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redunderthebed
Guest
Great game only manage to watch bits of it but how about that run by chabal freaking brilliant. :bravo: Also good to see some of the leinster boys get amongst the tries. 
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A
An Tarbh
Guest
don't care who scores the tries as long they're wearing green. Pleased for Heaslip though, copped a lot of flak earlier in the season and rightly so, but he's come good and then some since Christmas.
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Bullitt
Guest
Super game. The 1st French score was try of the tournament. Ireland deserved winners and D'Arcy looked sharp. Drank too much Guinness to remember much else.
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Sir Speedy
Guest
I just noticed I have seven pages to catch up on, so f*** that, I'll just give my two cents.
France were beautiful when they had the ball. Their first try surely has to be an early contender for Try of the Tournament; majestic stuff, even though the final pass appeared forward. Their second try came from a lucky bounce, granted, but Beauxis's kick was spot on. The game was far more intense than the dross served up by Italy and England earlier. France attacked the gainline with ferocity and caused Ireland problems in open play. If France could control the game like Ireland, then they'd win this tournament hands down, because not a side in the World can attack as well as them when they click.
Harinorduquy was immense - his one-handed catch from the lineout was class - but Heaslip was even better. If a single Irish player put their hands up for Lions contention yesterday - out of the two games - Heaslip was the man. He carried well off the base of the scrum, tackled ferociously and scored a very good try. O'Driscoll also put his hand aswell. I hope I'm not alone when I say that's the best game he's played for a long time. O'Gara disappointed again, and I think that's confirmation enough that he's on the decline. He kicked every time he had the ball and it just got predictable in the end, and it allowed France to counter-attack.
Ireland in general won the battle at the breakdown - slowing France ball, and preventing them from having possession. They went through the phases and retained possession, and got awarded penalties through French indiscipline and capitalized through ROG's punts. They were more 'street-smart' than France, and beat them in an almost Munster-esque way. It was a very impressive way to exorcise the French demons, and they'll be a formidable side if they carry on like this.
France won't lose another game, in my opinion. Unless Wales carry on where they left off in the Autumn, France will near the top of the table come March. They lacked leadership and physicality at Irelands' rucks, so they rarely got a turn-over and this effectively lost them the game. If Lievremont can sort out the breakdown, I can't wait to see what France will be like. As I said, they played the most exciting rugby yesterday than I've seen in a while...
A good way to make up for the toss that we had on the first game; a good advertisement for the sport.
Congratulations to all Irishmen aswell. Can't imagine how good that felt for you.
By the way, I'm still not impressed by Kearney. He needs to sort his kicking out. *runs*
France were beautiful when they had the ball. Their first try surely has to be an early contender for Try of the Tournament; majestic stuff, even though the final pass appeared forward. Their second try came from a lucky bounce, granted, but Beauxis's kick was spot on. The game was far more intense than the dross served up by Italy and England earlier. France attacked the gainline with ferocity and caused Ireland problems in open play. If France could control the game like Ireland, then they'd win this tournament hands down, because not a side in the World can attack as well as them when they click.
Harinorduquy was immense - his one-handed catch from the lineout was class - but Heaslip was even better. If a single Irish player put their hands up for Lions contention yesterday - out of the two games - Heaslip was the man. He carried well off the base of the scrum, tackled ferociously and scored a very good try. O'Driscoll also put his hand aswell. I hope I'm not alone when I say that's the best game he's played for a long time. O'Gara disappointed again, and I think that's confirmation enough that he's on the decline. He kicked every time he had the ball and it just got predictable in the end, and it allowed France to counter-attack.
Ireland in general won the battle at the breakdown - slowing France ball, and preventing them from having possession. They went through the phases and retained possession, and got awarded penalties through French indiscipline and capitalized through ROG's punts. They were more 'street-smart' than France, and beat them in an almost Munster-esque way. It was a very impressive way to exorcise the French demons, and they'll be a formidable side if they carry on like this.
France won't lose another game, in my opinion. Unless Wales carry on where they left off in the Autumn, France will near the top of the table come March. They lacked leadership and physicality at Irelands' rucks, so they rarely got a turn-over and this effectively lost them the game. If Lievremont can sort out the breakdown, I can't wait to see what France will be like. As I said, they played the most exciting rugby yesterday than I've seen in a while...
A good way to make up for the toss that we had on the first game; a good advertisement for the sport.
Congratulations to all Irishmen aswell. Can't imagine how good that felt for you.
By the way, I'm still not impressed by Kearney. He needs to sort his kicking out. *runs*
B
Buceph
Guest
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teh Mite @ Feb 8 2009, 12:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Heaslips try was probably second best of the tournament, so far anyway. I have no doubt the Welsh will pull out one or two memorable ones.
