6N 2016 - build-up thread

ClanofLams

flouncer wrote: »

thought about it. feic. same conclusion. boring. a recent version of kearney as a fullback (please dont have me watch that anymore) and then as a centre (conjoined with payne) well its simply a boring experience. payne and henshaw are honestly awfully awful

Awfully awful. Right. I won't be engaging any further with that viewpoint because it's pointless.

Hotei

Pink Fairy wrote: »

After the WC debacle, the provinces performance in Europe, and the fact some of our normal starting 15 players are off form or injured, I'm not looking forward to this upcoming 6N at all at the moment

Yeah, there's very little for us to be optimistic about at the moment, but this time last year I would never have dreamt we would retain the 6 Nations championship, so who know?!
For me, I think England under Eddie Jones will be hard to beat in 2016.

Thelomen Toblackai

Hotei wrote: »

Yeah, there's very little for us to be optimistic about at the moment, but this time last year I would never have dreamt we would retain the 6 Nations championship, so who know?!
For me, I think England under Eddie Jones will be hard to beat in 2016.

I'm not sold on Eddie Jones yet. He did well with Japan but bringing a team like Japan forward and bringing a team like England together are two entirely different jobs. I think he's a slight bit over hyped in terms of what people think he can do with England tbh.

I think it'll be a more transitional year for them than anything anyway and I don't expect them to hit top form for a while. I think the main contenders for the title will be Ireland and Wales. I expect France to continue their rudderless form under Noves. Scotland may cause an upset or two though.

flouncer

ClanofLams wrote: »

Awfully awful. Right. I won't be engaging any further with that viewpoint because it's pointless.

maybe mccloskey fitzgerald. future?

stadedublinois

Journeyman_1 wrote: »

I don't want to crack open the mess that is going on elsewhere, but do France have a policy of not playing players based overseas? Will Picamoles be the first time they have had this problem next year? I actually can't think of any French players playing anywhere else.

Hasn't been an issue in a while but there was no official rule, Ibanez played regularly for France while playing in England, as did Chabal although not as regularly.

Can't see it being an issue with Picamoles.

Richard Hillman

stephen_n wrote: »

Not including Bastareaud is a big call.

I haven't watched any Top14 this season but he was one of the few French players that played with a bit of heart in the 6N and WC.

Hotei

Thelomen Toblackai wrote: »

I'm not sold on Eddie Jones yet. He did well with Japan but bringing a team like Japan forward and bringing a team like England together are two entirely different jobs. I think he's a slight bit over hyped in terms of what people think he can do with England tbh.

It's extraordinary to think that Jones is England's first foreign coach, and in that respect may help bring a new dynamic to the way they play. When you consider how close they've come to winning the 6N in recent years, he may be the difference in getting them over the line this time round.

Clegg

I've always wondered if Basterued is limited by the way coaches want him to play or if he's just lacking in those particular skills. I've never seen him pass the ball enough to see if he's actually any good at it. Will be harder to analyse a French side now you know the bosh isn't coming 99% of the time.

PTH2009

Wales for me i think. They always win it the year after the world cup.

We got a difficult start against them which will define our campaign.

This will be the best time to bury our hoodoo away to england (2010 was the last time we beat them in England).

We should beat Italy, France can go either way the same with Scotland (hopefully the game will mean something)

oneofakind32

Does anyone know when Ireland's home game tickets go on sale? Or I have I missed that boat?

English Lurker

Beginning to get quite excited by this one because there's such a lot of unknowns. For me, the biggest question is whether Scotland are finally ready to start winning the games instead of losing heroically - they look close and have a lot of young talent, but the last few inches are the hardest ones.

Really not sure what to expect from Jones yet other than something well drilled and full of intensity.

PTH2009

oneofakind32 wrote: »

Does anyone know when Ireland's home game tickets go on sale? Or I have I missed that boat?

they went on sale to the Irsc on the 8th december and sold very quick before that they went to the clubs.

there a few left from the MRSC (Munster rugby supporters club) but you have to be a member and can only get 2 tickets per member.

Tickets for the wales game will be hard to pick up but cant see tickets for the Italy and Scotland match (unless its a grand slam game) being too hard to find closer to the games.

The Pheasant2

I'm a big fan of RK but I'm wondering does he need a bit of a kick up the arse? His play of late has been a tad stale - we could have some interesting options if we were to try something new out at FB

eg:
Murray
Sexton
Fitz
McCloskey
Henshaw
Earls
Payne

Marmion
Jackson/Mads
Trimble/Zebo

Or

Murray
Sexton
Trimble
McCloskey
Fitz
Earls
Henshaw

Or

Murray
Sexton
Trimble
Henshaw
Fitz
Earls
Payne

There are actually quite a few permutations to work with if any of the above had to be left out or whatever

Edit: and of course there's TOH to consider also

mfceiling

Centre "should" be a hotly contested area but barring injury it will be Henshaw and Payne. Thing is, if Payne isn't fit then chances are it will be Earls...and that will make me cry a little.

oneofakind32

PTH2009 wrote: »

they went on sale to the Irsc on the 8th december and sold very quick before that they went to the clubs.

there a few left from the MRSC (Munster rugby supporters club) but you have to be a member and can only get 2 tickets per member.

