2009 Grand Slam Champions

[longrunsthefox]

Did anyone read Stuart Barnes' article in today's Sunday Times. He pens a scathing enough article on Ireland and their style of play, intimating that they're making a hames of winning the GS in a year when everyone else is crap. He finishes by saying there'll be nothing grand about the Grand Slam if Ireland win it.

What is curious is that they have a watered down version online - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/stuart_barnes/article5908570.ece

They've taken many of the controversial/strong comments out. I wonder why that is.

Sure we seen that before... begudgers about puke football etc  fuc 'em...

[TORGAEL]

Read Barnes piece today myself O'Neill. What i took from it is that he seems to believe that we are not making the most of the talent we have in our backs by playing a forward orientated brand of rugby. Personally, i couldnt give a toss whether its "grand" or not, as long as we win in cardiff next week , as the stats wont say how we played, it will only read.....Grand Slam champions !

[unforgiven]

Read Barnes piece today myself O'Neill. What i took from it is that he seems to believe that we are not making the most of the talent we have in our backs by playing a forward orientated brand of rugby. Personally, i couldnt give a toss whether its "grand" or not, as long as we win in cardiff next week , as the stats wont say how we played, it will only read.....Grand Slam champions !

His comments regarding John Hayes was scandalous.  Made a total mockery of his acheivements

[gawa316]

Jesus England are running riot. To be far the french are feckin awful

[muppet]

Guscott is predicting that Ireland will choke next week.

Hook said it was because Mike Gibson and O'Driscoll were chosen ahead of him in the all-time Lions 15. 

I think I remember  in the early 1990s Guscott, Carling and co suggesting that England and France should leave the weaker teams of the 5 Nations and play in a tournament including NZ, Oz and SA.

I think we should do that now. Ireland and Wales should leave the weaker teams such as England and only play with the Southern Hemisphere teams. 

[Main Street]

Good to see Stringer take his starting place opportunity by the scruff. He has clearly put in the work on his game and regained a lot of his sharpness.

O'Leary has to be one of the worst passers of the ball Ireland has ever had at scrum half.
How many sideway steps does he need to take before he offloads the ball to a player who is more than 2 meters away from him?

[carribbear]

Anyone see THAT irish flag on tv yesterday

Were norn iron playing?? 

[passedit]

Did anyone read Stuart Barnes' article in today's Sunday Times. He pens a scathing enough article on Ireland and their style of play, intimating that they're making a hames of winning the GS in a year when everyone else is crap. He finishes by saying there'll be nothing grand about the Grand Slam if Ireland win it.

What is curious is that they have a watered down version online - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/stuart_barnes/article5908570.ece

They've taken many of the controversial/strong comments out. I wonder why that is.

To be fair he has a point. turgid stuff these last two games, everyone trying to go through rather than around obstacles.

Going back to the original post on this thread, I paid £30 on saturday for a better seat than the premium I had in croke Park

[magpie seanie]

Did anyone read Stuart Barnes' article in today's Sunday Times. He pens a scathing enough article on Ireland and their style of play, intimating that they're making a hames of winning the GS in a year when everyone else is crap. He finishes by saying there'll be nothing grand about the Grand Slam if Ireland win it.

What is curious is that they have a watered down version online - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/stuart_barnes/article5908570.ece

They've taken many of the controversial/strong comments out. I wonder why that is.

To be fair he has a point. turgid stuff these last two games, everyone trying to go through rather than around obstacles.

Going back to the original post on this thread, I paid £30 on saturday for a better seat than the premium I had in croke Park

I disagree. I think he's showing how little he knows about modern rugby and defences etc. Himself and Guscott are really anti Irish and it will be great next week when we do it to see them spewing as the Aussies would say. The very fact of Barnes writing a column like that makes me more confident.

What about wee Stringer. For a man with no break he has made two mighty important ones in his career.

[Main Street]

Anti Irish ?
I don't see where Barnes is anti Irish.
He is not thrilled by Irish rugby.
He has a valid point in that Ireland will have to play a lot better to beat Wales at cardiff.

Much of what he writes has been similarly commented by the Irish journalists.

Just how much derision has English rugby shipped over the last years, directed from Irish journalists?

[GalwayBayBoy]

Barnes is definitely not anti-Irish. He's usually quite complimentary about Irish rugby although I think he's being unduly critical in this regard. It is almost impossible to look good playing against Italy and England came to Croke Park and did nothing but spoil. Did he really expect us to turn up at Murrayfield and for the Scots to roll over and get their bellies tickles? That was never going to happen. Besides I thought Ireland actually played some good stuff in the second half once the forwards got on top.

Guscott is just a tosspot in love with himself.

[Tim Buzaglo]

Barnes is an honest, excitable and in my opinion, a very fair pundit.  Anybody that takes an interest in rugby and doesn't just dip into it for 6 weeks of the year would know this.  He consistently praises Ireland when they perform well and criticises them when they don't - the same as he does with all teams.  It is understandable if he focuses a bit more on the English as theat happens to be where he is from. 

As for Guscott, he is an extremely smarmy git.  However, he did say 2 weeks ago that when he looked at the Irish team he saw 7 Lions test starters in South Africa (generous praise indeed as i think it will be 5 at the very most).  If it is his opinion that we will choke next week then he has every right to state that. He has a tremendous amount of evidence to base his opinion on (i.e. - every high pressure match we have played in since we re-emerged as a force).  We ALWAYS choke.  Lets change that habit this week.

[ONeill]

Barnes is an honest, excitable and in my opinion, a very fair pundit. 

An excitable pundit?

[Tim Buzaglo]

ex⋅cit⋅a⋅ble   /ɪkˈsaɪtəbəl/  Show Spelled Pronunciation [ik-sahy-tuh-buhl]  Show IPA
–adjective 1. easily excited:

Yeah

[Hound]

Just echoing that Barnes is defo not anti-Irish.

Gives great praise to both Munster and Leinster during Heino Cup.

Didnt read the article, but if he's saying we don't get enough ball to Kearney, Bowe and Fitzgerald - then that's fair comment.