Ireland v Scotland match thread

clsmooth

In fairness Heaslip was unbelievable for Ireland. He went from being the flashy moments type player in 2007-9 to being consistently 8/10. He had that Keenan characteristic of when he made an error you’d raise an eyebrow as they were so rare. As good as Doris has been, he has some way to go. Heaslip was Lions 8 for two tours in a row. The Irish Kieron Reed.

bingobango12

This thread is some mess 😂. POM is a good player but a fantastic leader. Is it time to step away? Probably. But if he stayed on for another year I would have no complaints. He brings aggression and is one of the best in the line out.

Murray is one that should be put out to pasture if he doesn’t choose to himself. Casey has surpassed him now at Munster and we need to find a new number 3 now.

Thought Henderson was older than he is, injuries possibly getting to him now as he doesn’t look the player he was. Ahern looks like he could be a good player to step up and with the emergence of McCarthy, Ireland will be fine at second row.

Blackheath

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121903582#Comment_121903582

We have a big problem, we don’t have great leaders, when we play knock out games the occasion gets to our players and they don’t perform. a lot of players didn’t stand up last weekend.

Farrell picked POM as captain, he is there as a presence for his team mates, he is a leader of men. He wanted to retire after the World Cup, Farrell asked him to stay on purely for his leadership qualities.

POM as a captain often makes the right calls, just sometimes the calls don’t always work out.

Our back row under performed today, we probably peaked against France and every performance has been off since.

Doris will possibly be the next captain, I think he under performed today, as he did last week.

i believe POM has a different mentality to a lot of Irish players, confrontational, inspiring to others and does come up with big moments in games.

Given his age, he is past his best but for his team mates he is inspirational.

Blackheath

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121903582#Comment_121903582

If he leaves after today, he will leave as possibility one of Ireland best captains, 1 6 nations as captain and he leads his team to a championship. 1 from 1.

aloooof

Delighted with that win, and none more so than for POM. If that is to be his swansong, hard to think of a more fitting way to bow out than with a 6N's championship.

Has had his critics on here for as long as I can remember, but would retire as our most capped ever back-row. If you look at the list of back-rows he's played alongside during his career, that says an awful lot about the calibre of the man.

Neil3030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121903841#Comment_121903841

The sheer durability of the man. 12 years at the very top of International rugby. Not to take anything from great players that preceded him, or that will follow, but if you think about the evolution of professional rugby over the arc of his career, backrow play in particular. And think about the different systems that Irish rugby used, from Kidney to Schmidt to Farrell. Chance allowed him to be the right age to play in each era, but his character and determination meant he was locked in as a central figure in each. Finally seized his moment to captain Ireland to a championship. But for some misfortune with injuries (Keenan, Hansen) it likely would have been a slam. People may ask what he brought in terms of the intangibles, well, all I'll say is that I sorely hope we don't learn that the hard way moving forward.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121903311#Comment_121903311

O'Gara said recently that Wallace was the best player he ever played with.

AbusesToilets

Felt our attack through the center of the pitch has been poor all tournament. For all Aki's brilliance carrying, it didn't seem to be capitalized on

phog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121903933#Comment_121903933

I always thought Wallace was up there as one of the greatest, Martyn Williams and himself were two brilliant 7s though they played different roles/games. Their reading of the game, Wallace's leg drive from standing position was beast mode, I loved watch them play.

Seadin

Ireland are now on par with France and Wales with number of 6 Nations championship titles won with England leading with 7 titles.

England: 7 six nations titles won (2000, 2001,2003, 2011,2016,2017, 2020)

Grand Slams 2: ( 2003,2016)

France: 6 six nations titles won ( 2002, 2004, 2006,2007, 2010, 2022)

Grand slams 4: 2002 ,2004, 2010, 2022.

Wales: 6 nations titles won (2005, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2019, 2021)

Grand Slams 4 (2005,2008, 2012, 2019)

Ireland :6 nations titles won (2009, 2014,2015, 2018 ,2023 ,2024)

Grand Slams 3 ( 2009, 2018, 2023)

Ireland have come along way in 24 years.

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121903016#Comment_121903016

Rarer than a world cup!

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121903063#Comment_121903063

Yep

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121903357#Comment_121903357

I'd disagree with you. Beirne is a great player but so is Ryan. I would say that Ryan would have made a big difference today and last week. No doubt they're both excellent. If I'm picking the Lions right now, I'd go with both of them with Itoje on the bench.

I think we all saw how raw McCarthy is. He finished the tournament fairly meh, imo.

