The IRISH RUGBY thread

[Crete Boom]

 Best team we can put out at the moment and good calls from Kidney. I've faith in Jackson and Marshall and as Keith Wood as often said young players are never ready for international level until you pick them so if you don't pick them you never know!!
The main thing I'll be hoping for is good performances form Jackson, Marshall , Court, Earls and O' Mahoney. Even if we lose narrowly to Scotland as long as these lads go well along with some of our more experienced players I'll be happy.
My main worry is the likes of Hook and any other old school analysts will blame everything on the young lads if we lose which is a possibility given what looks like a lack of belief in our gameplan or even worse the absence of a coherent gameplan.
Tom Court deserves a start and should do well against Geoff Cross and it'll be a huge confidence boost to a young team if we gain early dominance in the scrum. I am a bit worried about having Toner and Henderson on the bench as I think Henderson and Tommy O' Donnell would give a better balance as they would cover secondrow , blindside and openside as opposed to having essentially one specialist  secondrow and one flanker/secondrow. I have to say I am looking forward to this one now.
The nightmare scenario is that we loose badly to Scotland and revert back to the old reliables i.e O' Gara at 10 , Earls and McFadden at 12 and 11 both out of position for a lame defeat at home to France. Do okay in this one and we can set this young team up for a morale boosting tilt at a mentally damaged France (after a possible hammering by England) and really start developing depth to our Squad. Now if only we could have a proper Irish gameplan for this team? (who's job is that anyway )

[GalwayBayBoy]

Big call by Kidney, but this should appease the critics. Easily recognisable as our best pairing at 10-12 in the absence of Sexton/Darcy, I don't rate Keatley and Madigan is far too inexperienced to play as a 6 nations ten. Calls for him to be included in the side are hysterical.

Madigan is probably as experienced as Jackson is. In fact I'm guessing he's played a lot more for Leinster than Jackson has for Ulster.

[trileacman]

Big call by Kidney, but this should appease the critics. Easily recognisable as our best pairing at 10-12 in the absence of Sexton/Darcy, I don't rate Keatley and Madigan is far too inexperienced to play as a 6 nations ten. Calls for him to be included in the side are hysterical.

Madigan is probably as experienced as Jackson is. In fact I'm guessing he's played a lot more for Leinster than Jackson has for Ulster.

A direct comparison, Madigan's time at 10 v Jacksons time at 10 in provincial and national colours. Alot of Madigans "experience" is as a utility back or as a sub in the closing minutes. That is not the same experience as being the first choice out-half.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Big call by Kidney, but this should appease the critics. Easily recognisable as our best pairing at 10-12 in the absence of Sexton/Darcy, I don't rate Keatley and Madigan is far too inexperienced to play as a 6 nations ten. Calls for him to be included in the side are hysterical.

Madigan is probably as experienced as Jackson is. In fact I'm guessing he's played a lot more for Leinster than Jackson has for Ulster.

A direct comparison, Madigan's time at 10 v Jacksons time at 10 in provincial and national colours. Alot of Madigans "experience" is as a utility back or as a sub in the closing minutes. That is not the same experience as being the first choice out-half.

Well Jackson doesn't have to compete with Sexton but considering Madigan is 2 years older I'd say there is little enough difference in the minutes they have both played at 10 for their provinces. Jackson only has 31 caps for Ulster compared to Madigan's 70 for Leinster. The experience thing doesn't really stack up although you could argue that one is better than the other.

[trileacman]

Big call by Kidney, but this should appease the critics. Easily recognisable as our best pairing at 10-12 in the absence of Sexton/Darcy, I don't rate Keatley and Madigan is far too inexperienced to play as a 6 nations ten. Calls for him to be included in the side are hysterical.

Madigan is probably as experienced as Jackson is. In fact I'm guessing he's played a lot more for Leinster than Jackson has for Ulster.

A direct comparison, Madigan's time at 10 v Jacksons time at 10 in provincial and national colours. Alot of Madigans "experience" is as a utility back or as a sub in the closing minutes. That is not the same experience as being the first choice out-half.

Well Jackson doesn't have to compete with Sexton.

Whataboutery, sure I could say Jackson has to compete with Pienaar. However that's an unreasonable argument and so is the Sexton/Madigan thing. It doesn't matter who is ahead of him at Leinster, the fact is Jackson has more top-level Heineken Cup and international experience than Madigan. If Jackson was 2nd choice to Jesus Christ at Ulster I'd say the same about him.

[Main Street]

If that was to be O'Gara's last substitute performance for Ireland, it was a pity that it was such a sad swan song from one of Ireland's greatest players of the last last decade. Not so long ago he would have found touch effortlessly while blindfolded, instead of those inexplicably awful efforts he made in the game against England.
There's just a chorus of 'fxxk off away from the squad'.
I suppose that's how quite a few Irish rugby fans are, provincial and petty (chip eaters).

[theticklemister]

If that was to be O'Gara's last substitute performance for Ireland, it was a pity that it was such a sad swan song from one of Ireland's greatest players of the last last decade. Not so long ago he would have found touch effortlessly while blindfolded, instead of those inexplicably awful efforts he made in the game against England.
There's just a chorus of 'fxxk off away from the squad'.
I suppose that's how quite a few Irish rugby fans are, provincial and petty (chip eaters).

