Ireland v France, 25th Feb 2017, Aviva Stadium, 4:50pm, RTÉ 2/ITV

techdiver · 24-02-2017 9:21am #1

V

Ireland

|

France

From the dejection in Murrayfield to the modest satisfaction in Rome, by 7pm on Saturday we will have a good idea where this Irish team now stands in the pecking order in the championship. Ireland welcome Les Bleus to the Aviva Stadium, for what is shaping up to be the game of the weekend.

Ireland welcome back Rory Best, Jack McGrath and most significantly Johnathan Sexton to the starting 15 with Peter O'Mahony, Iain Henderson and Andrew Trimble coming into the bench at the expense of Josh Van Der Flier (injured), Ultan Dillane and Craig Gilroy respectively.

For France in the pack they swap Rabah Slimani for Uini Atonio who drops to the bench and Bernard Le Roux for Loann Goujon, who drops out of the 23 completely. In the back 3 Virimi Vakatawa is unavailable and his place goes to Yoann Huget with Djibril Camara coming in on the bench. On the bench Eddy Ben Arous, Charles Ollivon and Henry Chavancy replace Xavier Chiocci, Damien Chouly and Jean Marc Doussain respectively. The selection of Ollivon over Chouly signifies the intent of France to go after Ireland at line-out time. Significantly the omission of Doussain leaves France without Out-half cover on the bench.

Much of the talk in the lead-up has surrounded Johnny Sexton and whether he should start and now that he does the attention turns to whether his fitness is 100% and if this bruising French pack will target him aggressively as they have done in the past and if so, how will he stand up to this apparent relentless torrent. Firstly though let us turn to our opponents.

A Slumbering Giant Awakes?
The decline in French rugby at a national level has been quite evident for a number of years and last years result aside (in which Ireland lost the game as opposed to France winning it), times have been lean for Les Bleus. I am reticent to make the tired old cliché about the "French are always the French", with the claim being that you can never write them off no matter how bad they have been, but ever since November, this French team has the look of something different. Novès clearly has his stamp on this team and they are attempting to play the style that brought his previous side Toulouse so much success down through the years. Whilst last year the attempt at this style was a little hit or miss, with as many offloads falling to ground as to hand, this year they seem to be sticking. This coupled with a renewed vigour from the likes of Louis Picamoles at 8, who is showing the form of many years ago in stark contrast to anything he has produced so far with Northhampton, brings new optimism to French fans as it finally looks as though they are heading in the right direction.

Dizzy Heights
Based on the team selected the French were most certainly watching the game in Murrayfield where the Irish lineout misfired badly. They have picked a pack and bench, with Sebastien Vahaamahina and Yoann Maestri, both of whom are 6 ft 7 1⁄2 in, flanked by the 6 ft 5 1⁄2 in Bernard Le Roux, that will go after Ireland in the set piece and will hope to profit in the same way Scotland did in Murrayfield. Added to this the presence of Julien Le Devedec and Charles Ollivon who both also tower at 6 ft 6 1⁄2 in on the bench, it's clear the French are thinking lineout, lineout, lineout!

Yoann Huget

The loss of Virimi Vakatawa to injury brings Yoann Huget into the starting team, in a change that arguably will strengthen the French back three. Whilst Ireland through Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton will look to target Scott Spedding, a lack of accuracy here will be dangerous with the counter attacking ability of all of the French back three. Huget in particular is superior in all facets of the game except for one (broken field running), than Vakatawa and will pose a serious threat to Ireland winning this game.

What of Ireland?
After being on the road for the first 2 games Ireland will be eager to get off to a good start at home on Saturday. They are bolsterd by the return of both Rory Best and Johnny Sexton to the starting 15, with the experience of Peter O'Mahony and Andrew Trimble on the bench.

