Ireland Team Talk/Gossip/Rumour Thread

bamboozle

is Rob Kearney injured?

Donncadh still involved why oh why?

totallegend

danthefan wrote: »

Some encouraging and very worrying selections in that squad.

It's the old reliables with a few tackle bag holders replacing the regulars who are injured. No-one should regard this as the beginning of Luke Marshall's international career.

danthefan

bamboozle wrote: »

is Rob Kearney injured?

Donncadh still involved why oh why?

I'm beginning to think there's something going on with Kearney that we don't know about (injury wise). Ostensibly he's still finishing his pre-season.

thomond2006

DOC has been brilliant this season for Munster, he merits his spot. I do get the feeling that his international days are over though, if all of Ryan, POC and Tuohy are fit.

Teferi

totallegend wrote: »

It's the old reliables with a few tackle bag holders replacing the regulars who are injured. No-one should regard this as the beginning of Luke Marshall's international career.

Yeah that's about the sum of it.

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Quint2010

thomond2006 wrote: »

DOC has been brilliant this season for Munster, he merits his spot. I do get the feeling that his international days are over though, if all of Ryan, POC and Tuohy are fit.

I think the point people are trying to make abut DOC is no matter how well or badly he plays he will always be in the Ireland squad. Quite frankly I am disgusted Toner hasnt made it. As for O'Gara? Laughable.

smurphy29

Yep, O'Callaghan has the look of somebody who has analysed his own performances last year and decided they were rubbish, and is determined not to fade away. Looks a throwback to the old manic Donncha of his mid 20s. Let's see if he can ustain the energy in the big games, but on form his place is merited.

Ultimately, what's the point of this squad? Like, what's it all about? Surely, it's the perfect opportunity to give someone like Madigan a sniff of the national set up and see what it's all about?

bamboozle

Madigan, Paddy Jackson, Gilroy, O'Halloran, Tonar should all be there.

Good to see Henderson involved.

Hope Deccie puts Hurley and Trimble sharing a room!

Clegg

Its great to see Marshall and Henderson in the training squad. However, the continued selection of an over the hill ROG is very disappointing. His time is up and he should be discarded. We learn absolutely nothing by having him in the squad.

I think Madigan has been the best young 10 in Ireland for the last year and Jackson isn't that far behind him either. Both have certainly been in better form than ROG. Their omission is baffling to me.

Fly half is a problem position for Ireland but its a problem completely of Kidneys making. I can't wait till he's sacked tbh.

Cpt_Blackbeard

totallegend wrote: »

That was my first thought, but he got injured last week. Still, Varley has no business there.

Its a sad state of affairs when we've posters calling for the inclusion of a foreigner looking for an easy buck ahead of a homegrown Irish player.

Clegg

How xenophobic and ignorant of you.

Hooker is a position were we are light on quality. Under IRB regulations we are well within our rights to choose non-Irish players once they have fulfilled the residency term.

Strauss has given everything to Leinster. He's not just here for a jolly.

bamboozle

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

Its a sad state of affairs when we've posters calling for the inclusion of a foreigner looking for an easy buck ahead of a homegrown Irish player.

agree with you but at the same time Varley's performances are the same every match - iffy lineout, a couple of great steals on the ground, a completely daft penalty given away in front of the posts.

In saying that, if strauss wanted an easy buck he'd be playing in Japan or france for double his money.

Riskymove

tbh I dont see the point of both Madigan and Sexton involved in ireland Camps or squads

Madigan will get more game time for Leinster when Sexton is unavailable to show what he can do and I think that is more valuable for him at present

I think it would be unusual to have players in the same position from the same team in the International setup - except perhaps where some players can play more than one position

Mr.Applepie

leftleg wrote: »

O dea is injured and Zebo needs to play a game this season before you write him off the Ireland general squad.

No true, you can write him if you think he shouldn't be there in the first place.

Is Bowe not injured?

chris_d

not sure what Madigan or Gilroy need to do to get a sniff of a green shirt.

Clegg

Its getting harder and harder for me to muster up any enthusiasm for Ireland. We play a game that is devoid of any creativity. We have good players at our disposal so our gameplan of going through a few phases before leathering the ball up in the air is a shocking indictment of our coaching set up.

The continual reliance of players well past their peak is also infuriating to me. We ignore in form and up and coming players and instead pick the old reliables, even though they haven't had a good game for their country in ages. Its nice seeing the likes of Zebo and Marshall in the squads but there should be so many more.

I'm just sick of that pre-match dread every time Ireland play.

Cpt_Blackbeard

Clegg wrote: »

How xenophobic and ignorant of you.

