Do Ireland Look Like An Amateur Side?

CCOVICH

I know we are missing our three best (world class) players, but I thought that the performances on the last two weekends were shocking. Even against an out of form team like Australia, we were poor. The handling was atrocious, and the kicking of O'Gara and Murphy was patchy at best.

McCullough looks like an AIL player at best, I'm not sure that Shane Byrne has anything left to offer at this level. Shane Horgan and Easterby don't look like the players they were in Australia.

Here's hoping we see some new faces (Campbell? Kearney? Heaslip?) against Romania and a convincing, professional performance.

Redmon

Spot on.

While Australia's losing streak has been highlighted by the media, Ireland seem to be cultivating one themselves (saving grace being Romania next week).

For once I agree with Hook: the time for experimentation and blooding of young, new, and different players was last year. Where is Wallace (Munster), Jennings et al? Why have they been omitted?

Realistically E. O'Sullivan will be manager for another 1.5 years - up until the next World Cup.

Hope I'm not being reactionary, but, we've got to change the way players are selected (lets look outside Ireland); the way we approach games (sharing game time amongst players); the size and range of our whole squad (coping with injuries - and spearings); the way we play (passing the ball from man to man w/out knocking on).
Ireland must change or we may have to change coach.

I don't want Ireland to turn in Scotland.

F

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I personally have to agree with Redmon on this and i think if things dont change fast, we are in big trouble, especially coming up to the world cup

Amazotheamazing

An amatuer team would at least show some pride. Both Irish outhalves are weak, O'Gara can't tackle, break and is mentally weak, Humphreys just isn't there any more. We have a lost generation of outhalves, P. Wallace, Staunton, Dunne look to be nowhere, Steenson seems to have disappeared of the radar, what happened this guys?
Now look at Brennan, Casey, Browne, M. O'Driscoll, Jennings, Cullen et al, these guys aren't even near the squad, nor is Bracken or Reddan. In Munster players like F. Murphy, Touhy, Devlin, Dowling are being left in the AIL, in Leinster players like Brown, Burke, Lewis and O'Riordain are only on the fringes of the squad, McAllister and Hickey are playing in the AIL. We have no ability to bring players through.

I agree EOS should go, tomorrow if not sooner. This was an exceptionally weak Aus team that beat us.

youcancallmeal

Leo Cullen should definitely be brought back to the side. He is a far superior player than McCullough.

CCOVICH

Amazotheamazing wrote:

An amatuer team would at least show some pride.

Agreed. I just watched the highlights of England vs. NZ. Corry was bloody and speechless after the game. Devastated at the loss. I'm not mad about England or their style, but they show great passion at home. Same with Wales. They always give their fans something to cheer.

Amazotheamazing wrote:

I agree EOS should go, tomorrow if not sooner. This was an exceptionally weak Aus team that beat us.

But even so, their ball handing skills were vastly superior to ours.

Teg Veece

Agreed. No pride at all. What happened to the days when an Irish player would put his body on the line for the full 80 minutes? I think Horgan's attempt of a tackle on that Oz winger who went over for their last try just about sums up the Irish attitude. No heart whatsoever.

Funkstard

There's just no spark in the performances.....we hold out until the first try, then the heads completely drop and we've lost the game in our head. I agree we need to start looking to younger people - IMO Tommy Bowe & Andrew Trimble had great games today, albeit with a few mistakes but that is surely to be expected.

I don't think Stringer, O'Gara or Shane Horgan are doing anything to add the the Irish game. Just going through the motions. The forwards nearly made more breaks than the backs today ffs

Stretch*

Farewell and goodluck with your rugby in the interim, we look forward to hosting a strong Irish team in the 2011 world cup, along with all you Irish rugby fans...get a win over Romania..then look to rebuild a young talented team

Crash

personally, i think that was a terrible team game. however, i dont think we can take away from the fact that there were some terrific personal performances.

D'arcy played like he hasnt played in about two years- his confidence was back for this game and he fought like a bollocks.

Murphy, except for a few screwups, showed the form he has for leicester (FINALLY) in an Irish match - he really gave it all.

Trimble was fantastic - he really fought for the green shirt and deserves a place - however a part of me thinks that he might be better off training himself for a new position, as come O'Driscolls return he's going to be relegated to the bench continuously, at best.