Return of the King
One must feel for Paddy Jackson. Whilst there is no question at this point in time who is number one choice, Paddy must always deal with the "what ifs" when it comes to playing in the green of Ireland, specifically in defeat. There are many that, justifiably state that we would have won in Murrayfield with Sexton at the helm. It is the same old merry go round that all understudies must deal with during their careers. With all that said, if his fitness has been proven and he is 100% ready, then Sexton is definitely the correct choice for the game. He brings much more to the table apart from his general rugby ability, in the form of leadership, reading of the game and defensive strength (albeit, terrible technique at times that gets him hurt). His importance to the team was illustrated by the dominance both he and Murray had over the All-Blacks in Chicago. His ability to put significant hang time on his Garryowens, gives a real opportunity for recovery for our chasing players. This was never so evident than in the lead-up to Conor Murray's try in Soldier Field, when Simon Zebo disrupted the All Blacks receiver and in the ensuing confusion Murray recovered the ball to set up a 4 phase play resulting in Murray hoodwinking Aaron Smith to go over for a try.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCmcDNikbd0

One area where Ireland lacked in Murrayfield was in kicking from hand. In all Jackson only kicked from hand on 3 occasions against Scotland. Whether by design or not it did cost us at various times. One would feel that Sexton has a more fine tuned ability over Jackson in spotting a flat defensive line and kicking over it or to the corners. Against Scotland, we attempted to carry and win every collision and whilst this did bear fruit at stages in the second half, we needed more strings to our "bowe" (pun intended), and a few little dinks over the top, or kicks to the corner might have relieved some pressure and gained valuable territory. A classic example of this is from 2 years ago against France where Sexton clearly spots the space behind the French line and exposes it brilliantly on a few occasions.

In each instance the ball over the top caused complete mayhem for the French defence and in each instance Ireland ended up reclaiming possession.

Sexton in Defence
Sexton is undoubtedly one of our leaders in defence and with him inside Gary Ringrose will be a guiding hand for the young centre. Whilst no one can question Sextons commitment or bravery in defence, he can be guilty of going too high in the challenge, especially against physically superior opposition. This leaves him at risk of further head collisions resulting in possible concussions, of which he has suffered many and in particular against France. One piece of good news is that he will not be facing his main arch nemesis Mathieu Bastareaud on Saturday, but even still, he needs to be mindful of his positioning in the tackle of he hopes to last the game.

Head to Head
The old saying goes that games are won up front and this weekend will be no different with particular attention on the set piece specifically the lineout. With the team and replacements that France have chosen, they have clearly set their stall out to target ball at the lineout.

Devin Toner/Donnacha Ryan v Sebastien Vahaamahina/Yoann Maestri

V

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the line-out is key on Saturday. Rory Best needs to be on form with his throws, but just as importantly is the leadership and performance of our second row partnership. Another performance like the first half in Murrayfield and it will be a long day in D4 this Saturday, but if we can at least secure our own ball and disrupt some of the French possession it will form a platform for a victory.

Ireland simply cannot afford the lapses in concentration like the one that led to a try from Alex Dunbar 3 weeks ago. One would hope such sights will not grace the hallowed turf of Lansdowne Road on Saturday.

Louis Picamoles v Jamie Heaslip
Whilst the battle of these two players is more as part of a backrow unit, I want to focus on these two for now.

Picamoles appears to returning to his scary best once more. What's more remarkable is the fact that the recent performances came from nowhere really as his form for Northhampton Saints has been nowhere near the heady heights of what he has produced in the tournament so far particularly against England.

Heaslip has shipped the usual criticism from sections of Irish society including some members of the media for a less than stellar display against Scotland. When his performance is analysed more closely though, it became clear that he was by far not the most ineffective forward on display for Ireland that day regardless of perceived perception. The match up with Picamoles gives a unique opportunity for the rugby equivalent of The Terminator v The Indestructible Man!

