The IRISH RUGBY thread

[Celt_Man]

Too many empty seats... No lineout, don't know enough about it to blame Best as thrower or the jumpers... no many knock-ons, forward passess and just unforced errors in general... great character to come back fighting at the end

[Capt Pat]

Hope it's only because it's the first game but we are brutal and that is the worst south African side I have seen

We beat a much worse South African team before the last world cup.

[Capt Pat]

A very disjointed performance from Ireland. Best while he is a good scrummager is usually at the heart of bad Irish line out performances. Sexton and Reddan were very disappointing as a club half back pairing.

[mc_grens]

A very disjointed performance from Ireland. Best while he is a good scrummager is usually at the heart of bad Irish line out performances. Sexton and Reddan were very disappointing as a club half back pairing.

I don't like these two as a pairing at all, never have. I think Reddan's ponderous delivery holds Sexton back from being able to use his considerable ability to unlock the potential of the back-line, and unlike O'Gara, Sexton doesnt yet have a top drawer territorial kicking game to fall back on.

I know Leinster have been successful with them in place, but as good as the Heineken Cup is as a spectacle it's still not Test Rugby.

[gallsman]

Sexton def not up to scratch yet and I'm not sure he ever will be. He's 25 - compare him to someone like Francois Steyn.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Sexton def not up to scratch yet and I'm not sure he ever will be. He's 25 - compare him to someone like Francois Steyn.

Bit of a difference. Steyn is a full-back. Plus he's mainly known for his enormous boot than anything else.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Very disappointing peformance.

Front five were blown away. Best couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo - can't understand why Cronin wasn't given a run. The lineout couldn't have got any worse and at least Cronin would add a bit of dynamism around the park. Only Ferris from the pack could be satisfied with his performance.

Half-backs were poor but they were up against it behind a beaten pack. Stringer is still the best 9 around which is very worrying. Serious questions still remain over whether Sexton has the temperament for international rugby. ROG really hit the ground running when he came on and will now start v the ABs.

Darcy is another who is under pressure - move BOD to 12 and bring in Earls at 13? It's a pity James Downey wasn't selected in the squad because he offers something different to the centres we currently have.

[orangeman]

Very disappointing peformance.

Front five were blown away. Best couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo - can't understand why Cronin wasn't given a run. The lineout couldn't have got any worse and at least Cronin would add a bit of dynamism around the park. Only Ferris from the pack could be satisfied with his performance.

Half-backs were poor but they were up against it behind a beaten pack. Stringer is still the best 9 around which is very worrying. Serious questions still remain over whether Sexton has the temperament for international rugby. ROG really hit the ground running when he came on and will now start v the ABs.

Darcy is another who is under pressure - move BOD to 12 and bring in Earls at 13? It's a pity James Downey wasn't selected in the squad because he offers something different to the centres we currently have.

Class.   

[CiKe]

There is a difference but truth be told Sexton aint up to it. James O'Connor, Quade Cooper, Will Genia etc, all much younger than Sexton and twice the players. Having watched Lambie in the Currie Cup quite a bit he is probably better than Sexton and five years younger, though horrendous first kick today.

Personally I don't understand the tactics. Sure, conditions were not ideal but if you are going to kick the ball so much, you should play O'Gara. That isn't going to win us many games against the big boys, but in this respect Sexton probably isn't even top level European club class never mind international test class. The game has progressed beyond kicking for territory but Ireland don't see to have realised that, or are incapable of adapting.

On that performance we may well finish 5th in the 6 nations, and I shudder to think what the All Blacks will do to us.

[Dinny Breen]

Seriously anyone blaming Sexton hasn't a clue, the days of a 10 sitting in the pocket and kicking the ball away are long gone...

Ireland were beaten as predicted by a few of the lads here because the front 5 are shite and were beaten up a stick in the set piece and in work rate around the paddock, they lay the platform all Reddan got was horrible slow ball, you cannot make a silk purse out of a sows ear...

The golden period is dead, we don't have the players to adapt to the new law changes, what you saw today is our short term future....

[mc_grens]

Seriously anyone playing Sexton hasn't a clue, the days of a 10 sitting in the pocket and kicking the ball away are long gone...

Ireland were beaten as predicted by a few of the lads here because the front 5 are shite and were beaten up a stick in the set piece and in work rate around the paddock, they lay the platform all Reddan got was horrible slow ball, you cannot make a silk purse out of a sows ear...

The golden period is dead, we don't have the players to adapt to the new law changes, what you saw today is our short term future....

Absolutely agree... Anyone want to buy my world cup tickets?

[CiKe]

Dinny, to be clear I wasn't blaming Sexton he had no platform whatsoever from the pack. Agree with you that the game has changed (and SA have not adapted either in the same way the Wallabies or Kiwis have) and hence he is far and away our best option, but still very far from world class in my opinion. He wasn't the root of the problem but his performance can't escape criticism. He missed and easy penalty at an early stage and his restarts were crap, but i presume just kicking it back to the Boks was management's game-plan as opposed to his own decision making.

I thought I had read the weather was to be better, hence expected more from our backs in spite of front five being clearly inferior, but with the rain lashing it down was always going to be more difficult, though still thought our backs handling left a lot to be desired.

