6 Nations Champions and a first grand slam

molloyjh

With all the doom and gloom re the mens side I think we all need a pick-me-up, and this deserves more than just a single comment stuffed into the middle of a bigger thread.

On Saturday afternoon the Irish Womens team officially became 6 Nations Champions 2013. It's been a fantastic year for them so far; beating England for the first time, winning their first Triple Crown and now securing the Championship win. On Sunday afternoon they are in Milan for what could make it a Grand Slam. I'm not sure if it's being televised (I doubt there's much call for Italian TV stations to cover womens rugby) but when you compare the fiasco last year for their trip to France to where they are now it's a huge testament to the players and the coaches that they've done so well this year.

It's worth remembering that we have plenty to cheer for still this weekend. Let's hope the girls can do the business against the Italians and make this year even more spectacular than it already has been for them. They've given so much to the cause that they deserve it.

COME ON IRELAND!

pickarooney

Any highlights from the matches on line?

trouttrout

Well done!.

I think the woman's game can be a fantastic spectacle. Had a match yesterday and there was a woman's game on before it. Some of the organisation, attacking and defending on display far surpassed what us men served up after it.

I'd encourage everyone to try and support their local woman's team!

irishbucsfan

I'd love to fly to Milan next weekend!

JustinDee

pickarooney wrote: »

Any highlights from the matches on line?

Yes, up on www.IrishRugby.ie

toomevara

Have to say its all the more pleasing from an Irish perspective over here in the UK, where prior to the championship all the talk was of how unstoppable/unbeatable the English women's team was, particularly on 5Live sport etc...Congrats to the ladies.

molloyjh

JustinDee wrote: »

Yes, up on www.IrishRugby.ie

Any word on whether the game on Sunday will be streamed?

Thud

molloyjh wrote: »

Any word on whether the game on Sunday will be streamed?

supposedly it's up to the host country (Scotland didnt bother), would have to think the IRFU would throw the Italians few quid to get it streamed

Losty Dublin

JustinDee wrote: »

Yes, up on www.IrishRugby.ie

I would expect that some highlights and reviews of the game will be shown on Against the Head tonight.

ScissorPaperRock

I'm in Rome and am thinking about making the trip up, but I'm having trouble locating the stadium on Google maps.

Is it this one? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Siro

Pudsy33

ScissorPaperRoc wrote: »

I'm in Rome and am thinking about making the trip up, but I'm having trouble locating the stadium on Google maps.

Is it this one? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Siro

I'd besuprised if its in the San Siro, but I can't see any decent info online. Its on in a town called Parabiago, which is in north-west Milan, as is the stadium.

Pudsy33

http://www.rugbyparabiago.com/ I'd imagine it is on this rugby clubs ground

ScissorPaperRock

Pudsy33 wrote: »

http://www.rugbyparabiago.com/ I'd imagine it is on this rugby clubs ground

Thanks, that's the one alright.

JustinDee

Losty Dublin wrote: »

I would expect that some highlights and reviews of the game will be shown on Against the Head tonight.

Not as long a highlights piece as on website. RTE coverage was taken from IRFU stream.

Thud

@Justin, do you know if they will be streaming the Italy game?

Philip O Brien

The international papers were refering to the game against England as being in Dublin ... even though it was in Ashbourne, Co. Meath. Somehow I doubt the Italy game is being played in Milan, they just say Milan because it's the nearest big place people will know. I'd love to see women's sport at least get to use some of the better, bigger facilities available.

One can hope!

ScissorPaperRock

Philip O Brien wrote: »

The international papers were refering to the game against England as being in Dublin ... even though it was in Ashbourne, Co. Meath. Somehow I doubt the Italy game is being played in Milan, they just say Milan because it's the nearest big place people will know. I'd love to see women's sport at least get to use some of the better, bigger facilities available.

One can hope!

It's annoying that they don't have use of the top facilities. Even to get to this stadium from Rome is expensive and a pain in the ass.

Thud

Will be shown on RTE:
http://www.rte.ie/presspack/2013/03/13/ireland-womens-rugby-team-aim-for-6-nations-grand-slam-live-on-rte/?platform=47&start=1362787200&end=1363391999

thomond2006

Came here to post the same thing thud. Great news!

molloyjh

Thud wrote: »

Will be shown on RTE:
http://www.rte.ie/presspack/2013/03/13/ireland-womens-rugby-team-aim-for-6-nations-grand-slam-live-on-rte/?platform=47&start=1362787200&end=1363391999

Fantastic news. Fair play to RTE too. Looking forward to that one now.

Hersheys

*cancels all Paddys day plans*

What a whirlwind adventure for the girls over the past few years. It's great.

irishbucsfan

Does anyone know is there any way at all at all I can watch this from home in london. If not I'll flash the shamrock symbol into the sky, gather up a bunch of ex-pats and demand it gets shown on some bar telly.

.ak

Please do not discuss how to get around IP checkers etc.