The two players excel in different areas of play. Picamoles earns his crust with barnstorming runs that often take multiple defenders to halt. Heaslip, whilst still and effective ball carrier doesn't posses the explosive power of Picamoles. Heaslip has evolved his game through the years and this year has introduced more offloading to his game (I know, I know, Scotland, Robbie Henshaw, slip, offload to no one, rabble, rabble, rabble). Despite the attempted offload in Murrayfield going wrong, he wasn't put off from attempting them against the Italians. His work on the ground is second to none and is never found wanting from an effort point of view. Picamoles on the other hand can go missing in games and can be somewhat lazy at times. The backrow as a whole will hope to nullify Picamoles whilst making ground on attack on the fringes.

Battlegrounds

Irish Defensive Issues

The ugly head of defensive narrowness and disorganisation coupled with missed tackles loomed large in Edinburgh 3 weeks ago. It was like a deja vu back to the World Cup exit to Argentina. Ireland purposely defend narrow in the hope of shoring up the midfield and stopping any line breaks. The game plan works when and only when we win the key collisions in the midfield and at the breakdown. It falls apart when we fall off first up tackles and teams get quick ball and spread it wide after a couple of phases. The big worry for Ireland this weekend is that is exactly how France will attack us. They like to put width on the ball and any gaps out wide especially in the 5 metre channel will be ruthlessly exposed.

Have these issues been addressed? Against Italy it is was difficult to tell. They didn't really offer a stern enough test for Ireland, but at the same time there were instances whereby Ireland still appeared quite narrow in defence when the Italians were in possession. Perhaps, as the Italians offered very little threat out wide and were more than likely going to truck it up the middle, Ireland were not too concerned about width. This weekend will provide a sterner test of our defensive system and a solid start is required as surrendering a large lead will be more than likely insurmountable against France.

Areas to Target

From open play, we haven't shown much in the way of breaking the line against a tight defense from either a set move or with ball in hand. The main chance for profit in open play is through the boot of Sexton or Murray. As mentioned earlier, Ireland will attempt to target Scott Spedding with the high balls and hope the likes of Kearney and Zebo will contest. Sexton and Murray will need to be at their best from an accuracy point of view in order to gain the advantage in this area and not allow the likes of Huget or Spedding to counter attack from deep.

Depending on the French defensive line, (which can tend to be quite flat, leaving space in behind), we should target dinks over the top and kicks into the corner.

Apart from the above the main areas Ireland will target is the set piece. On Saturday we will probably have the battle of the two best scrums in the competition, but I believe Ireland will gain the upper hand here. Both teams have explosive cover on the bench in the form or a rejuvenated Cian Healy and from the French point of view Eddy Ben Arous.

If Ireland can fix the issues in their line-out it will provide the main platform for attacks as it did in Chicago against the All-Blacks. The importance of Peter O'Mahony in the second half especially from a defensive line-out point of view cannot be understated. I believe that the introduction of Iain Henderson will also have to be accompanied by the introduction of O'Mahony as O'Mahony will need to make up for the apparent relative weakness in Hendersons line-out ability especially against the towering French.

Prediction
There are many permutations that could affect the outcome of this game. My prediction is based on the following:

1. Sexton lasts at least 60 minutes
2. Our lineout doesn't misfire badly
3. Our scrum keeps performing and at least breaks even.

If the 3 core points above hold true I believe Ireland will win by 10+ points in the end. If any of the above fail to meet expectation then we could be in for a long nervy afternoon.

mfceiling · 24-02-2017 9:46am

TLDR

Only joking....great write up!!

techdiver · 24-02-2017 9:49am

mfceiling wrote: »

TLDR

Only joking....great write up!!

It's all about length, don't you know!!

molloyjh · 24-02-2017 10:09am

techdiver wrote: »

It's all about length, don't you know!!

