"Peter Stringer* is a good scrumhalf because..." *random Irish player*

Gingervitis

From reading a lot of rugby fora, it seems people are very quick to criticize (sometimes justifiably) about certain players. I'm only taking Stringer as an example, because he provokes a lot of ire, yet the same could be said for Reddan, O Leary, Buckley, and so on.

What I'd like to know is why these players are valued and needed in an Irish shirt, say, their best qualities and what they bring that "no one" else in Ireland can. Just a positive view to balance out the negativity that comes out in matches (maybe in the heat of the moment, but you rarely hear "x should be on instead)

Any thoughts?

redroar1942

Why don't you start us off.

Gingervitis

Fair enough:

Stringer has an almost telepathic relationship with virtually our only fly half, and his passes are generally quite quick from the ruck. His defence is also probably the best out of any of our scrumhalves, (also the only Irish player who can tap tackle, which is always a good moraliser (sic), gets a good reaction from the crowd. I rarely see O Leary or Reddan harrying the opposing scrumhalf at scrum time.
btw, some of his passing was dire tonight, but any one else will tell you that straight off.

I've heard a lot of good things about Reddan, but they've always been vague, because his speed and decisions are a bit off (see tonight). I'd like to see what his strengths are.

O Leary's got a good turn of pace, probably the best at sniping, and has a decent kick, so he's not as predictable as Stringer.

Buckley is a beast in the loose, and I'd put any sub par performances down to pneumonia rather than a lack of desire. I was happy with him in the scrum tonight, even though it was Canada, so there's good potential there for him. Obviously I wouldn't put him near the AB until the last 10 mins or so, but his security at rucks and decent hands (not to mention hand offs) bode well for him.

Also, any thoughts on the hooker of choice? Best, Jackman, Flannery or Sheahan? I'm open to arguments regarding their respective strengths...

redroar1942

I think you've summed it up pretty well regarding the scrumhalfs. Particularly Reddan who gets rave reviews but I've never seen it from him two match's in a row.

Buckely: big, strong, lazy and never going to make the step up??

Hookers: Best good in the tight, Jackman good in the loose, Flannery better in both but off form.

Sundy

Id have a proper tackel over a tap tackle any day thanks. A player only tap tackles when he knows he hasnt got the pace to catch the player, probably why you dont see reddan and o'leary having to do it

murphym7

I think Stringer has probably had his day. He has had a great run and has given an unreal service to club, province and country. The best part of Stringers game was his quick service and his famous ankle taps.

I would be pushing for O'Leary over Reddan. A bit of international experinece and we could have a star on our hands. Hopefully we won't see Boss again, useless. Reddan is fine but takes way too much time over decisions.

On the Flannery V's Best V's Jackman bit: I would take Flannery over Boss & Jackman any day. Best and Jackmans line out throwing is suspect a lot of the time IMO.

Gingervitis

I'm not saying Stringer is only good for tap tackling. Pound for pound, he's the strongest player on the Irish team, and has no problem hauling down players far bigger than him around the breakdown. I'll agree with you about his lack of pace, but he does his fair share of work around the park in defence. I think O Leary'd be more likely to catch a break away runner than Reddan, having played on the wing, and Reddan wouldn't commit himself to the tackle in the same way Stringer does.

Forgot about Boss, probably for good reason!

Crash

well ok so you've taken stringer as your player so heres my breakdown (i'll admit, drunkenly so, so take what you want out of this)

Stringer is quite a one dimensional player, simple fact is he has a lovely quick pass which can make or break a game if the gameplan suits it. If it doesn't, it can go terribly wrong, and for years he couldnt break around the sides unless someone beat him around the head.

Reddan has a great sense of the overall game. His passing is poorer than either of the other two, but you have examples as tonight with his loose kick down to kearney or his snyping around the fringes that prove he's sharper in that sense than the others.

O'Leary - well i'm still not sold on, but he is somewhere in between the two lads above. He has a habit of trying to marshall the troop as reddan does (sometimes overly so, as the pair of them do) and tends to take too much time to play it out, as proven IMO in the leinster munster match where the majority of the turn over ball came from his indecision as opposed to the leinster backline playing a decent game, but he can strike a nice balance between the two scrumhalfs that are currently in the team.

DBraithwaite

Stringer is a one -d player i'll admit but he is a lot better at given quick ball than reddan.

louthandproud

Sundy wrote: »

Id have a proper tackel over a tap tackle any day thanks. A player only tap tackles when he knows he hasnt got the pace to catch the player, probably why you dont see reddan and o'leary having to do it

That's a bit of a simplistic view, as a last resort a tap tackle can be a life saver when properly executed, not as a substitute for a normal version but when there's no other option open, a real David v Goliath option at times.

redroar1942

John Hayes is a very important Irish player because we'd be screwed without him. His scrummaging is getting better, is huge in the lineout and could well make a second Lions tour.