WorldRugby99

toomevara wrote: »

Have to say its all the more pleasing from an Irish perspective over here in the UK, where prior to the championship all the talk was of how unstoppable/unbeatable the English women's team was, particularly on 5Live sport etc...Congrats to the ladies.

I dont think anybody who actually knows anything about womens rugby(im involved in coaching a ladies team) actually thought england,missing so many of their leading players,were going to just stroll to another grandslam.
A lot of rugby journos often comment on the womens game with little knowledge of it and the players involved.
The irish ladies are progressing and winning the Gslam would be a great stepping stone and momentum builder but it has to be acknowledged(and it hasnt by many of the irish journos commenting on the ladies achievement)that England are still very much the womens leading side at the moment and that while winning it this year is great for the game in ireland, next year when england will be back at full strength is a different matter and that will be the real marker of progression.

.ak

Buzzkill.

molloyjh

WorldRugby99 wrote: »

I dont think anybody who actually knows anything about womens rugby(im involved in coaching a ladies team) actually thought england,missing so many of their leading players,were going to just stroll to another grandslam.
A lot of rugby journos often comment on the womens game with little knowledge of it and the players involved.
The irish ladies are progressing and winning the Gslam would be a great stepping stone and momentum builder but it has to be acknowledged(and it hasnt by many of the irish journos commenting on the ladies achievement)that England are still very much the womens leading side at the moment and that while winning it this year is great for the game in ireland, next year when england will be back at full strength is a different matter and that will be the real marker of progression.

Granted the English side are missing most (all?) of their first choice backs, but is their pack not full strength? Yes they are still the yardstick, but this season they hockeyed Scotand (76-0) and beat Italy well (34-0). Under-strength though they may be they aren't suddenly a poor side. And that was only 1 of the games the ladies played. They still needed to back that up in the other games. And did so. Wasn't it the first time in something like 19 games that they beat the French?

WorldRugby99

molloyjh wrote: »

Granted the English side are missing most (all?) of their first choice backs, but is their pack not full strength? Yes they are still the yardstick, but this season they hockeyed Scotand (76-0) and beat Italy well (34-0). Under-strength though they may be they aren't suddenly a poor side. And that was only 1 of the games the ladies played. They still needed to back that up in the other games. And did so. Wasn't it the first time in something like 19 games that they beat the French?

there is definitely a significant gap between some of englands players and their replacements i.e they would be in a world ladies XV but their replacement wouldnt.Sure they have many more players to choose from and they have still put out a decent XV hence they have won some games well.
The whole back line(and a couple more) and their back row are the england players missing-front 5 is pretty much the same -but its the back row-fisher,alphonsi etc and the backs-where englands best players are.

Im not trying to be a killjoy -its great to see the improvement of the irish ladies but lets not try to over praise until its warranted-whether its the mens team or the womens team.

JustinDee

Great.
England could have won it if only ... blah blah ... etc.
They didn't though. Ifs, buts and maybes don't count in sport. If you are indeed a coach, you should understand that. I don't give two stuffs if Maggie and co weren't there. Tough. Ireland have made history, can win a slam and that's about it really. If they do well in the Sevens too over the next two weeks then even better.
I'm enjoying it myself. No amount of pissing on chips can ever determine that as over-praising them.

WorldRugby99

JustinDee wrote: »

Great.
England could have won it if only ... blah blah ... etc.
They didn't though. Ifs, buts and maybes don't count in sport. If you are indeed a coach, you should understand that. I don't give two stuffs if Maggie and co weren't there. Tough. Ireland have made history, can win a slam and that's about it really. If they do well in the Sevens too over the next two weeks then even better.
I'm enjoying it myself. No amount of pissing on chips can ever determine that as over-praising them.

hey i can understand your attitude,but when I win things I want to be the best with no ifs,no buts or rival competitors/fans saying but etc. It was like when ulster won the heineken-even as an ulster fan myself,you cant dismiss the asterisk that says-no england teams that year(when they were winning it often at that period).
sure you can only beat whats there and you celebrate the win but anyone with any dignity would still acknowledge the facts and be slightly less exuberant in victory.
If you want the attitude you state then fine but you will look pretty silly if england win heavily next year

trouttrout

WorldRugby99 wrote: »

hey i can understand your attitude,but when I win things I want to be the best with no ifs,no buts or rival competitors/fans saying but etc. It was like when ulster won the heineken-even as an ulster fan myself,you cant dismiss the asterisk that says-no england teams that year(when they were winning it often at that period).
sure you can only beat whats there and you celebrate the win but anyone with any dignity would still acknowledge the facts and be slightly less exuberant in victory.
If you want the attitude you state then fine but you will look pretty silly if england win heavily next year

The hyperbole is strong with this one

You can only beat whats in front of you. Fantastic achievement, end of.

