Ireland vs France - 20/08/2011 - RWC Warm Up

[big ginger 8]

Just got back from third match in three days. Looks like we think that you don'st start playing until it's nigh on impossible to win. Think there was some positives (though the negatives obviously outway them) Healy was very good hopefully he'll be ok was talking to him yesterday so obviously scored cause of me.

PO'C and SO'B very good.

Ferris was in my opinion good made some good tackles and had at lest one pretty good carry. Ecspecially since this was his first game back.

Trimble is really sticking his hand up. And Fitzy looked sharp when he came on have thought for a while one of them should start ahead of Earls.

Finally ToO'L was so bad that he must of convinced Kidney to drop him. So that's a positive.

Won't bother going into negatives though IMO 90% of them come from ToO'l.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Positives??? Up till the 15 min mark i thought i fell asleep into a nightmare until things got better as i was waking up to finish with a flattering score. Ok i'm being a bit melodramatic, i still can't wrap my head around what happened for the majority of the match.

I know what you mean but I just think playing like s*** and still only losing by four is a good sign that we'll try to play rugby under pressure rather than go into a shell like we've done in the past. Anyway It's a hell of a lot better than 4 years ago.

 

[dangandan]

I know what you mean but I just think playing like s*** and still only losing by four is a good sign that we'll try to play rugby under pressure rather than go into a shell like we've done in the past. Anyway It's a hell of a lot better than 4 years ago.

Yea i guess if you try to ignore the performance and look at the score it does feel a bit better but the idea of playing catch up is starting to get a lil old and i think i'll be developing heart problems much sooner than i'd like if they don't improve! I'm sure we are all sick of hearing the old cliche of "Yes we didn't play well but there were positives and room for improvement" Considering the amount of times i've heard that i would've thought we would be perfect by now lol

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Ha. But you shouldn't listen to any of the players when they say that... Only me.*:lol:

 

[killer08]

next week against england the team should be

healy (if fit)
flannery
ross
o'callaghan
o'connell
o'brein
ferris
heaslip
redden/Murray
sexton/ROG (should play redden with sexton, and ROG with murray or ToL)
fitzgerald (good performance today when he came on and earls didnt have a good game)
D'arcy
BOD
Bowe
murphy

if bowe isnt started because its his first game back from injury then earls should start again, trimble has had enough game time,
also david wallace should either start at 7 if ferris doesnt or should come on as a replacement, and kearney should be a replacement if available
id let BOD and D'arcy off for not having a good game due to it being their first game back,
did anyone else think tom court did decent today? stood his ground in most of the scrums,

 

[coonor]

Positives:
Good Lineout
Sean O'Brien
Paul O'Connell
Ferris got good game time and played very well IMO getting stuck right in and show his physicality
Cian Healy before he got injured
first 25 mins

Negatives:
Dreadful centres
poor intensity in contact from most players
Lack of spark in the back three
TOL (dreadful performance as usual)

 

[Sixesandsevens]

I agree Murphy should start at 15 for you. He's better than Kearney since the Lions tour.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Oh I dunno about that. Kearney has looked pretty good in the two games he's featured in.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Yeah, Kearney has looked good since coming back

Play Murphy if Jones is injured (with Kearney of the bench), as you're going to need to send two FBs to NZ, and Murphy will need more game time




Actually, scrap that, play this:

1. Buckley
2. Best
3. Hayes
4. O'Driscoll
5. O'Callaghan
6. Ryan
7. Leamy
8. McLaughlin
9. TOL
10. ROG
11. Fitz
12. Wallace
13. Earls
14. ??
15. ??

 

[Logorrhea]

I can't remember seeing Ferris once after he came on

He did alright actually

Heaslip had a good game. Was fantastic at the breakdown. At least two (maybe three) turnovers single handedly.

Was DOC playing at all? Seriously? Lots of the hard invisible stuff, cause I didnt see him all day.

Jenno didnt do enough. Poor game by his standards.

Sexton was pretty poor. Needed to mix it up but only shuffled bad ball on outside. O'Gara didnt change it either, which he usually does. I'd probably have O'Gara starting on current form. Liked the way Sexton told Earls where to shove his opinion though. Gobby little ****er (Earls) needs to shut the **** up on the pitch, you never, ever mouth off like that to a team mate, especially when it was your ****up.

 

[5cotty]

Ireland's main problem over the last year is that they just don't have a decent 12 to connect excellent back row to potentially potent back 3. Darcy has shown no form at all even in the six nations and kidney seems nervous to risk a defensive crisis if wallace plays there. Is it time for BOD to move in one? I'd love to see Nevin Spence given a chance after the world cup.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Spence has never performed when faced with anything more than a ML standard midfield. He's always been pretty quiet against Leinster anyways. Also, he's a 13. Fergus McFadden or perhaps Luke Fitzgerald would be more realistic options at 12 after the WC. Heck, maybe Johnny 10 will be given a shot at some time.

 

[Conal]

Spence has never performed when faced with anything more than a ML standard midfield. He's always been pretty quiet against Leinster anyways. Also, he's a 13. Fergus McFadden or perhaps Luke Fitzgerald would be more realistic options at 12 after the WC. Heck, maybe Johnny 10 will be given a shot at some time.

he did quite well in the hc
also to be fair it was really his first full ulster season
not international standard ... yet

 

[Feicarsinn]

he did quite well in the hc
also to be fair it was really his first full ulster season
not international standard ... yet

He might be international standard one day, but he shouldn't get a run in the Ireland shirt until he is. Let him develop at Ulster for the time being. He certainly isn't ready yet though.

 

[Conal]

He might be international standard one day, but he shouldn't get a run in the Ireland shirt until he is. Let him develop at Ulster for the time being. He certainly isn't ready yet though.

true true
fitzy in the center??
bod to 12 cave, earls, bowe mc fadden? (who could also be 12 )

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I'd like to see this team against England:

1. Healy
2. Flannery
3. Ross
4. Ferris (Would really love to see this we can't leave out Ferris or O'Brien)
5. O'Connell
6. O'Brien
7. Jennings
8. Heaslip
9. Murray
10. O'Gara
11. Trimble (Fitzgerald if Bowe isn't fit)
12. Sexton (Would love to see how it works)
13. O'Driscoll
14. Bowe/Trimble
15. Kearney

16. Best
17. Court
18. O'Callaghan
19. ????
20. Reddan
21. McFadden
22. Earls

 

[Feicarsinn]

true true
fitzy in the center??
bod to 12 cave, earls, bowe mc fadden? (who could also be 12 )

I don't rate any of them as international class centres. McFadden needs to work on his passing, Earls is a headless chicken if not on the wing, Cave is untried and a 13, Bowe shouldn't be taken off the wing and Drico is an aging 13. It's going to be a problem position for quite a while I feel unless Fitzgerald gets his act together.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I reckon Bowe could move to 13, does alright for the Ospreys

 

[Feicarsinn]

I reckon Bowe could move to 13, does alright for the Ospreys

I'd have higher hopes for O'Malley at 13 than Bowe. A nice step and a good burst of pace. Potential there. Bowe is a world class winger, I'd leave him there.

12 is the real problem position and at the moment there aren't any stand out contenders, for the world cup or after. I'm very worried about the position.

 

[Thingimubob]

Bowe was good there for the Lions too,always thought he could make a good international 13 as well as being a class winger.