Ireland v France

[monkeypigeon]

Looks like we need not worry. Kidney has said that he's confident that Kearney will be fine to play on Saturday. He did go down oddly on his ankle but the crutches were just a precaution to keep weight of it for the day.

Hurray!

 

[shazbooger]

Well someone needs to hurry the **** up and find another excuse, and FAST!

 

[An Tarbh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Logorrhea @ Feb 5 2009, 12:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Well someone needs to hurry the **** up and find another excuse, and FAST![/b]

don't worry if all else fails we'll just use the ref as a scapegoat.

 

[shazbooger]

Hmmm I was thinking Gaffney myself. Kinda getting the feel for that "rant" having sat in the RDS over the past two months.

 

[An Tarbh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Logorrhea @ Feb 5 2009, 03:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Hmmm I was thinking Gaffney myself. Kinda getting the feel for that "rant" having sat in the RDS over the past two months.[/b]

well a Gaffney rant could be on the cards, I've been saving my breath cause I think it's down to Whitaker being pants, but if we do nothing with an in form O'Leary at scrum half then it could be well deserved.

 

[An Tarbh]

Been plenty said from the French side about the importance of the scrum in this match and the sore point that was conceding the penalty try in last year's match. Revenge is definitely in mind from the French.

 

[elgringoborracho]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (An Tarbh @ Feb 5 2009, 04:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Been plenty said from the French side about the importance of the scrum in this match and the sore point that was conceding the penalty try in last year's match. Revenge is definitely in mind from the French.[/b]

Of course mon ami. And I don't ask an Irish if he needs revenge, after what happened the last time we went to Croke Park (it was Ireland's first match there ever wasn't it?)

 

[An Tarbh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (elgringoborracho @ Feb 5 2009, 04:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (An Tarbh @ Feb 5 2009, 04:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Been plenty said from the French side about the importance of the scrum in this match and the sore point that was conceding the penalty try in last year's match. Revenge is definitely in mind from the French.[/b]

Of course mon ami. And I don't ask an Irish if he needs revenge, after what happened the last time we went to Croke Park (it was Ireland's first match there ever wasn't it?)
[/b][/quote]

yeah there was that time and last year and both world cups and the time before that and the time before that, this team don't need motivation for beating the French and this time round we've no excuses either.

 

[elgringoborracho]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (An Tarbh @ Feb 5 2009, 05:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (elgringoborracho @ Feb 5 2009, 04:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (An Tarbh @ Feb 5 2009, 04:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Been plenty said from the French side about the importance of the scrum in this match and the sore point that was conceding the penalty try in last year's match. Revenge is definitely in mind from the French.[/b]

Of course mon ami. And I don't ask an Irish if he needs revenge, after what happened the last time we went to Croke Park (it was Ireland's first match there ever wasn't it?)
[/b][/quote]

yeah there was that time and last year and both world cups and the time before that and the time before that, this team don't need motivation for beating the French and this time round we've no excuses either.
[/b][/quote]


AHHHHHH more, please... That being said, and as much as I would love to extend your list a little more, I have to say our priority target this year is the English... Wait, that's every year!

 

[An Tarbh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (elgringoborracho @ Feb 5 2009, 05:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (An Tarbh @ Feb 5 2009, 05:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (elgringoborracho @ Feb 5 2009, 04:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (An Tarbh @ Feb 5 2009, 04:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Been plenty said from the French side about the importance of the scrum in this match and the sore point that was conceding the penalty try in last year's match. Revenge is definitely in mind from the French.[/b]

Of course mon ami. And I don't ask an Irish if he needs revenge, after what happened the last time we went to Croke Park (it was Ireland's first match there ever wasn't it?)
[/b][/quote]

yeah there was that time and last year and both world cups and the time before that and the time before that, this team don't need motivation for beating the French and this time round we've no excuses either.
[/b][/quote]


AHHHHHH more, please... That being said, and as much as I would love to extend your list a little more, I have to say our priority target this year is the English... Wait, that's every year!
[/b][/quote]

you certainly owe them one but the same can be said of us with you.