It's actually all about the table. You may have gotten the words bit good, but I'm here now to review the important bit. We are the home team and we are not playing Italy. The images are also different sizes and separate from the table. Don't think you can sneak that sort of thing past me with detailed write ups, fancy GIFs and an entirely plausible and reasonable prediction. :P

awec · 24-02-2017 10:18am

I like this write up, techdiver will be doing lots more.

techdiver · 24-02-2017 10:21am

molloyjh wrote: »

It's actually all about the table. You may have gotten the words bit good, but I'm here now to review the important bit. We are the home team and we are not playing Italy. The images are also different sizes and separate from the table. Don't think you can sneak that sort of thing past me with detailed write ups, fancy GIFs and an entirely plausible and reasonable prediction. :P

Ninja edit!

CMOTDibbler · 24-02-2017 10:26am

Great write up techdiver. Setting a high bar there. Don't mind molloy and his table pedantry, it's small stuff in the overall gorgeousness of your post.

molloyjh · 24-02-2017 10:31am

CMOTDibbler wrote: »

Great write up techdiver. Setting a high bar there. Don't mind molloy and his table pedantry, it's small stuff in the overall gorgeousness of your post.

DrDario · 24-02-2017 10:56am

Wow tough crowd, although it's true the layout is kinda poor. Liked the bit about Madigan though.

24-02-2017 10:58am

molloyjh wrote: »

It's actually all about the table. You may have gotten the words bit good, but I'm here now to review the important bit. We are the home team and we are not playing Italy. The images are also different sizes and separate from the table. Don't think you can sneak that sort of thing past me with detailed write ups, fancy GIFs and an entirely plausible and reasonable prediction. :P

molloyjh wrote: »

Jolly Hipster want's to do the next Ireland match thread? Thanks Molloy!

swiwi_ · 24-02-2017 12:05pm

Is that the greatest match preview ever? Stellar effort tech driver, félicitations...!

techdiver · 24-02-2017 12:23pm

I made some slight changes to the "layout", to appease the format generals!

:D

Rightwing · 24-02-2017 12:23pm

Hard game to judge. It will be an attritional affair. We could easily get the BPW or I could see France frustrate us. Game of the weekend though.

molloyjh · 24-02-2017 12:28pm

techdiver wrote: »

I made some slight changes to the "layout", to appease the format generals! :D

EDIT: Seriously though, great work.

Former Former · 24-02-2017 12:30pm

Great write-up.

Weather forecast isn't too bad actually, some rain but wind won't be too strong.

Granny15 · 24-02-2017 12:31pm

I think we will win without the bonus point.

People who say that the championship will be over before the England game are dreaming.

It may technically be over but we'll be playing to deny them a grand slam and record run of victories.

Two prizes for beating them if we don't get bonus V. France and Wales.

24-02-2017 12:36pm

Managed to nab a ticket for this one, looking forward to it. My first international match not involving the AB's.

France are definitely moving in the right direction, but expecting Ireland to control the match. Hope it's a cracker!

Rightwing · 24-02-2017 12:37pm

Granny15 wrote: »

I think we will win without the bonus point.

People who say that the championship will be over before the England game are dreaming.

It may technically be over but we'll be playing to deny them a grand slam and record run of victories.

Two prizes for beating them if we don't get bonus V. France and Wales.

Only 5 sides have ever won back to back GS. Can't see Italy/Scots beat them, so our game will be an interesting one, a really hard one to call. Can't see anyone other than Eng win the championship now though.

molloyjh · 24-02-2017 12:42pm

Granny15 wrote: »

I think we will win without the bonus point.

People who say that the championship will be over before the England game are dreaming.

It may technically be over but we'll be playing to deny them a grand slam and record run of victories.

Two prizes for beating them if we don't get bonus V. France and Wales.

I haven't given up on the Championship for Ireland tbh. This week will tell us a lot and the Welsh game is going to be bloody tough. But we're capable of winning both. If Scotland can prevent England getting the TBP that would be great too (obviously Italy won't). If we can go into the last game on 14 points and England on 17 then its all to play for.

