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

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

No one plays like they do vs England!

Certainly not Wales. It's why I thought they'd get pumped in Murrayfield.

 

[ncurd]

Question: Has Schmidt stopped laughing yet?

TBF on the you don't become a bad team overnight if your NZ or England at the moment and you lose one game your coach can probably say it with a straight face.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Moriarty over Falateu

I Tipuric over Faletau is the bad call,
With Warburton looking back to his best then, imo, the best backrow Wales can field is easily 6. Moriarty, 7. Warburton, 8. Faletau
Tipuric to come on when the game opens up towards the end and players are slower to get to the rucks

 

[corny]

I Tipuric over Faletau is the bad call,
With Warburton looking back to his best then, imo, the best backrow Wales can field is easily 6. Moriarty, 7. Warburton, 8. Faletau
Tipuric to come on when the game opens up towards the end and players are slower to get to the rucks

Faletau hasn't earned the jersey. He's added nothing off the bench when called upon, however, i take the point that Tipuric is the one you drop.

2 years ago in this fixture Wales made 250+ tackles and were camped on their line for long periods. That might be a once off but its certainly possible they'll be asked to make a lot of tackles on Friday. Ireland look stronger in the set piece and even against the best (NZ, twice) they dominated possession and took it through phases. Thats Warburtons game. He's about as physically strong and durable at the breakdown as any man in world rugby.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Faletau hasn't earned the jersey. He's added nothing off the bench when called upon, however, i take the point that Tipuric is the one you drop.

Think this is somewhat unfair. No he hasn't done much off the bench but he's never been an impact player, he's a hard grafter and so of course bringing off the bench won't let him show what he can do. It would be like England bringing on Robshaw and saying he doesn't deserve to start because he's not making an impact. It's not what they're meant to do.

Over the last couple of years I'd say Faletau's been your best player, arguably the only one that can really be considered to be world class. In my mind, if he's fit, he starts.

 

[dullonien]

I Tipuric over Faletau is the bad call,
With Warburton looking back to his best then, imo, the best backrow Wales can field is easily 6. Moriarty, 7. Warburton, 8. Faletau
Tipuric to come on when the game opens up towards the end and players are slower to get to the rucks

Don't agree in the slightest. Tipuric's problem is that Wales play such an appalling brand of rugby, full of errors, and with very little attacking gameplan. Stick him in a structured team and I truly believe he'd look like a world beater, mixing the flashy with the unseen, popping up all over the pitch. Take the ospreys, he's consistently one of their best players. Warburton's a great player for us at the moment, purely because we're lacking carriers in our tight 5 (something we desperately need to work on), and we're living off scraps, meaning those scraps Warburton pilfers at the breakdown are so valuable.

We should have bigger aspirations than that, and Tips should be a key cog in that masterplan on playing an expansive open game, where we look like we have a clue what we're doing with the ball.

Honestly I've completely given up on Howley after today's selection. To make no changes whatsoever is just madness. He goes on about not becoming a bad team overnight, but we can all see that it's been a steady decline since that day in Cardiff in 2013. He's kidding no-one, and if we play as abjectly again and lose against Ireland he'd better be ready for the abuse coming his way from all quarters. Just about every pundit and fan have been singing from the same hymn sheet regarding needing change since the loss to Scotland, everyone can see it but the management. Don't get me started on Shaun Edwards' comments yesterday, they're all coming across as clueless atm.

 

[corny]

Think this is somewhat unfair. No he hasn't done much off the bench but he's never been an impact player, he's a hard grafter and so of course bringing off the bench won't let him show what he can do. It would be like England bringing on Robshaw and saying he doesn't deserve to start because he's not making an impact. It's not what they're meant to do.

Over the last couple of years I'd say Faletau's been your best player, arguably the only one that can really be considered to be world class. In my mind, if he's fit, he starts.

Thats a rather banal observation. 'Impact player' is just a cliche. Starting players do their stuff when the whistle goes. Subs do their stuff when they come on. Every player should contribute to the best of their ability during the game.

Faletau just hasn't been at the races when he's come on. Might have something to do with getting so little time with Wales over the past few months or it may be he just needs games after injuery. Regardless, he doesn't deserve to start especially when you consider the back row trio have done nothing wrong.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

This championship is reminding me of 2013 except Wales and Ireland have reversed their roles. Ireland didn't show up for the first half of the first game and lost a game they should have won but have improved steadily game on game while Wales saw a few positives in the first game but their coaching staff has gone stale since. If England don't land the bp v the Scots I think its our championship to lose.

This game will be closer than it should be but we'll get by without ever thinking we'd lose imo.

- - - Updated - - -

15. Rob Kearney
14. Keith Earls
13. Garry Ringrose
12. Robbie Henshaw
11. Simon Zebo
10. Johnny Sexton
9. Conor Murray

1.Jack McGrath
2. Rory Best
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Donnacha Ryan
5. Devin Toner
6. CJ Stander
7. Sean O'Brien
8. Jamie Heaslip

Replacements:

16. Niall Scannell
17. Cian Healy
18. John Ryan
19. Iain Henderson
20. Peter O'Mahony
21. Kieran Marmion
22. Paddy Jackson
23. Tommy Bowe

Tommy Bowe is the worst selection I've ever seen from Schmidt...

