Ireland v Scotland -Aviva Stadium - Saturday 10th March 5pm

danthefan

Apart from upsetting Sexton or whatever, bring on ROG simply made the team worse. There was no reason for it.

GerM

I'm generally quite happy with DK recently. He's assessed the situation and adapted somewhat. However, the Sexton to 12 experiment is nonsensical. ROG is on the cusp of retirement. He's our outhalf and should be playing there. He has never played 12, has no future there and shouldn't be spending chunks of his international season playing there. We've someone like McFadden who will quite likely end up starting for Ireland at 12 at some point not getting any time there. It's the daftest thing in Irish rugby currently by some distance. I don't want to be cynical and say it's due to wanting to give ROG a run but not wanting to do it at the expense of an in form Sexton but there's little other reasoning.

Quint2010

Buceph wrote: »

Ah Jaysus, poor Johnny! Getting upset that there are other players. I bet ROG did something nasty like smile at him.

And Rog is fairly open about his thoughts and views on anything and everything, and he's said a number of times that he gets on well with Sexton and Sexton has reciprocated. When Sexton came onto the scene it looked a bit tense, but now you only have to watch the interaction between the two to see they get on and encourage each other. And whenever you see Rog on the sidelines he's always smiling and clapping for Sexton. Then when he does come on for him there's a genuine smile between the two as they exchange places.

It's ridiculous to say that having a substitute out-half is effecting Sexton. And if you do want to go that line why was Reddan allowed on the bench when Conor Murray is in pretty much the same situation Sexton was in a few years ago.

The Rog upsetting Sexton stuff is pure conspiracy theory territory.

You can hardly compare Reddan and O'Gara. ROG is a huge personality in the dressing room, is our most capped player ever and is a legend of irish rugby.I don't have a problem with ROG being on the bench or being being brought on if Sexton is injured or not playing well. The problem is with ROG being brought on when Sexton is playing well a la yesterday and the England game last year.

CatFromHue

It's a confusing (Sexton at 12) one all right, one I don't fully understand either. McFadden has only come on in the outside backs for Ireland (wing yesterday, for Trimble against France, for Earls against Italy, and started at 13 against Wales) so Kidney mustn't trust him at 12.

I'd view ROG at 10 and Sexton at 12 as an injury induced move and has no real tactical benefit. When you look at what you want from at 12 for Ireland Sexton doesn't match up. When you look at what you want at 10 for Ireland ROG doesn't match up. Attack wise it weakens the team.

Another thing that is starting to confuse me a little is how often we change our halbacks. I'm not what the benefit to the team is doing this so much anymore.

Big Nelly

I cant believe what is been allowed on RTE, first off Hook slags O'Brien and then takes into Heaslip.....will not write what I feel cause I will get banned....turned to BBC1.....shower of......

I am not paying my TV license this year, first getting caught out slagging the cavan man for President and now this crap....why should I pay there wages.....shower of...

sickpuppy

Big Nelly wrote: »

I cant believe what is been allowed on RTE, first off Hook slags O'Brien and then takes into Heaslip.....will not write what I feel cause I will get banned....turned to BBC1.....shower of......

I am not paying my TV license this year, first getting caught out slagging the cavan man for President and now this crap....why should I pay there wages.....shower of...

Well why not complain to rte?
Talking about it on the internet will hardly change anything i agree totally about hook

yimrsg

Hook got out of the wrong side of the bed, slagging off PSA's selections and tactics and saying he's made more mistakes already than Lievremont did in his entire tenure.

That's without him slagging off SOB and Heaslip and changing his opinions on POM where's he's no longer a natural openside but more in the David Wallace mould. You'd have to seriously consider your mental health if you thought he spoke sense.

Big Nelly

sickpuppy wrote: »

Well why not complain to rte?
Talking about it on the internet will hardly change anything i agree totally about hook

Already done

thomond2006

yimrsg wrote: »

Hook got out of the wrong side of the bed, slagging off PSA's selections and tactics and saying he's made more mistakes already than Lievremont did in his entire tenure.

Please tell me he did not say that.

CIARAN_BOYLE

thomond2006 wrote: »

Please tell me he did not say that.

I'm afraid he did

boynesider

Hook makes a career out of making people angry. As soon as I realised this many years ago whatever he says doesn't bother me in the slightest.

phog

Match stats from Ruckingoodstats

danthefan

One offload in 80 minutes, that is shocking. Are the team told to hang onto the ball or what I wonder? And we still scored 4 tries. Offloads are one of the best ways to beat defences these days. Oh for a skills/backs coach.

CatFromHue

ESPN have us down as having no offloads yesterday.

In saying that they have us as out offloading our opposition in all of our 6 Nations games so far. We also had more than the Italians and the Welsh (way more than the Welsh!) and the same as the Aussies in the RWC.

ambid

danthefan wrote: »

One offload in 80 minutes, that is shocking. Are the team told to hang onto the ball or what I wonder? And we still scored 4 tries. Offloads are one of the best ways to beat defences these days. Oh for a skills/backs coach.

In fairness, Ireland are by far the top try scorers in the Six Nations and their back play has improved massively since the Wales match. I think Kiss is doing a good job.

