Six Nations 2012

[Leo]

Embarassing....

Scum was a disaster, humaliating in that second half.... 

I know all my other comments are based on with a scum in full retreat but - O'Leary was shocking when he came, barely done anything right...

D'arcy is gone and O'Callaghan not far behind him - Ryan has to start. end of discussion on that matter....

Agree - D'arcy way off the mark for a couple of seasons now, DOC a liability..
But who can come in?

[BennyCake]

Thank f**k this shite is over for another year!!

[RMDrive]

Ronan O'Gara ‏ @Ronan_OGara
Breaking news guys.. wanted to leave it until after six nations. Just been confirmed moving to Toulon on a two year deal!

[Dinny Breen]

Fake Account

[RMDrive]

Ooops. The 3,600 followers should have warned me. 

[Myles Na G.]

Embarassing....

Scum was a disaster, humaliating in that second half.... 

I know all my other comments are based on with a scum in full retreat but - O'Leary was shocking when he came, barely done anything right...

D'arcy is gone and O'Callaghan not far behind him - Ryan has to start. end of discussion on that matter....

Agree - D'arcy way off the mark for a couple of seasons now, DOC a liability..
But who can come in?

Anybody who has watched Ireland in the last two or three years has been able to see that D'Arcy is not the player he was. Unlike in the scrum, we have other options in this position. So why the fcuk does Kidney continue to select him?

[Celt_Man]

f**king disgusting....

http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/sixnations/2012/0317/ferriss_sixnations_biting.html

'Biting' accusation to be investigated

Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris accused an England player of biting his finger during tonight's RBS 6 Nations match at Twickenham.


The allegation was made to referee Nigel Owens in the 28th minute of England's 30-9 victory.


Owens did not see the incident but confirmed to the two captains, Chris Robshaw and Rory Best, that it would be looked into after the match.


England will know by Monday evening whether a citing has been brought by the independent match commissioner.


Addressing Robshaw and Best, Owens said: "I have an accusation of biting, a clear mark on the finger. I did not see something. If I do it will be dealt with severely, which would be a red card.


"It could be dealt with afterwards. If it is seen it will be dealt with. I did not see it.


"Have a word. Nothing like that takes place in this game. I can only deal with what I see. Have a word please.


"I have had a look. Unless I can see it, it's been dealt with, okay?"


As the two forward packs then set themselves for a scrum, Owens added: "This game is difficult enough without stuff like that, is that clear?"


Owens then approached Ferris while he was receiving treatment from the physio and said: "I have done all I can. It has been noted. If I don't see it I can't do nothing about it. It has been spoken about and dealt with."


Robshaw insisted after the game that he had not seen anything untoward on the pitch.


Asked how he would react if one of England's players had bitten an opponent, Robshaw said: "It is one of those things we will have to address when we meet up, but at the moment it is innocent until proven guilty, so to speak.


"We will see what happens."


Under International Rugby Board regulations, the lowest entry level suspension for biting is 12 weeks with the maximum being four years.

[trileacman]

Quite annoying that it takes a hammering to the Saxons to make people wake up and smell the shit. Load of f**king bandwagoners pointing out all the faults.

Firstly in Kidney's defence we were hammered by the scrum yesterday. It turned a defeat into a tanking. This is heavily compounded by the fact that the first choice front row of all 4 provinces consists of at least one south African. We can't produce international scrummagers so now we have decided we won't. Secondly, the English cap every blow-in that crosses customs at Heathrow they have the upper hand on us there. This isn't really Kidney's fault though his attitude at Munster wouldn't have helped.

After that the problems that have hampered us all season continued. D'Arcy poor again. A back row that play no part in rucking or counter-rucking. O'Mahoney needed or a player like him. Ferris is a tackler and crasher, he's no rucker. DOC poor but injuries meant he was gonna play. See Ryan's counter-rucking in the english half? That is what our pack needs, not fancy ball-carriers who can do nothing without it. O'Brien is a busted flush. Crash it up, do it again, and again and infinitum. O'Leary? Couldn't hit a barn-door with a banjo. Kicking and passing was awful. O'Gara could do little, a useful back-up option but facing a team as physical as the english he was going to be no game-changer yesterday, really need to start considering him as back up and realise that over the next two years he is going to be faded out to retirement.

