Ireland v New Zealand

Hairy Homer

Ireland about to take on the only major rugby nation we have never beaten and not a single post!!!

What else could possibly be going on to deflect attention?

Like I said, we've been playing the All Blacks for nearly 100 years (since 1905) and the best we could manage was a 10-10 draw back in 1973. We might have won it but for the fact that our useless fly half from Cork bloody Constitution missed the conversion of a fabulous equalising try.

For some reason, we've put another inferior Cork Con git at fly half for this Saturday's match. I would much preferred Humphreys to start. Sure, he goes into headless chicken mode when things start to get really tough but if we start well, he's by far the better player to keep things moving along nicely.

Pity that Hickie won't be there. Hope that Geordan Murphy at last does for Ireland what I keep hearing he does for Leicester every week. Now would be the time.

We're bound to get lucky against the Blacks some time. And with our football team helpfully blowing the chance to top their qualifying group it means their second round match won't clash with Saturday morning's (8:00am) test kick off.

Set your alarm clocks.

Trojan

Have to say I'm a fan of RoGo at 10, he's a half-daecent play-maker (well, compared to DH at any rate).

Game should be good, but it can't compare to that game in Lansdowne Road few months back - they really honestly thought that we had them. The NZers on the terrace were almost in tears at half-time, and worse after 5 mins of the 2nd half, if only we could have held on ...

Anyways, we shall see. Hopefully a good performance, but I'm far from expecting a win. At least it's a good opportunity to test some players.

Al.

Borzoi

I know sky sports have been plugging the game, but not having it, does anyone know if RTE have coverage? I'd hate to get up that early for no good reason.


As for fly half, both Humphries and O'Gara can be good, but htey can also be ****e - the trick seems to be to replace either as soon as it becomes apparent that they're off form - and hope the other isn't.


Anyway, I fear another drubbing coming on....:(

Hairy Homer

Originally posted by Trojan


Game should be good, but it can't compare to that game in Lansdowne Road few months back - they really honestly thought that we had them. The NZers on the terrace were almost in tears at half-time, and worse after 5 mins of the 2nd half, if only we could have held on ...
Al.

That was a cracker all right. But where did our tactics go in the second half? Fourteen points up against the All Blacks and we keep throwing it around like the Harlem Globetrotters!!! Ridiculous.

Then was the time to stick the ball up our jumpers. Lie offside. Slow things down. Concede penalties. Do the lazy runner act when they looked like getting ball from rucks.

Indeed I don't remember NZ getting a single penalty in the second half. So they just ran in five tries instead. Moss Keane/Willie Duggan/Noel Murphy et al must have covered their eyes in disbelief.

If only we'd had someone with Neil Back's mentality.......

Hairy Homer

Well, I’m never wrong but I don’t always take pleasure in being right.

O’Gara was predictably awful. Three missed kicks, including one from in front of the posts. But even given that he had the benefit of the doubt, what was O’Sullivan thinking about by leaving him on as long as he did? Never mind dodgy refereeing decisions; that was probably the call that cost us the match.

The All Blacks were rubbish by their own standards. We’ve just blown the best chance in years to break our duck against them.

As for O’Gara: book him a nice holiday on a dessert island somewhere far away in the Pacific where he can’t do any more damage.

And send Ian Harte to keep him company.

Coyler

Just back form a day in the boozer. Spot on Homer in your analysis of the game. However, It was also interesting to see that our linelout was brutal again. We telegraphed to many of our throw in's. It not the hookers fault regardless of how crap his throwing is if the movement is slow and easily read. You can't beat the good sides coughing up set piece possession. We now wait the NZ backlash.
Personally, I thought Corrigan had a quaility game in defence. I counted 14 tackles but could have been more.

suppafly

Originally posted by Hairy Homer
O’Gara was predictably awful. Three missed kicks, including one from in front of the posts. But even given that he had the benefit of the doubt, what was O’Sullivan thinking about by leaving him on as long as he did?

Yeah O'Gara played s****!! Aside from missing those penalties, which were pretty easy ones, his positional kicking and stuff was really bad too. He kept slicing the ball really badly and when he didn't slice it, he would just kick it crap anyway.

Never mind dodgy refereeing decisions; that was probably the call that cost us the match

That ref was crap and u know he was the same ref from the Heineken Cup Final. I really hope he is isn't the ref for the next test!!

The All Blacks were rubbish by their own standards. We’ve just blown the best chance in years to break our duck against them.

I think that was our chance too beat them there cuz now their coach is going to get on to about the way they played and they'll be well harder to beat in the next test!

As for O’Gara: book him a nice holiday on a dessert island somewhere far away in the Pacific where he can’t do any more damage. And send Ian Harte to keep him company.

Well O'Gara was s**** in that match but his positional kicking is normally pretty good. He really, really does need to work on his penalty kicking. Humphreys is streets ahead of him in that section!! We could have won that match if Humphreys was playing cuz he rarely misses penalties!

U can definetly send that tosser Harte to the desert island. What a complete and utter waster!!

tHE vAGGABOND

gutted - what a **** weekend

It must have been O'G's worst kicking display in ages and ages. He picks his moments..

No point in moaning about it, we played them off the park. They only just held on..

Lets hope we do the business next week