Tickets for the wales game will be hard to pick up but cant see tickets for the Italy and Scotland match (unless its a grand slam game) being too hard to find closer to the games.

It was easier to get world cup tickets. There was transparency there at least.

stephen_n

ClanofLams wrote: »

Based on Henshaw having been excellent defensively for the last year in a green jersey, even in the QF against Argentina when all were falling apart around him. That's not a knock on Fitzgerald, he has looked good defensively in the centre as far as I can recall (certainly this season) but Henshaw is in a different class.

Henshaw is excellent defensively, so is Luke, I've never seen any evidence (which is limited by how little Luke has played 12) to show Henshaw is in a different class. They are both excellent defenders and both very intelligent defenders. I would see a possibility of Luke at 12 and Robbie at 13 if Payne doesn't get back playing soon. Although McCloskey is probably the best 12 in the country at present, I can't see Joe going with someone inexperienced against Wales, France or England, unless he has to.

oneofakind32

stephen_n wrote: »

Henshaw is excellent defensively, so is Luke, I've never seen any evidence (which is limited by how little Luke has played 12) to show Henshaw is in a different class. They are both excellent defenders and both very intelligent defenders. I would see a possibility of Luke at 12 and Robbie at 13 if Payne doesn't get back playing soon. Although McCloskey is probably the best 12 in the country at present, I can't see Joe going with someone inexperienced against Wales, France or England, unless he has to.

Newstalk spent 10 minutes talking about Gary Ringrose last night and weather to not Joe Schmidt would use him in the 6N. Not a mention of Mccluskey in entire segment. The 2 provence Dublin media strikes again.

stephen_n

oneofakind32 wrote: »

Newstalk spent 10 minutes talking about Gary Ringrose last night and weather to not Joe Schmidt would use him in the 6N. Not a mention of Mccluskey in entire segment. The 2 provence Dublin media strikes again.

Was that based on Payne not being available? McCloskey is ahead of Ringrose one way or the other I'd assume, he is also the exact sort of 12 Joe likes but Henshaw is the incumbent 12, so maybe they were discussing the 13 jersey assuming Henshaw will start at 12. It's still ludicrous anyway, there's no way Ringrose will make it into the 6N squads this year.

torqtorq

This article is presently on Independent site yet there is no confirmation on the irfu site. I wonder has David Kelly written this article upfront.



Schmidt calls up Ringrose as Cullen seeks to tone down hype

Newest Leinster midfield star primed for Six Nations role



David Kelly Twitter

Email


Published
01/01/2016 | 02:30
0 Comments
Share



Leo Cullen has great hopes for Garry Ringrose but doesn’t want the youngster rushed. Leo Cullen has great hopes for Garry Ringrose but doesn’t want the youngster rushed.


Although already anointed, it seems, as the special one for 2016 by his gilded predecessor in a 13 jersey, Leinster coach Leo Cullen has sought to dim the hype surrounding his midfield wunderkind Garry Ringrose.


Brian O'Driscoll was moved enough by the underage star's performance in the Thomond Park win last weekend to suggest that Ireland coach Joe Schmidt could do worse than pitch him into the side for the Six Nations opener against Wales next month.

And, while the national coach rarely heeds counsel from beyond his Clonskeagh bunker, the Kiwi has rushed to include Ringrose in his large gathering this weekend, a one-day camp on Sunday as Ireland plot a hat-trick of northern hemisphere titles.

And, although predecessors like O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy were plunged into international waters when their faces were still dotted with teenage fluff and acne, Cullen has sought to limit the euphoria about what is undoubtedly a star in the making.

"You don't want to put undue pressure on young players for sure," said Cullen, who must be given credit for persisting with the blooding so many youngsters - Josh van der Flier is another who will meet up with prospective Irish colleagues on Sunday.

"It's a hard one. Before Christmas, Garry was doing his exams because he is a full-time student. We had to balance a lot of that for him in terms of giving him time off.

"He's definitely someone we have earmarked to have a big involvement with Leinster for a large number of years. But it's about bringing guys through in the right fashion and giving them exposure when they can have positive experiences.

"That is why we gave him a bit of leeway last month because he had those exams. We feel that being a student is a really important part of a player's development from out of the Academy. They have to do their courses and get on with that at this time of the year.

"As for the Six Nations, it's great that he got named in that Ireland squad and that sort of exposure will be important for him as well.

"But the decisions on where he plays beyond that is obviously someone else's call. However, he's definitely one for the future and we will try to manage him as best we can and do what is right for him."

Ringrose's captain in the RDS this evening, in their Pro12 clash against Connacht, will be Rhys Ruddock, who knows all about the shouldering of expectations.

He was sprung into action as a teenager on an Antipodean tour five years ago but a combination of injury and the stiffest of competition in his back-row position blunted the sharp intake of breath that greeted his impressive debut from the bench against Australia in Brisbane.

Down-to-earth

"He is a very down-to-earth guy and hard-working and I can't see him getting carried away," Ruddock demurs.

"I think he deals with the pressures pretty well and when you look at his performances he seems to be consistently playing well when he gets a chance. So yes he seems to be dealing with it at a young age pretty well.

"A lot of it is about the body and being physically strong enough to play week after week, winning the collisions that you have to take on the field, and getting up for it again the next week, then being physically ready to go out again and do it.

"Mentally as well, just being confident in your own ability sometimes takes different guys a little bit longer than others.

"But having that kind of self-belief, and believing that, even though you haven't got as much experience as the guy opposite you, that you've got the ability, is a really big part of it.

"Looking at the way Garry has been playing, it's obvious that he has shown that he deserves to be there, and he's every bit capable of playing at that level.

"In terms of how long it takes, it's different for everyone, but it seems like Garry is a long way to doing it already.

"He's only really been playing for a couple of months and he already seems every bit capable in terms of his mental application and physicality.

"I know some people might think that he looks quite slight but he's a tall kind of physical guy. I don't see that being a problem for him."

While it remains to be seen whether Ringrose may yet cause any headaches for Welsh coach Warren Gatland - the man who gave O'Driscoll his debut before he played for Leinster and nearly capped D'Arcy in his Leaving Cert year - other rival coaches are beginning to sit up and take notice.

"I know when I first arrived here people were saying we don't have this, we don't have that," said Connacht coach Pat Lam, addressing the wider sense of anguish that Irish rugby's stocks may be rapidly depleting.

Talent

"But there's plenty of talent and it is what you do with it. Fair play, I saw Garry Ringrose play for the U-20s but not only in Leinster, in Munster and Ulster, right throughout the country there is some serious talent.

"It is how to develop them, it is how you grow them. And obviously the culture and the type of rugby you play. If you give them belief and confidence they will come through.

"Sometimes there are a lot of doomsayers around and we tend to look over the fence and think what this country has got this and that country has got that. Certainly Garry is someone who is making the most of his talent, which is great."

Ringrose is the future; Ian Madigan, soon enough, will be the past although Cullen conceded that the Scottish weather may have scuppered any lingering hopes of him remaining here.

"Ian was due to start against Glasgow and that game got called off," revealed Cullen.

"He ran the team really, really well that week and it was just unfortunate that the game got called off due to that waterlogged pitch.

"If he had played well he gave himself a better shot at making selections later down the track but unfortunately that never materialised.

"That would have been part of my thinking and whether Ian would have made that decision to go regardless, you have to ask him."

penybont exile

Henshaw / Ringrose opposite Roberts / JD2 would be interesting ........

flouncer

lets see if the ringrose hype rings true after aki does a job on him today

bilston

Ringrose is great and all, he could be a very very good player but the media need to calm down a bit. The poor guy is under a hell of a lot of scrutiny already largely because he is from Blackrock, plays 13 and has shown a fair bit of ability. But he hasn't done anything more than anyone else in contention yet he is being described as the annointed on etc...although a while back that was Robbie Henshaw...

Quite a bit of hype about Ringrose alright and it will put him under more scrutiny. At the same time it's no harm for the game to have exciting talent coming through.

My particular gripe is that a couple of young centers in Ulster aren't getting quite the same press.

swiwi_

My number one hope for the 6N 2016 is that the French team shows up. They provide a point of difference from the Lions countries, and I think the tournament as whole is much better if France are competitive. England and Italy also have new coaches, Cotter is bedded in now with Scotland, Gatland is Gatland, and Schmidt has a bit of work to do. Potentially this could be a cracking edition.

bilston

swiwi_ wrote: »

My number one hope for the 6N 2016 is that the French team shows up. They provide a point of difference from the Lions countries, and I think the tournament as whole is much better if France are competitive. England and Italy also have new coaches, Cotter is bedded in now with Scotland, Gatland is Gatland, and Schmidt has a bit of work to do. Potentially this could be a cracking edition.

As I said at the top of thread I look at the French squad nowadays and I just "meh". I suppose Noves could do the obvious thing and pick Parra at 9 for every match which would automatically make them a better team.

Rightwing

The 6N is beginning to remind me of the premier league: very competitive, but certainly not of the highest quality.

mfceiling

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Quite a bit of hype about Ringrose alright and it will put him under more scrutiny. At the same time it's no harm for the game to have exciting talent coming through.

My particular gripe is that a couple of young centers in Ulster aren't getting quite the same press.

I agree. I know I've the ulster bias here but I reckon Olding has more talent than the rest of the upcoming lads put together. The lad is unreal. I hope he gets a good injury free run from here on in.

molloyjh

Why are so few talking about Fitz at 12 with Henshaw at 13? He's looked bloody good there for Leinster against quality opposition and has played centre for Ireland recently. Seems the obvious option if Payne is out.

bilston

molloyjh wrote: »

Why are so few talking about Fitz at 12 with Henshaw at 13? He's looked bloody good there for Leinster against quality opposition and has played centre for Ireland recently. Seems the obvious option if Payne is out.

I think plenty are talking about that combo

molloyjh

bilston wrote: »

I think plenty are talking about that combo

I suppose all the talk in the media has been about McCloskey and Ringrose. I haven't been reading these threads as much as just flicking through them recently.