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121903657#Comment_121903657

I reckon we all fail to acknowledge the absolute bollocking the injuries cause to these players. Look at Furlong! A calf injury has reduced him to a mere mortal. Henderson has had injury issues repeatedly over his career and unfortunately, Ryan is falling into this category.

Lost Ormond

Was working at game so bar a minute or so havent seen game

Great to get win. Cant comment on game but this thread has been pathetic from posters only posting in rugby threads for first time in long time to some whove been here far too long

Will say thought atmosphere was shocking imo. Even though i thought bars werent near as busy as i thought theyd be. It just didnt have an atmosphere of a game where title was up for grabs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121904013#Comment_121904013

Nobody has managed three in a row?... A nice target for next year.

And I'm amazed England only have two grand slams.

Sheep breeder

Just read the thread now, the amount of crap posts that goes on here when the game is on take this one off and put on Byrne, this one’s playing bad and then he does something great etc. have never seen the perfect game of rugby yet and players are not machines. The ref today didn’t help the game at all, there seems to be posters wearing blinkers to certain players and the management. nobody commented on the scrum when Peter and Josh switched sides and how that benefited at scrum time. Peter has being a great servant to Ireland over his career and has being a leader on and off the field, a captains role there is a lot of off the field stuff that not seen to help players a long with a arm around the shoulder like with furlough today, encouraging young players etc, as a Munster fan and when Ireland play it’s all about Ireland and park Munster time, this 6n there is young players come through and more will come forward as well and keep building the team. A win today was a good result and the future of Irish rugby is looking good and growing in Ireland. Onwards and upwards.

Ardillaun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121902687#Comment_121902687

Mediocre. Blaming the ref is like blaming the weather.

Ardillaun

Blaming refs is like going after the weather. Do we really believe the rugby gods have it in for us?

Ardillaun

Doris got warned multiple times today for attempting to enter the ruck from the side. Why didn’t he learn?

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121903469#Comment_121903469

So it wasnt his opposite number that scored their first try? A run through midfield that scored their second and a missed tackle on Earl that allowed their third?

Clo-Clo

I stay away from these threads and reading the last few posts I can see why. Just comes down to fans lauding their favourite club player and going after everyone else

Well done POM, looked like from start it was his last cap and has been a great servant, I have been critical but mostly around 2019 when the back row was unbalanced I felt

Still he lost his place and then fought his way back into the team to become critical member. I do think it’s probably about right time for him to get out at top, BOD talks about it all the tim and Darcy kind of ruined himself trying to play on at end.

I was told many months ago a move to France was on cards and was told again yesterday but it’s pub talk so let’s see, he seemingly wants to go into coaching and that path would be best way, including working with a certain exMunster player

in terms of the game, meehhhhh is best description. Scotland came to stop Ireland and didn’t seem to have much of a plan after that. Ireland need to get Hansen and Ringrose back into team to help with creativity….lets move onto SA and see how that goes because they are very very bitter

theVersatile

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121904296#Comment_121904296

I love how a 12 scoring on the wing is your example of England not being allowed to go through the middle.

theVersatile

I found it really interesting how quiet DVDM was. Farrell deserves a lot of credit for minimising his impact on the game because he is a game changer in open space.

Burkie1203

https://twitter.com/haribaldijones/status/1769046975180140666?t=kLTjJVADbOXIYSL1eonI7A&s=19

....

Akrasia

Good 6 nations championship win there (Is there any other kind? )

Scotland's defence was extremely good for the 1st half. They gave us nothing (except for that hilariously fluffed lineout). Lowe started off poor but was immense with ball in hand.

Ireland do need to expand the squad for the summer and Autumn tours.

We need someone to cover Keenan. Frawley isn't good enough at full back, and Larmour isn't good enough in any position to be in the Irish squad.

We're a bit vulnerable at 2nd Row for the time being. Beirne is un droppable but he's not the most powerful player. Joe McCarthy shows glimpses of what he can do but has been poor enough since his good opening performance v france. Baird is a similar size to Beirne so don't know if he's the answer at 2nd Row as bringing him on means we're either smaller than we need, or we lose Beirne.

We'll definitely miss POM if he does decide to retire. I don't see any of the other starting 14 players having the same leadership qualities as him, on or off the pitch.

At half back Murray is past it, unfortunately, but Casey is maturing into an excellent player so we should see him take the reigns this summer as primary backup to JGP.

Harry Byrne was a disaster when he came on. Crowley is head and shoulders above every other challenger as 10 for at least the next 2 years barring some kind of miracle/disaster