PTH2009 · 24-02-2017 1:07pm

molloyjh wrote: »

. If we can go into the last game on 14 points and England on 17 then its all to play for.

A losing bp for England against us could still win them the title even if we win

Anyway there's a still a lot to go before we can think about titles

Hopefully a win 2morrow

The Rape of Lucretia · 24-02-2017 1:09pm

Granny15 wrote: »

I think we will win without the bonus point.

People who say that the championship will be over before the England game are dreaming.

It may technically be over but we'll be playing to deny them a grand slam and record run of victories.

Two prizes for beating them if we don't get bonus V. France and Wales.

Those arent prizes. Thats just nastiness.

Granny15 · 24-02-2017 1:15pm

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

Those arent prizes. Thats just nastiness.

Well I've been told Boards.ie is better than Politics.ie and Leinsterfans.com for Irish republicanism so heres hoping I wont get slated for those comments.

vienne86 · 24-02-2017 1:21pm

Ever wonder if anyone ever wins these prizes of tickets in the Supporters Club competitions? Well a friend of mine won two VIP tickets for tomorrow's match, and is bringing vienne86 - happy days!

At last France seem to be getting their act together, and are playing more like their old selves ......I think this will be a great battle, but Ireland should come out on top but we need to get the lineout sorted as the French obviously targeting us there. Can't see us getting a bonus point though.

Rightwing · 24-02-2017 1:23pm

Granny15 wrote: »

Well I've been told Boards.ie is better than Politics.ie and Leinsterfans.com for Irish republicanism so heres hoping I wont get slated for those comments.

Absolutely nothing wrong with your post. The rugby world will be watching and wanting us to win that 1. Also, it's always good to beat the best.

We are lucky in a way it won't be a head to head decider, as we have an unrivalled record of collapsing when the pressure is on. For this reason, I think we'll beat them. No pressure on us.

stephen_n · 24-02-2017 1:32pm

Excellent write up, better analysis than we will get from some "journalists".

It's a hard one to call, the French teams don't travel well tag, clearly doesn't apply to this team. Since they played better away than they did at home. We will have our hands full on Saturday, yet I think at this moment in time we are a better team. It's like a pendulum with this french team, from being to structured for the last few years, to having that French flair this year and maybe a little lacking in structure. I don't think their halfbacks are capeable of building the platform for them, to put them where they need to be to use that attacking strength. If the French has Murray and Sexton they could probably walk this tournament but they don't and that's why I see us winning but by less than 10.

swiwi_ · 24-02-2017 1:59pm

IMO, humble, France are missing confidence and patience the most. They create loads of opportunities but squander most of them. Some of that comes from lack of a controlling 10. If they start well they could be very dangerous.

kuang1 · 24-02-2017 2:03pm

Outstanding work techdiver. Really good stuff.

@vienne86 YOU LUCKY LADY!!!
Definitely envious of you for that. Make sure to tell us all about what a VIP ticket entails afterwards!

I think its not too far a stretch to see us getting a TBP tomorrow.
I think if we are going to win it with a TBP, it could be with the French spitting the dummy out on 60 minutes.
(I know they didn't do that in Twickenham, but I think that's because it was such a tight game right to the end.)
If we have an 8-10 point lead on 60 minutes, and they get a dodgy refs decision against them around then, it's easy to imagine Les Bleus toss their hands in the air while casting their heads to the side as only they can. (Whilst muttering "Putain!" or somesuch).

And yes. I am the anithesis of PTH2009.

gamma001 · 24-02-2017 2:04pm

Nice write up!

Idbatterim · 24-02-2017 2:07pm

There are many that, justifiably state that we would have won in Murrayfield with Sexton at the helm.

that may well be the case, but if the players on the field hadnt meltdown in defence and bottled chances, we would have also won it. Id put no blame on jackson...

Granny15 · 24-02-2017 2:10pm

for those of you who have some spare time in the office I'm watching this match to keep me going until tomorrow.

