Irish Rugby

lala88

So Ireland blow it once again.

For all the talk people have about how great Ireland are what have to actually done? Since 2000 a few Triple Crowns and a Grand Slam that was milked to the last. Not great if you ask me. In that same time Wales have won 2 Grand Slams a team Ireland think there better then, they only really started to beat England after they became a shadow of the team they once were. Lose to France more often then not. Lose to South Africa and Australia more often then not and have never beat New Zealand!

The less said about what happens in the World Cup the better! Still depending on the same old faces for the last 11/12 years.

People say its great how were in the top 5 or so teams in the world, to me not something to shout about seeing as theres only 6/7 teams that are any good!

So why is there so much hype around Rugby?

Fishooks12

God I hate these stupid reactionary threads from people who probably watch 5 rugby matches a year

lala88

Fishooks12 wrote: »

God I hate these stupid reactionary threads from people who probably watch 5 rugby matches a year

Im not even a Rugby fan just want to know why Ireland are made out to be sure a great team when the results say other wise

Creamy Goodness

lala88 wrote: »

Im not even a Rugby fan just want to know why Ireland are made out to be sure a great team when the results say other wise

because the irish provinces have enjoy huge success in european rugby but it doesn't really happen at international level.

Fishooks12

lala88 wrote: »

Im not even a Rugby fan just want to know why Ireland are made out to be sure a great team when the results say other wise

Because we dominate domestic competition every year, have some world class players, that's why. Irish rugby is in extremely good health at the moment but for one backward coach leading the national side

lala88

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

because the irish provinces have enjoy huge success in european rugby but it doesn't really happen at international level.

Yes but im asking about the International team. I know the club teams have had great success.

profitius

Hes wumming ignore him.

lala88

profitius wrote: »

Hes wumming ignore him.

How am i?

TimeToShine

lala88 wrote: »

Im not even a Rugby fan just want to know why Ireland are made out to be sure a great team when the results say other wise

Because we produce amazing individual talents as proven by all the club tournaments, and theoretically we are a fantastic team. Tactics let us down today.

lala88

TimeToShine wrote: »

Because we produce amazing individual talents as proven by all the club tournaments, and theoretically we are a fantastic team. Tactics let us down today.

If they are such a fantastic team why have they never done it at the World Cup?

TimeToShine

lala88 wrote: »

If they are such a fantastic team why have they never done it at the World Cup?

I said theoretically, your guess is as good as mine.

lala88

TimeToShine wrote: »

I said theoretically, your guess is as good as mine.

Oh sorry misread your post. It seems to me like with most Irish sport success its milked tp the last!

Brendog

"Oh Ireland blew it"


Ireland didn't blow it. Wales are a great team who have come on tremendously since the world cup. They have imo one of the best back lines in the world.

Very tough team to beat, we were just unlucky that Ferris made such a stupid tackle.

djjdomahony

i think we did blow it tbh

at the end of the day the old saying "forwards decide who wins a game, backs by how many" is usually not too far from the truth..

at the end of the day our forwards did not win the battle up front even up against a weakened wales..

cant expect to win games like that


oh yeah and the welsh lineout didnt even function!

it couldn't of been made any easier
-at home
-beat weakened welsh pack
-neutralize the threat of north and roberts

Brendog

lala88 wrote: »

If they are such a fantastic team why have they never done it at the World Cup?

Ireland are a great team. Do you really have to be so negative when we lost a game in the last second/

its not like we were trailing for the whole match.

Stop living in lala land and get a grip

Tigerandahalf

I agree Lala88 the international team is way over rated. Provinces are doing v well though.

bobbysands81

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

because the irish provinces have enjoy huge success in european rugby but it doesn't really happen at international level.

But that's like saying that England should win the soccerball World Cup all the time because many think their clubs are the best... It doesn't work bat way though.

bobbysands81

Fishooks12 wrote: »

Because we dominate domestic competition every year, have some world class players, that's why. Irish rugby is in extremely good health at the moment but for one backward coach leading the national side

Who else can dominate domestic competitions in Ireland but Irish teams?

Tox56

bobbysands81 wrote: »

Who else can dominate domestic competitions in Ireland but Irish teams?

I take it you don't watch much rugby.

Kayless

djjdomahony wrote: »

i think we did blow it tbh

at the end of the day the old saying "forwards decide who wins a game, backs by how many" is usually not too far from the truth..

at the end of the day our forwards did not win the battle up front even up against a weakened wales..

cant expect to win games like that


oh yeah and the welsh lineout didnt even function!

it couldn't of been made any easier
-at home
-beat weakened welsh pack
-neutralize the threat of north and roberts

still how come most of the players come from leinster and when they play any welsh side they win no matter how many welsh players play?

