The IRISH RUGBY thread

Started by Donnellys Hollow, October 27, 2009, 05:26:16 PM

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Hound

Kidney rightly fooked up with his changes (or lack thereof).

Dead right to bring on O'Gara when he did, but it should have been D'Arcy who left the field. He was starting to struggle with his injury and Sexton was playing far better than Darce anyway.

O'Connell has had a mediocre 6 Nations and that was probably his worst performance (maybe ever in the green jersey). If O'Callaghan had played as bad as POC did, then Cullen would certainly have been brought on, but Kidney didnt have the balls to take O'Connell off. Likewise Wallace should have been taken off.

Also Buckley should have been brought on much earlier. And the excuse of not bringing on Cronin coz of his lack of experience is just nonsense. How the hell do you get expericence when you don't play? Cronin is a super player in the loose - and the lineout or scrum couldnt have got any worse with him there.

I put that loss down to Kidney. He's a fantastic Plan A coach, the best in the northern hemisphere. But thinking on his feet during a game to come up with Plan B is a skill he doesnt have.

stephenite

Quote from: Celt_Man on March 20, 2010, 10:57:54 PM
Quote from: stephenite on March 20, 2010, 10:55:30 PM
Quote from: thewobbler on March 20, 2010, 05:17:09 PM
Another welcome nail in the coffin of O'Gara's international career :)

Tremendous work by Sexton.

It appears Sexton doesn't have the experience to cope at this level, at leaset yet. O'Gara will be hanging around for his 100 caps I think.

Yea I reckon he'll get another 2 games as well!!  :D :D

Thought yesterday was his 90th cap :-\

Celt_Man

Quote from: stephenite on March 20, 2010, 11:20:19 PM
Quote from: Celt_Man on March 20, 2010, 10:57:54 PM
Quote from: stephenite on March 20, 2010, 10:55:30 PM
Quote from: thewobbler on March 20, 2010, 05:17:09 PM
Another welcome nail in the coffin of O'Gara's international career :)

Tremendous work by Sexton.

It appears Sexton doesn't have the experience to cope at this level, at leaset yet. O'Gara will be hanging around for his 100 caps I think.

Yea I reckon he'll get another 2 games as well!!  :D :D

Thought yesterday was his 90th cap :-\
Nope today was his 98th... barring injury he'll make the ton on the summer tour
GAA Board Six Nations Fantasy Champion 2010

Capt Pat

Quote from: Capt Pat on March 15, 2010, 02:19:53 PM
Sexton is a handy player but he is not the second coming of Christ. The reality is there is nobody else to take the goal kicks, so until Sexton gets his head back in that game he is off the team. The same would be true the other way round with O'Gara. There is a triple crown on the line next week which is something more important than the ego and confidence of the outhalf.

Well said Capt Pat. Sextons kicking will come round but we will never get that triple crown back.

I hate to say I told you so lads. Rory Bests line out throwing and complacency were the other key factors. The silver lining in the cloud of complacency, it is that the Irish have lost interest in winning meaningless triple crowns, it is the 6 nations championship and grand slams that count.

longrunsthefox

Quote from: Capt Pat on March 21, 2010, 12:36:09 AM
Quote from: Capt Pat on March 15, 2010, 02:19:53 PM
Sexton is a handy player but he is not the second coming of Christ. The reality is there is nobody else to take the goal kicks, so until Sexton gets his head back in that game he is off the team. The same would be true the other way round with O'Gara. There is a triple crown on the line next week which is something more important than the ego and confidence of the outhalf.

Well said Capt Pat. Sextons kicking will come round but we will never get that triple crown back.

I hate to say I told you so lads. Rory Bests line out throwing and complacency were the other key factors. The silver lining in the cloud of complacency, it is that the Irish have lost interest in winning meaningless triple crowns, it is the 6 nations championship and grand slams that count.

I can't agree with that about the triple crown... ain't the top prize but I am sure they really wanted to win it. I think the complaceny was more to do with the opposition rather than the prize at stake.  The supporters were certainly very disapointed and not that long ago triple crowns were very hard to come by

Capt Pat

O' Driscoll has done very little in this 6 nations championship, hopefully he is just sparing himself for the world cup in les than 18 months. Heaslip Earls and Bowe have continued to develop into world class performers, while Rob Kearney too a step back but like Sextons goal kicking I expect that is only temporary. After the success of last year with grand slams and European Cups and Lions tours I think the Irish team has gone off the boil but it is far from finished.

Celt_Man

Quote from: Capt Pat on March 21, 2010, 01:01:19 AM
O' Driscoll has done very little in this 6 nations championship, hopefully he is just sparing himself for the world cup in les than 18 months. Heaslip Earls and Bowe have continued to develop into world class performers, while Rob Kearney too a step back but like Sextons goal kicking I expect that is only temporary. After the success of last year with grand slams and European Cups and Lions tours I think the Irish team has gone off the boil but it is far from finished.

Silly statment to begin with but that apart would agree with the rest of it
GAA Board Six Nations Fantasy Champion 2010

Capt Pat

#727
By his own high standards should have been included.

Keep Sexton for the test against the All Blacks and hope his kicking improves, he gives us a chance of beating them.

Dinny Breen

I find out-half debates after a game like that tedious, you could have had Dan Carter playing 10 yesterday and Ireland would have still lost because the attitude, work-rate and committment of the players was all wrong. The Scottish back-row were immense and man for man outplayer their Irish counter-parts. We were also dominated at collision time.