The positives? Earls had another good game yesterday to add to a fine 6 nations. Kearney was the best FB in the championship, Bowe a talented if frustrating wing, Trimble an extremely physical player and for a Irishman with a non-GAA background is very competent in the air.

So a back 4 of youth and potential.

Need a inside centre. It's not D'Arcy, doesn't look like McFadden. Fitzgerald an option for the dreamer in us. I would love a strong physical 12 that has been so successful for the English and Welsh. it pains me to say it but Mafi? Cave is an outside centre and we don't need a square peg.

Reddan is the best 9. Murray a good alternative.
Sexton a mixed bag, not easy playing off a beaten scrum.
O'Brien or Heaslip have to go. We have 3 back-rowers all competing for the same job on the pitch. The French play 3 all having different strengths, Bonnaire a technician, Harry a fetcher and carrier, and Dusaitour who is a tackler/athlete. Faletau carries for the Welsh whilst Lydiate rucks and Warbuton tackles. We have 3 carriers and have been beaten by all but the Italian back row.

[thewobbler]

Trileac, I've read and re-read that and all I'm actually getting from it is that you would pick a quite different team to Kidney, but one that would also get spanked more often than not in Twickenham.

The problem is not so much Kidney's personnel as a lack of genuine options.

[trileacman]

Trileac, I've read and re-read that and all I'm actually getting from it is that you would pick a quite different team to Kidney, but one that would also get spanked more often than not in Twickenham.

The problem is not so much Kidney's personnel as a lack of genuine options.

So what is your solution? I'm not picking a team, just suggesting options and reviewing our player performances.

Is substandard personnel and a lack of genuine options not just one and the same thing?

[muppet]

Quite annoying that it takes a hammering to the Saxons to make people wake up and smell the shit. Load of f**king bandwagoners pointing out all the faults.

Firstly in Kidney's defence we were hammered by the scrum yesterday. It turned a defeat into a tanking. This is heavily compounded by the fact that the first choice front row of all 4 provinces consists of at least one south African. We can't produce international scrummagers so now we have decided we won't. Secondly, the English cap every blow-in that crosses customs at Heathrow they have the upper hand on us there. This isn't really Kidney's fault though his attitude at Munster wouldn't have helped.

After that the problems that have hampered us all season continued. D'Arcy poor again. A back row that play no part in rucking or counter-rucking. O'Mahoney needed or a player like him. Ferris is a tackler and crasher, he's no rucker. DOC poor but injuries meant he was gonna play. See Ryan's counter-rucking in the english half? That is what our pack needs, not fancy ball-carriers who can do nothing without it. O'Brien is a busted flush. Crash it up, do it again, and again and infinitum. O'Leary? Couldn't hit a barn-door with a banjo. Kicking and passing was awful. O'Gara could do little, a useful back-up option but facing a team as physical as the english he was going to be no game-changer yesterday, really need to start considering him as back up and realise that over the next two years he is going to be faded out to retirement.

The positives? Earls had another good game yesterday to add to a fine 6 nations. Kearney was the best FB in the championship, Bowe a talented if frustrating wing, Trimble an extremely physical player and for a Irishman with a non-GAA background is very competent in the air.

So a back 4 of youth and potential.

Need a inside centre. It's not D'Arcy, doesn't look like McFadden. Fitzgerald an option for the dreamer in us. I would love a strong physical 12 that has been so successful for the English and Welsh. it pains me to say it but Mafi? Cave is an outside centre and we don't need a square peg.

Reddan is the best 9. Murray a good alternative.
Sexton a mixed bag, not easy playing off a beaten scrum.
O'Brien or Heaslip have to go. We have 3 back-rowers all competing for the same job on the pitch. The French play 3 all having different strengths, Bonnaire a technician, Harry a fetcher and carrier, and Dusaitour who is a tackler/athlete. Faletau carries for the Welsh whilst Lydiate rucks and Warbuton tackles. We have 3 carriers and have been beaten by all but the Italian back row.