Heaslips try was probably second best of the tournament, so far anyway. I have no doubt the Welsh will pull out one or two memorable ones.
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An Tarbh
Guest
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Sir. Speedy @ Feb 8 2009, 02:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
well considering Kearney's ankle wasn't 100% his kicking was always going to be hit and miss yesterday, so no alarms for me, he was superb in every other facet of play. Just hope he's right for next week.
Slight exageration on ROG, he didn't kick everything and was pivotal in at least 2 of the tries.
I just noticed I have seven pages to catch up on, so f*** that, I'll just give my two cents.
France were beautiful when they had the ball. Their first try surely has to be an early contender for Try of the Tournament; majestic stuff, even though the final pass appeared forward. Their second try came from a lucky bounce, granted, but Beauxis's kick was spot on. The game was far more intense than the dross served up by Italy and England earlier. France attacked the gainline with ferocity and caused Ireland problems in open play. If France could control the game like Ireland, then they'd win this tournament hands down, because not a side in the World can attack as well as them when they click.
Harinorduquy was immense - his one-handed catch from the lineout was class - but Heaslip was even better. If a single Irish player put their hands up for Lions contention yesterday - out of the two games - Heaslip was the man. He carried well off the base of the scrum, tackled ferociously and scored a very good try. O'Driscoll also put his hand aswell. I hope I'm not alone when I say that's the best game he's played for a long time. O'Gara disappointed again, and I think that's confirmation enough that he's on the decline. He kicked every time he had the ball and it just got predictable in the end, and it allowed France to counter-attack.
Ireland in general won the battle at the breakdown - slowing France ball, and preventing them from having possession. They went through the phases and retained possession, and got awarded penalties through French indiscipline and capitalized through ROG's punts. They were more 'street-smart' than France, and beat them in an almost Munster-esque way. It was a very impressive way to exorcise the French demons, and they'll be a formidable side if they carry on like this.
France won't lose another game, in my opinion. Unless Wales carry on where they left off in the Autumn, France will near the top of the table come March. They lacked leadership and physicality at Irelands' rucks, so they rarely got a turn-over and this effectively lost them the game. If Lievremont can sort out the breakdown, I can't wait to see what France will be like. As I said, they played the most exciting rugby yesterday than I've seen in a while...
A good way to make up for the toss that we had on the first game; a good advertisement for the sport.
Congratulations to all Irishmen aswell. Can't imagine how good that felt for you.
By the way, I'm still not impressed by Kearney. He needs to sort his kicking out. *runs*[/b]
well considering Kearney's ankle wasn't 100% his kicking was always going to be hit and miss yesterday, so no alarms for me, he was superb in every other facet of play. Just hope he's right for next week.
Slight exageration on ROG, he didn't kick everything and was pivotal in at least 2 of the tries.
S
Sir Speedy
Guest
I judge what I see. I concede he was a rock under the high ball.
On ROG: from my POV, he seemed to kick every time he had the ball. Maybe once or twice it came off for him, but otherwise it was just a danger area for Ireland. It was always going to be that against the French...
And I'm not sure what you mean about him being pivotal in your two tries.
On ROG: from my POV, he seemed to kick every time he had the ball. Maybe once or twice it came off for him, but otherwise it was just a danger area for Ireland. It was always going to be that against the French...
And I'm not sure what you mean about him being pivotal in your two tries.
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An Tarbh
Guest
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Sir. Speedy @ Feb 8 2009, 02:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
killer pass twice.
killer pass twice.
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snoopy snoopy dog dog
Guest
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (An Tarbh @ Feb 8 2009, 02:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
I thought O'Gara passed well but his kicking game was dreadful. About 5-10 minutes from the end with Ireland leading by 27-18, we had the ball in the French 22 and were going through the phases. A drop goal would have killed the game off. O'Gara decided that the best course of action would be a (and I'm being kind here) 50:50 grubber kick from 15 yards away which the French gathered and went the length of the pitch with. The result? A French penalty which made it a one score game.
O'Gara can control a game better than most but I thought he was poor yesterday. I agree with Sir. Speedy that he's in decline but his best is still more than good enough, it's just that he doesn't reach it as often now as he had done in the past.
Yep. He played a key role in O'Driscoll's score but cancelled that out with his "contribution" to Medard's try - a stupid, aimless kick is what started that entire phase of play (O'Leary and Kearney also share some of the blame). I wouldn't call his pass to Heaslip for the Leinsterman's score any more than routine. Bowe, Kearney and Heaslip did all the hard work for that try.
