[2017 RBS Six Nations] Round 4: Wales v Ireland (11/02/2017)

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Well at least Ireland have kept up their recent trend of getting progressively worse under Schmidt.

Bring back Declan Kidney. We need more performances like this:

 

[profitius]

Bring back Declan Kidney. We need more performances like this:

Why do you want to bring Kidney back?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Well at least Ireland have kept up their recent trend of getting progressively worse under Schmidt.

Just keeping his cards close to his chest for the world cup

Wow so it's a 12pk of Druids cider so instead of Buckfast 

Bucky chaser, lad. I thought you Irish knew how to drink?

 

[Lé Ddanno]

Well Ddanno she basically is correct as if Scots win and tomorrow and they will surely beat Italy they are champions,England win tomorrow and they are champions bizarre results only for Irish chances so for once she is 100% correct.

It's the appalling choice and tone of questions that get my back up the most.

 

[Rich Taff]

It's the appalling choice and tone of questions that get my back up the most.

This. She's awful.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Why do you want to bring Kidney back?

Why do you think Schmidt is doing a bad job? Name a coach who'd do the job better.

Schmidt didn't ruin a near certain try by running in front of Rory Best from a maul 2 metres from the line. Schmidt didn't have a kick blocked down at the end to kill the game. Schmidt didn't knock the ball on less than 5 metres from the line from a charged down kick. Players have to take responsibility. Ireland have beaten New Zealand, Australia and South Africa within the last calendar year. To say that's getting progressively worse is farcical. You're not giving Wales or Scotland the credit they deserve.

If there's a coach who's not performing up to the task at the moment, it's Andy Farrell. While not giving away many penalties denies opponents kickable penalties and is to be commended, Ireland are conceding a massive number of tries.

I do believe mistakes have been made by the head coach (the selection of Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Sean O'Brien and Keith Earls of late for example) but he has enough recent credit in the bank to more than make up for it.

 

[corny]

Frustrating loss but no complaints. Wales played well and won more collisions.

I'm not prone to snap over reactions on the back of a loss but I want to see Schmidt make changes. That's twice we've been beaten by a team that wants it more than us. Heaslip and O'Briens level of performance was simply unacceptable. Heaslip being knocked backwards (really badly) by Liam Williams was shocking. That shouldn't happen to an international 8. Drop them. Show them their place is not assured. Conan would flatten Williams if in that position.

Best game I've ever seen from Wayne Barnes. Allowed a bit of a free for all at the ruck but it beats him blowing up every 30 seconds any day. He even indulged the Irish lads in too much chat for my liking.

 

[munstermuffin]

Bring back Declan Kidney. We need more performances like this:

I'm not on bandwagon of hammering Schmidt. I do believe he will fix it but 2 worrying stats issued were his away record over first 4 years is worst than Eddies and Kidneys.

Also the interesting 1 is our try scoring is worst than all of them too. I understand styles differ but I think he does need to reinvent. Like he defended Bowe selection this week saying he was tearing it up in training. And then used him for 1 minute when game was up. It proved Shane Horgan right.
Now next week if we loose I think he will be questioned rightfully as it will be a poor actually awful 6Nations.
But it's not solely his fault. I think our forwards have gone back under Easterby, defence under Farrell is leaking a lot and I've to say Eddie O'Sullivan had backline moving so much better although again that's style.
I think like NZ game he now has to be brave and reinvent wheel. Like example.
Some may say Best is out best hooker. He is but isn't playing well. Start Scannell. Because he's there in Japan and he's not best now but is on upward curve, at 7 pick form. SOB has been ****e. Leavy is on form. At 15 pick Zebo or TOH, consider Sweetnam or Byrne.
Don't be so reliant on Murray as tonight Marmion wasn't sure. Give these guys game time in real games not just tier 2 countries.

I'd add Schmidt needs to trust his 23. Furlong was evidently gassed at 65 as was Best. Why leave them on. Look at last scrum Ryan Scannell and Healy did best propping work all night there. I said elsewhere rugby is 23 man job. Wales rotated theirs and we didn't trust to react.

 

[munstermuffin]

Just keeping his cards close to his chest for the world cup

Bucky chaser, lad. I thought you Irish knew how to drink?

That the posh stuff

 

[Ospreylian]

Bring back Declan Kidney. We need more performances like this:

"...and signs that Italy are emerging as serious players in the Six Nations."


Umm..yeah....about that...

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

Is she the one who, pre-match, kept saying 'the Welsh have watered the pitch! The Welsh have watered the pitch!', trying to stir controversy?

Is that something that isn't done regularly over there with you guys?

 

[profitius]

Why do you think Schmidt is doing a bad job? Name a coach who'd do the job better.

Schmidt didn't ruin a near certain try by running in front of Rory Best from a maul 2 metres from the line. Schmidt didn't have a kick blocked down at the end to kill the game. Schmidt didn't knock the ball on less than 5 metres from the line from a charged down kick. Players have to take responsibility. Ireland have beaten New Zealand, Australia and South Africa within the last calendar year. To say that's getting progressively worse is farcical. You're not giving Wales or Scotland the credit they deserve.

If there's a coach who's not performing up to the task at the moment, it's Andy Farrell. While not giving away many penalties denies opponents kickable penalties and is to be commended, Ireland are conceding a massive number of tries.

I do believe mistakes have been made by the head coach (the selection of Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Sean O'Brien and Keith Earls of late for example) but he has enough recent credit in the bank to more than make up for it.

