[RWC2019][Quarter-Final 2] New Zealand vs. Ireland (19/10/2019)

[Paulo]

Retallick looks like Jaws from James Bond movies.

Nice, he also reminds me of the Kurgan from the first Highlander.

 

[Nubiwan]

It's been a while since i was so disappointed in a team, like i am with Ireland. They just never pitched up. My great great Irish grandmother is still spinning in her grave. lol

Irish frankly looked like they were playing in a foot of mud. Very disappointing game.

 

[Nubiwan]

It's been a while since i was so disappointed in a team, like i am with Ireland. They just never pitched up. My great great Irish grandmother is still spinning in her grave. lol

Irish frankly looked like they were playing in a foot of mud. Very disappointing game.

 

[TheOvalBall]

T


Then others teams just need to get better. It's like Fed, Rafa, and Joker dominating tennis, it's not her fault no one has gotten good enough to consistently challenge.

Yes i know. I don't blame NZ. I respect them for raising the bar. It's just disappointing the other teams don't catch up.

 

[Paulo]

Yes i know. I don't blame NZ. I respect them for raising the bar. It's just disappointing the other teams don't catch up.

the gap is A LOT closer than it has been. I was nervous before this game. Relaxed after the first 15-20mins, can normally tell how it will pan out by then when watching AB games.

Nervous about the English game now. and if we make the final will be nervous if face SA. Won't be nervous about anyone else on that side of the draw though.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Painful viewing for Irish fans, but the extended match highlights are now up.

 

[Irish9]

That Irish team living off its past and reputation due to 2018 when they won a poor 6 Nations and beat the All Blacks in a friendly and South Africa ;-( Farrell has huge rebuild to do if he has any balls ? IRFU won't want or like him to change Schmidts ways either

 

[Curls]

It's been very poor this year and this was just more of the same really.

We hammered what's propably the worst Scottish team of recent years, we then underestimated the Japanese although we fell the wrong side of a referee who frankly was exposed as not being up to the level across the tournament. Wins over Russian amateurs and Samoans who were already mentally at home glossed it up, but we all knew the last 8 exit was coming.

It is now a rebuilding process. The one aspect we need to look at is depth of our squad. No doubt we have the players but do we have the competition across the squad? How many guys are there that know a bad game could mean their Jersey next game?

Case and point of where we fell apart over the last year was Conor Murray. He got injured and missed a lot of rugby, including the win in Dublin over New Zealand. In that time Marmion was excellent and we were playing with zip. When Murray returned for Munster he was poor and out of form and to this point never recovered form. He was however picked and again in Japan was poor. Too manny undroppable players it seems.
Henshaw was clearly not match fit, either was Kearney. How do guys like Farrell and Larmour feel after they put in a shift and get benched the next game?

Farrells job now is to feed in the new guys while the likes of Best, Sexton, Murray, POM, Earls, Kearney etc all step aside over the next 4 years

 

[corny]

It's been very poor this year and this was just more of the same really.

We hammered what's propably the worst Scottish team of recent years, we then underestimated the Japanese although we fell the wrong side of a referee who frankly was exposed as not being up to the level across the tournament. Wins over Russian amateurs and Samoans who were already mentally at home glossed it up, but we all knew the last 8 exit was coming.

It is now a rebuilding process. The one aspect we need to look at is depth of our squad. No doubt we have the players but do we have the competition across the squad? How many guys are there that know a bad game could mean their Jersey next game?

Case and point of where we fell apart over the last year was Conor Murray. He got injured and missed a lot of rugby, including the win in Dublin over New Zealand. In that time Marmion was excellent and we were playing with zip. When Murray returned for Munster he was poor and out of form and to this point never recovered form. He was however picked and again in Japan was poor. Too manny undroppable players it seems.
Henshaw was clearly not match fit, either was Kearney. How do guys like Farrell and Larmour feel after they put in a shift and get benched the next game?