Because I don't want lads looking to further their careers/increase their salary selected to represent Ireland ahead of players of a reasonably similar standard, who have dreamed of pulling on the green jersey since they were kids?

its_phil

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

Because I don't want lads looking to further their careers/increase their salary selected to represent Ireland ahead of players of a reasonably similar standard

Varley is not of the same standard as Strauss.

Cpt_Blackbeard

its_phil wrote: »

Varley is not of the same standard as Strauss.

I agree. I did not say he was.

Hagz

Not even close.

GerM

I've no idea how DK keeps a straight face when he announces a squad. Greatest troll of our times.

irishbucsfan

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

Because I don't want lads looking to further their careers/increase their salary selected to represent Ireland ahead of players of a reasonably similar standard, who have dreamed of pulling on the green jersey since they were kids?

Did Richardt tell you himself that that's the reason he wants to play for Ireland? Or are you just talking rubbish?

I wanted to play for Ireland since I was 8 seconds old. I shot out of the womb and was wrapped in a towel that was woven from the hair of Mike Gibson and WIllie John McBride. The room was draped in IRFU flags and there were pictures of Olly Campbell everywhere. When I opened my eyes for the first time my Dad showed me an Irish jersey, and when I reached out to him he put a rugby ball in my hands. Damien Varley on the other hand probably didn't even know what rugby was until he was a few years old, let alone develop aspiration to represent his country. Does all this mean I should be in the squad ahead of him?

GerM

Strauss was never going to be called up to an official squad given he isn't even eligible. I'm sure he'll be involved in the background. I've no problem with Varley getting the call. He performances deserve it more than the other options currently with the possible exception of Herring who will have to bide his time.

irishbucsfan

I wouldn't pay too much attention to the squad itself. These squads have a habit of getting people angry for no reason, for example think back to the 6 Nations.

GerM

irishbucsfan wrote: »

I wanted to play for Ireland since I was 8 seconds old. I shot out of the womb and was wrapped in a towel that was woven from the hair of Mike Gibson and WIllie John McBride. The room was draped in IRFU flags and there were pictures of Olly Campbell everywhere. When I opened my eyes for the first time my Dad showed me an Irish jersey, and when I reached out to him he put a rugby ball in my hands.

I was hooked out by Karl Mullen. He got a good clean strike and I was clear. You win by a distance though!

profitius

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Did Richardt tell you himself that that's the reason he wants to play for Ireland? Or are you just talking rubbish?

I wanted to play for Ireland since I was 8 seconds old. I shot out of the womb and was wrapped in a towel that was woven from the hair of Mike Gibson and WIllie John McBride. The room was draped in IRFU flags and there were pictures of Olly Campbell everywhere. When I opened my eyes for the first time my Dad showed me an Irish jersey, and when I reached out to him he put a rugby ball in my hands. Damien Varley on the other hand probably didn't even know what rugby was until he was a few years old, let alone develop aspiration to represent his country. Does all this mean I should be in the squad ahead of him?

You know as well as anyone theres a big difference between an Irish player playing for Ireland and a South African playing for Ireland.

Cpt_Blackbeard

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Did Richardt tell you himself that that's the reason he wants to play for Ireland? Or are you just talking rubbish?

Is it not a fair assumption?

We'll just have to wait until someone like Jared Payne is selected ahead of Rob Kearney until the double standards begin to surface.

irishbucsfan

profitius wrote: »

You know as well as anyone theres a big difference between an Irish player playing for Ireland and a South African playing for Ireland.

I personally disagree with the project player system. I think it's gone way way too far and the naturalisation laws don't achieve what they were supposed to.

However the laws are the laws, and Richardt Strauss came here, put his head down, merged seamlessly into the squad and the community and now is elligible under international laws and has made his intentions clear. For the IRFU to turn around now and decide to make some sort of moral stand after leading him on for years would be a complete insult to him after all he has done. So we should consider him Irish.

But if the matter came up for debate I would absolutely support more stringent qualification criteria.

irishbucsfan

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

Is it not a fair assumption?

We'll just have to wait until someone like Jared Payne is selected ahead of Rob Kearney until the double standards begin to surface.

Strauss in only in it for the money then? He has no other motives?

Teferi

If I was coach I would realise that no selection pool is too deep that you can reject ready and willing players merely because of their place of birth. Would I prefer if they were all Irish born? Sure. But I'm not willing to throw them away just because they are not.

Until Ireland has a squad that can go 4 players deep without any noticeable drop in play then it is short sighted to not accept any player from anywhere.

It's all well and good for us to be saying that only Irish players should play but when if you were the coach with the weight of a nation and the IRFU on your back then you would take anyone in order to win.