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[Six Nations 2018] - Ireland

The Alpha Bro said:
1 win vs a certain team in black > any unbeaten run without beating them anyway.

Most kiwis I've spoken to recently have said that we're the second best team in the world. I always reply saying give us 18 months to fix that, they laugh, I gain a short term friend until I see someone pretty!
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The ABs beat you this year, they didn't beat us so there :p Also the French, the Saffas (twice) and us.
 
Rory O'Loughlin is the next Garry Ringrose, of all of the young wings I think he might be in with the best shout of a cap this tournamemt. Such a Schmidt player and Sweetnam got injured at a bad time.
 
So form Irish 23 at the minute because I'm bored

15 O'Halloran
14 Byrne
13 Ringrose
12 Henshaw
11 Zebo
10 Sexton
9 Murray
8 Stander
7 VDF
6 Conan
5 Henderson
4 Toner
3 Furlong
2 Best
1 McGrath

16 Scannell
17 Healy
18 Ryan
19 Ryan
20 Heaslip
21 Marmion
22 Jackson
23 Earls

Yep
 
Jockstap said:
So form Irish 23 at the minute because I'm bored

15 O'Halloran - Zebo
14 Byrne - O'Loughlin
13 Ringrose
12 Henshaw
11 Zebo - Trimble
10 Sexton
9 Murray
8 Stander - Heaslip
7 VDF
6 Conan - Stander
5 Henderson - Ryan
4 Toner
3 Furlong
2 Best
1 McGrath

16 Scannell - Cronin (Damn that injury)
17 Healy
18 Ryan
19 Ryan - Henderson
20 Heaslip - Conan (would pick SOB)
21 Marmion - McGrath
22 Jackson
23 Earls - O'Halloran

Yep
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.
 
Big question will be if there is a poor return from 6 Nations will that effectively undomthe good Nov series and raise more issues.
On 23 from Munster
Niall Scannell is form 2 in Country by distance. I know Alpha has Cronin but Scannell has been easily form guy.
John Ryan deserves his spot on bench and I think Healy has been outplayed by alot of LHPs not just Munster.
Donnacha Ryan os on form of his life.
Stander and POM on form and will.be on mix.
Murray no explanation needed.
Scannell will push for bench.
Earls playing well and Schmidt loves him.
Zebo is best 15 available. TOH has played well but Zebre is hard to judge. Anyone watching Pro12 will see he has slipped off a bit.
If I'd to pick 15
1 McGrath
2 Best
3 Furlong
4 Ryan
5 Toner
6 POM
7 VDF
8 Heaslip
9 Murray
10 Sexton
11 Earls
12 Henshaw
13 Ringrose
14 Trimble
15 Zebo

16 Scannell
17 Kilcoyne
18 Ryan
19 Henderson
20 Stander
21 Marmion
22 Jackson
23 I'd go for an O'Loughlin or Byrne
 
I would've picked Scannell to start if Best wasn't captain. Ryan playing out of his skin but still think Henderson offers more, Healy demolished the Montpellier scrum when he came off the bench and was very good in the loose, finally coming back to the form we expect of him, this is a form 15 and Trimble is noway near in form at the minute. It doesn't matter anyway injuries allowing this will be the team Schmidt picks

15 Kearney
14 Trimble
13 Henshaw
12 Ringrose
11 Zebo
10 Sexton
9 Murray
8 Heaslip
7 O'Brien
6 Stander
5 Ryan
4 Toner
3 Furlong
2 Best
1 McGrath

16 Cronin
17 Healy
18 Bealham
19 Henderson
20 VDF
21 Marmion
22 Jackson
23 Earls
 
I think the problem with picking on form is that people tend to forget class at times, also if we were picking purely off this weekend it'd be packed with Leinster players and wouldn't even contain Murray which is obviously wrong for example. It also brings a lot more Munster players in, who are playing to more than the sum of their parts right now, and less Ulster players who are performing badly due to being surrounded by mediocrity, Leinster and Connacht are doing what you'd expect really.

With that in mind I'll give you my 'best 23' and explain where I'm not picking on form, I'm also going to rant about Keith Earls... Not necessarily negatively but I've had a change of heart over the last couple days when it comes to wing.

