USA Eagles Vs Ireland - 8/6/13 KO: 19:45 local, 01:45 Irish time

ScissorPaperRock

Hype710 wrote: »

I thought Olding's performance was at least something to take from the game. Classy and composed throughout.

I agree, although he never quite got the break he almost got through a few times and was solid in defence. He was probably the most exciting player in the pitch, not that that's saying much in the context of that game.

bilston

Defensively he was terrific and that's probably the bit of his game where I'd say he falls a bit behind Marshall. I'd love to see him in the middle between Sexton and BOD at some stage in the Autumn. But yes I thought he was one of the few positives.

Tox56

bilston wrote: »

Defensively he was terrific and that's probably the bit of his game where I'd say he falls a bit behind Marshall. I'd love to see him in the middle between Sexton and BOD at some stage in the Autumn. But yes I thought he was one of the few positives.

Reminds me more of BOD all the time, has to be given a go at 13 at some point

bilston

Tox56 wrote: »

Reminds me more of BOD all the time, has to be given a go at 13 at some point

Yep I'd like to see him play there as well. Maybe even this weekend, a midfield axis of Jackson, Madigan and Olding isn't too shabby. Obviously they need to get some decent ball first and that was what was lacking on Saturday/Sunday.

jamiedav2011

Olding is just all class. No standout physical attributes like a Madigan or Marshall for eg, but his handling, footwork and rugby brain are second to none.

Fast becoming one of my favourite players.

Could he challenge Jackson for 10 next year?

molloyjh

Closer. Closer. Higher. Higher. Closer. Higher. Closer.

That is all....

P.Walnuts

Olding looked sharp, so did McFadden....

POM was the stand out though, carried more than anyone in the pack and made the most meters in the entire team. 8/0 in tackles too for those knockers out there How people were claiming McLaughlin is a better player than him I do not know (obviously that just isn't based on this game)

dtpc191991

jamiedav2011 wrote: »

Olding is just all class. No standout physical attributes like a Madigan or Marshall for eg, but his handling, footwork and rugby brain are second to none.

Fast becoming one of my favourite players.

Could he challenge Jackson for 10 next year?

Personally Id rather he was kept in the center. We have plenty of 10s we are shorter at center though Daly looks good. Any chance of him getting rabo time next season?

trouttrout

P.Walnuts wrote: »

Olding looked sharp, so did McFadden....

POM was the stand out though, carried more than anyone in the pack and made the most meters in the entire team. 8/0 in tackles too for those knockers out there How people were claiming McLaughlin is a better player than him I do not know (obviously that just isn't based on this game)

Whatever about Locky, Jordi Murphy took the biscuit

Tox56

P.Walnuts wrote: »

Olding looked sharp, so did McFadden....

POM was the stand out though, carried more than anyone in the pack and made the most meters in the entire team. 8/0 in tackles too for those knockers out there How people were claiming McLaughlin is a better player than him I do not know (obviously that just isn't based on this game)

Well considering POM was playing 8, a position McLaughlin has rarely ever (never?) played, I don't know how he is relevant at all

totallegend

P.Walnuts wrote: »

Olding looked sharp, so did McFadden....

POM was the stand out though, carried more than anyone in the pack and made the most meters in the entire team. 8/0 in tackles too for those knockers out there How people were claiming McLaughlin is a better player than him I do not know (obviously that just isn't based on this game)

Well maybe that just means that POM's best position is at eight rather than at six?

Or better still, could you not just say that POM had a good game and leave McLaughlin out of the conversation altogether?

P.Walnuts

Tox56 wrote: »

Well considering POM was playing 8, a position McLaughlin has rarely ever (never?) played, I don't know how he is relevant at all

totallegend wrote: »

Well maybe that just means that POM's best position is at eight rather than at six?

Or better still, could you not just say that POM had a good game and leave McLaughlin out of the conversation altogether?

Well I think its very relevant to be honest as before the tour people were suggesting that POM may struggle to make the bench under Schmidt. McLaughlin was the player suggested that may push him out.

POM doesn't get a fair shake on here imo, a victim of being a kidney favourite and possibly being fast tracked into the team, whatever about his position in the squad back then, he has matured into a very good player and is well worth his place in the irish team now.