 

[AzaMatt]

howley's comments today are literally a copy and paste job. blah blah redeem themselves, blah blah bad team overnight. its just complete crap. id rather us take a hammering by making a few questionable selection choices rather than pick the exact same team. there is 0 development going on.

 

[corny]

Schmidt was asked why Bowe. He said he's good in the air and he's trained the house down. I'm never happy with the back three selections but the 23 shirt is a minor annoyance tbh. Hopefully Tommy goes well when he comes on.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Jamie Heaslip making his 100th international cap, he'll have to wait until next year's championship to hit 100 for Ireland.

Probably ranks third in our best players of the pro era after BOD and POC.

 

[munstermuffin]

Bowe on bench is bad call as he's literally shown no form. Other than that not much scope for argument. How we play will be key. The narrow defense should work as Wales go up middle alot.
Is roof open for this?

 

[Tadginator]

Here's the video of Schmidt talking about Tommy Bowe https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
Don't know how he can still think Bowe is the best option. Bowe doesn't even offer great utility. I'd much rather a youngster given a chance. Need to keep building depth

 

[munstermuffin]

1 feels this may be last time you ever see Bowe in green again though. Can't see him therenext week when Payne returns and equally there's too much talented youth to see him on Summer tour

 

[Groundhog]

Wayne Barnes is reffing too. Hate that man as a referee. Indifferent to him as a barrister.

 

[TW27BA]

Almost feel sorry for the Welsh supporters with another same old selection. Schmidt will be confident seeing the Welsh teamsheet too.
Got to go for Ireland with them having a better scrum, better pack, better threequarters and a better backline. Home advantage won't be enough. Ireland by 10+

 

[Groundhog]

Still not calling this one outright. Still have worries. They've had our number in a big way in the past. I still rate their backrow, and their 2 number 7 system has unraveled us before. I'm not putting excuses in or setting myself up for a less painful defeat, but if they do win, it will be by spoiling our ability to get quick ball, and not trying to fight fire with fire, which honestly I think they probably will unluckily for them

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

This championship is reminding me of 2013 except Wales and Ireland have reversed their roles. Ireland didn't show up for the first half of the first game and lost a game they should have won but have improved steadily game on game while Wales saw a few positives in the first game but their coaching staff has gone stale since. If England don't land the bp v the Scots I think its our championship to lose.

This game will be closer than it should be but we'll get by without ever thinking we'd lose imo.

..

Hadn't Really thought properly about this but you're right - Englands best bet is for a high scoring game at Twickenham with the bonus point. We then just have to get the losing BP against Ireland the week after.

...But if we don't get get the BP against Scotland, we literally have to win against you. I don't know what it comes down to in the event of a tie but it doesn't matter - either head to head, Points difference or whatever, Ireland would win on all those counts.

 

[valley commando]

No bloody changes what an idiot, come on Ireland teach Howler a lesson, maybe if we get well and truly hammered the WRUin will come to their senses and do what they should have done after the AI.s and get rid of this shamatuer excuse for a coach. He's even got Shaun Edwards coming out with infantile remarks after speaking about Sam D and implying keeping the best players on the bench to impact in the last 20 was policy, imagine Barcelona doing that with Messi.

 

[welshoptimist]

Don't agree in the slightest. Tipuric's problem is that Wales play such an appalling brand of rugby, full of errors, and with very little attacking gameplan. Stick him in a structured team and I truly believe he'd look like a world beater, mixing the flashy with the unseen, popping up all over the pitch. Take the ospreys, he's consistently one of their best players. Warburton's a great player for us at the moment, purely because we're lacking carriers in our tight 5 (something we desperately need to work on), and we're living off scraps, meaning those scraps Warburton pilfers at the breakdown are so valuable.

We should have bigger aspirations than that, and Tips should be a key cog in that masterplan on playing an expansive open game, where we look like we have a clue what we're doing
with the ball.

Honestly I've completely given up on Howley after today's selection. To make no changes whatsoever is just madness. He goes on about not becoming a bad team overnight, but we can all see that it's been a steady decline since that day in Cardiff in 2013. He's kidding no-one, and if we play as abjectly again and lose against Ireland he'd better be ready for the abuse coming his way from all quarters. Just about every pundit and fan have been singing from the same hymn sheet regarding needing change since the loss to Scotland, everyone can see it but the management. Don't get me started on Shaun Edwards' comments yesterday, they're all coming across as clueless atm.

I agree when it comes to tipuric, he has been in constant great form for the ospreys and wales for 3 years now, literally never has a bad game, unfortunately for him it was at the time that warburton was on great form and it was keeping him off the 1st team sheet,
our brand of rugby is just non existant , we have gone from warrenball to playing tennis like the ospreys in the 1st games, and then to playing the ball wide over and over again without earning the right too, a bit like the scarlets, there is just no game plan at all