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2024 Guinness Six Nations
Irish Rugby - The Party Years
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<blockquote data-quote="Leinster Fan" data-source="post: 984168" data-attributes="member: 76349"><p>Ruddock is a serially unlucky player. In another decade he'd have 70 Ireland caps without ever having his place in the team questioned. He's someone who's been maybe the fifth/sixth best backrow in Ireland for most of his career even as the guys ahead of him changed which means he's been in almost every squad without getting many caps. </p><p></p><p>Different story with Leinster but same outcome, we've been stacked in the backrow forever which means to nail down a place you have to be a genuinely special player like SOB, Heaslip or Leavy or you need to have a sustained spell of excellent form like say JvdF or Conan over the last few years. Ruddock isn't in the first category and whenever he gets into the second he always, without fail, gets injured (which then scuppers his Ireland chances just as he hits a level where he's actually pushing for the 23). Last season kinda summed it up, he started almost every European game at 6, captained us in the qf, was named to start the semi but woke up feeling sick on the morning and couldn't play. Fardy came in and played a blinder and started the final off that. The year before he was in brilliant form and was starting in a team that couldn't even fit Leavy into the 23 but got slapped with a long term injury and couldn't make it back until the final where he didn't make it off the bench. This season he was our best backrow at the world cup but didn't start the quarter final, (much like every other Irish squad player who outplayed the starter at that tournament). Went back to Leinster and has been really good but gets left out of the squad which must seem inexplicable to him because there hasn't been much else he can do. If you go further back it's the same story again and again. </p><p></p><p>The thing is though, I don't think I'd swap any of the backrows in the squad out for him. I do think we might regret not having him in there because POM is the only out and out backrow in there and he's been nowhere near his best for a while now. </p><p></p><p>You can't help but feel sorry for the guy, he's a model pro and then some, he's spent almost a decade putting in consistently very good performances and all he has to show for it is being on the winning side of a few Pro14 finals and coming off the bench in two world cup quarter finals when the game was lost (and an awful lot of games captaining Leinster and Ireland's B teams). </p><p></p><p>At the end of the day he is massively appreciated at Leinster tbf, and is our best out and out 6 at the moment (although Leavy and Fardy would could edge him out from lock/7 respectively). He is a guy Leinster fans love and most people from other provinces rate but obviously he'd want more than that and I hope he gets it because no one could say it's not deserved.</p><p></p><p>(This post is a bit wandery really but it's late)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Leinster Fan, post: 984168, member: 76349"] Ruddock is a serially unlucky player. In another decade he'd have 70 Ireland caps without ever having his place in the team questioned. He's someone who's been maybe the fifth/sixth best backrow in Ireland for most of his career even as the guys ahead of him changed which means he's been in almost every squad without getting many caps. Different story with Leinster but same outcome, we've been stacked in the backrow forever which means to nail down a place you have to be a genuinely special player like SOB, Heaslip or Leavy or you need to have a sustained spell of excellent form like say JvdF or Conan over the last few years. Ruddock isn't in the first category and whenever he gets into the second he always, without fail, gets injured (which then scuppers his Ireland chances just as he hits a level where he's actually pushing for the 23). Last season kinda summed it up, he started almost every European game at 6, captained us in the qf, was named to start the semi but woke up feeling sick on the morning and couldn't play. Fardy came in and played a blinder and started the final off that. The year before he was in brilliant form and was starting in a team that couldn't even fit Leavy into the 23 but got slapped with a long term injury and couldn't make it back until the final where he didn't make it off the bench. This season he was our best backrow at the world cup but didn't start the quarter final, (much like every other Irish squad player who outplayed the starter at that tournament). Went back to Leinster and has been really good but gets left out of the squad which must seem inexplicable to him because there hasn't been much else he can do. If you go further back it's the same story again and again. The thing is though, I don't think I'd swap any of the backrows in the squad out for him. I do think we might regret not having him in there because POM is the only out and out backrow in there and he's been nowhere near his best for a while now. You can't help but feel sorry for the guy, he's a model pro and then some, he's spent almost a decade putting in consistently very good performances and all he has to show for it is being on the winning side of a few Pro14 finals and coming off the bench in two world cup quarter finals when the game was lost (and an awful lot of games captaining Leinster and Ireland's B teams). At the end of the day he is massively appreciated at Leinster tbf, and is our best out and out 6 at the moment (although Leavy and Fardy would could edge him out from lock/7 respectively). He is a guy Leinster fans love and most people from other provinces rate but obviously he'd want more than that and I hope he gets it because no one could say it's not deserved. (This post is a bit wandery really but it's late) [/QUOTE]
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Irish Rugby - The Party Years
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