Mahatma Geansai

P.Walnuts wrote: »

Well I think its very relevant to be honest as before the tour people were suggesting that POM may struggle to make the bench under Schmidt. McLaughlin was the player suggested that may push him out.

POM doesn't get a fair shake on here imo, a victim of being a kidney favourite and possibly being fast tracked into the team, whatever about his position in the squad back then, he has matured into a very good player and is well worth his place in the irish team now.

Soon to be Joe Schmidt's first captain too. There would have been manufactured outrage had Kidney made him captain.

molloyjh

Is it even possible to have a thread without this carry on any more!?

jamiedav2011

Mahatma Geansai wrote: »

Soon to be Joe Schmidt's first captain too. There would have been manufactured outrage had Kidney made him captain.

Ah yes, we're in for a few years of this lads. Get used to it.

Tox56

P.Walnuts wrote: »

Well I think its very relevant to be honest as before the tour people were suggesting that POM may struggle to make the bench under Schmidt. McLaughlin was the player suggested that may push him out.

POM doesn't get a fair shake on here imo, a victim of being a kidney favourite and possibly being fast tracked into the team, whatever about his position in the squad back then, he has matured into a very good player and is well worth his place in the irish team now.

McLaughlin won't be benching so you're making two seperate points, McLaughlin pushing him out of the starting team and POM not making the bench are two different views (the latter extremely unlikely I should add).

I agree he doesn't get a fair shake, but McLaughlin has several more years of conditioning and physicality and offers a completely different option to POM, it's hardly fanciful to suggest Schmidt could prefer Locky for certain games, particularly when you consider what POM would offer as a bench option. A good performance from POM at 8 on this tour doesn't make him any more likely to start at blindside in the Autumn/Six Nations as a good performance at 6 would to McLaughlin.

trouttrout

jamiedav2011 wrote: »

Ah yes, we're in for a few years of this lads. Get used to it.

To be fair he's right, if Kidney was still in charge and made the call there certainly would be a handful of posters screaming bias

Not that being right means it needed to be said though

Tox56

molloyjh wrote: »

Is it even possible to have a thread without this carry on any more!?

The POM/McLaughlin is a valid debate in fairness (if not that relevant to this thread), the ****e from mahatma/the captain isn't but that's where the ignore button comes in

P.Walnuts

Tox56 wrote: »

McLaughlin won't be benching so you're making two seperate points, McLaughlin pushing him out of the starting team and POM not making the bench are two different views (the latter extremely unlikely I should add).

I agree he doesn't get a fair shake, but McLaughlin has several more years of conditioning and physicality and offers a completely different option to POM, it's hardly fanciful to suggest Schmidt could prefer Locky for certain games, particularly when you consider what POM would offer as a bench option. A good performance from POM at 8 on this tour doesn't make him any more likely to start at blindside in the Autumn/Six Nations as a good performance at 6 would to McLaughlin.

The original point I remember was that in a full strength team Ferris would start 6 with Locky on bench ( i'm almost sure that was the suggestion).

I'm honestly not trying to turn this into a provincial thing (i'm born and raised Leinster), but POM was the standout player in a dreadful match, and he has been in excellent form his year. The negativity on here that surrounds him just baffles me to be honest.

First it was he hasn't a hope of the Lions and shouldn't even be considered, then it was Jordi Murphy is a better player and finally it was even after being made tour captain he mightn't even make a Schmidt team. I mean its a bit much really.

jamiedav2011

trouttrout wrote: »

To be fair he's right, if Kidney was still in charge and made the call there certainly would be a handful of posters screaming bias

Not that being right means it needed to be said though

Well that depends on your opinion of the respective meanings of 'outrage' and 'a handful of posters'.

It's a blatant trawl, dragging the thread down.

We should unfortunately expect much more of it from this type of poster and similar.

Tox56

P.Walnuts wrote: »

The original point I remember was that in a full strength team Ferris would start 6 with Locky on bench ( i'm almost sure that was the suggestion).

I'm honestly not trying to turn this into a provincial thing (i'm born and raised Leinster), but POM was the standout player in a dreadful match, and he has been in excellent form his year. The negativity on here that surrounds him just baffles me to be honest.

First it was he hasn't a hope of the Lions and shouldn't even be considered, then it was Jordi Murphy is a better player and finally it was even after being made tour captain he mightn't even make a Schmidt team. I mean its a bit much really.

