A International on TV?

LegacyUser

Anyone know if the A international is being broadcast live this evening? There are quite a few young international players lining out, and it would be great to see some of the up and coming play.

It's no wonder the IRB are looking for broadcasters to promote the various levels of the game, when RTE cant be bothered to acquire the rights for this game. Granted they broadcast the U-21 game from Athlone last weekend, but here's a golden opportunity to get what could be potentially a great game which they dont appear to take on?

Nukem

Ya wouldnt mind seeing that too

RuggieBear

i was just thinking that too....

wonder how the irish back row will perform...

LegacyUser

There's nothing on either RTE or Setanta, or even TV5

Amazotheamazing

RuggieBear wrote:

i was just thinking that too....

wonder how the irish back row will perform...

Forget the backrow, we've cover there. It's the front row and half backs that are crucial.

Nukem

Hoursesh!t they lost 20-12. Cant find a match report yet.
Anyone?

LegacyUser

Here you go...

10/02/2006: 'A' international: Ireland A’s first outing of the season ended in defeat in chilly Limoges tonight as two first-half tries set France A on their way to a 20-12 victory.

Michael Bradley’s side put in a brave display, sticking to their hosts like glue despite French early dominance.

France, 15-9 losers to the Irish in Donnybrook last year, struck two crucial blows on 15 and 37 minutes when number eight Imanol Harinordoquy and hooker Benjamin Kayser each crossed the visitors’ line.

A loss of form for Harinordoquy has seen him out of the loop of Bernard Laporte’s Les Bleus for close on a year and the 25-year-old has not started a Test match since the 45-6 thumping France took from the All Blacks in November 2004.

He put in an eye-catching performance at Stade Beaublanc tonight, though. The French back row nullified the threat of Irish trio Neil Best, Shane Jennings and Jamie Heaslip.

There was a lot of rustiness about the Irish effort, but Bradley’s team never gave up the chase despite the frustrating eight-point gap.

After Stade Francais outhalf David Skrela had booted an early penalty, France went through the phases to send Harinordoquy over from five metres out. Skrela’s conversion was cancelled out by a Jeremy Staunton penalty.

The Irish pack, led by captain Mick O’Driscoll, then went close - on two occasions - to breaking their side’s try deadlock.

Wasps outhalf Staunton added a second penalty, but the hosts went 17-6 up just before the break.

Kayser’s try had a bit of good fortune about it.

Full-back Benjamin Thierry’s clearance kick looked to have bounced out on the full, but the Irish were forced to defend a line-out in their own 22. They lost the throw; the ball was recycled and Kayser ploughed over.

The second half was little more than a penalty duel - Staunton edged it, kicking two to a single effort from Skrela - and while both sides had spells of dominance, the stalemate suited the hosts.

Nukem

bruachain wrote:

Here you go...

Cheers - woulda loved to see it:cool:

Amazotheamazing

From Rugby.ie

Gutsy Irish put French to the test

11/02/2006

By Brendan O'Brien, Stade Beaublanc, Limoges
France A 20 Ireland A 12
IRELAND'S 'A' side produced a seriously gutsy display deep in central France last night but ultimately came up just short against a very strong French reserve side.

The visitors paraded a team brimful of youthful promise and, though they were forced to man the trenches for long spells, they were never out of touch and were in no way flattered by the end margin.

Much was made of Les Bleus' vast arsenal of talent in midweek when Bernard Laporte recommissioned old warhorses like Olivier Magne and Serge Betsen and their enviable supplies were in further evidence here with the likes of Biarritz's Imanol Harinordoquy and Bourgoin's Guillaume Bousses taking the paddock.

The hosts dictated the agenda for the first ten minutes, pinning Ireland back inside their own half as they worked methodically through phase after phase. The first crack in the Irish rearguard appeared nine minutes in when some Irish indiscipline at a ruck allowed David Skrela - son of the famous Jean-Claude - to slot a penalty between the posts.

Five minutes later and the opening try finally arrived. With Michael Bradley's side having to constantly send reinforcements into one ruck after another, the supply of defenders inevitably dried up with Harinordoquy ending up as the spare man wide on the right.

Skrela landed the conversion to stretch the gap to ten but Ireland's response was rapid and impressive in equal measures. Jeremy Staunton landed their first score from a penalty before breaks from Mick O'Driscoll and Kieran Lewis came up agonisingly short of the line.

Staunton dragged Ireland closer towards parity with another kick at the posts after 31 minutes.

With less than a minute to the break an unfortunate set of circumstances led to France's second try. It started with hooker John Fogarty going down injured and developed from there. Brian Blaney had only just ditched his tracksuit when the touch judge failed to see that Benjamin Thierry's kick deep into the Irish 22 went straight into touch.

Blaney wisely opted for a short throw having come in - literally - from the cold but, well, you can guess the rest. After the steal, France wedged a hole in the Irish ranks for their own hooker Benjamin Kayzer to make the decisive break.



Skrela then added insult to injury by splitting the sticks inches from the spot where Thierry's wayward kick had landed only moments earlier to leave it 17-6 at the break.

One stunning break from wing John Hearty aside, Ireland again found themselves clocking in for a glut of defensive chores for the third quarter though Staunton's dependable boot brought another three points on 51 minutes on a rare excursion upfield.

Skrela aped that soon after to leave it 20-9 but, though France prodded and probed, they failed to produce a move good enough to unlock a gutsy and well-maintained Irish line for the remainder of the night.

Inevitably, both benches began to make changes midway through the half and two teams already unaccustomed to playing as units struggled to find the fluency their talents might otherwise have allowed.

Staunton brought Ireland to within eight points with his fourth penalty on an evening where he was flawless in front of the posts and so it remained at 20-12 as the last lap approached.

With the game still there for the taking, Ireland began to see chinks of light at the far side of the pitch. Twice they threatened the French line only for a stolen line-out and dropped pass from Jamie Heaslip to stall their momentum and ambitions. A defeat then, but hardly one to be ashamed of.

IRELAND A: G Duffy, J Hearty, B Murphy, K Lewis, C McPhillips, J Staunton, T O'Leary; R Hogan, J Fogarty, B Young, M O'Driscoll, M McCullough, N Best, S Jennings, J Heaslip. Replacements: B Blaney for Fogarty 37, R McCormack for Hogan 47, C Keane for O'Leary 59, P Wallace for Staunton 68, L Cullen for McCullough 70, B Cunningham for Murphy 72, R Wilson for Heaslip 73.

FRANCE A: B Thierry; V Clerc, G Bousses, P Bidabe, JB Gobelet; D Skrela, N Durand (capt); JP Paux, B Kayser, N Mas, G Lamboley, A Marchoise, T Dusutoir, G Le Corvec, I Harinordoquy. Replacements: J Peyrelongue for Poux, V Debaty for Kayzer, B Cabello for Dussautoir (all 56), A Albouy for Durand 70, G Messina for Skrela 76.

Referee: G Di Santis (Italy).

daveirl

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