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In the cold light of day...

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  • 10-09-2007 10:06am
    #1
    davyjose
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,287 ✭✭✭


    I said a lot last night that, this morning, I admit I may have been hasty about. Ok, so it's easy to spout about how s*** Ireland are because of a few poor results. No different to the same sort of stuff we were saying in the Autumn of '05 - and then what happened...
    It seems that if Ireland have a good win, we're the next world champs, and if we have a bad result we're a load of crap. But lets look at the facts. This is a team that has, in recent years, come as close as anyone to beating NZ in their own back garden, that has beaten SA and AUS with ease (albeit weakened sides, but you can only play what's there, and we really beat them well). Ok, so this is happening now, but we all saw what Ireland did to England in Croker with their back to the wall, and again to Italy when we needed to. This Ireland team is a team that rises to the occasion IMO, and I really think we'll do that.

    Argentina who??? - pah!!!!


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    #2
    ollyk1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,533 ✭✭✭ollyk1


    davyjose wrote:
    I said a lot last night that, this morning, I admit I may have been hasty about. Ok, so it's easy to spout about how s*** Ireland are because of a few poor results. No different to the same sort of stuff we were saying in the Autumn of '05 - and then what happened...
    It seems that if Ireland have a good win, we're the next world champs, and if we have a bad result we're a load of crap. But lets look at the facts. This is a team that has, in recent years, come as close as anyone to beating NZ in their own back garden, that has beaten SA and AUS with ease (albeit weakened sides, but you can only play what's there, and we really beat them well). Ok, so this is happening now, but we all saw what Ireland did to England in Croker with their back to the wall, and again to Italy when we needed to. This Ireland team is a team that rises to the occasion IMO, and I really think we'll do that.

    Argentina who??? - pah!!!!

    My 2c

    I was tearing my hair out last night like everyone else but I guess the cold light of day makes me more reasonable.

    Reasons to be cheerful

    All northern hemisphere teams look bad in this RWC so far. They are not bad teams based on my viewing of the 6 nations this year.

    The RWC is 4-6 weeks early for the NH imho

    Stringer is only finding match fitness

    Wallace is only finding match fitness

    Hickie was sick and getting the ball flung at him

    Shane Horgan will come back and replace Andrew Trimble who is not an international winger (he has a future at centre but not on the wing)

    D'Arcy looked hungry and sharp. BOD looked hungry and sharp. Leamy and Easterby looked reasonable. Hayes and Horan looked good too.

    Rory Best had a bad game and hopefully EOS will take the blinkers off soon and let Jerry Flannery back in.

    No danger of swelled heads anymore!!

    For me the number one reason to be cheerful is I think Ireland will improve throughout the comp and will be at their peak around semi-final/final time the big problem is will we still be there? I'd prefer us to be playing well at the end and not in the early games against Nambia if I was given the choice plus despite all the bullsh*t talked about Ireland having a wining mentality everyone knows we're a "backs to the wall team" and we only come good when we're up against it.

    Have I been sniffing too much glue?? Probably :o . There are a lot of things to be despondent about and if we don't have our act together by the time we face the Argies I'll be leading the charge for EOS's head to be fair but I'm going to reserve judgement until then.


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    #3
    Hugh_C
    Registered Users Posts: 2,852 ✭✭✭Hugh_C


    davyjose wrote:
    This Ireland team is a team that rises to the occasion IMO


    Here's hoping.

    As a matter of interest, what was the temperature last night? Would heat have anything to do with fatigue and perceived lack of agression in the pack? Somethign presumably the Namibs wouldv'e been used to.


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    #4
    LuckyLloyd
    Registered Users Posts: 36,158 ✭✭✭✭LuckyLloyd


    I would like to be optimistic this morning; but I just can't be I'm afraid. The point was made on TV3 last night: ever since we conceded a soft try to Italy in the dying seconds of our six nations campaign things have been bad.

    - Munster dumped out of the Heineken cup in Wales after a tame showing;
    - A poor performance on tour in Argentina;
    - Abysmal performances in the warm - up games against Scotland and Italy;
    - A woeful display last night;


    Now, there have been injuries. There hasn't been many games. So undoubtably some of the problems can be attributed to general rustiness.

    But, whatever the reason, we are way off track at the moment - lack of confidence; lack of cohesion; lacking passion and drive up front; lacking sparkle while commiting simple errors at the back.

    Let's take a moment. The bars this Irish team has set for itself are on the level of winning Grand Slams and getting to World Cup finals. And so it should be considering the natural talent within this squad and the experience they have garnered together over the past seven years.

    The six nations campaigns in 2005 and 2007 ended in failure (bear in mind that we shouldn't realistically look on the years when we go on the road to France and England as grand slam possibillities) because we didn't achieve what we set out to achieve (triple crowns are irrelevant at this stage). But in the background at all times was now - the world cup in France. And we don't look fcuking ready for it and up to the job!!

    That's shocking if you really stop and think about it. We should not be here for some "brave" defeats to France and New Zealand before another Quater Final exit. The target should be the final. We have seen this Irish side on their day. We know they are capable of doing it. So why are they not coming together when it matters most?

    We are hurtling towards another low point in Irish sport. More underachievment on the big stage. More fuel to the old adage that we don't deal with the pressure of being favourites - that Irish athletes don't "do" expectation.

    There are two weeks for things to come together. BEATING France is what we want. BEATING Argentina is what we want. Playing to the peak of the teams potential is what is required. The French are going to come at us like a ton of bricks in two weeks time. They have to now. Careers and reputations will be on the line. Unless something miraculous happens in a very short space of time - they will have an easy time of it against the men in green.


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