1. McGarth
2. Best
3. Furlong
4. Toner
5. Henderson - Ryan has been in better form but Henderson certainly has the higher ceiling and my backrow will make Ryan less of an asset.
6. Stander - Playing no.8 for Munster and probably being outshone in recent weeks by Jack Conan because he's not hitting the heights we cone to expect but he's a different animal again in green and must be used.
7. VdF - This is kind of a form over class call but it's not as if VdF lacks class, he's been better than SOB all season apart from NZ in Dublin and he has the biggest work rate in the country along with Ryan so I feel we need one of those with VdF making more sense to me having watched SOB play a bit sloppily at times this season.
8. Heaslip
9. Murray
10. Sexton
11. O'Loughlin - *
12. Henshaw
13. Ringrose
14. Trimble - Not exactly in form but Ulster are currently playing 'pass it to the big boys' rugby and McCloskey and Piatau are their designated big boys.
15. Zebo - I think he's overtaken Kearney despite the Leinster man upping his game when he has the chance, more strings to his bow and doesn't give up too much defensively to RK anymore.

16. Cronin - Scannell if injury rules him out but Cronin has been in top form and in my opinion is the better player of the two and definitely a better 16 option.
17. Healy - Class based call although he is showing promise in recent weeks of a return to form.
18. Bealham - Part of a very strong Connacht scrum, reputation getting him in over Ryan a wee bit, the two are neck and neck.
19. Ryan - I'd consider Dillane if fit, insanely harsh on Ryan but it just shows our depth and I think we work better with athletic locks.
20. SOB - Better bench option that POM, neither of whom are in a vein of form that they'd call satisfactory.
21. McGarth - I don't rate Marmion highly, McGarth's box kicks have been good in recent weeks and brain farts are being cut out of his game so I think he's our boy.
22. Jackson
23. O'Halloran - Covers FB and Wing, if a centre goes you have O'Loughlin, if Stuart Olding could ever get fit this spot is made for him... Sooooo Ludik will probably have it soon!

*Tries, something Keith Earls hasn't bothered himself with so far this season, O'Loughlin has 7 in 13 games, 9 starts. He's also a more intelligent player than Byrne for my money and I prefer his defence, no slouch under a high ball either. Everything I've seen from him since the Saints games has me thinking he's a better fit to any team than Earls, he has the same explosive pace, better ability to beat a man one on one, picks better running lines and is playing with far more confidence. The only thing going against him is that Schmidt doesn't throw new guys in at the deep end so he'll likely have to serve time in the squad before getting a run in green. My opinion on Earls fluctuates massively and I think its more based on the players around him considering he's been at a pretty consistent level throughout his career, under Kidney he never should have played as much as he did as he was robbing Fergus McFadden who was in the form of his life minutes, that changed come the 2011 RWC where Ferg fell off a bit, with a fit Trimble and Bowe and an on form Dave Kearney he didn't make sides and rightly so but we didn't have these come 2015 and Zebo wasn't a better option at the time so he was rightly used in that World Cup as well. This season his game has slipped though, he's not Munster's best wing, he wouldn't start for Leinster or Ulster and I think his days in green are numbered with RO'L, Byrne and Sweetnam all ready to pass him by. Even guys like Cian Kelleher will be looking to sneak by him soon. Great servant to Irish rugby but unless change comes rapidly I'd rather not see him in green in the coming months and don't want to see him in it after the tour of Japan.
 
The Alpha Bro said:
I think the problem with picking on form is that people tend to forget class at times, also if we were picking purely off this weekend it'd be packed with Leinster players and wouldn't even contain Murray which is obviously wrong for example. It also brings a lot more Munster players in, who are playing to more than the sum of their parts right now, and less Ulster players who are performing badly due to being surrounded by mediocrity, Leinster and Connacht are doing what you'd expect really.

With that in mind I'll give you my 'best 23' and explain where I'm not picking on form, I'm also going to rant about Keith Earls... Not necessarily negatively but I've had a change of heart over the last couple days when it comes to wing.