I thought O'Gara passed well but his kicking game was dreadful. About 5-10 minutes from the end with Ireland leading by 27-18, we had the ball in the French 22 and were going through the phases. A drop goal would have killed the game off. O'Gara decided that the best course of action would be a (and I'm being kind here) 50:50 grubber kick from 15 yards away which the French gathered and went the length of the pitch with. The result? A French penalty which made it a one score game.
O'Gara can control a game better than most but I thought he was poor yesterday. I agree with Sir. Speedy that he's in decline but his best is still more than good enough, it's just that he doesn't reach it as often now as he had done in the past.
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An Tarbh
Guest
admittedly he can be better but that was a vast improvement on what he's been offering up of late. Ouedrago plowed through him as well in the initial buildup for Harinordoquy's try
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JohnBE
Guest
what is this about ROG?.. he played very well.. his passing was top class..
look he set off the leinster backline a hell of a lot better than Contemponi or Nacewa..
When you take Rog out of the setup you realize how good he actually is.
O'Gara played very well in that game and without him we would not have won, end of as far as Im concerned
look he set off the leinster backline a hell of a lot better than Contemponi or Nacewa..
When you take Rog out of the setup you realize how good he actually is.
O'Gara played very well in that game and without him we would not have won, end of as far as Im concerned
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monkeypigeon
Guest
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JohnBE @ Feb 8 2009, 07:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Yeah but his kicking was horrid. he kicked directly yo the hands of the back 3 and his place kicking was iffy.
Yeah but his kicking was horrid. he kicked directly yo the hands of the back 3 and his place kicking was iffy.
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An Tarbh
Guest
yeah plenty to improve on with his kicking game, but I felt he was a lot more relaxed in this game
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shazbooger
Guest
Just to be picky (as is my want) but Ireland outscored France three tries to two.
If France had scored Heaslips try, all the pundits would be wetting themselves. Clean lineout ball, miss pass, loop around, line break by Kearney. Offload to Bowe, linebreak by Bowe, tackle, recycle, fast ball out wide, through two sets of hands (I think) before arriving to Heaslip who was left with a small matter of a 30 yard run through the gap, with two defenders to beat. A nice inside step before he carried the two of them over the line with him. It was class.
As for O'Gara, there were elements of his game that didnt quite click, but his passing throughout was first rate. Most Irish kicking seemed a little aimless (Kearney, O'leary and O'Gara were equally poor at times) through.
I watched the game again this morning and I picked up on a few things.
1. Owens had a good game in general. Hooks (Irish pundit / Idiot with a mic) talk of a home-town ref were far from the mark. Aside from one decision early on that resulted in a turnover for Ireland he pretty much got it bang on. He left a lot of the breakdown go from both sides and only penalised it when foul play was obvious. The french need to learn to stop sealing the ball in the rook. Its so blatantly obvious and no ref will let them away with it.
2. Jausion and Fritz are fookin massive. I never realised Jausion was as big as he is. He dwarfed some of the Irish players.
3. Ireland really look a closer knit group than I have seen them in a while. That Heaslip turnover in the final minutes, celebrated by O'Connell and O'Callaghan. They nearly beat the shite out of him with congratulatory slaps.
4. BO'D had a massive game. Forced at least two turnovers on his own, scored well, distributed well, and didnt kick.
5. Ireland have a proper squad and a coach that is happy to use them. Leamy for Ferris, Best for Flannery, D'Arcy for Wallace. All effective and well timed.
If France had scored Heaslips try, all the pundits would be wetting themselves. Clean lineout ball, miss pass, loop around, line break by Kearney. Offload to Bowe, linebreak by Bowe, tackle, recycle, fast ball out wide, through two sets of hands (I think) before arriving to Heaslip who was left with a small matter of a 30 yard run through the gap, with two defenders to beat. A nice inside step before he carried the two of them over the line with him. It was class.
As for O'Gara, there were elements of his game that didnt quite click, but his passing throughout was first rate. Most Irish kicking seemed a little aimless (Kearney, O'leary and O'Gara were equally poor at times) through.
I watched the game again this morning and I picked up on a few things.
1. Owens had a good game in general. Hooks (Irish pundit / Idiot with a mic) talk of a home-town ref were far from the mark. Aside from one decision early on that resulted in a turnover for Ireland he pretty much got it bang on. He left a lot of the breakdown go from both sides and only penalised it when foul play was obvious. The french need to learn to stop sealing the ball in the rook. Its so blatantly obvious and no ref will let them away with it.
2. Jausion and Fritz are fookin massive. I never realised Jausion was as big as he is. He dwarfed some of the Irish players.
3. Ireland really look a closer knit group than I have seen them in a while. That Heaslip turnover in the final minutes, celebrated by O'Connell and O'Callaghan. They nearly beat the shite out of him with congratulatory slaps.
