Ireland vs England

[King_D'Arcy]

I'd put a wheelchair bound Stephen Ferris on the bench ahead of Leamy anyway

 

[smartcooky]

I would never become a Ref...as in the eyes of 30 players and thousands of fans you are immediately a ****** and out to screw them.

Which just shows how brainless the 30 players and thousands of fans are

1. What is his motive to screw them? 99.99% of the time, he has no stake in the result.

2. Do they realise that if there's no ref, there's no game? - (same applies to any sport)

 

[lucky number 7]

Which just shows how brainless the 30 players and thousands of fans are

1. What is his motive to screw them? 99.99% of the time, he has no stake in the result.

2. Do they realise that if there's no ref, there's no game? - (same applies to any sport)

For the record I am not one of those brainless fans although I would complain about a poor decision nonetheless.

 

[lucky number 7]

Wouldn't it be safer to find out if he'll even play again? Losing all the cartilage from your knee is a pretty serious injury, unless he's absolutely 100% recovered he'll end up in a wheelchair playing after that.

if that is the case I doubt Ferris will play top level rugby again ..same sort of thing happend to someone in my Club and it just keeps ******* them up.

 

[munstermuffin]

Ferris has said numerous time he will be a player that is forced to retire earlier than he'd like from game. But I think don't think he'd be a good 2nd row as his style is perfect at 6. I think Ireland will be ok because we are bound to get 1 out of the 4 injured and then after the World Cup Wally will I'm sure ease back

 

[gingergenius]

Which just shows how brainless the 30 players and thousands of fans are

1. What is his motive to screw them? 99.99% of the time, he has no stake in the result.

2. Do they realise that if there's no ref, there's no game? - (same applies to any sport)

both true, but irrelevant when the ref can still get it wrong (because he's human). If the laws of rugby were black and white, like those of professional golf or tennis, then there would be no debating over officials' decisions. Fact is, they're not, many are up to the interpretation of the referee at the time. Prime example being the put-in to the scrum, which is done illegally 99% of the time and penalised hardly ever.

So, fans will continue to judge refereeing performances for as long as the game exists, and they're right to do so. How they do it is another matter - and Ireland vs Wales aside I don't think any wrong refereeing decisions this 6N have had a massive effect on the outcome of the game - which is why you're seeing nobody complain about it.

That doesn't mean that fans can't complain about the interpretations the referee makes of the laws, or how consistent he is with them.

 

[Teh Mite]

The Scrums would be easy to fix if they just regressed the laws back around 7 years. I remember that they hardly even needed resetting etc back then compared to now and were generally done and dusted within a minute of being called instead of the 5 minute pantomime that goes within these days.

 

[Peat]

Wouldn't it be safer to find out if he'll even play again? Losing all the cartilage from your knee is a pretty serious injury, unless he's absolutely 100% recovered he'll end up in a wheelchair playing after that.

He will. It may not end well, but he will. He's been playing with no cartilage for some time hasn't stopped him yet.

Ireland missed Ferris. They missed his ability to clear out rucks more or less by himself. They missed his ability to smash people back in the tackle. They missed his carrying, he's the best tight carrier Ireland have by some difference. I'd be quite happy if Kidney doesn't agree with this, minimal gametime for Ferris is good, and it makes Ireland worse. Unfortunately, no matter what shite the journos spout, I don't see it happening.

edit: And he's still targeting the Northampton game as his return. Fingers crossed.

 

[lucky number 7]

If it does slow him down second row could be a pretty nice place for him to slot in...He is big physical and hard as nails ..Himself and POC in front of Wallace , SOB and Heaslip would be a very intimidating and physical pack.

 

[smartcooky]

So, fans will continue to judge refereeing performances for as long as the game exists, and they're right to do so. How they do it is another matter - and Ireland vs Wales aside I don't think any wrong refereeing decisions this 6N have had a massive effect on the outcome of the game - which is why you're seeing nobody complain about it.

That doesn't mean that fans can't complain about the interpretations the referee makes of the laws, or how consistent he is with them.

Absolutely right, and what is more, referees judge other referees' performances. I am a regular contributor to an international referees forum, and I can tell you the members there are very critical of referees that make really bad mistakes; the Mike Phillips try being the latest. Cock-ups like that cast all of us referees in a bad light.

However, there seems to be a huge disparity between the level of criticism suffered by referees as opposed to that suffered by players. A referee misses three crooked throws to line-outs and he cops a barrage of criticism from fans and the press alike. A player throws three crooked throws to line-outs, the player is hardly mentioned, but the referee is labeled a pedantic prat. The referee can't win.

 

[Teh Mite]

edit: And he's still targeting the Northampton game as his return. Fingers crossed.

Excellent. Poite should ping him regularly at scrum time if his knees go.

 

[Peat]

Even for Poite that's a wee a bit extreme.

And this Ferris to second row nonsense can sod off. For one thing, even slowed down, he's fast enough for back-row. If you want an explosive ball-carrying second row, then he's called Dan Tuohy.

 

[coonor]

Stephen Ferris may have poor knees but he is strong and is very fast. He has not let his knees stop him before and I'm sure he will do what ever he can to keep up his pace and strength. I think he is class and is still much better than O'Brien. He was Ireland's best player in the November Internationals and Really missed abit of this

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Absolutely right, and what is more, referees judge other referees' performances. I am a regular contributor to an international referees forum, and I can tell you the members there are very critical of referees that make really bad mistakes; the Mike Phillips try being the latest. Cock-ups like that cast all of us referees in a bad light.

However, there seems to be a huge disparity between the level of criticism suffered by referees as opposed to that suffered by players. A referee misses three crooked throws to line-outs and he cops a barrage of criticism from fans and the press alike. A player throws three crooked throws to line-outs, the player is hardly mentioned, but the referee is labeled a pedantic prat. The referee can't win.

Smartcooky, out of interest, who would you rate as, say, the 5 best referees at the moment? You're far more qualified to talk about refs that every other poster here. Wayne Barnes and Alain Rolland would be near the top in my opinion but both can cop a lot of flak for being overly fussy.

 

[Teh Mite]

In my boredom: TRF1 - 0 Nike

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[lucky number 7]

Stephen Ferris may have poor knees but he is strong and is very fast. He has not let his knees stop him before and I'm sure he will do what ever he can to keep up his pace and strength. I think he is class and is still much better than O'Brien. He was Ireland's best player in the November Internationals and Really missed abit of this

O brien has done much the same as that quite alot lads...notice him trucking banahan and another tackler then offloading to bod Ferris is Class indeed but the stand out Irish player this year has been O'Brien .. no debating that.....well there is...but you'd be wrong.

 

[Teh Mite]

Bollocking Banahan isn't an achievement. Paul 2-foot-tall Diggin did that FFS.

 

[lucky number 7]

He was merely an example many more have been made sit back and watch his boots fly overhead

 

[coonor]

Ferris is a proven Lion and although O'Brien has a huge leg drive I think Ferris has thump to him. Ferris will have to work to get back into the team but he has built a great partnership with Heaslip and if he plays like he did in the autumn or for the Lions I would put him in the team.

 

[durbutter]

Ferris is a proven Lion and although O'Brien has a huge leg drive I think Ferris has thump to him. Ferris will have to work to get back into the team but he has built a great partnership with Heaslip and if he plays like he did in the autumn or for the Lions I would put him in the team.

Would agree with this.