Well thats 1 try in 2 games despite being camped in on the line for long periods in both games. Lets face it, Ireland have thee worst attack in world rugby. Its puke rugby, everyone has been saying it for years.

This 6 nations has been a failure. The last 6 nations was muck and Ireland bombed out of the world cup, scraping past Italy. He has no credit in the bank anymore.

 

[munstermuffin]

On watering pitch. Wales outsmarted Ireland and well done on that. It evidently irked Schmidt and hampered his preperations. That shows it worked on Wales side

 

[profitius]

On watering pitch. Wales outsmarted Ireland and well done on that. It evidently irked Schmidt and hampered his preperations. That shows it worked on Wales side

See, even the f**king groundsman is outsmarting Schmidt these days!

 

[mosfeldt]

Well thats 1 try in 2 games despite being camped in on the line for long periods in both games. Lets face it, Ireland have thee worst attack in world rugby. Its puke rugby, everyone has been saying it for years.

This 6 nations has been a failure. The last 6 nations was muck and Ireland bombed out of the world cup, scraping past Italy. He has no credit in the bank anymore.

It's hard to call. The glories of winning back-to-back 6ns in 14/15, first win over NZ, first win in SA + a nice win over Australia after vs 2 bad 6N, a pretty disappointing world cup. I would say his credit will is totally dependent on next year's 6N, at which point it may be too late to change coach seeing as the WC would be the year after, though that didn't stop Cheika from reaching the final...

I dunno. Oddly enough I'm not that gutted about this result. Of course it's disappointing, but I always thought this would be our hardest fixture and as soon as we lost to Scotland I felt we'd lost it. It was a fair match and I'm genuinely happy to see Wales play well again, it must mean so much to the players and fans. I saw one older Welsh fan at the end with some teary eyes, touched me a bit. The power of sport. They've gotten a lot of stick lately but as Schmidt likes to say often himself, rugby is a game of fine margins and their losses to England and Scotland were by no means indicators that they had become a ****e team. Definitely not where they used to be but still a quality side. I think it's part of the reason why this result doesn't sting as much - I feel Ireland and Wales are in a pretty similar position, main difference being Ireland have introduced a few more caps. Both teams are still great sides who lack consistency.

All in all, a good match. It was a good match for the 6N as a tournament. It was nice to see Marmion up the tempo when he came on - Schmidt should be more willing to use him. Similarly, I think it may be time to start swapping out of some of the old reliables. It may be a tough pill to swallow but Best is past his prime IMO, and SOB is not the beast he used to be. I'm in favour for experimenting with POM and VDF some more.

 

[ALJ]

Well thats 1 try in 2 games despite being camped in on the line for long periods in both games. Lets face it, Ireland have thee worst attack in world rugby. Its puke rugby, everyone has been saying it for years.

This 6 nations has been a failure. The last 6 nations was muck and Ireland bombed out of the world cup, scraping past Italy. He has no credit in the bank anymore.

This is the attack that put 40 points on the ABs 5 months ago?

I appreciate that this hasn't been a good tournament for the Irish but placing so much blame on Schmit seems like a bit of an over-reaction.

 

[munstermuffin]

This is the attack that put 40 points on the ABs 5 months ago?

I appreciate that this hasn't been a good tournament for the Irish but placing so much blame on Schmit seems like a bit of an over-reaction.

I think issue is as was noted by pundits tonight. Some outside Ireland question did we catch All Black on an off day caught up in the hype of frenzy around Chicago game.
It was pointed since England last lost a game Ireland have 9 losses. If Ireland want to be seen as serious team that's too much. Equally I don't lay all blame at Schmidts door. I admittedly don't like face we won 2 6 Nations on points but lost to teams who were level with us.
But I hope this 6Nations and fact Schmidt is being questioned in media a lot forces him to alter it a bit. He's proven he is a good coach obviously but needs to trust others who aren't in his camp as long and believe in attacking ability of guys

 

[ALJ]

I think issue is as was noted by pundits tonight. Some outside Ireland question did we catch All Black on an off day caught up in the hype of frenzy around Chicago game.
It was pointed since England last lost a game Ireland have 9 losses. If Ireland want to be seen as serious team that's too much. Equally I don't lay all blame at Schmidts door. I admittedly don't like face we won 2 6 Nations on points but lost to teams who were level with us.
But I hope this 6Nations and fact Schmidt is being questioned in media a lot forces him to alter it a bit. He's proven he is a good coach obviously but needs to trust others who aren't in his camp as long and believe in attacking ability of guys

Wouldn't argue with any of that tbh.

Must admit, I had always thought Schmit was the master of boring rugby until the last 12 months when he seemed to be trying to expand Ireland's game plan.

Can't quite decide if this is just teething troubles on the way to something glorious or whether he's just lost his way.

 

[profitius]

This is the attack that put 40 points on the ABs 5 months ago?

I appreciate that this hasn't been a good tournament for the Irish but placing so much blame on Schmit seems like a bit of an over-reaction.

You should try looking up the overall record since the world cup.

 

[corny]

Its not the patterns its the lads he's picking to execute the moves who are letting him down. We actually shift the point of attack quite well but when speed isn't relevant for wing selection you're kind of up **** creek with your patterns.

Ireland have one player in the backs who's physically strong and fast and we use him as a battering ram. The rest are either slow, aged or underpowered. Being good in the air for example seems to be a higher priority.

Pick the right players to play attacking rugby and Schmidt's ability to coach (demonstrated at Leinster) will be revealed. We have the players its just people in this part of the world are terrified of inexperience. Schmidt is one of them.