WorldRugby99

trouttrout wrote: »

The hyperbole is strong with this one

You can only beat whats in front of you. Fantastic achievement, end of.

no one is saying its not a great achievement and whatever happens in future no one will be able to take this year away from the record books but and there is a large but-it very probably has only been won because england chose ,having won so many 6 nations,to concentrate on sevens this season.
I know fans desperate for some success want to latch onto any they can find but it is the reality.
I hope the team does build on this and it is a springboard but a full stength english team beat NZ 3-0 in the autumn-they still the best,until the irish ladies do take down that team.
Problem with too many fans on boards like these-they are fans first and rugby common sense second.Its a bit like the ridiculously simplistic-leinster won heinken cups,they must be world class,ireland should be world class argument many fans have.

trouttrout

WorldRugby99 wrote: »

no one is saying its not a great achievement and whatever happens in future no one will be able to take this year away from the record books but and there is a large but-it very probably has only been won because england chose ,having won so many 6 nations,to concentrate on sevens this season.
I know fans desperate for some success want to latch onto any they can find but it is the reality.
I hope the team does build on this and it is a springboard but a full stength english team beat NZ 3-0 in the autumn-they still the best,until the irish ladies do take down that team.
Problem with too many fans on boards like these-they are fans first and rugby common sense second.Its a bit like the ridiculously simplistic-leinster won heinken cups,they must be world class,ireland should be world class argument many fans have.

If only we all had your vast caverns of knowledge and lack of paragraphs :rolleyes:

Some people will try and put a negative spin on anything. Pretty sad tbh. Who's to say England would have beaten this Irish team if they had those players back?

Hersheys

trouttrout wrote: »

If only we all had your vast caverns of knowledge and lack of paragraphs :rolleyes:

Some people will try and put a negative spin on anything. Pretty sad tbh. Who's to say England would have beaten this Irish team if they had those players back?

Ireland came close to this English team in the past. We don't know for sure.

Go on the girls, make us prouder. The weight of the country on ye're shoulders. No bother to yas.

WorldRugby99

trouttrout wrote: »

If only we all had your vast caverns of knowledge and lack of paragraphs :rolleyes:

Some people will try and put a negative spin on anything. Pretty sad tbh. Who's to say England would have beaten this Irish team if they had those players back?

you cant dispute that many posters,post from a very biased one sided nationalistic view. I try as much as possible to look at the bigger picture and what fans/commentators from other nations are saying.

Im not trying to be a huge killjoy-but its totally ridiculous to not even acknowledge the fact that england,the dominant force in the womens game,played a virtual second XV.And im sorry its equally farcical to start suggesting as you seem to be that we definitely would have beaten their first team.

lets enjoy the win,praise the progress,admit that we may not have won in different scenario but lets just see what happens next year-whats wrong with that?

JustinDee

WorldRugby99 wrote: »

Problem with too many fans on boards like these-they are fans first and rugby common sense second.Its a bit like the ridiculously simplistic-leinster won heinken cups,they must be world class,ireland should be world class argument many fans have.

Don't presume that everyone anonymous to you is a subservient know-nothing or even a "fan first".

calfmuscle

WorldRugby99 wrote: »

lets enjoy the win,praise the progress,admit that we may not have won in different scenario but lets just see what happens next year-whats wrong with that?

You could say that about ANY rugby match! your not the only one on here involved in the sport. The fact is that England's women are semi professional and yes they where down a few players but they have the best string to pull from of any team in the 6N. Compare that with our girls working full time jobs, training with their clubs and their provinces and the 15's national team as well as 7's camps! And don't forget the ones who have children at home! One of our girls is a junior doctor for pitys sake!

They have put in a great performance period!

Hersheys

Folks don't forget to tune in to rte 2 at 1.45!

decisions

Coverage starting now.

irishbucsfan

As I feared, geoblocked in the UK

CIARAN_BOYLE

irishbucsfan wrote: »

As I feared, geoblocked in the UK

did you try aertv?

Thud

C'mon girls! Conditions dont look great

Brian

Wow, that pitch.

decisions

So close!

.ak

We're killing them out wide.

irishbucsfan

Score please?

I can only imagine Alison Miller is causing them all sort of problems.

ongarite

3-3 all so far.

.ak

Ref's a tad whistle happy.

Pudsy33

The girls perform far better under terrible conditions relative to the mens team

Stheno

That pitch is in an atrocious state!

JustinDee

.ak wrote: »

Ref's a tad whistle happy.

She's excellent. Doing her best to let game go with decent advantage. Will bin next Italian breakdown infringement I'd say.

CIARAN_BOYLE

JustinDee wrote: »

She's excellent. Doing her best to let game go with decent advantage. Will bin next Italian breakdown infringement I'd say.

there has been a couple of penalties since and she hasn't given the yellow. Too afraid of pulling the card I think. Good otherwise though. I'd have her ahead of a lot of the senior mens refs.

EDIT I say it and she finally bins an Italian, the TH prop