Rob Kearney 26 in two weeks.
Andrew Trimble 27 since Oct.
Tommy Bowe 28.
Keith Earls 24.

Not as young as you might think. It takes forever to get into the Irish team, and it seems, forever to get out of it.

North of Wales, O'Connor of Australia and Farrell of England were all younger than O'Driscoll was when was when he got his first cap on tour. If he didn't happen to be the greatest player Ireland produced, he probably wouldn't have been trusted with a cap till he was much older while the likes of North, O'Connor and Farrell are deservedly racking up the caps. Gatland was the last manager to throw in a bunch of new caps, 5 in one match in 2000. Their names were John Hayes, Peter Stringer, Shane Horgan, Simon Easterby and Ronan O'Gara. After a decade of O'Sullivan and Kidney we would die of shock at the notion of picking 5 new caps in one 6 Nations game.

We have some players who have been great servants but who are long past their sell-by dates and, damningly for Kidney, have young alternatives who deserve their shot. We might disagree on who should get a run, but we would all come up with names.

[johnneycool]

In the bigger scheme of things those autumn internationals should be used to blood young lads. Who realistically gives a flying f**k if they're won.

Time to ship some young props in the provinces to SA or New Zealand to learn their trade.

[trileacman]

In the bigger scheme of things those autumn internationals should be used to blood young lads. Who realistically gives a flying f**k if they're won.

Time to ship some young props in the provinces to SA or New Zealand to learn their trade.

Meh, Courts an Anzac and Hayes toured the South Hemisphere too, not the be all end all you would think. English props and the Italian are currently the best in the 6 nations, didn't have to crawl the world to learn it.

[Dinny Breen]

This is heavily compounded by the fact that the first choice front row of all 4 provinces consists of at least one south African. We can't produce international scrummagers so now we have decided we won't.

Sweeping statement alert, Leinster provide Healy, Ross and Cronin to the match 22, are they expected to provide the whole front row? And to add to that they have Strauss Irish qualified later this year and Jamie O'Hagan has played as much game time as Mike Ross and Jack McGrath is progressing nicely. Leinster are one province pulling their weight, Ulster replaced one non-Irish eligible TH with another, and he went to Munster. 

I was at the game in Twickenham in 2000 we were hammered 50-18, Gatland laid the foundations for the future as Muppet points out with 5 new caps in the next game. That is what needs to be done bottom line, a cull needs to happen. Out goes DOC, Heaslip, Cullen, Court, D'Arcy, O'Leary and O'Gara for starters. 

[trileacman]

This is heavily compounded by the fact that the first choice front row of all 4 provinces consists of at least one south African. We can't produce international scrummagers so now we have decided we won't.

Sweeping statement alert, Leinster provide Healy, Ross and Cronin to the match 22, are they expected to provide the whole front row? And to add to that they have Strauss Irish qualified later this year and Jamie O'Hagan has played as much game time as Mike Ross and Jack McGrath is progressing nicely. Leinster are one province pulling their weight, Ulster replaced one non-Irish eligible TH with another, and he went to Munster. 

I was at the game in Twickenham in 2000 we were hammered 50-18, Gatland laid the foundations for the future as Muppet points out with 5 new caps in the next game. That is what needs to be done bottom line, a cull needs to happen. Out goes DOC, Heaslip, Cullen, Court, D'Arcy, O'Leary and O'Gara for starters.

Cronin they bought from Connacht, they didn't develop him as he grew up in Munster and played with Shannon. He isn't the first choice option at Leinster as a South African plays consistently at hooker. So my statement stands "the first choice front row of all 4 provinces consists of at least one south African." Add to that Heinke is at Leinster and before Healy and Ross came along Leinster's front row was dominated by mostly hired talent. Stan Wright, Ollie le Roux, Van der Linde (who didn't play much but was still signed) and to a lesser extent Will Green. Yeah leinster are way ahead of the other sides when it comes to trying to develop front row forwards.    Christ why must discussion be so blinded by provincial loyalty.