Rugby World Cup 2011

haze · August 27, 2011, 06:22:49 PM

Quote from: INDIANA on August 27, 2011, 06:17:54 PM
wallace is out. a disaster

Riduculous the talk of o brien at 7 because he isnt one.

Pocock will have a field day.

Totally agree but he will be played there. Wallace is some loss. For a country with few genuine world class players I think he was one of them..

Shamrock Shore · August 27, 2011, 06:24:42 PM

To quote Pvt Frasier in Dad's Army "We're dooooomed"

Making up the numbers in NZ at this rate.

whitegoodman · August 27, 2011, 06:36:50 PM

Quote from: Capt Pat on August 27, 2011, 05:45:27 PM
The game not being on Rte or BBC I trotted over to Landsdowne road to pick up a free ticket. A cringeworthy game sloppy from Ireland and just hoping nobody gets injured. Unfortunately Dave Wallace looks to be out. Hopefully Healy and Heaslip will be fit for the opening game. Another very disjointed effort from Ireland but nothing to worry about as these are only practice matches. I have been to more competitive games with 50 people at them.

The silver lining to Wallaces injury is that it means Sean O Brien will start at 7 and give Ireland a dynamic ball carrying presence. Ferris also compleyed the game in one piece, hopefully he can make it through the next month as well.

W don't have a proper number 7 but we still have some exceptional back row players to compensate. At 12 Darcy is comin back from a surgery and will play his way into form.

We must be waiting 5 years for darcy to get over injury as that was the last time he was on form, he offers nothing at this stage, no kick, no pass, no line break.

As for the boy outside him if that had of been o gara or p Wallace that missed that tackle people would have shouting from the roof tops for them never to play again.

anglocelt39 · August 27, 2011, 06:41:51 PM

Quote from: Shamrock Shore on August 27, 2011, 06:24:42 PM
To quote Pvt Frasier in Dad's Army "We're dooooomed"

Making up the numbers in NZ at this rate.

Agree totally I'm not all that close to the action but I think we tend to fall into the trap that if certain players get mentioned often enough in the media it nearly becomes an article of faith that they are international or world class players. Well we have a few lads that we seem to be bigging up that, sorry, would not get near a Kiwi panel and, perhaps a Bok or Aussie one either. Few names that spring to mind-Earls, Sexton, Reddan. Few more lads that, thanks for the memories, are slightly gone past their best and that will be found out down under-Darcy, O'Gara, O'Callaghan and, yes folks, O'Driscoll. Great lads one and all but father time waits for no one. We won't get near the Aussies and it will be a last game dogfight to get out of the group with Italy. Another QF exit beckons I think.

cicfada · August 27, 2011, 06:42:16 PM

I love the way that certain Irish players are "world class"!!! Let's face it, a fully fit Irish team would have no chance against the Aussies and will never get into the semi finals of the world cup! They will be doing well now to beat the italians down there! They have lost 4 games in a row and confidence must be absolutely rock bottom!!!! People should cop themselves on when discussing the Irish teams chances in the world cup cos they never had any chance even with a fully fit team! Maybe these defeats will force fans to take a more reallistic line when discussing their chances!

INDIANA · August 27, 2011, 06:54:44 PM

Quote from: cicfada on August 27, 2011, 06:42:16 PM
I love the way that certain Irish players are "world class"!!! Let's face it, a fully fit Irish team would have no chance against the Aussies and will never get into the semi finals of the world cup! They will be doing well now to beat the italians down there! They have lost 4 games in a row and confidence must be absolutely rock bottom!!!! People should cop themselves on when discussing the Irish teams chances in the world cup cos they never had any chance even with a fully fit team! Maybe these defeats will force fans to take a more reallistic line when discussing their chances!

Wallace is world class.

The only Irish players who are or have been world class have been POC, BOD and Wallace.

At a push Heaslip But thats it.

cicfada · August 27, 2011, 06:59:13 PM

BOD maybe yes about 2 years ago but who exactly outside of ireland and more specifically Munster would describe wallace or OConnell as world class? Would they have been described as world class south of the equator I wonder?? Self praise is no praise!!What other team in the world would have as many passengers as earls, Darcy, O Callaghan for example? Time to get real folks!

INDIANA · August 27, 2011, 07:18:52 PM

Quote from: cicfada on August 27, 2011, 06:59:13 PM
BOD maybe yes about 2 years ago but who exactly outside of ireland and more specifically Munster would describe wallace or OConnell as world class? Would they have been described as world class south of the equator I wonder?? Self praise is no praise!!What other team in the world would have as many passengers as earls, Darcy, O Callaghan for example? Time to get real folks!

wallace has always been regarded as world class south of the equator. One of the few that is. A natural born power athlete. Something which as rare as hens teeth in this neck of the world. Could have played NFL.

