Friday -- Irish rugbys biggest day

thebaz

After a couple of golden years of Irish rugby , triple crowns, Munster success, BOD , O'Connell, the development of Leinster into team Leinster , D'arcy -- and now the ligtning decline -- Friday could change the path of Irish Rugby , I see it as the biggest day in Irish rugy, a chance for redemption, after the golden boys nearly exiting at the hands of Georgia. Success and we can truly aim for the big time , failure we go back to competing with Italy and Scotland for a middle order ranking.

Gingervitis

Dan dan duuuuuhhhh....;)

Fair point though

pwd

if we lose, but beat argentina, we could still qualify or win the group. There's more pressure on France than on Ireland on Friday.

dc69

doubt that seeing as france took apart namibia

Luckycharm

THey have to win on Friday - NO MORE EXCUSES Eddie!! Due to bonus points etc they would need to hammer the Argies and on current form a win would be lucky!!

prendy

surely ireland cant keep playin so poorely...time to step up to the mark!
selection is a worry tho!:(

PCros

We need to come first in the group to even have a chance of getting to the semi's. We all know who we'll be against if we come second.

Better to come first in our group and have a chance against Italy or Scotland, most likely the latter.

MrJoeSoap

thebaz wrote:

Success and we can truly aim for the big time

If we struggle to beat Georgia and are almost as bad against Namibia, how on this earth are we meant to even compete against South Africa, Australia or New Zealand. Friday night is only a big game when it comes to whether or not we make the next round. Nothing more, nothing less.

thebaz

MrJoeSoap wrote:

If we struggle to beat Georgia and are almost as bad against Namibia, how on this earth are we meant to even compete against South Africa, Australia or New Zealand. Friday night is only a big game when it comes to whether or not we make the next round. Nothing more, nothing less.

About a year ago we were being talked up as the second best team in the world , we played 2 competitive matches againt the best away , and gave them 2 good test matches . We beat Australia , South Africa , won the triple crown , after Munster winning Europe , the hype of the Croke Park matches , it seamed rugby was becoming a serious sport in Ireland , every kid in the street seamed to wear a rugby jersey , and "kantos" -- and now the bubble could busrt of Friday with another inept performance.

MrJoeSoap

I agree, and a victory against France would be amazing and unexpected. But it certainly wouldn't mean we could focus on winning the tournament. We'd still have to beat Argentina to avoid the All Blacks in the second round.

Hamo

I can't say I've any science behind my theory but somehow I believe that Ireland can get one over on the French come Friday, like the rest of us they haven't a clue what to expect of Ireland, and we owe them one for CP, believe me the motivational aspects of our loss in the 6N to the Frenchies is still an angst waiting to be expunshed....

Ireland win

BizzyC

I honestly dont know what to expect on friday. Ireland have a terrible habit of playing to their opponents standards.

The fact that our opponents so far are sub-par means that we might not be ready to face france, or that playing them will elevate our play to where it needs to be...

pretty-in-pink

meet me in the pub anyone? I'll prob still be woozy the dentist. fun night?

Chucky the tree

France by at least 16.

spanner

lets not forget they have played Scotland, Italy, Namibia and Georgia and played crap. Not once after these games did they seem to improve, I dont see any change on Friday But sure we will cheer along anyway.. it reminds me of the good old 90s

JuliusFranco

France 45 - Ireland 15

The way Ireland are playing reminds me of a couple of seasons ago when Ireland looked like they crap, we were passionless in the 2005 six nations when Wales won the grand slam, Irish players played ****e on the lions tour, then Austrailia and New Zealand hammered us in landsdown rd, then if I remember right, we started the 2006 6nations badly until we went "bananas" in the second half against France, and we’ve kinda been playing well since

Therefore

This similar dip in form will probably last until the 2009 six nations (or seven nations as it might be then)

By then our best players will be past it

The golden age of Irish rugby is over

Mind you....if we beat France....

zAbbo

Simon Easterby had a great Lions tour.

Roll on Friday and it will put all the poor performances into prespective.

If France lose, they're out. Pressure is on

TheBlackShoe

hmmm, ireland can win if they get back to the very basics if they do a few things such as

start communicating on and off the pitch
realise they are all playing for the same team and not for their provinence

i could go on but it would take all night, the most worrying outcome would be the likely fallout if it all goes pear-shaped on friday, a real hammering by one of the most average french teams i have seen in a long time will send irish rugby back to the old days when everyone got drunk on moral victories!
personally i can see a 15 point return for france on friday and i am being nice, anyone now a good bookie

jackal

thebaz wrote:

About a year ago we were being talked up as the second best team in the world (by ourselves), we played (lost) 2 (3) competitive matches againt the best away , and gave them 2 (0) good test matches (losing by at least 10 points in all matches). We beat Australia , South Africa, (both experimental, both at home, both freindlies) won the triple crown (against weak opponents from the home nations while at the same time losing the 6n/grand slam) , after Munster winning Europe (eventually) , the (unfulfilled) hype of the Croke Park matches , it seamed rugby was becoming a serious sport in Ireland , every kid in the street seamed to wear a rugby jersey , and "kantos" -- and now the bubble could busrt of Friday with another inept performance.

If the bubble has not burst for you yet my freind after the previous 6 matches against vastly inferior opponents, then I doubt anything can remove the rose-tinted glasses!

