2009 - Best ever year for Irish rugby. Discuss.

NickNolte

So, we have a Grand Slam. We have 2 teams into the last 4 in Europe. We have a team at the top of the Magners League and another team in second place. Let's face it - Irish teams have pretty much secured both pieces of silverware... if I may be so bold as to jinx it!

2009 is the best year ever for Irish rugby. Yay or nay?

bleg

of course

soretoe

no your not jynxing anything - we're deadly - and from the pool of rugby players we have compared to the brits we're amazing.
We dont like blowing our own trumpet but call it as you see it

Did you see the leinster lads today? Top drawer defensive coaching that's all I can say - Your man Rocky is brilliant! and I sincerely think driscoll is actually improving as a player which is just rediculous!

Munster it must be said may have a little something more in the tank than leinster when it comes down to the last 4 of the Heineken cup but I see one of them lifting the trophy - probably munster - but if leinster did it and munster took the league then it would be a magnificent year for all concerned - national and club level - and whats more as we know winning attracts more into the game which secures the future and also attracts great foreign players too!

2009 - the year Irish Rugby peaked - and its only feckin April!

thomond2006

It's only april yet!

bleg

are we scheduled to play the ABs this year?

ALH-06

bleg wrote: »

are we scheduled to play the ABs this year?

No.

Diamondmaker

soretoe wrote: »

Your man Rocky is brilliant!!

Yeah but hes Ozzie !

Any way it goes without saying that it is the best year in the history of Irish rugby. We currenty hold all major Euro trophies and are on course to retain them also.

Its a good culmination of the last couple of years as IRELAND has emerged as one of the, if not the the, standout most improved nation as the dawn of professionalism came upon us.

Long may it continue and let us never see the wooden spoon eras again.

pdelahunty

Diamondmaker wrote: »

Yeah but hes Ozzie !

Any way it goes without saying that it is the best year in the history of Irish rugby. We currenty hold all major Euro trophies and are on course to retain them also.

Its a good culmination of the last couple of years as IRELAND has emerged as one of the, if not the the, standout most improved nation as the dawn of professionalism came upon us.

Long may it continue and let us never see the wooden spoon eras again.

Now if we could only find a new tight head and a new out half we could confidently say we would be just as good in 5 years time

barnesd

Imo the Heineken cup is almost irrelevant compared to the 6N in terms of prestige. The 6N is the far bigger competition.

thomond2006

barnesd wrote: »

Imo the Heineken cup is almost irrelevant compared to the 6N in terms of prestige. The 6N is the far bigger competition.

Tell that to 80,000 fans in Cardiff in 2006 and 2008.

NickNolte

thomond2006 wrote: »

Tell that to 80,000 fans in Cardiff in 2006 and 2008.

Why is every one of your posts so blatantly biased to the point that you can't even debate objectively? Welcome to my ignore list.

barnesd wrote: »

Imo the Heineken cup is almost irrelevant compared to the 6N in terms of prestige. The 6N is the far bigger competition.

International test rugby is a huge step up in terms of play and intensity. Any player would concede that. It's an international prize as well. If I were a football fan (which I'm not) I'd much rather see my country win the European Championship than to see my club win the Champions League.

Gelio

NickNolte wrote: »

So, we have a Grand Slam. We have 2 teams into the last 4 in Europe. We have a team at the top of the Magners League and another team in second place. Let's face it - Irish teams have pretty much secured both pieces of silverware... if I may be so bold as to jinx it!

2009 is the best year ever for Irish rugby. Yay or nay?

yay (so far)

padser

NickNolte wrote: »

Why is every one of your posts so blatantly biased to the point that you can't even debate objectively? Welcome to my ignore list.

+1

NickNolte wrote: »

International test rugby is a huge step up in terms of play and intensity. Any player would concede that. It's an international prize as well. If I were a football fan (which I'm not) I'd much rather see my country win the European Championship than to see my club win the Champions League.

Agreed - it is a higher level of competition. I think most players would agree that they would rather win the 6N than the HC. That's not to say the HC is irrelevant - but I can't see any argument for it being as important as the 6N.

Also I love the way international teams cant buy in players - I think its somehow fairer, and gives a little more meaning to the fixtures (rather than for example a Munster match that features Howlett, or a Leinster match with Dr Phil)

bleg

barnesd wrote: »

Imo the Heineken cup is almost irrelevant compared to the 6N in terms of prestige.

definitely not in my opinion. it's the second most prized trophy in the northern hemisphere. winning the grand slam was unreal but winning the heineken cup for the first time comes a close second. on a scale of 1-10 the GS was 10 and the HC was 9

puntosporting

bleg wrote: »

definitely not in my opinion. it's the second most prized trophy in the northern hemisphere. winning the grand slam was unreal but winning the heineken cup for the first time comes a close second. on a scale of 1-10 the GS was 10 and the HC was 9

Id agree with that in fairness!
Spectacular year for Irish rugby all the same!
Pity the worldcup aint starting in may eh?

barnesd

bleg wrote: »

definitely not in my opinion. it's the second most prized trophy in the northern hemisphere. winning the grand slam was unreal but winning the heineken cup for the first time comes a close second. on a scale of 1-10 the GS was 10 and the HC was 9

Fair enough. I guess it's a personal thing for a fan.

Serenity Now!

barnesd wrote: »

Imo the Heineken cup is almost irrelevant compared to the 6N in terms of prestige. The 6N is the far bigger competition.

I wouldn't call it irrelevant. The Grand Slam is definitely the peak of it all, in my opinion as it is the pinnacle of the NH game. If the season was structured properly (ML finishing before ERC finishing before 6N), I think people would realise this.

Cardiff this year was the greatest experience of any sporting occasion I've ever been to. This includes the 2 x Munster ERC wins (and other games involving Leinster too), Ashes cricket tests, State of Origin games (all my fave sports).

For an Irish province to win the next two comps would just close off a bloody nice year indeed.

gcgirl

For me if it was 2011 and we finished in the top 2 of the RWC then i would say yeh and please god in 2011 we can do what we have done so far this season !

NickNolte

bleg wrote: »

it's the second most prized trophy in the northern hemisphere

Yeah, I mean the HC is fiercely competitive and it's right up there. If I had to choose between the Grand Slam for Ireland or the Heineken Cup for Leinster, then it would be Grand Slam for Ireland every time. Well... if I could choose one or the other every single year, I'd probably alternate it

To call the HC irrelevant, even in comparison to the 6 Nations, just isn't right though!

Also, as was said already, the fact that you need to be eligible to play for a country and you can't just be 'bought' in makes test rugby a lot more intriguing IMO. Rugby hasn't quite gone the way of football just yet; where most of the teams are made up of people with little or no affiiliation to the region. When/if it does though, I can see myself becoming less enthusiastic about the HC and European club rugby in general. Imagine a scenario where Paul O'Connell, Brian O'Driscoll, Alan Quinlan, Malcolm O'Kelly, Jamie Heaslip, Peter Stringer, Stephen Ferris, Ronan O'Gara (ok, you get the message) are all playing their rugby down in France and Munster and Leinster are both made up of mostly Saffas, Kiwis and Aussies being paid top dollar to go on sebatical. It wouldn't quite be the same.

Diom

If Connacht somehow manage a miracle and qualify for the HEC it would be even better.

Imagine all four provinces in the HEC... the good that would do for Connacht would be great, and the long term good it would do for Ireland too.