Nice to whet the appetite before the big game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v3HuYBuI6Q

techdiver · 24-02-2017 2:26pm

Idbatterim wrote: »

that may well be the case, but if the players on the field hadnt meltdown in defence and bottled chances, we would have also won it. Id put no blame on jackson...

Me neither. It wasn't my intention to make that claim in the op. It was merely an analysis of the different styles at play. Jackson played to the game plan he was given and did it well. I felt Sexton might have brought a few more nuances to the game management side. That said, there would be no guarantee of a win either.

PTH2009 · 24-02-2017 2:28pm

kuang1 wrote: »

Outstanding work techdiver. Really good stuff.

@vienne86 YOU LUCKY LADY!!!
Definitely envious of you for that. Make sure to tell us all about what a VIP ticket entails afterwards!

I think its not too far a stretch to see us getting a TBP tomorrow.
I think if we are going to win it with a TBP, it could be with the French spitting the dummy out on 60 minutes.
(I know they didn't do that in Twickenham, but I think that's because it was such a tight game right to the end.)
If we have an 8-10 point lead on 60 minutes, and they get a dodgy refs decision against them around then, it's easy to imagine Les Bleus toss their hands in the air while casting their heads to the side as only they can. (Whilst muttering "Putain!" or somesuch).

And yes. I am the anithesis of PTH2009.

u sure are lol

This french side seem to be more respectful of there coaches and believe they can go far in the championship

This weekend (today in fact) is the 10th anniversary of one of Irelands great rugby victories when we hammered England in Croke Park and our lads wil want to honor that day with a big win over France in Dublin (out of that team only Rory Best and Andrew Trimble are still playing for us now)

Cant get a ticket so have to stay at home in Waterford and watch in the pub, first home championship game vs France ive missed since the 2007 Croke Park game

:(. Ah well

dont forget theres a 2016 Autumn Internationals Doc on RTE after the game

Ardillaun · 24-02-2017 2:41pm

Don't kick to Huget would be my advice.

enzo roco · 24-02-2017 2:56pm

stephen_n wrote: »

Excellent write up, better analysis than we will get from some "journalists".

It's the exact same as what journalists write, I've read the exact same rubbish in newspapers. Especially the part about sexton. So boring.

kuang1 · 24-02-2017 3:03pm

enzo roco wrote: »

It's the exact same as what journalists write, I've read the exact same rubbish in newspapers. Especially the part about sexton. So boring.

Lovely to see you in these parts again enzo.
Strangely, you're not your usual chirpy, positive self.
This post is way out of synch with all your other posts on boards.
Everything ok hun?

techdiver · 24-02-2017 3:07pm

enzo roco wrote: »

It's the exact same as what journalists write, I've read the exact same rubbish in newspapers. Especially the part about sexton. So boring.

thomond2006 · 24-02-2017 3:11pm

techdiver wrote: »

I'm giving you a virtual hug techdiver. That was so mean.

24-02-2017 3:23pm

thomond2006 wrote: »

I'm giving you a virtual hug techdiver.

Zzippy · 24-02-2017 3:24pm

enzo roco wrote: »

It's the exact same as what journalists write, I've read the exact same rubbish in newspapers. Especially the part about sexton. So boring.

We like constructive debate in these parts, not drive-by derision. Your infrequent forays into the rugby forum to date have not been, for the most, constructive in any way. Please don't do it again or it will be the bold step for you.

turnikett1 · 24-02-2017 3:50pm

I think anyone looking for a TBP is having a laugh. Look at all our recent encounters, they are never matches with lots of tries for either team. England only put 19 on them in Twickers, can not see Ireland putting 20+ on them...

thomond2006 · 24-02-2017 3:55pm

There is no backup 10 on the bench for France. I know Spedding played a little bit of 10 when he was at Brive or Bayonne so I imagine he's the emergency backup. IIRC Trinh-Duc is injured and Plisson hasn't really impressed at this level. Doussain has been average too.

