Zinzan Brooke

nacho libre

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/6475315.stm

zAbbo

would it hurt to throw in an opinion ?

What are you trying to say, bit pointless just linking to ZZ's BBC Column (in which he is usually very honest)

The Beebs choice of columnists backfired during the 6n

Murphy - dropped
Cockbain - injured
Lewsey - dropped
Cusiter - intercept pass master

Marshy

Hes quite critical of Ireland. Like brian moore he said we bottled the french game.

zAbbo

...and it he was right.

nacho libre

I agree with him about conceding the two tries to Italy. On top in a game like that you have to close it out without conceding anything. The best sides are able to do this. I hope this Irish team is capable of doing it in September.

[Jackass]

7 years, 5 second places, no championship, no grand slam, looking back this year at france, grand slam decider against England, Wales on their slam run in cardiff...we have bottled it in the past, we're yet to win it with this generation of players...the mans got a point, but on the other hand we did have bad luck this year I think, but even the closing minutes against Italy, was that a side bottling it?

I dunno, all I'll say is we still have a gear or two in us and i we can get it right for the world cup, including our psychological approach, we have a brilliant chance of winning the world cup, especially if we get off to the best possible start and win our group, which we are well capable of doing, the world cup is well within our grasp...only if we get hammered by France or New Zeland in the world cup can you call us bottlers...we have in the past but I think we're so close to getting it all right...so close! Is there enough time to get it right for the world cup? One season too early? I dunno...this conversation will be continued after the world cup...hopefully saying "call us bottlers now!!"

Junior

I dunno, choking is failing to do the step up to the plate and being counted. In the French game, I do think we 'choked' I think we lacked leadership, and we suffered for it. In the Italian game again towards the end we lacked leadership once POC and BOD were gone. Trying to run in as many tries isn't choking in my eyes, it's panicking.

davyjose

Yes, but his point was that, while choking in the France game is forgiveable - conceding two ries in the final minutes against Italy was not. We simply did not have the head for the occasion because we got carried away.

We choked against France, and lost our heads against Italy - all in all, given the experience of the side - terribly ominous for the WC.

daveirl

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[Jackass]

daveirl wrote:

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He's won a world cup, tri-nations...and new zeland are one of the four teams to ever win the cup...

Snickers Man

Nick wrote:

He's won a world cup,

Has he? He only played in one match in the 1987 World Cup, won by New Zealand, and that was the pool game against Argentina.

He then played in the 1991 World Cup and was in the team that got beaten by Australia in the semifinal.

And in 1995, he was in the team that choked in the final (they would say on the poisoned food that somebody gave them the night before) against South Africa.

So he should know what he's talking about. And in the finest traditions of the adage "Aithnionn cuireog, cuireog eile" we should listen to what he has to say.

Sangre

The biggest chokers in this tournament were blatently France.

Snickers Man

Sangre wrote:

The biggest chokers in this tournament were blatently France.

Mind you, listening to EOS on Tubridy last night, it was probably the Scottish guy who turned O'Gara's face blue.

Sangre

Heh, how droll. I'm picturing you with a brandy while saying that.

crybaby

His summary of us was pretty much spot on, we should have done the grandslam and theres really no if or buts about it and im still unsure as to why EOS keeps harping on about the bounce of a ball when the thing should have just been bloody well caught in the first place and in the Italy game we really missed POC and BOD out there on the pitch in the last few minutes. next year I dont think we'll do it either as England will be fully up to speed and I cant remember the last time we won in both Paris and Twickenham without managing to make a balls of it against Wales or Scotland

The world cup Im still quietly confident about

Chucky the tree

It will be a long long time until we have a better chance to win a grandslam.

flsghujslkuo

He doesn't say anything about the world cup....

So what then....we win our group convincinly and then lose to Scotland...

Yeah that sounds like us....

We always buck it up, but I must say against the big nations we usually play very well... so yeah the team choke agianst scotland. :mad: :mad: