Ireland Team Talk XI: Team of nervoUS MOD warning Post 1

Dubinusa

realhorrorshow wrote: »

The absolute state of questioning Garry Ringrose's toughness a week after he tried to play through a broken jaw.

Correct! Anyone suiting up is tough.

dor843088

realhorrorshow wrote: »

The absolute state of questioning Garry Ringrose's toughness a week after he tried to play through a broken jaw.

His lack of aggression got him a broken jaw. The man was there to be smashed and he decided to dive down to block the ball . He was there in plenty of time to make a big hit. Put Tuilagi in that position and it's a different outcome.

VANG1

That’s why he’s always injured. Smashing everything that moves isn’t the answer to winning

Burkie1203

lot of rumours of serious discontent in the welsh camp and then this ...

https://twitter.com/BBCScrumV/status/1325412016912281600

Clegg

Anyone who followed Shaun Edwards as defence coach would have a very tough task. But the regression in the Welsh defence was even greater than anticipated.

Wales are struggling everyone however. Their attack in particular is awful and that falls at the feet of Povac and Stephen Jones.

jacothelad

thomond2006 wrote: »

Nobody wants the unwashed playing for Ireland. One must have standards.

Even so, some from Munster still get selected........:D:D:D:D:D

jacothelad

Some Yoke wrote: »

We need a rugby equivalent of Suarez, who learned their rugby on the streets of ballsbridge and isn't afraid to bite a competitor

I think you mean Testicles Viaduct....:)

Yeah_Right

dor843088 wrote: »

His lack of aggression got him a broken jaw. The man was there to be smashed and he decided to dive down to block the ball . He was there in plenty of time to make a big hit. Put Tuilagi in that position and it's a different outcome.

Put Tualagi in that situation and there's a good chance it's a penalty and red card for a late, no arms hit.

Dog Botherer

Yeah_Right wrote: »

Put Tualagi in that situation and there's a good chance it's a penalty and red card for a late, no arms hit.

And Tuilagi somehow dislocates both of his shoulders simultaneously, putting him out for 8 months.

dor843088

Yeah_Right wrote: »

Put Tualagi in that situation and there's a good chance it's a penalty and red card for a late, no arms hit.

As far as I'm aware hes had 1 red card and no yellow cards in his whole England career. "Good chance" is as bit off the mark there.

thomond2006

jacothelad wrote: »

Even so, some from Munster still get selected........:D:D:D:D:D

They get scholarships.
The IRFU need to at least pretend they care about the plebs.

dor843088

dor843088 wrote: »

As far as I'm aware hes had 1 red card and no yellow cards in his whole England career. "Good chance" is as bit off the mark there.

Tuilagi is out for 6 months fortunately for Ireland considering the destruction wrought in recent encounters

Like him or loathe him he is a game-changing beast when fully fit

England without him are not as strong for sure

Clegg

Bit ridiculous that Ruddock wasn't called up for the Autumn Nations side. He's in superb form. Wins his second motm in a row.

Brief_Lives

I feel the same way about Jack O Donoghue......
To include JackO and Ruddock... who would you drop?

bilston

Clegg wrote: »

Bit ridiculous that Ruddock wasn't called up for the Autumn Nations side. He's in superb form. Wins his second motm in a row.

Ah sure Sean Reidy and Matth Rea have been doing similar with Ulster.

Anyway, there's already 428 Leinster players in the Ireland squad. You aren't that much better than the rest of us.:D

Buer

Clegg wrote: »

Bit ridiculous that Ruddock wasn't called up for the Autumn Nations side. He's in superb form. Wins his second motm in a row.

Very true but he's also a player capable of test rugby facing utter muck. He's incredibly unlucky but he never really had the dynamism to play top level test rugby and that's not really going to change.

If he was 2 inches taller, he could have been a brilliant lock.

AbusesToilets

Buer wrote: »

Very true but he's also a player capable of test rugby facing utter muck. He's incredibly unlucky but he never really had the dynamism to play top level test rugby and that's not really going to change.

If he was 2 inches taller, he could have been a brilliant lock.

yes and no. Is he any less dynamic than POM or Stander? Perhaps a touch less explosive than CJ, but he's more capable with the ball. He's much better overall than POM, outside of the lineout. Obviously my opinion, but I've never managed to grasp just where he's so deficient relative to his peers.

irishbucsfan

AbusesToilets wrote: »

yes and no. Is he any less dynamic than POM or Stander? Perhaps a touch less explosive than CJ, but he's more capable with the ball. He's much better overall than POM, outside of the lineout. Obviously my opinion, but I've never managed to grasp just where he's so deficient relative to his peers.

