Ireland v France

[Feicarsinn]

Songs eh? Who are we playing next, Scotland? Simples.


Fock your Nick De Luca I've got Dorce outside! (unfortunately)

 

[Conal]

why hasnt p wallace got any game time? surely he couldnt have been worse than darcy was?

 

[Feicarsinn]

I'm going to put forward James Downey for the 12 shirt. He's had a very god two years with Northampton and such are our inside centre problems that the fact that he hasn't even been considered for 'A' duty is a massive cause for concern.

 

[King_D'Arcy]

Hey Now! Let's get off D'Arcy's back. There's clearly been something wrong with the balls they've been playing with over the last 2 weeks. How can you expect a man of that magnitude to play with 2nd rate balls? Gordon will only handle the finest balls the IRB have to offer...

 

[Feicarsinn]

Should've gone lower on Rougerie in that case...

 

[Peat]

I'm going to put forward James Downey for the 12 shirt. He's had a very god two years with Northampton and such are our inside centre problems that the fact that he hasn't even been considered for 'A' duty is a massive cause for concern.

Problems? D'Arcy and Mincer are both highly experienced, quality players. When you're playing DJ Shape then you've got sodding problems. Honestly, some people are so spoilt...

That said, the fact that your one out and out bosh centre option hasn't even been looked at is slightly is a little odd - or would be if Ireland's reluctance to look at overseas players by and large wasn't well established.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Presume Downey wouldn't be considered for Ireland now because he's only a year or so younger than Wallace and D'Arcy, and they'd rather bring in a younger guy (who though? All the younger players seem to be really young, maybe too young for international?) than bring in another older guy
Do think Downey should've gotten a cap (or more) at some point though, good player

Hitting form at Saints can't have helped either - Bowe was capped while at Ulster wasn't he? So he'd have been on the radar before going to Ospreys
Then again, Geordan Murphys done alright for himself and he's never played in Ireland

 

[Feicarsinn]

McFadden could always be given a go at 12. You know, where he actually plays.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Ah, thought he was a 12 (thought it was either him or Johny Murphy, who I previously thought was about 19 until wikipedia informed me he's 26)

On Downey, Ireland should play him against England:

 

[munstermuffin]

Downey is good enough but for financial reasons I presume as long as he is based outside Ireland he won't be selected. IRFU have decent link with Leicester Tigers but after that selecting guys in England is really a no no

 

[Logorrhea]

Downey is good enough

No hes not.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

No hes not.

+1

Downey's a good club player who bashes it up the middle and puts in decent tackles. He's has very limited in a creative sense and picking him would stunt the play of outside backs. He's also just about to turn 30 so he's not one for the future either. I'd pick Wallace, D'arcy, McFadden, Fitzgerald and Spence before I'd pick Downey at 12.

 

[Shaggy]

Based on what? I hear what you are all saying, and I understand you are all in agreement that Ireland = bad, France = good but aside from one or two scrums when we did get shunted back (after Cian Healy went off weirdly enough) there is no evidence of it.

Mas had Healy in all sorts of trouble, but Ross and Best held their own at our tighthead. Blaming the tighthead for collapsing the scrum seems a bit random. Especially against someine like Domingo who scrummages around his ankles.

Last week you all told Ireland to stop complaining about the ref and accept we have a shite scrum. This week you all start complaining about the ref because he didnt think we have a shite scrum. You made your minds up sometime last year me thinks when Hayes was still first choice tight head. Now i'm not saying Ireland are a scrummaging powerhouse, but we are a lot stronger then we have been in the past. None of you are open to seeing that, your minds are already made up.

Yep, Ireland did much better at scrum time, there were hardly any collapses, and the ref reffed the scrums much better than the other guy last week.

I actually only saw bits of the game when it was played live, but watched it entirely yesterday (after reading the comments on here), and I actually didn't think either side was as bad as some have made them out to be - it was a good, tough, test match.

I thought O'Leary didn't have a bad game either, and given where the French no.5 was at the time, made the correct decision in going himself to score his try

 

[Teh Mite]

I completely agree. Downey is no more then a club players and all talk of him every getting a call up should be forgotten immedeately...

Please? Pretty please? h34r:

 

[Peat]

+1

Downey's a good club player who bashes it up the middle and puts in decent tackles. He's has very limited in a creative sense and picking him would stunt the play of outside backs. He's also just about to turn 30 so he's not one for the future either. I'd pick Wallace, D'arcy, McFadden, Fitzgerald and Spence before I'd pick Downey at 12.

Bullitt, would you say Downey stunts the play of Northampton's outside backs?

Besides, Sexton tends to move wide to create for Ireland anyway, either by moving to first or second receiver...

 

[munstermuffin]

I'm not saying he's our best option just he is as good as some that are in squad

 

[Teh Mite]

Bullitt, would you say Downey stunts the play of Northampton's outside backs?

He's a typical hit-up 12 who offers space for Clarke to do his linebreaking and spinning. Like David Quinlan with the additional ability to score tries.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

He's a typical hit-up 12 who offers space for Clarke to do his linebreaking and spinning. Like David Quinlan with the additional ability to score tries.

10 of them in 108 games. Quinlan must have been rubbish!

 

[Teh Mite]

Better then the solitary 1 that Quinlan scored!

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Better then the solitary 1 that Quinlan scored!

3 in 25 im afraid