But yes the lack of offloads yesterday may be a problem.

The real problem I think is why does it always seem to take Ireland longer than any other team to get properly up to speed at the start of a championship.

phog

We had 9 offloads V Wales, 10 v Italy and 5 v France

CatFromHue

The highlights are up on RugbyDump: http://www.rugbydump.com/2012/03/2404/ireland-beat-scotland-in-eventful-six-nations-clash-in-dublin

Andy Nicol on BBC pointed it out yesterday that for Reddan's try Lamont went in to injure Reddan. Watching it again it's hard to disagree with that! It definitely wasn't a tackle attepmt

northernpower

I know the box kicking from Reddan has been mentioned a lot, and its most likely kidneys game plan but I thought what was equally noticable in Reddans play yesterday, especially when paired with Sexton was the lack of the wrap around thats been so effective in changing the point of attack and opening up defences for leinster.

I don't remeber it being used once yesterday, but may have been in some of the earlier games when reddan was coming in as a sub (maybe someone will correct me or remember a specific one)

I think its down to the tactic of trying to win by not losing, so reducing the risk taking??

Any thoughts?

smurphy29

danthefan wrote: »

One offload in 80 minutes, that is shocking. Are the team told to hang onto the ball or what I wonder? And we still scored 4 tries. Offloads are one of the best ways to beat defences these days. Oh for a skills/backs coach.

Ah Dan, we scored four tries, come on now. Perhaps it was felt that against Scotland there was no need to risk offloads, as by going through the phases the gaps will open up.

Mr.Applepie

northernpower wrote: »

I know the box kicking from Reddan has been mentioned a lot, and its most likely kidneys game plan but I thought what was equally noticable in Reddans play yesterday, especially when paired with Sexton was the lack of the wrap around thats been so effective in changing the point of attack and opening up defences for leinster.

I don't remeber it being used once yesterday, but may have been in some of the earlier games when reddan was coming in as a sub (maybe someone will correct me or remember a specific one)

I think its down to the tactic of trying to win by not losing, so reducing the risk taking??

Any thoughts?

I haven't seen it used much by Leinster either recently. I think most defences are looking out for it nowadays so it isn't as effective.

GerM

It’s worth noting that BOD is central to the wrap around move. It works best when he is the one taking the pass, holding the defence and releasing Sexton. For all the world, it looks like he’s going to take the ball up himself before releasing a pop without ever looking. Darce can do it too with BOD running a dummy line but it isn’t as successful. The likes of McFadden or EOM simply don’t do it anywhere near as smoothly.

totallegend

Mr.Applepie wrote: »

I haven't seen it used much by Leinster either recently. I think most defences are looking out for it nowadays so it isn't as effective.

If it's executed properly, it's one of those moves that should be effective even if the defence is expecting it, i.e. that if the defence drifts across to cover the out-half as he loops around, then the centre should hold on to the ball, straighten the line and exploit the gap.

That said, we haven't seen that much of it this year from Leinster, which may be down to the absence of BOD as Ger has speculated.

.ak

I think it's a combo of both really. We're well into the second season with Schmidt and you don't see many tactics from last year being re-used. One thing I'd like to see used again though is the wrap around with a VERY FAST strike runner coming onto it. I'm sure it can be done without BOD. But a prime example is THAT try against Racing Metro in last seasons H-Cup. A wrap around from BOD, popped to Sexton who breaks the gainline and then off to Kearney who would be Ireland's fastest starter imo. If Earls could put that in his book of tricks we could be laughing.

prospect

.ak wrote: »

But a prime example is THAT try against Racing Metro in last seasons H-Cup. A wrap around from BOD, popped to Sexton who breaks the gainline and then off to Kearney

Was that try not against Munster?

lemansky

One nice example.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqRl69rgBKA

prospect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC2k39GlnCk

leakyboots

MungBean wrote: »

What ?? It was a two on one, and Gray threw a dummy, he didnt run away from the tackle.



His defence is nowhere near what anyone can call dodgy, give me some examples other than two on ones where he tried to anticipate the play rather than make a pointless tackle for the sake of it when it was clearly obvious making the tackle would stop the try.

Did something similar for the second Davies try in the Aviva, neglected to tackle anyone as last man

(Can't link the exact time for some reason but go to 1m15s in the video)

irishbucsfan

No he's definitely referring to the Kearney one v. Racing. Came off a set piece and just ripped them to shreds.

lemansky

About two minutes in...posted the last one to buy me some time :pac:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsYcFuzE8_0

totallegend

leakyboots wrote: »

Did something similar for the second Davies try in the Aviva, neglected to tackle anyone as last man

Again, it's the same as the Gray try; Davies had two guys outside him with no-one to cover them; Kearney had to cover across and hope that the guys inside would get a hit in on Davies. If you watch it back, Trimble gets within inches of Davies; if he had made the tackle and Kearney had double-teamed him leaving two guys open on the wing, how would that have looked?

It was said in reference to the Gray try that Kearney should have committed to the tackle because a second-row forward might make a balls of the final pass; as far-fetched as that was, there is no way a centre would fail to deliver the scoring pass.