Farrells job now is to feed in the new guys while the likes of Best, Sexton, Murray, POM, Earls, Kearney etc all step aside over the next 4 years

On reflection it bothers me that Schmidt spent four years building squad depth only to clam up and stick with the tried and trusted. The likes of Kilcoyne, Larmour and Ruddock were putting their hands up but were ignored when it mattered.

Thats what made Schmidt a great coach to begin with. We've all heard the stories of him cutting lads (BOD, Horgan) down to size in training...he had zero respect for reputation and every player was terrified to lose the jersey. He lost that towards the end i felt. A few players got a touch comfortable playing for him.

Its what i admire most about the NZ'ers....doesn't matter who you are or what you've achieved the young kid in the squad wants your jersey and is always trusted to do the job by management. In this part of the world we value 'experience' far too much.

 

[Curls]

On reflection it bothers me that Schmidt spent four years building squad depth only to clam up and stick with the tried and trusted. The likes of Kilcoyne, Larmour and Ruddock were putting their hands up but were ignored when it mattered.

Thats what made Schmidt a great coach to begin with. We've all heard the stories of him cutting lads (BOD, Horgan) down to size in training...he had zero respect for reputation and every player was terrified to lose the jersey. He lost that towards the end i felt. A few players got a touch comfortable playing for him.

Its what i admire most about the NZ'ers....doesn't matter who you are or what you've achieved the young kid in the squad wants your jersey and is always trusted to do the job by management. In this part of the world we value 'experience' far too much.

The people I feel sorry for are Marmion and Toner. They both put in big work over the last few years and then they are left at home. I mean did Jean Kleyn go in the end? I can't remember seeing him. Japan in all their games in this World Cup have bricked it at the line out. Toner would have been a valuable assets to have against them.
Marmion would have injected pace to the slow predictable pace Murray set. At time your could see Sextons frustration at the lack of front foot ball Murray was giving him

 

[Irish9]

It's been very poor this year and this was just more of the same really.

We hammered what's propably the worst Scottish team of recent years, we then underestimated the Japanese although we fell the wrong side of a referee who frankly was exposed as not being up to the level across the tournament. Wins over Russian amateurs and Samoans who were already mentally at home glossed it up, but we all knew the last 8 exit was coming.

It is now a rebuilding process. The one aspect we need to look at is depth of our squad. No doubt we have the players but do we have the competition across the squad? How many guys are there that know a bad game could mean their Jersey next game?

Case and point of where we fell apart over the last year was Conor Murray. He got injured and missed a lot of rugby, including the win in Dublin over New Zealand. In that time Marmion was excellent and we were playing with zip. When Murray returned for Munster he was poor and out of form and to this point never recovered form. He was however picked and again in Japan was poor. Too manny undroppable players it seems.
Henshaw was clearly not match fit, either was Kearney. How do guys like Farrell and Larmour feel after they put in a shift and get benched the next game?

Farrells job now is to feed in the new guys while the likes of Best, Sexton, Murray, POM, Earls, Kearney etc all step aside over the next 4 years

Thats been the major issue in Irish rugby for years though ;-( Players getting the nod to continue whether in bad form or getting on in age ;-( Managers going on about their experiience or reputation and still getting picked even when mediocre for huge periods of time ;-( Ritchie McKaw had bad game for All Blacks once , next 2 matches not in squad and you never heard of him getting dropped again BOD, although a great player hung on too long stopping the opportunities for young guys as was BOD, how dare you question him or drop him?

Farrell needs to come in and from scratch TELL and not ask IRFU a rebuild for next World Cup in France is whats happening ! Luckily, Best cleverly declared he was retiring so left on a positive note for him and Irish fans to fondly remember him Everyone else , especially 30 or over need to be culled no matter who or how important the media claims they are ;-) Do we want a 38 yr old sicknote Jonny Sexton at 10? Carty, Carbery, Bryne need to be blooded and not for 5 minutes, give them Tier 1 competition games ;-)

Murray you pinpointed by you which is case in point Marmion was doing good but his dropped for Murray and McGrath which at 26 needs playing time and where are other younger scrumhalfs?
Kearney been average for years but had 2 or 3 good games and did well at world cup but needs to be booted and put Lamour or someone at 15!
Everyone goes on how great the Provinces etc are but theres no ground roots rugby any more in Ireland ;-( Growing up I'd go to club games with thousands at them and players like Mick Galway, Peter Clohessey etc there playing ! The academy kids should be put into clubs from the provinces but actually played !

