Ireland Vs England (Match Thread)

Baldie

The English got a Juniot cert history lesson in the first half, and a leaving cert hsitory lesson in the second half!

Did ye know the Michael Hogan's son gave them an actual history lesson about Croke Park during the week??

I'd say that the story alone would have shaken them up! Irelnad were playing for alot more then just a rugby match today! They were playing for our history!

Im ust admit that I got chills up my spin when "God save the Queen" was being played in Croke Park. Michael Hogan was definitly behind the Irish squad today!

copacetic

nacho libre wrote:

I thought Brian Moore was going to cry when Boss intercepted that pass.:D

what else did he have to say, since BBC NI opted out of having to have him on the air I almost missed getting to listen to him for once!

gandalf

Well was privileged enough to be in Croke Park for the match. It was brilliant, what an atmosphere, the fans from both sides mingled without any incident and the big "issue" as flagged by the tabloids turned out to be nothing. At the end of the day one team played and gave a lesson in Rugby.

Here are a few shots I took inside the ground (didn't have a decent zoom lens and was up in the gods on Row Z on the Hogan upper so most are of the crowd).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gandalfirl/sets/72157594554507767/

funky penguin

If you look straight across at the cornor, in the upper terrace, you can see meh! I'm the one wearing the Irish jersey.





¬_¬


They're some nice photos, by the way Gandalf.

NotWormBoy

Marshy wrote:

I find it extraordinary that people ALWAYS turn to the ref as a scapegoat after a loss rather than focusing on what is usually their own inadequacies. I guess its just part of the game tho, sad as it is.

Too many Irish did that last week, as disappointed as I am to say it.

But lets not argue about anything today. Olé.

Fantastic performance from the team today - can't think of anyone who had a bad game. Even when England scored ten on the trot, they didn't even look fazed.

Fantastic reception - even better performance.

As one of my mates said... "Rugby showed its class today, tenfold".

Jilm

I never doubted that the Irish fans would be perfectly behaved during GSTQ.

T'was a wonderful occasion and the scoreline helped ease the pain of previous thrashings at the hands of the English.

zAbbo

Baldie wrote:

Did ye know the Michael Hogan's son gave them an actual history lesson about Croke Park during the week??

Was that not Conor O'Shea, do you have links / info on that story.

madds

Darcy was my MOTM. He seemed to be the last man up at the breakdown every time, and nearly pulled off try-saving tackle for the English try. I was at the game and have yet to see it on TV yet, but his quick hands pass to find Dempsey for the first try was absolute genius. A close second was Denis Leamy - he had a colossal game.

The only negative I took away were how the stewards closed the gates to the main section on the Hill far too early. It meant that while there were many pockets of space in the area behind the posts on the Hill, the channels either side were packed to the rafters. People were even standing 3 deep on the steps. I pointed this out to one of the stewards and he started playing his pretend violin.

However, all in all a proud day to be Irish.

P.S. Highlights on at 11:40am this morning on RTE2.

Marshy

madds wrote:

P.S. Highlights on at 11:40am this morning on RTE2.

Are you sure? I dont see that in the TV listings.

besty

It was 11.40 pm last night AFAIK.

Unbelievable performance and a great day to be Irish, simple as that!

Diamondmaker

IS there a skelp highligths clip out there or another?

The whole match is a blur to me right now and all the action took place in the corner I was not!! Still I dont mind Im smiling.

The atmos was special and the ole ole ole chants were just electrifying.....just so unusual to hear it and having never been at a major Ire soccer match it was the 1st time I experienced a full scale ole ole ole....at a rugby match!! It was class.

Savage day:D

OIf RTE had any cop on they would show the repeats on a Sun evening...would get so many more viewers, muppets!

peckerhead

Ruu wrote:

About the Beeb commentators being annoyingly biased, just wondering what the fuss was all about.

One of them was a right dickhead, but in fairness the other guy frequently challenged him and/or took the piss at some of his more outrageous whinges. Can't remember the names, all them Beeb commentators look/sound the same to me...

Diamondmaker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx5mRApBgiw&mode=related&search=

match highlights! Flannery in tears on 8 mins!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQCiqKkEwOs&NR

and one with all the hollywood bits!

Diamondmaker

Wow didnt Boss do well for that try!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mOaLZx4_-k&NR

Shaggy the aerial bomber, this is a technique that we should try in every game at least once when there is a winger mismatch in height like that.

Brilliant!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ome-LChYLho&mode=related&search=

The Leinster backline:

Darce flic, BOD sweet pass Hickie on the loop, with Girvan finishing as he straightens towards the post with Horgan there as a spare man for good measure!!

sweet!!

jackbhoy

Few Pics my gf took yesterday, keep looking at them to prove to myself it wasnt all some alcohol induced dream!!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24022007/

EdgarAllenPoo

The only regret I have is that England scored any points at all but then I'm mean like that. I did notice though that O'Gara was still having some trouble finding touch with a few of his kicks other than that a great performance.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

chump

some game, some day.

unreal performance

Diamondmaker

Not something you can see on the clips any way but EOS in an interview commented with great admiration for Corry his gestyre at the end of GSTQ where he broke from the bind of the other players and stepped for ward and applauded the Irish crowd.