1. McGarth
2. Best
3. Furlong
4. Toner
5. Henderson - Ryan has been in better form but Henderson certainly has the higher ceiling and my backrow will make Ryan less of an asset.
6. Stander - Playing no.8 for Munster and probably being outshone in recent weeks by Jack Conan because he's not hitting the heights we cone to expect but he's a different animal again in green and must be used.
7. VdF - This is kind of a form over class call but it's not as if VdF lacks class, he's been better than SOB all season apart from NZ in Dublin and he has the biggest work rate in the country along with Ryan so I feel we need one of those with VdF making more sense to me having watched SOB play a bit sloppily at times this season.
8. Heaslip
9. Murray
10. Sexton
11. O'Loughlin - *
12. Henshaw
13. Ringrose
14. Trimble - Not exactly in form but Ulster are currently playing 'pass it to the big boys' rugby and McCloskey and Piatau are their designated big boys.
15. Zebo - I think he's overtaken Kearney despite the Leinster man upping his game when he has the chance, more strings to his bow and doesn't give up too much defensively to RK anymore.

16. Cronin - Scannell if injury rules him out but Cronin has been in top form and in my opinion is the better player of the two and definitely a better 16 option.
17. Healy - Class based call although he is showing promise in recent weeks of a return to form.
18. Bealham - Part of a very strong Connacht scrum, reputation getting him in over Ryan a wee bit, the two are neck and neck.
19. Ryan - I'd consider Dillane if fit, insanely harsh on Ryan but it just shows our depth and I think we work better with athletic locks.
20. SOB - Better bench option that POM, neither of whom are in a vein of form that they'd call satisfactory.
21. McGarth - I don't rate Marmion highly, McGarth's box kicks have been good in recent weeks and brain farts are being cut out of his game so I think he's our boy.
22. Jackson
23. O'Halloran - Covers FB and Wing, if a centre goes you have O'Loughlin, if Stuart Olding could ever get fit this spot is made for him... Sooooo Ludik will probably have it soon!

*Tries, something Keith Earls hasn't bothered himself with so far this season, O'Loughlin has 7 in 13 games, 9 starts. He's also a more intelligent player than Byrne for my money and I prefer his defence, no slouch under a high ball either. Everything I've seen from him since the Saints games has me thinking he's a better fit to any team than Earls, he has the same explosive pace, better ability to beat a man one on one, picks better running lines and is playing with far more confidence. The only thing going against him is that Schmidt doesn't throw new guys in at the deep end so he'll likely have to serve time in the squad before getting a run in green. My opinion on Earls fluctuates massively and I think its more based on the players around him considering he's been at a pretty consistent level throughout his career, under Kidney he never should have played as much as he did as he was robbing Fergus McFadden who was in the form of his life minutes, that changed come the 2011 RWC where Ferg fell off a bit, with a fit Trimble and Bowe and an on form Dave Kearney he didn't make sides and rightly so but we didn't have these come 2015 and Zebo wasn't a better option at the time so he was rightly used in that World Cup as well. This season his game has slipped though, he's not Munster's best wing, he wouldn't start for Leinster or Ulster and I think his days in green are numbered with RO'L, Byrne and Sweetnam all ready to pass him by. Even guys like Cian Kelleher will be looking to sneak by him soon. Great servant to Irish rugby but unless change comes rapidly I'd rather not see him in green in the coming months and don't want to see him in it after the tour of Japan.
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Just on last bit. I think Earls has made 23 almost every time he's been available and fully fit under Schmidt so isn't that fact wrong?
 
munstermuffin said:
Just on last bit. I think Earls has made 23 almost every time he's been available and fully fit under Schmidt so isn't that fact wrong?
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What fact? He was fit for the 2015 6nation, or at least the first two rounds, and didn't feature behind Zeebs, Bowe and Jones, don't know about his 2014 fitness where DK and Trimble started with Ferg 23.
 
The Alpha Bro said:
What fact? He was fit for the 2015 6nation, or at least the first two rounds, and didn't feature behind Zeebs, Bowe and Jones, don't know about his 2014 fitness where DK and Trimble started with Ferg 23.
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He wasn't fully fit he'd knee injury. Was back but not fully fit. 2014 had injuries roo. That's not to say he would've been in but fact is he's been picked every time he's been fit with match fitness
 
munstermuffin said:
He wasn't fully fit he'd knee injury. Was back but not fully fit. 2014 had injuries roo. That's not to say he would've been in but fact is he's been picked every time he's been fit with match fitness
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Status on the rest of 2014, he didn't win a cap? I don't really understand what you're alluding to here in relation to my comment though.
 
The Alpha Bro said:
Status on the rest of 2014, he didn't win a cap? I don't really understand what you're alluding to here in relation to my comment though.
Click to expand...

As he was injured. In November internationals.
My point is more you said he was overtaken by others when he's actually been in 23 when fit.
 

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