4. BO'D had a massive game. Forced at least two turnovers on his own, scored well, distributed well, and didnt kick.
5. Ireland have a proper squad and a coach that is happy to use them. Leamy for Ferris, Best for Flannery, D'Arcy for Wallace. All effective and well timed.
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An Tarbh
Guest
Owens was far from a homer, as far as I'm concerned, the French definitely had a couple of fortunate decisions, prior to Beauxis' second drop goal there was an obvious offence by Fritz, few times in the scrum the French popped up and got away with it, yet some of the players in the post match interviews admitted that they didn't handle the ref properly, which is a pretty poor excuse considering how experienced Owens is, it's not as if they haven't come across him at HEC level and internationals.
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An Tarbh
Guest
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Logorrhea @ Feb 8 2009, 07:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
For me that's crucial, for us to have a successful championship we need this 22 to stay fit, it made a huge difference using the bench yesterday and was certainly a welcome change from EOS but if we lose anyone then we could be in serious trouble.
For me that's crucial, for us to have a successful championship we need this 22 to stay fit, it made a huge difference using the bench yesterday and was certainly a welcome change from EOS but if we lose anyone then we could be in serious trouble.
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monkeypigeon
Guest
We could do without injury at 1,3,4,5,10. I feel we're adequately covered everywhere else if we face injury. So long as we don't lose any key players I'm not too worried.
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An Tarbh
Guest
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Monkeypigeon @ Feb 8 2009, 07:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
yeah but that'll take momentum out of the squad if we're chopping and changing. I know there's 50/50 calls at hooker, centre, openside, no. 8 but continuity is so important.
yeah but that'll take momentum out of the squad if we're chopping and changing. I know there's 50/50 calls at hooker, centre, openside, no. 8 but continuity is so important.
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shtove
Guest
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Monkeypigeon @ Feb 9 2009, 07:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Yeah but his kicking was horrid. he kicked directly yo the hands of the back 3 and his place kicking was iffy.
[/b][/quote]
A lot of teams had the same problems in the RWC playing against the ABs. In the end, only SA and Arg really knew how to kick against a deep back three.
Wallace's boot should have been used more to take pressure off ROG and keep the French back three guessing - by the time he gets the ball they're thinking uh-oh better move up in defence, then the kick goes in behind them. Surely that's why he was on the pitch.
One thing we didn't try was the cross pitch kick - but you need Horgan for that.
Watched the game again today, and Heaslip was actually better than Harinord - amazing, smart player.
Yeah but his kicking was horrid. he kicked directly yo the hands of the back 3 and his place kicking was iffy.
[/b][/quote]
A lot of teams had the same problems in the RWC playing against the ABs. In the end, only SA and Arg really knew how to kick against a deep back three.
Wallace's boot should have been used more to take pressure off ROG and keep the French back three guessing - by the time he gets the ball they're thinking uh-oh better move up in defence, then the kick goes in behind them. Surely that's why he was on the pitch.
One thing we didn't try was the cross pitch kick - but you need Horgan for that.
Watched the game again today, and Heaslip was actually better than Harinord - amazing, smart player.
A
An Tarbh
Guest
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (shtove @ Feb 8 2009, 08:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Yeah but his kicking was horrid. he kicked directly yo the hands of the back 3 and his place kicking was iffy.
[/b][/quote]
A lot of teams had the same problems in the RWC playing against the ABs. In the end, only SA and Arg really knew how to kick against a deep back three.
Wallace's boot should have been used more to take pressure off ROG and keep the French back three guessing - by the time he gets the ball they're thinking uh-oh better move up in defence, then the kick goes in behind them. Surely that's why he was on the pitch.
One thing we didn't try was the cross pitch kick - but you need Horgan for that.
Watched the game again today, and Heaslip was actually better than Harinord - amazing, smart player.
[/b][/quote]
but that's not what he does for Ulster so why would Kidney select him to play a different game at international level?
Yeah but his kicking was horrid. he kicked directly yo the hands of the back 3 and his place kicking was iffy.
[/b][/quote]
A lot of teams had the same problems in the RWC playing against the ABs. In the end, only SA and Arg really knew how to kick against a deep back three.
Wallace's boot should have been used more to take pressure off ROG and keep the French back three guessing - by the time he gets the ball they're thinking uh-oh better move up in defence, then the kick goes in behind them. Surely that's why he was on the pitch.
One thing we didn't try was the cross pitch kick - but you need Horgan for that.
Watched the game again today, and Heaslip was actually better than Harinord - amazing, smart player.
[/b][/quote]
but that's not what he does for Ulster so why would Kidney select him to play a different game at international level?