On the face of it a very nice gesture and a far cry from the MJ incident...perhaps this is the difference in Eng now adays...they have repsect for others, the have been humbled of late!

Chucky the tree

Makes the bottle job against France all the more painful.

peckerhead

Sangre wrote:

A joke tbh. Would the media ever stopping fapping over him. Suprisingly the English are worse at it.

Maybe he makes them a bit nervous or something...

englander

Well done Ireland.

Predictably the best team and favourite won. Was painful to watch from my perspective. At the same time that Ireland looked impressive, England looked abysmal.

I wont even ask if the ref has an Irish grandmother as it wouldn't have made a difference if he gave it all England's way tbh.

Marshy

englander wrote:

I wont even ask if the ref has an Irish grandmother as it wouldn't have made a difference if he gave it all England's way tbh

No don't. Blame your team instead.

It angers me when people criticise refs after losing. Its such a cop out imo. But especially in this instance when there is such a victory margin. There werent even many contentious decisions.

bugler

POC did exactly as he should yesterday. He called a huge amount of ball to himself at the lineout, got up and took it. He should be doing this every game - why he didn't the last few games is beyond me.

The media haven't been harping on about him - he's been widely described as being quiet until now by nearly every report I've seen. Fair is fair, he fulfilled his role yesterday very well.

There were many contenders for MOM. Wallace is in amazing form and has been for sometime. Form 7 in Europe by a mile.

Orchard Rebel

bugler wrote:

Wallace is in amazing form and has been for sometime. Form 7 in Europe by a mile.

In many other countries Wallace would be a superstar. If Ireland had backed his talent a few years back instead of persisting with game but more limited footballers, we might have won a grand slam by now.

WhatThe

Hello, this is my first post- though ive read the boards for a while.

So, not gonna give you war and peace 'about me' as a first post, especially in a rugby thread but as a 5sec capsule review, Im an Englishman who lives in Dublin with Irish girl bossing me about and a Son born at hollis St Hosp on St Paddys day (so not much chance of him donning the white... hmm.. We'll see about that).

Anyway, first up - congrats guys, very very very well deserved victory. Totally outplayed us, never stood a chance, yadda yadda yadda.

My main point though is simply "thanks". As an Englishman abroad, you can imagine my sense of dread when I see a 6 page thread on the game which i thought was all gonna be about bloody sunday which would have meant that I would now have then read about it for the zillionth time this month. But its not here, you guys have re-installed my faith that "rugby" was what was being played on the day by two nations more friendly with one another than they have been for many centurys.

Actually, I have to say that the furore surrounding the game was bemusing for me as I didnt understand how some commentators in the Irish press this week have turned an attrocity by an Irish Constabulary force with British auxillaries into simply "the English..". Unreal... And as far as that darn awful "GSTQ" song, ok its ****, but it has already been played at croke park at the special olympics in 2003.

Hagar

WhatThe wrote:

an attrocity by an Irish Constabulary force with British auxillaries into simply "the English.."

Welcome, you were going so well up to there...

Fratton Fred

Marshy wrote:

No don't. Blame your team instead.

It angers me when people criticise refs after losing. Its such a cop out imo. But especially in this instance when there is such a victory margin. There werent even many contentious decisions.

I think the ref comment was tongue in cheek, that's how I read it anyway.

Saturday was a great day, but very hard for an Englishman like myself to watch. I thought England were poor, but to be honest, to say they were awful would take something away from a great Irish performance.

Apart from one marginal forward pass towards the end, I don't think Ireland made a single mistake the entire game and they punished every one that England made.

As for the reception the England team received, what can I say, I think there had been so much hype prior to the game, the Irish fans were determined to show what great sportsmen they are and not give the few lunatics the chance to cause any disruption, it was truely impressive. I can't imagine that sort of reception at Murrayfield:rolleyes:

Saturday was a great day for not just Ireland, but Rugby in general.

Well Done.

englander

For fecks sakes Marshy ! Be happy with your win, dont try and come over with the England are bad losers thing :rolleyes:

Next you'll be going on BBC 606 board looking for evidence of English bad loser-ship ! (Its some people's way of venting and getting over the hurt of losing.... as per ' down to the bounce of the rugby ball' - again, just messing Marshy)

Of course my comment was tongue in cheek about the ref. Surely that was obvious ?

Again, well done Ireland, deserved winners.

Marshy

englander wrote:

For fecks sakes Marshy ! Be happy with your win, dont try and come over with the England are bad losers thing :rolleyes:

Next you'll be going on BBC 606 board looking for evidence of English bad loser-ship ! (Its some people's way of venting and getting over the hurt of losing.... as per ' down to the bounce of the rugby ball' - again, just messing Marshy)

Of course my comment was tongue in cheek about the ref. Surely that was obvious ?

Again, well done Ireland, deserved winners.

No, I wasnt hitting out at you specifically.