destro]

Evan MacKenna fairly savaging these bastards on twitter now. 

[Walter Cronc]

Jack O'Donoghue called up to the training squad for the last remaining games. What's his best position long term?

[AZOffaly]

8 I would say.

[Walter Cronc]

8 I would say.

Its definitely a position we have to look at long term. With Heaslip not getting any younger and SOB injury prone it only really leaves CJ.

[Walter Cronc]

IRELAND (possible v Italy): S Zebo; A Trimble, J Payne, R Henshaw, K Earls; J Sexton, C Murray; J McGrath, R Best, M Ross; D Ryan, D Toner; CJ Stander, J van der Flier, JHeaslip.

Replacements: R Strauss, C Healy, N White, U Dillane, R Ruddock, K Marmion, I Madigan, F McFadden

No impressed at all if this is the team/bench for Saturday. What does that say to young McCloskey?? Thanks but no thanks. Talk about playing with a young lads confidence!! Schmidt shouldnt have started him in Twickenham if he wasnt prepared to give him a run against Italy. Totally pointless.

I'm a big Schmidt fan as I remember plenty of dark days in Irish rugby but no coach is untouchable. As for Madigan and McFadden on the bench, give me strength. Again what is the point in selecting Madigan if he wont be in the reckoning next year!!! McFadden should be put out to pasture. Offers nothing!