GalwayBayBoy · August 27, 2011, 07:43:38 PM

Desperately sad for David Wallacwe. No world cup and possibly his last game in a green shirt. Was probably Ireland's best player in the first 20 minutes as well.

J OGorman · August 27, 2011, 07:55:06 PM

Brian O'Driscoll will get found out and a full strength Irish side wouldnt have a chance against the Australians.....good to have the experts in

New Zealand wont do a 'New Zealand' @ this world cup..its theirs to lose. Resting a lot of their main players and still brushing aside SA and Aus in the tri-nations, all augers well.

After NZ, you have a plethora of nations, France, Puma's, SA, Aus, England, Wales and ourselves who could beat anyone on this list on a given day.

Wallace is a big lose but we've good mobile flankers in reserves,, maybe not strictly 7's though.

Mooted before but Id go with O'Gara @ 10, Sexton @ 12 and BOD @ 13...less missed tackles with 2 good boots to change the whole dynamic of a game if we're under P, which we will undoubtedly be @ times

Mon te fcuk Ireland

Capt Pat · August 27, 2011, 08:01:44 PM

Quote from: Hoof Hearted on August 27, 2011, 06:11:31 PM
the hopeful thing im clinging to, is that they have been running like horses for the month of august and havent had a ball in their hands, a bit like January in the Gaelic.

If im wrong, well....................

I can't beleive the importance a lot of people are attaching to these matches. They are pre season world cup warm up games. They have been very false affairs lacking real competition and intensity. I am not a soothsayer but my guess is we will be fine and qualify from the group. I don't know it but I think we will be very competitive against the Aussies as well.

Irish teams hate being favourites and love being under dogs. In that sense they have played the build up perfectly(apart from losing Wallace). The only way is up.

INDIANA · August 27, 2011, 08:07:47 PM

Quote from: Capt Pat on August 27, 2011, 08:01:44 PM
Quote from: Hoof Hearted on August 27, 2011, 06:11:31 PM
the hopeful thing im clinging to, is that they have been running like horses for the month of august and havent had a ball in their hands, a bit like January in the Gaelic.

If im wrong, well....................

I can't beleive the importance a lot of people are attaching to these matches. They are pre season world cup warm up games. They have been very false affairs lacking real competition and intensity. I am not a soothsayer but my guess is we will be fine and qualify from the group. I don't know it but I think we will be very competitive against the Aussies as well.

Irish teams hate being favourites and love being under dogs. In that sense they have played the build up perfectly(apart from losing Wallace). The only way is up.

In 2003 England won the WC by winning warm up games against SH opposition.

Dismissing them is typically Irish. Australia are tri-nations champions and regularly beat NZ. When did we last beat NZ?

Thats the scale of the task. Not impossible but you'd want to waken up.

Professional sport isnt a version of the TV show " It'll be alright on the night"

cicfada · August 27, 2011, 08:25:20 PM

So pre world cup games are not important huh?? Funny but I remember in 2007 clearly , that it was during the warm up games that the bells started ringing in eddie O'sullivan's ears ( according to himself as well).. and we all know what happened then! But they won a few of those matches I recall!! At that time he played the second string in most of those games. What excuse does Kidney have?? It is a matter of building confidence and momentum for the players particularly those young lads, I would have thought...that was the whole point of having these matches!! Maybe it will all come right in New Zealand but yet again we are living in the land of Hope!! In 2007 it was with huge expectations that our lads went to France so now they go to New Zealand with no expectation.....it is just a cunning plan that I obviously have not picked up on yet! Silly me!!

GalwayBayBoy · August 27, 2011, 08:30:23 PM

The warm up games are only a part of it. Ireland have only given one really good performance all year and that was at home to England in the last game of the 6 Nations. Apart from that their form has consistently been either patchy or downright poor.

Capt Pat · August 27, 2011, 08:35:14 PM

On the other hand Leinster won the European Cup Munster the Magners league. We beat England easily 24-8 in a competitive game 4 months ago. Tommy Bowe is a brilliant attacking back Steven Ferris and Rob Kearney are back from injury. We have a genuine tighthead anchoring the scrum. A very capable half back pairing on Reddan and Sexton. Things can only get better.

[ :)quote author=cicfada link=topic=19967.msg1009319#msg1009319 date=1314473120]
So pre world cup games are not important huh?? Funny but I remember in 2007 clearly , that it was during the warm up games that the bells started ringing in eddie O'sullivan's ears ( according to himself as well).. and we all know what happened then! But they won a few of those matches I recall!! At that time he played the second string in most of those games. What excuse does Kidney have?? It is a matter of building confidence and momentum for the players particularly those young lads, I would have thought...that was the whole point of having these matches!! Maybe it will all come right in New Zealand but yet again we are living in the land of Hope!! In 2007 it was with huge expectations that our lads went to France so now they go to New Zealand with no expectation.....it is just a cunning plan that I obviously have not picked up on yet! Silly me!!
[/quote]