Ireland to at least stand up and fight this friday.

thebaz

jackal wrote:

If the bubble has not burst for you yet my freind after the previous 6 matches against vastly inferior opponents, then I doubt anything can remove the rose-tinted glasses!

Ireland to at least stand up and fight this friday.

still stand by what i said --

Win and rugby will explode further in Ireland , and we will have 15 modern day heroes

Loose and play badly , rugby will decline , EOS must resign , with many players never regaining there potential

Loose and play well, it will be more of the same.

Much bigger day than Croke Park or the Leinster / Munster semi at Lansdowne.

il gatto

I think at this stage, reaching a quarter final and losing to NZ would be acceptable to most supporters. I think we could cope with that and look forward to the 6N in the spring. Not getting out of the group would be very hard to get over, for players and supporters.
For all the talk about professionalism and ability, rugby is as much about confidence and passion as it ever was, and especially Irish rugby. It's all we had for so long. The best thing EOS could do is parachute in Ciaran Fitzgerald, Keith Wood and Mick Galwey to give them a few fire and brimstone pep talks and unleash what is still and great bunch of players, with some fire in their bellies. It's too late now for debate about squads, selections and tactics. Make the best of what you have is the order of the day.

Ulstermell0

Friday is definitely the biggest game i can remember. its the first time where i have thought about little else in the week leading up. and kind of had that kid at christmas feeling in my stomach. hope i dont have a heart attack tomorrow! at least not before the match anyways!

il gatto

That's a real fan.:D O.K. to have a heart attack as long as it isn't before the match:D

siners71

Ulstermell0 wrote:

Friday is definitely the biggest game i can remember. its the first time where i have thought about little else in the week leading up. and kind of had that kid at christmas feeling in my stomach. hope i dont have a heart attack tomorrow! at least not before the match anyways!

In the words of Phil Collins ( Hope I dont get sued for copyright, or banned even)

"Well, I was there and I saw what you did
I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off the grin, I know where you've been
It's all been a pack of lies

And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord
I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, Oh Lord"

CountingCrows

I thought a chocolate loving gorilla wrote that?:D

Rattlehead_ie

**** it Im doing this to all the threads

COME ON IRELAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!

remus808

Come on lads! France are toast and we all know it.. PUT THE FEAR OF GOD INTO THEM

thebaz

ok Judgement Day has arrived , win and we celebrate this Golden team , fail and it was all hype / bad managemnet / coaching !!

The amount of rumours I have heard this week has been surreal , a victory tonight will put a stop to it .

so backs to the wall , put it to them Ireland ... i have a sneaky fealing , we often play our best in adversary

ninebeanrows

If your not in the mood, have a listen to this!

COME ON IRELAND!!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CQ6-bYixpYE

Ghost Train

Well I think Ireland have the players to beat France, they haven't been putting in the performances but tonight is the right place and time for the team to push France aside. It's been a long time since there was such an important game and I'd be surprised if the team doesn't do what Argentina did to France.

Ulstermell0

forget messages from bertie and ian paisley(!) - they should show the boys Leonidos's speech in 300!

thirtyfoot

This would do the job.....


I don't know what to say really.
Three minutes
to the biggest battle of our professional lives
all comes down to today.
Either
we heal
as a team
or we are going to crumble.
Inch by inch
play by play
till we're finished.
We are in hell right now, gentlemen
believe me
and
we can stay here
and get the **** kicked out of us
or
we can fight our way
back into the light.
We can climb out of hell.
One inch, at a time.

Now I can't do it for you.
I'm too old.
I look around and I see these young faces
and I think
I mean
I made every wrong choice a middle age man could make.
I uh....
I pissed away all my money
believe it or not.
I chased off
anyone who has ever loved me.
And lately,
I can't even stand the face I see in the mirror.

You know when you get old in life
things get taken from you.
That's, that's part of life.
But,
you only learn that when you start losing stuff.
You find out that life is just a game of inches.
So is football.
Because in either game
life or football
the margin for error is so small.
I mean
one half step too late or to early
you don't quite make it.
One half second too slow or too fast
and you don't quite catch it.
The inches we need are everywhere around us.
They are in ever break of the game
every minute, every second.

On this team, we fight for that inch
On this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone around us
to pieces for that inch.
We CLAW with our finger nails for that inch.
Cause we know
when we add up all those inches
that's going to make the ****ing difference
between WINNING and LOSING
between LIVING and DYING.

I'll tell you this
in any fight
it is the guy who is willing to die
who is going to win that inch.
And I know
if I am going to have any life anymore
it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch
because that is what LIVING is.
The six inches in front of your face.

Now I can't make you do it.
You gotta look at the guy next to you.
Look into his eyes.
Now I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you.
You are going to see a guy
who will sacrifice himself for this team
because he knows when it comes down to it,
you are gonna do the same thing for him.

That's a team, gentlemen
and either we heal now, as a team,
or we will die as individuals.
That's football guys.
That's all it is.
Now, whattaya gonna do?

nacho libre

I dreamt we lost the match 44-21.:(

Ghost Train

nacho libre wrote:

I dreamt we lost the match 44-21.:(

nacho libre.... I hope that's a french name (ie. i hope you're french)

thebaz

i think we'll do it !!

getting nervous ---

no walking tonight , and if you see anyone walking -- POC