We need new management... lets put it like this if we were to bring joe schmidt in to take over for DK do you really think we would lose like we did today

we are "so close, yet so far"

[Jackass]

Declan Kidney out-coached and out foxed once again. Has learnt nothing since the world cup, or since he took over the job. Still trying to play Munster Rugby from circa 2006 (2 world cups ago now, the game has moved on) and looks for physical dominance as the first port of call, of which we are unable to bully most teams (Australia aside) but Wales are wise to this and it's water off their back. Declan neither has the ability to identify this flaw, or to come up with any other plan of action, as it's all he's known since coaching schools rugby and coaching a team with the best pack in Europe by some margin (at the time) to 2 Heineken Cups.

He got a bounce of a ball to win a grand slam (not just against Wales when Jones missed a kick, but in the French game also, and we were never that impressive in that tournament anyway, and it was with Eddie O'Sullivans team).

All of these teams have moved on immeasurably, and are better now, and we're still in that same old rut.

His selection policy also indicates how clueless he is, Conor Murray for example, who's needs Sam Warburton when you have this guy killing so much Irish ball, and also ensuring that we have Paul O'Connell or Cian Healy as our scrum half for 33% of our rucks, as Murray lies at the bottom of a ruck on one of the occasions he's not turned over and his 5 yard gain from a break results in slow ball and reorganised defence. Pick any selection of backs in the world, and we would not have won that game with the back-row and scrum-half picked. Murray's frequent box kicking also negates the reason for having a running 10, or even a tactical 10, as he takes on all of the responsability, with a less than 50% retention rate from his kicks, makes him a poor mans Tomas O'Leary, and Tomas O'Leary is an awful, awful player.

He also shows his inability to build a squad. We have regressed since he took over, and the fact that he still picks O'Callaghan, no longer first choice at Munster, but was during deccies reign, over Ryan, who was a game changer, and almost won us the game when he came on, shows how clueless Kidney is and how he is unable to identify talent or pick the best team.

His close advisers from Munster who got Murray in the team, also got O'Mahony on the bench, a complete and utter waste of a bench spot, he offers absolutely nothing at this level (and not to say he's a bad player, but like Murray, is completely out of his depth and a major liability rather than a game changer - and i don't think he even came on, but I'm talking about what he can offer) when he completely ignores the strength of his provincial teams and is unable to embrace the playing style of Leinster, Ulster and recently Munster, of recycling quick ball and using pace out wide.

On the one occassion the ball was sent to Sexton when we had quick ball on front foot, Tommy Bowe went over in the corner. YET, it will be Sexton who is dropped for next week, and Murray will retain his place.

He can't identify how to establish quick ball, and has made absolutely no inventive decisions to try and force Provincial level success into the national team by basing a breakdown game around a 7 like Jennings (who has been inoprable in the Irish set up, and admitedly poor, but I wouldn't put it down to the player as much as the game plan, if you don't want a sevens effect, his impact ability is limited) or bringing in somone like Henry...but he picks O'Mahony. O'Mahony is not even the best young back-row in the country, and like Murray, has no obligation to earn an international place, whilst guys like Henry, O'Connor, Jennings, Rudduck, McLoughlin, Dominic Ryan to name but a few, might as well not exist, as the Munster regeneration plan is more important.

But this is international level, provincial level success doesn't mean it will work at international level. Maybe that statement is correct, but then why pick the consistantly proven failed centre partnership of D'Arcy and McFadden then? It has failed to set the pro12 on fire, so why would it work in the 6 nations?

McFadden has great distribution, put him at 12, look to develop a team, create options you fool, and how about Tommy Bowe, capped at Lions and Heineken Cup level at outside centre, with a killer break and power and 6'3", who can match infield physicality if that is so important?

And that leaves a wing spot, to use Earls (a proven failure at centre, who not only was first choice, but is the weakest defensive player in the Irish back-line, both physically and technically) or Fitzgerald (who on the form of his life, scrapped in to the A team, whilst Simon Zebo trains in the senior squad, after meeting his quota of 5 Rabo Direct caps to be part of the Munster Regeneration Plan of international training camps), or stick with D'Arcy in the centre with Bowe and use McFadden on the wing, where he has shown some decent performances in the past, or put Zebo out the if you believe in his talent enough, but for the love of god, do SOMETHING that isn't clearly going to fail before it even gets started.

Declan Kidney does not know what he is doing, and in my opinion, has never really known what he is doing at any level, despite great success with a Munster team who were the best team in Europe, and taking over an Irish team that has been the second most successfull team in Europe over the last 15 years (almost) in terms of games won (only behind France) and yet we have absolutely failed miserably by winning only one championship, yet this is celebrated like the golden achievement in Irish sport, when in fact it's solidarity is the glaring evidence of absolute failure to manifest any kind success at international level from the strongest club level nation in Europe.

We are failures. Declan Kidney is a failure. If you want another 1,000 words on his failings as a coach (which are endless), I'll be more than happy to supply them.