Ireland will struggle in next 6 Nations so better to use it to get younger lads up to speed to international rugby!

 

[james5000]

Hansen saying Foster is "reinvented it (the attack) coaching the best I've ever seen him coach"
interesting to give such a shining endorsement, Foster doesn't get the credit he deserves from the NZ public. Attack is tricky because even a year from out the attack becomes predictable and kinda stops evolving then all of a sudden you have to unwrap a whole new style of attack once the finals arrive. All due to the All Blacks being the most analyzed team in the world. Some great plays looking tailor made to break open the Irish defense.

side note, put Sam Canes first half in perspective, he got credited for 12 tackles, Ardie Got Credited for 14 over 80 minutes. Hope His wrist injury is only minor

Fozzy was probably under the most pressure/had the most to prove this week.
The media had been hyping up Ireland/Farrells defense as the AB's kryptonite.

With all of the raving reviews Farrell was getting I think Fozz (and Hansen TBF) had a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
At the presser they almost seemed agitated, they were fired up for this one.

It will be hard to replicate that kind of energy for consecutive weeks, and 3 weeks will be extra special.

Certainly will have a huge mountain to climb to retain the trophy.

 

[mania]

It will be hard to replicate that kind of energy for consecutive weeks, and 3 weeks will be extra special.

getting up for England should be easy and then the boks

 

[james5000]

getting up for England should be easy and then the boks

They will still want it badly.

They would have used a lot of energy against Ireland.

I feel like South Africa barely got out of 2nd gear.

 

[donmcdazzle]

They will still want it badly.

They would have used a lot of energy against Ireland.

I feel like South Africa barely got out of 2nd gear.

I think we used up a heap of mental energy as well. Guys like Read, Cane and Moody played out of their skin. We need that exact level again to topple England.

England didn't need to go as hard, especially up front since Australia were intent on stupidly going side to side from everywhere.

 

[mania]

They will still want it badly.

They would have used a lot of energy against Ireland.

I feel like South Africa barely got out of 2nd gear.

thats what im worried about the most (and cards), but this is England. getting up should be easy to rise to that occasion, even if its mountain big. hoepfully the English fans will sing thru the haka and then it'll be all on!!

 

[40/20]

Its what i admire most about the NZ'ers....doesn't matter who you are or what you've achieved the young kid in the squad wants your jersey and is always trusted to do the job by management. In this part of the world we value 'experience' far too much.

Was interesting hearing Hansen's comments in the presser regarding experience. Essentially about how the value of experience boils down to what that experience is.

Makes sense in theory but I don't fully buy it because if that's the case, he should've been punted himself after 07.

There's certainly a balance to be struck though and for this game at least, we seem to have got it right but I'm still not convinced that Jordie is a better bet on the bench than Bender. Even less so with the English coming up.

 

[40/20]

With all of the raving reviews Farrell was getting I think Fozz (and Hansen TBF) had a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
At the presser they almost seemed agitated, they were fired up for this one.

Yep agree. Could see it with Hansen's fist pump after Smith's first try. That was very unlike him.

He downplayed things all week but that moment showed it was all for show.

 

[Kapa O Pango]

ALB/Goodhue is a really good partnership.

Both of them play beyond their years considering their test experience.

 

[Larksea]

ALB/Goodhue is a really good partnership.

Both of them play beyond their years considering their test experience.

ALB has something in the region of ~45 test caps now? He's quite simply a complete player, and hardly set a foot wrong in test rugby.
What you say is true for goodhue though. At only ~10 caps he looks the part.
I do feel for Crotty though. for such a loyal servant to the AB's and you cant honestly say the AB's would be a weaker team if you swapped him in for goodhue.