O'Gara has been great for Ireland. By naming him in the squad again however merley shows Kidney has no belief in Madigan or Keatly. Surly these boys need to be inducted now instead of later.O'Gara can serve no more purpose.

[trileacman]

If that was to be O'Gara's last substitute performance for Ireland, it was a pity that it was such a sad swan song from one of Ireland's greatest players of the last last decade. Not so long ago he would have found touch effortlessly while blindfolded, instead of those inexplicably awful efforts he made in the game against England.
There's just a chorus of 'fxxk off away from the squad'.
I suppose that's how quite a few Irish rugby fans are, provincial and petty (chip eaters).

O'Gara has been great for Ireland. By naming him in the squad again however merley shows Kidney has no belief in Madigan or Keatly. Surly these boys need to be inducted now instead of later.O'Gara can serve no more purpose.

I'd disagree, bleed in Jackson whilst there is experienced back up to cover for a meltdown at fly-half. We should be able to beat the Scots even with O'Gara at ten. He's still a decent fly-half at the closing stages of HC rugby.

[muppet]

If that was to be O'Gara's last substitute performance for Ireland, it was a pity that it was such a sad swan song from one of Ireland's greatest players of the last last decade. Not so long ago he would have found touch effortlessly while blindfolded, instead of those inexplicably awful efforts he made in the game against England.
There's just a chorus of 'fxxk off away from the squad'.
I suppose that's how quite a few Irish rugby fans are, provincial and petty (chip eaters).

O'Gara has been great for Ireland. By naming him in the squad again however merley shows Kidney has no belief in Madigan or Keatly. Surly these boys need to be inducted now instead of later.O'Gara can serve no more purpose.

I'd disagree, bleed in Jackson whilst there is experienced back up to cover for a meltdown at fly-half. We should be able to beat the Scots even with O'Gara at ten. He's still a decent fly-half at the closing stages of HC rugby.

I agree, start the young lad although I might have gone for Madigan but both are unproven so it is a tight call.

[thewobbler]

I'd have thought that when Ulster let Ian Humphreys move along, it showed an immense faith in young Jackson's ability for the present, let alone the future.

He could freeze (it's not that long ago since all Irish backs seemed to freeze), but the tools are definitely there. To be honest I wish ROG was nowhere near the scene as it provides another bank of pressure.

[johnneycool]

I'd have thought that when Ulster let Ian Humphreys move along, it showed an immense faith in young Jackson's ability for the present, let alone the future.

He could freeze (it's not that long ago since all Irish backs seemed to freeze), but the tools are definitely there. To be honest I wish ROG was nowhere near the scene as it provides another bank of pressure.

In this instance I don't think ROG's presence on the bench is additional pressure on Jackson, if anything it'll be the opposite.
In Sextons early days a No.10, ROG still fancied his chances at first choice and the odd substitution and not getting a start may have affected Sexton's confidence. Now Sexton is first choice, ROG is a backup at best and with Jacksons inclusion there should be no doubt in anyones mind and especially ROG's that his days in the Irish jersey are numbered possibly to the end of this 6N's campaign and Kidney is looking for a younger understudy to Sexton.

Only the likes of Hook who like to be controversial for the sake of it could criticise this call. If it wasn't Jackson and was Madigan, he'd have wanted Keatly or Jackson, it's just the way the grumpy bollox is and he's given far too much airtime.

[Applesisapples]

Sexton has been for some time now the best No.10 available, even with that Kidney pissed about switching them both, leading to a lack of confidence in Sexton's play at times. O'Gara is in his mid 30's, he has never been able to ship a tackle, but when the game gets loose in the last 10 he could still do a job. O'Gara has been a great servant to Irish Rugby and to drop him completely when he is still first choice at Munster would be wrong. That said looking to the next world cup it's time to get Jackson more international game time.

[Olaf]

If that was to be O'Gara's last substitute performance for Ireland, it was a pity that it was such a sad swan song from one of Ireland's greatest players of the last last decade. Not so long ago he would have found touch effortlessly while blindfolded, instead of those inexplicably awful efforts he made in the game against England.
There's just a chorus of 'fxxk off away from the squad'.
I suppose that's how quite a few Irish rugby fans are, provincial and petty (chip eaters).

..or objective and wanting the best for Irish rugby. O'Gara should be nowhere near that squad . His prescence over the last couple of years has held back the international development of young Irish out-halves , Sexton notwithstanding.

In the past he could kick well , nothing more. Nowadays he can't seem to do that . He therefore can bring nothing that could benefit this Irish team.

[Hoof Hearted]

Marhall making more inroads in attack in the 1st 10 mins the Darcy has managed in 10 years !"

[CiKe]

Marhall making more inroads in attack in the 1st 10 mins the Darcy has managed in 10 years !"

ha, was thinking similar, if not 10 years then since he won player of the tournament anyway... some very good tackles and clearouts at the ruck as well...