POM at his best was a clearly better player out of possession at the higher levels. But I'm not sure he is that player any more.

If Ruddock had been luckier with injury and more consistently available/able to perform on the biggest days, that might have been different.

Ruddock was also pretty much surplus to requirements for Leinster at the business end of last season, not sure he made any matchday squads in the knockouts. At the time it didn't seem like that controversial a call, in hindsight you'd probably have had him in there against Saracens. I don't know why he gets overlooked to the extend he does but obviously playing great stuff at the moment.

kingofthekong

Malakai Some Revolution wrote: »

Ruddock was also pretty much surplus to requirements for Leinster at the business end of last season, not sure he made any matchday squads in the knockouts. At the time it didn't seem like that controversial a call, in hindsight you'd probably have had him in there against Saracens. I don't know why he gets overlooked to the extend he does but obviously playing great stuff at the moment.

He's been overlooked because for a large portion of last season and before that he was getting completely outperformed and kept out of the team by his counterparts, he regularly was underperforming against the top teams and thus wasn't getting selected,

He's played very well this season and ramped it up massively but he's also playing against piss poor opposition, you cant compare him running over a 20 year old ospreys outhalf vs trying to make yards against a monster french pack in the six nations,

I'm usually a massive o'mahony critic but he's added something both times for Ireland against Italy and France, granted I think his place is at far more risk from VDF and Conan then it is from Ruddock,

Ruddock would need to maintain this form all season whilst playing the best teams in europe and then he might be considered he needs consistancy and maybe some luck with injury to be anywhere close to the starting Ireland team

bilston

bilston wrote: »

Ah sure Sean Reidy and Matth Rea have been doing similar with Ulster.

Anyway, there's already 428 Leinster players in the Ireland squad. You aren't that much better than the rest of us.:D

Sean Reidy man of the match again...get him in the squad Andy!

On a serious point though, he is hugely underrated. Obviously there are a lot of others with claims too.

GeordieC

What time is the team announced today?

Gerry Thornley's Ireland possible team v Wales:

Stockdale; Keenan, Farrell, Henshaw, Lowe; Sexton (capt), Gibson-Park;

Healy, Kelleher, Porter; Henderson, Ryan; O’Mahony, van der Flier, Doris.

Replacements: Herring, E Byrne, Bealham, Beirne, Stander, Murray, R Byrne, Earls.

Clegg

I like the front 5 of Thornley's projected side. It's probably the strongest we have available to us. The backrow isn't great however. POM and VDF aren't the greatest carriers and if just paints a massive target on Doris's back for the opposition defence.

I'd like to see more experimentation. JGP and Ross Byrne have played together a huge amount. Why not start them both? I guess we're under pressure to secure more prize money. Thornley has been wrong with predictions recently. Hope he's wrong here as well.

thomond2006

At first look it suggests an eye on development but Earls on the bench doesn't fit that narrative. Stander has been in the form of his career since the return from lockdown, it would be odd to bench him.

aloooof

Clegg wrote: »

I like the front 5 of Thornley's projected side. It's probably the strongest we have available to us. The backrow isn't great however. POM and VDF aren't the greatest carriers and if just paints a massive target on Doris's back for the opposition defence.

We had 6. POM, 7. VDF and 8. Stander against Wales in the 6 Nations this year and played pretty well. (I'd be more concerned if we saw this selection against England, naturally). We played a more expansive game too, which means it's less of an issue.

If Thornley is right (and that remains to be seen as you mention), I wonder is it with a view of giving Doris gametime at 8 in this game in order to go 6. Stander 8. Doris the following week against England?

Picking POM at this point is just laughable

bennyl10

No Conway at all?
Seems a weird call especially with Stockdale being kept

That seems like a random combination rather than development

salmocab

[Deleted User] wrote: »

That seems like a random combination rather than development

Yeah wouldn’t get caught up in looking into what this team means beyond this weekend

theVersatile

Thornleys XVs have been guesses recently rather than based off any inside information. He's been wrong each time he's attempted a squad I'm pretty sure. I reckon we'll see something like:

Healy, Kelleher, Porter, Henderson, Ryan, Doris, VDF, CJ, Murray, Sexton, Earls, Henshaw, Farrell, Lowe, Keenan/Stockdale

Reckon Coach Farrell will want to see more of Farrell, get another look at Kelleher and VDF, bring Earls back into the fray and see what Lowe s made of (is he qualified at this stage?). Could also see Earls in the 23 jersey.

Nevermind - Thornley was right. Shows what I know