Mick O'Driscoll has been good servant to Munster but if he is in WC squad then I think that is a barometer of where are expectations should be. Darcy still holds up well defensively but IMHO offers close to zero attacking threat these days.

[Dinny Breen]

I only defend Sexton when I believe he is been harshly criticised and by the way I agree he is not world class maybe not international class but he is our best option unfortunately, forget about O'Gara's cameo in the last 15 there is a myriad of reasons why he did well instead look at his last international starts when he has been woeful.

Stringer (not his biggest fan) should start, the new law interpratations suit him to a tee and it's now all about quick ball and his organisation is excellent he brought that sense of urgency that was badly missed yesterday.

As for the front five, we don't have them, O'Callaghan is now past it, O'Driscoll should not be there period, Best not the same since his injury and the less said about Healy and Buckly the better. Only Flannery and O'Connell would improve the tight 5. I do hold high hopes for Devin Toner but he is 2/3 years from physical maturity. Sean O'Brien should be picked on merit and I'd put it up to Heaslip by giving Leamy a shot.

D'Arcy is not playing well and neither is BOD, the form Irish back is Johne Murphy and Earls has the rawest talent. The backline I'd pick against Samoa is Stringer, Sexton, Bowe, Murphy, O'Driscoll, Earls and Fitzgearld. Rob Kearney's head is up his hole on and off the pitch, his rate of regression is frightening...

And finally Alan Gaffney as backs coach is bringing nothing to the table, his coaching is all about exploiting perceived defensive weaknesses, as long he remains do not expect our backline to function...

[AZOffaly]

Seriously anyone blaming Sexton hasn't a clue, the days of a 10 sitting in the pocket and kicking the ball away are long gone...

Ireland were beaten as predicted by a few of the lads here because the front 5 are shite and were beaten up a stick in the set piece and in work rate around the paddock, they lay the platform all Reddan got was horrible slow ball, you cannot make a silk purse out of a sows ear...

The golden period is dead, we don't have the players to adapt to the new law changes, what you saw today is our short term future....

+ 1.

The front 5 were mopped up. Tony Buckley has been doing reasonably well for Munster, but he's never going to be a great srummager. Micko is a great servant for Munster, but when he plays it's because someone is injured. Donnacha O'Callaghan is a great wingman for Paulie, but he is not a #1 lock.

Irish rugby is going to go into a down period now, and the provinces, particulary Munster have to be held responsible. Leinster have unearthed a few reasonable (although not as good as advertised) players for Ireland like Kearney, Fitzgerald, Sexton etc. Munster have Keith Earls and nothing else Loyalty is great, but Munster have fallen into the Kerry GAA trap from 1987, which is a pack of 8 forwards all nearing or over 30 with big miles on the clock Now Varley (a good player) and the like are coming in and being exposed because of lack of game time.

The first choice Munster pack at this stage, in a big European game, is probably Horan, Flannery, Hayes, O'Callaghan, O'Connell, Quinlan, Wallace, Leamy. Ireland needs Munster to be producing more young, hungry, ignorant forwards, but you cant do that if you're not playing them.

[INDIANA]

I only defend Sexton when I believe he is been harshly criticised and by the way I agree he is not world class maybe not international class but he is our best option unfortunately, forget about O'Gara's cameo in the last 15 there is a myriad of reasons why he did well instead look at his last international starts when he has been woeful.

Stringer (not his biggest fan) should start, the new law interpratations suit him to a tee and it's now all about quick ball and his organisation is excellent he brought that sense of urgency that was badly missed yesterday.

As for the front five, we don't have them, O'Callaghan is now past it, O'Driscoll should not be there period, Best not the same since his injury and the less said about Healy and Buckly the better. Only Flannery and O'Connell would improve the tight 5. I do hold high hopes for Devin Toner but he is 2/3 years from physical maturity. Sean O'Brien should be picked on merit and I'd put it up to Heaslip by giving Leamy a shot.

D'Arcy is not playing well and neither is BOD, the form Irish back is Johne Murphy and Earls has the rawest talent. The backline I'd pick against Samoa is Stringer, Sexton, Bowe, Murphy, O'Driscoll, Earls and Fitzgearld. Rob Kearney's head is up his hole on and off the pitch, his rate of regression is frightening...

And finally Alan Gaffney as backs coach is bringing nothing to the table, his coaching is all about exploiting perceived defensive weaknesses, as long he remains do not expect our backline to function...

Johnny Murphy is not remotely international standard. Good provincial player and thats it.

Sexton does not control games at this level well enough. I agree on the basis of progression he should be playing but its up to him to start producing the goods. He's under pressure bigtime from O Gara who is playing out of his skin.

Kearney isnt, never was and never will be a world class player. His reputation is simply built on SA kicking to him one year and making him look great. The sooner he's dropped the better

We're in big trouble. Are supposed great players are only great when playing poor teams. Bar BOD, POC and Bowe what world class players do we have?
Heaslip is great until he's playing southern hemisphere opposition. Pierre Spies drove him back at least 12 yards at one stage in the loose.

Time to look at Fitz in the centre. Hasnt the gas for thw wing but a really skilled footballer who has bulked up a lot. Hed at least bring creativity to the centres.