I'd expect massive changes for the Summer but Kidney needs to address his loyalty to players and his replacement policy. Best, Hayes and D'Arcy were awful awful yesterday and should have been replaced, it was a joke to see Buckley come on with 1 minute to go. It's no surprise to see younger hungry players like Earls and Bowe thrive and older players look disinterested at times.

Our leaders BOD and POC have had poor 6 nations, enivitable after a Lions Tour I suppose. We're at a cross-roads and it's now time to Kidney to give us direction and a road-map of the future and he needs to develop new leaders.

I love Croke Park for football and hurling but it's too big for rugby, you spend more time looking at the big screens than the game and I'm looking forward to the return to Lansdowne Road.
#newbridgeornowhere

Hardy

I find it a bit disrespectful to Scotland that all the analyses of their win point to deficiencies in Ireland's performance. Scotland were superb and while I know feck all about rugby tactics, it seemed to me that Robinson was a move ahead of Kidney at every stage of the game.

Whatever about what rugby people seem to have to call scrum time and line out time etc. (where the hell did that come out of?) I thought the biggest factor was that we were out-thought at think time.

CiKe

I'd disgaree with Dinny to an extent although he knows a lot more about rugby than me. Fly half has to be able to do the bread and butter. Sexton currently can't do it consistently, and to my mind as much as anything that contributed to Ireland flinging the ball about with a bit more abandon than usual. They don't trust him to land them and were too anxious in looking for tries. If O'Gara had played we'd have played a more patient game. Impossible to say whether we would have won or not

A long way to go, but at this stage what way do people think we are looking for WC? With Fitzgerald to come back I'd be very surprised if Darcy was in the match day 22, though not quite sure what our best way of reshuffling the backs are.

INDIANA

Quote from: CiKe on March 21, 2010, 02:21:29 PM
I'd disgaree with Dinny to an extent although he knows a lot more about rugby than me. Fly half has to be able to do the bread and butter. Sexton currently can't do it consistently, and to my mind as much as anything that contributed to Ireland flinging the ball about with a bit more abandon than usual. They don't trust him to land them and were too anxious in looking for tries. If O'Gara had played we'd have played a more patient game. Impossible to say whether we would have won or not

A long way to go, but at this stage what way do people think we are looking for WC? With Fitzgerald to come back I'd be very surprised if Darcy was in the match day 22, though not quite sure what our best way of reshuffling the backs are.

Same as ever. A Quarter final exit. that was made clear yesterday. When it comes to the crunch this team can't cash the chips.

Celt_Man

Quote from: INDIANA on March 21, 2010, 05:59:47 PM
Quote from: CiKe on March 21, 2010, 02:21:29 PM
I'd disgaree with Dinny to an extent although he knows a lot more about rugby than me. Fly half has to be able to do the bread and butter. Sexton currently can't do it consistently, and to my mind as much as anything that contributed to Ireland flinging the ball about with a bit more abandon than usual. They don't trust him to land them and were too anxious in looking for tries. If O'Gara had played we'd have played a more patient game. Impossible to say whether we would have won or not

A long way to go, but at this stage what way do people think we are looking for WC? With Fitzgerald to come back I'd be very surprised if Darcy was in the match day 22, though not quite sure what our best way of reshuffling the backs are.

Same as ever. A Quarter final exit. that was made clear yesterday. When it comes to the crunch this team can't cash the chips.

In response to that statement please explain Grand Slam match last year in Cardiff and to a less extent, final few minutes of Autumn Internationals against Australia
GAA Board Six Nations Fantasy Champion 2010

Dinny Breen

QuoteI'd disgaree with Dinny to an extent although he knows a lot more about rugby than me. Fly half has to be able to do the bread and butter. Sexton currently can't do it consistently, and to my mind as much as anything that contributed to Ireland flinging the ball about with a bit more abandon than usual. They don't trust him to land them and were too anxious in looking for tries. If O'Gara had played we'd have played a more patient game. Impossible to say whether we would have won or not

Cike, your opinion is as valid as mine, I would just look for different things, team work-rate is something I value very highly, if a team is not looking for work and they weren't yesterday they will struggle no matter who is playing 10.

Now I've seen Sexton over the years and personally do not believe he's the 2nd coming but O'Gara is at the end his career and Sexton who only this season has become 1st choice at Leinster and that has been interrupted by injury so he hasn't had clear run to build confidence and rhythm. Ireland though need to evolve from the structured inspired rugby of the last 5 years and Sexton general play and defence puts him in pole position he just needs experience which would make the bread and butter stuff a lot easier.

Ireland at the moment need instrutions from the side-line and it's all rugby by numbers with very little heads up rugby been played only BOD seems to have that licence and our forwards seem to have it all coached out of them.

Anyhow, I'm sure Kidney is aware of that and our next 6/7 matches will be all about new players and a new style. Expect to see a new Tight-head, 2nd-Row and 7 up front, badly need a new 7. BOD to move inside to 12 with Earls at 13 and a couple of young guns to break through, maybe Conway, Fleix Jones, Nevin Spenc even McFadden.

Congrats to the U20s who won their 6 nations title by the way, back boned by Leinster as always  ;)
#newbridgeornowhere

Celt_Man

Quote from: Dinny Breen on March 21, 2010, 07:07:04 PM
Congrats to the U20s who won their 6 nations title by the way, back boned by Leinster as always  ;)

Indeed, a fact that got very much overlooked over the the weekend, a great achievement which bodes well (hopefully) for the future
GAA Board Six Nations Fantasy Champion 2010