Then that opinion is patently nonsense and should be ignored

digzy

Teferi wrote: »

I don't think out strength in depth is poor at all, in fact you will get to see a lot of the backups play today.

I can't imagine it will be a classic but its an interesting match to be sure because of the young talent on show and the style of play that suits them.

hope you enjoyed that game. interesting wouldn't be the first word i'd use to describe it!

trouttrout

jamiedav2011 wrote: »

Well that depends on your opinion of the respective meanings of 'outrage' and 'a handful of posters'.

It's a blatant trawl, dragging the thread down.

We should unfortunately expect much more of it from this type of poster and similar.

Agree with you on the blatant trawllll

Most of the Kidney critique on here was completely justified, and I engaged in a hell of a lot of it. But there were stages when people were literally actively seeking out things to blame him for and it just got tiresome, I mean at one stage someone tried to blame him for Puma pulling their contract and someone else tried to imply he was trying to weaken Leinster as part of some mad conspiracy theory!

totallegend

P.Walnuts wrote: »

The original point I remember was that in a full strength team Ferris would start 6 with Locky on bench ( i'm almost sure that was the suggestion).

I'm honestly not trying to turn this into a provincial thing (i'm born and raised Leinster), but POM was the standout player in a dreadful match, and he has been in excellent form his year. The negativity on here that surrounds him just baffles me to be honest.

First it was he hasn't a hope of the Lions and shouldn't even be considered, then it was Jordi Murphy is a better player and finally it was even after being made tour captain he mightn't even make a Schmidt team. I mean its a bit much really.

ONE poster mentioned Murphy, it's not exactly a recurring topic and there have been far more ridiculous one-off ideas floated on this board.

I agree that POM hasn't always been flavour of the month on boards and I think a lot of that is because he was a Kidney favourite, Kidney was sh*t therefore POM's selection was viewed with suspicion. Not fair on the player, of course it's not.

Equally though, McLaughlin is not always given the credit he deserves either. He's kept Shane Jennings on the bench for the guts of three seasons now and talented guys like Ruddock and Murphy can't get a look in.

Competition for places is what we want, it benefits the team and the players so it's all good, but declaring the debate over on the strength of a game against a very limited opposition is a bit premature.

P.Walnuts

totallegend wrote: »

ONE poster mentioned Murphy, it's not exactly a recurring topic and there have been far more ridiculous one-off ideas floated on this board.

I agree that POM hasn't always been flavour of the month on boards and I think a lot of that is because he was a Kidney favourite, Kidney was sh*t therefore POM's selection was viewed with suspicion. Not fair on the player, of course it's not.

Equally though, McLaughlin is not always given the credit he deserves either. He's kept Shane Jennings on the bench for the guts of three seasons now and talented guys like Ruddock and Murphy can't get a look in.

Yep would agree with most of that

totallegend wrote: »

Competition for places is what we want, it benefits the team and the players so it's all good, but declaring the debate over on the strength of a game against a very limited opposition is a bit premature.

P.Walnuts wrote: »

Olding looked sharp, so did McFadden....

POM was the stand out though, carried more than anyone in the pack and made the most meters in the entire team. 8/0 in tackles too for those knockers out there :P How people were claiming McLaughlin is a better player than him I do not know (obviously that just isn't based on this game)

I did say it :P

awec

Is there anything yet that suggests that POM is actually going to be Ireland captain, or is this just all drawn from him captaining this tour?

Mahatma Geansai

awec wrote: »

Is there anything yet that suggests that POM is actually going to be Ireland captain, or is this just all drawn from him captaining this tour?

There's no chance that POM will be Ireland's captain. Just captain for this tour and maybe further lesser matches if Heaslip ever misses a match.

totallegend

awec wrote: »

Is there anything yet that suggests that POM is actually going to be Ireland captain, or is this just all drawn from him captaining this tour?

Too soon IMO

Fireball07

awec wrote: »

Is there anything yet that suggests that POM is actually going to be Ireland captain, or is this just all drawn from him captaining this tour?

I doubt he's going to be captain immediately, as good as he is, he's not a certain starter. But a definite possibility for captain in future. (Although there'll be lots of competition, I'm sure)

Chabals Beard

I have noticed that there are a few players in the Irish setup that some boards members have it out for... no matter how good they player, they are still heavily critesived.