24-02-2017 3:56pm

I'm usually quite positive. But I think we're going to lose this one by 5 points unfortunately. Don't know why, just have a bad feeling.

enzo roco · 24-02-2017 4:00pm

kuang1 wrote: »

Lovely to see you in these parts again enzo.
Strangely, you're not your usual chirpy, positive self.
This post is way out of synch with all your other posts on boards.
Everything ok hun?

Ha, good one hunny.
Typical rugby forum reply.
No point giving a constructive reply.
All the best kuang sweetheart, enjoy the match.

But maybe if I'm not banned, I'll give my expert view on Saturday night.

Can't wait for a mod to slag me, should be good reading

enda1 · 24-02-2017 4:02pm

Put them to 15! I think Sexton will be itching to get back at some of the French plus prove Paddy Jackson should stay on the bench. Bonus point win is a known necessity* so they will go all out to achieve it which should lead to a very entertaining day.

*Technically not but should be approached this way

enda1 · 24-02-2017 4:03pm

enzo roco wrote: »

Ha, good one hunny.
Typical rugby forum reply.
No point giving a constructive reply.
All the best kuang sweetheart, enjoy the match.

But maybe if I'm not banned, I'll give my expert view on Saturday night.

Can't wait for a mod to slag me, should be good reading

Good night, sweet prince

kuang1 · 24-02-2017 4:19pm

enzo roco wrote: »

Ha, good one hunny...
But maybe if I'm not banned, I'll give my expert view on Saturday night.

Ah now no point in being coy enzo.
If Ireland lose you'll be in here like Flynn.
If Ireland win it might somehow slip your mind to return to us with your graceful airs. (That'd be a shame. Truly.)

But yes you enjoy the match too.

sydthebeat · 24-02-2017 4:26pm

enzo roco wrote: »

But maybe if I'm not banned, I'll give my expert view on Saturday night.

Can't wait for a mod to slag me, should be good reading

give your expert view now, and not after the fact.......

or maybe you cant ???

molloyjh · 24-02-2017 4:28pm

kuang1 wrote: »

Ah now no point in being coy enzo.
If Ireland lose you'll be in here like Flynn.
If Ireland win it might somehow slip your mind to return to us with your graceful airs. (That'd be a shame. Truly.)

But yes you enjoy the match too.

I still fully believe,
Going on personal experience, that the best way of
Not allowing certain kinds
Of posters the satisfaction is to
Readily make use of
Every feature on the forum.

Zzippy · 24-02-2017 6:25pm

enzo roco wrote: »

Ha, good one hunny.
Typical rugby forum reply.
No point giving a constructive reply.
All the best kuang sweetheart, enjoy the match.

But maybe if I'm not banned, I'll give my expert view on Saturday night.

Can't wait for a mod to slag me, should be good reading

We welcome tourists to the forum, but not when they're just coming in to wind people up. We're quite content to do without your expert view, so it can wait a while longer.

Edit: Following discussion, it seems the poster was just about to post a very reasonable and detailed explanation of his post and his view on the game. Ban will be lifted accordingly. Warning about posting constructively remains for everyone.

mfceiling · 24-02-2017 6:31pm

enzo roco wrote: »

Ha, good one hunny.
Typical rugby forum reply.
No point giving a constructive reply.
All the best kuang sweetheart, enjoy the match.

But maybe if I'm not banned, I'll give my expert view on Saturday night.

Can't wait for a mod to slag me, should be good reading

It would be great if you would use your "expert" view to do the write up for the Ireland v Wales game. You were quick to rubbish techdivers very good write up. Let's see your brilliance.

MJohnston · 24-02-2017 11:09pm

I've always wanted a match preview written in Haiku form.

Ireland v France, 25th Feb 2017, Aviva Stadium, 4:50pm, RTÉ 2/ITV

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