The IRISH RUGBY thread

[BigGreenField]

France outstanding for 30 mins, even with that needed 2 dodgy tries and a tv director unplugging the TMO machine to build the big lead.

Ireland bench really good and a missed DuPont yellow card, and potential additional yellow for a no arms tackle
On the line would have made it much closer.

Ireland awful for first 20 , tackling like a matador waiving a bull through, Prendergast will feel the heat but he wasn't the only one.

In some respects it confirmed why some
Players haven't been in the Ireland squad the last few years and also battle hardened a few others - build squad depth is the aim of this six nations. Not winning in Paris.

[Wildweasel74]

Any of the new lads put their hand up at all for steady selection? Badly need Hanson fit and another winger, 1 new centre, Flyhalf and a tighthead. Sexton greatness will improve as each yr passes to we find a 10 that ticks all the boxes.

[gallsman]

Hansen is out for the season.

[Milltown Row2]

Thought the 13 points handicap was feee money tbf

That said Ireland probably in Luton a few calls, the ref was harsh on a few calls but it's an away game to France which was always going to be a hard opening game

The team in the second half played better

[trileacman]

Need to forget about the rebuild talk and wake up and see the situation in front of us. The reality is the rugby players Ireland are now producing are miles behind France and England. Outside of Porter and Furlong our props are all 3rd rate players, nowhere near the quality or size to compete at international level. They're AIL quality props.

There's nothing coming through in the back line where we are without doubt lining out the worst back 3 in the competition. O'Brien is nothing special. Stockdale has been a has been for 6 years now and Osbourne has talent but won't get far with what's around him. McCloskey is a 2nd rate smash merchant, England would have about 10 guys who could do it better than him. Take a look at Ulster and Munsters squads at the minute, they are easily the worst squads they've assembled since the professional era started, there's hardly any quality players from which any Ireland manager could make a winning team.

Sheehan, Doris, Beirne, possibly Conan and Gibson Park are now our only world class players. That's simply not enough to carry a terrible squad to success. Casey is nowhere near international level, in fact he's wouldn't get a game at any Premiership rugby team. That he's our 2nd best scrum half says it all.

[Capt Pat]

In terms of a scrum half I thought Ben Murphy of Connacht looked good when I saw him play. He might be moving to Munster.

[Wildweasel74]

They kept crying about Leinster but how bad has Munster and Ulster actually become. All Maintained soccers in the North play GAA,city schools, soccer. The only school pick comes from some cotrolled schools and grammar schools. Its a thin pick. Munster whats there Excuse? I know its a sport rating 4th in Ireland but with 4 teams u think u ensure there a pick of a flyhalf. Future props and wingers.

[JPGJOHNNYG]

Irish rugby not looking great to be honest although look at Wales to see how it can get even worse. A big problem is the team is so heavily reliant on Leinster and it's quite clear that the team under Cullen and his crew have massively underperformed, what little talent that is coming through rarely gets a chance hence not much development. The irfu should be moving the younger lads around to other provinces to get actual game time and experience.

[Captain Scarlet]

I kinda switched off the analysis and then I see it on social too. Lads saying that the tactics were not wrong? That the kicks were hitting their mark but we lost the breaks essentially...
Kearney then said we lost 90% of the 50/ 50s! That's not luck and clearly something that is not working. Even if we were doing better we just kept kicking it back to a team with their tail's up.

And not to dampen spirits but their MOTM and a few more went off around 60 minutes and only then did we do anything.
We were not butchered in the scrum, so we can't even use that excuse of missing Porter and Furlong.

Is there any other sport where pundits treat professionals like a Go Games team. Ah they fought hard. They didn't give up. And Sam Prendergast must the U8 B captain as he can't get any criticism even though he takes an age to do anything.

If we are shite we can admit we are shite and most people would still support them.

[Milltown Row2]

France have 5 times the players registered playing rugby

Ireland for a numbers of years has punched way above its station and now we are back on that developing a new team stage

There was nothing wrong with milking players while we were winning and the cries for bringing along lads to bleed them into the team would have been met with Ireland are shite.

It's up to the IRFU to reset and go again, expect it to be rough, but there are a lot more lads playing rugby now because of the success of the recent teams.

 For France and England they should be at the top tree every year based on pure numbers playing and money.. Ireland need that dream team coming through every now and then

[johnnycool]

and "project" players from SA or elsewhere in the pipeline?

[Milltown Row2]

and "project" players from SA or elsewhere in the pipeline?

Are the French all 'French'?

[tiempo]

The Prendergast haircut sums Ireland up really, embarrassing

[JoG2]

The Prendergast haircut sums Ireland up really, embarrassing

You know you're Irish when......

[tiempo]

The Prendergast haircut sums Ireland up really, embarrassing

You know you're Irish when......

you're described as a project