Bowe - magnificent IMO. he put his heart in and it showed in his playing.

also i dont think you can slate Horgan all that much for his match - how often did you see the ball going up the right? i think i can count roughly three times, and one of those times Horgan scored. A winger cant do jack **** unless he's getting the feed.

Maskhadov

Yes

GreenHell

Horgan would be a fine player if he could catch and pass, which seems to be a skill he was lost over the last 2/3 years.

Trimble should be moved to 12 when BOD comes back, strong runner impressed by his debut today.

D'Arcy should deffo move to the wing/fullback, he would be devestating in space I think.

All in all a very very poor performance from Ireland, sooner EOS gets the boot the better, we lacked leadership on field Esterby at his best is grand player but Foley should be back at 8 with Leamy to 6. We've sorely missed the leadership of Foley in the last 2 games.

Crash

Easterby just isnt a captain.

Pitseleh

Replacements for Hayes and Byrne especially should have been 'blooded' against NZ and Australia. O'Sullivan said he may switch things around for the Romania match but that's useless and achieves nothing. His time to go? Either that or forget the six nations and begin building for the world cup in those matches.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

CCOVICH

In fairness, I dunno if Foley is the answer for RWC 2007 (I think he has been a fantastic player), I think it's time we started building towards that goal. That's why I would like to see a fresh face at out half (not Humphries), hooker (not Sheahan) and prop (not Best) etc. against Romania. If we can't put out a secondd 15 that is capable of comfortably beating Romania, we have serious problems.

I aslo think that a lot of the faults of this team stem from EOS. Geordan Murphy is outstanding for Leicster, very creative and adventurous. When he plays for Ireland, he tends to kick too much. O'Gara played totally different last week compared to this week, and the results were the same both weeks. In my opinion, both of these guys are forced to curb their natural game at the direction of O'Sullivan. That would be fine if it were for the good of the team, but that has hardly proved to be the case. In general, I think players should be allowed/encouraged to play to their strengths.

Liam90

your just going through a rough patch be happy its happening now all you gotta do is hope it doesn't last to long

GreenHell

This rough patch has been coming for the past 2 seasons because EOS doesn't bring through youth. Is anyone really surprised we're so poor right now?

RuggieBear

Stretch* wrote:

Farewell and goodluck with your rugby in the interim, we look forward to hosting a strong Irish team in the 2011 world cup, along with all you Irish rugby fans...get a win over Romania..then look to rebuild a young talented team

oh goodie, does that mean you aren't going to be posting here anymore?

bye bye now

PowerHouseDan

Slán

RuggieBear wrote:

oh goodie, does that mean you aren't going to be posting here anymore?

bye bye now

ferdi

there were no leading inspirational players on the pitch for either of the last two games. they dont look like a team. they look out of their depth and tired.

Snickers Man

ferdi wrote:

there were no leading inspirational players on the pitch for either of the last two games. they dont look like a team. they look out of their depth and tired.

Spot on. No leaders. And there are precious few waiting in the wings. O'Driscoll is a superb player but he ain't no leader. Did you see him making a complete bollocks of himself when being asked at the sideline what effect O'Kelly's departure would have on the team? Chance for him to big up the young guy coming on, but no. Our 'captain' talks instead what a disaster it will be and the loss of his experiene will be huge, what will we do, what will we do?

Look Brian, while you're team captain, playing or not, either don't take media gigs, or else be at least a little diplomatic about some of the younger players making their debuts against major opposition.

Now, if we want a leader. One who will galvanise the troops. One in whose presence Geordan Murphy would NEVER make a boo boo like that 'pass' to Bowe with the line at his mercy that went two feet above and one foot behind him; one who would at least instill a sense of organisation and purpose to that rabble that just didn't seem to know what to do when it had the ball, which it did, a lot.

Roy Keane has just become available. Let's get him in right away. He's got the determination, the fitness, the ability to get others playing. How difficult can it be being Irish out half and captain?
Let's get him in.

GreenHell

Marcus Horan would make an excellent captain or POC.

Sangre

Don't know how many times I screamed at the tv to get the blackline deep, they were so flat with absolutely no pace on the ball.

siesta

O'Sullivan has lost it...has the Kerritis...mind you they havent played decent inventive rugby since Gattlands last few matches. Unfortunately, we will have to watch this rubbish until he gets the boot after the World Cup. Plenty of talent around. All playing like they are afraid and paralysed by Eddies methods.