 

[Mr.cyclopede]

Don't know if we can really compare the rivality beetween France and England and Ireland vs France.

For us, beyond beeing our best ennemy, England represent a complete opposition in the game style (even if things have changed for a while), so it's more than a victory by points when we beat them, but also the demonstration that a beautiful game can be effective (England is invincible, but sometimes we beat them !) England is here often compared with Australia in their style.

Without any pretention, I don't think Irish people see in us this difference of style, and as I sincerely have, respect us as a team which love to play an open, creative and dynamic game. I'd say the same with Walles and Scotland.

 

[An Tarbh]

I think every nation views England as their biggest rival, or moreso in recent times the match they still really want to win.

 

[elgringoborracho]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mr.cyclopede @ Feb 5 2009, 07:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Don't know if we can really compare the rivality beetween France and England and Ireland vs France.

For us, beyond beeing our best ennemy, England represent a complete opposition in the game style (even if things have changed for a while), so it's more than a victory by points when we beat them, but also the demonstration that a beautiful game can be effective (England is invincible, but sometimes we beat them !) England is here often compared with Australia in their style.

Without any pretention, I don't think Irish people see in us this difference of style, and as I sincerely have, respect us as a team which love to play an open, creative and dynamic game. I'd say the same with Walles and Scotland.[/b]

This is what the fench press likes to emphasize. And it was probably true a decade ago. Now all gamestyles tend to look like each other and it sounds a bit arrogant to claim that we are the only ones trying to play open rugby. An interesting thing with Lievremont is that he really wants to bring french flair back. French flair died at least ten years ago if you ask me.

The thing with the english is that they are one of the few nations clearly not wanting to play that sort of rugby, with players like Noon or the other fat center whose name I can't recall.

 

[JohnBE]

no France are our biggest rivals

 

[An Tarbh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JohnBE @ Feb 5 2009, 07:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

no France are our biggest rivals[/b]

in terms of winning the championship, maybe, but not in terms of history.

 

[feicarsinn]

well historically england fill the role of rivals i guess as they do for most teams. more recently argentina have taken over the role while the only reason theres a suggestion of rivalry between us and the french is because they keep beating us

 

[An Tarbh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (feicarsinn @ Feb 5 2009, 07:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

well historically england fill the role of rivals i guess as they do for most teams. more recently argentina have taken over the role while the only reason theres a suggestion of rivalry between us and the french is because they keep beating us[/b]

that and the recent games between the sides have made compulsive viewing. 1 complete mismatch in 10 years of championship rugby says it all.

 

[Mr.cyclopede]

I'm not talking of fashion and cliché like "french flair".
Even at a national level, you still can see that great teams have it's own style, with advantage and inconvenients. This style is generally deeply graved as the coach is in, bust sometimes even go beyond him.

Teams like Toulouse or Clermont don't play like Biarritz or Paris, even if this first part of the season was the reign of up and under, mainly due to the stress of how the new rules would be applied (support and rucks).

England is still an expert on how to keep the ball by pick and go, and as we have seen in TLS/Bath spend more than 7 min in this position, despite the support diving with the ball handler, and had only been penalised after the 80th min. Can find any team here to rivalise in this sector

 

[An Tarbh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mr.cyclopede @ Feb 5 2009, 07:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I'm not talking of fashion and cliché like "french flair".
Even at a national level, you still can see that great teams have it's own style, with advantage and inconvenients. This style is generally deeply graved as the coach is in, bust sometimes even go beyond him.

Teams like Toulouse or Clermont don't play like Biarritz or Paris, even if this first part of the season was the reign of up and under, mainly due to the stress of how the new rules would be applied (support and rucks).

England is still an expert on how to keep the ball by pick and go, and as we have seen in TLS/Bath spend more than 7 min in this position, despite the support diving with the ball handler, and had only been penalised after the 80th min. Can find any team here to rivalise in this sector[/b]

conditions on the day dictated that style of play, certainly isn't Bath's A gameplan.

 

[danny]

Pick and go has been really affected by the strict refereeing of the contact area. This is no longer an England strength neither the rolling maul.