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

Paul Smeenus wrote: »

I know Wally did - I thought both had? Maybe not.

Wallace started on the wing once. Leamy, as you point out in your other post, started at 12 once.

Which was only fractionally more weird than that time Kearney started at 12 for Leinster!

Drico is on the Late Late Show

Wab?

Belfast slang. Thought everyone in the North said it, but was corrected by a Newry nyuck

salmocab wrote: »

Nyuck?

A nyuck is a scrinch, but from Newry

FWIW this is my 2000-2020 XXIII
Healy
Wood
Furlong
Ryan
O'Connell (c)
Ferris
O'Brien
Heaslip
Murray
Sexton
Hickie
D'Arcy
O'Driscoll
Bowe
Kearney

Flannery
McGrath
Hayes
Henderson
Wallace
Stringer
O'Gara
Earls

The bench is more about winning a test match than necessarily picking the next best Irish player over the last 20 years. Hence Flannery over Best and Henderson over O'Kelly.

Buer wrote: »

I'm not sure there's much to be said for John Hayes as a bench option based on your criteria. As a genuine bench option, Porter is actually probably as good as we've had in the past 20 years.

.

I know I know, and I did think about putting Porter in there...but then I had to consider Thomond's wellbeing.

The wing is competitive. Earls could easily start, maybe the fact he has switched between wing and centre (even FB on occasion) hasn't helped his cause in my eyes.

BTW, I listened to the pod with BOD and Wood yesterday and I thought it was pretty clear from the way that he kept countering Woodie's selection of ROG at 10 that BOD would have gone for Sexton if he really had to pick. However there is one thing I'd say, if it came to a last minute kick to win the game, I'd probably rather have ROG lining up to take it than Sexton.

awec wrote: »

So the money thing was in this weekends Irish Times, in an article by Gerry Thornley, that all is not well between the players and the IRFU. The players, via RPI, are seeking visibility into the usually highly-secretive finances of the IRFU in order to determine if the 20% paycuts being imposed are actually warranted, and that they are targeting the right areas for savings.

The RPI is not a union, so players cannot strike.

Are the other IRFU staff unionised?

I would think that there ought to be a system that indexes player wages as % of overall profit for the IRFU. Players in sports are always undervalued relative to their contribution to the game, I'll never hold with criticising a player for seeking to maximise their earnings.

https://www.mandmdirect.ie/01/details/CN2356/Canterbury-Mens-Ireland-Rugby-Vapodri-Home-Pro-Jersey-Bosphorous


Ireland jersey right down in price.

Thrashssacre wrote: »

Potential irish 23 by November:

1: healy
2: Kelleher
3: furlong
4: ryan
5: Henderso
6: dorris
7: van der flier
8: stander
9: Murray
10: sexton
11: lowe
12: ringrose
13: henshaw
14: earls
15: larmour

16: porter
17: Cronin
18: baird
19: leavy/deegan
20: Cooney
21: carbery
22: aki
23: Addison

you only have 2 front rows and 4 backs on the bench. No way will ringrose be 12 with henshaw at 13

Kevski wrote: »

I think that Baird is unlikely to be playing at tighthead!

Didn't even realise i hadr forgotten to add in a full front row in my rush to add in all the squad played id like to see, scratch that team so lol. Still a wealth of talent too call on, exciting times ahead.

thomond2006 wrote: »

Conway won't be outside the 23 barring injury and Sean Cronin has no business in an Irish squad anymore

I think Cronin still has a role as an impact sub, i suppose you'd have Conway in ahead of Addison then?

Thrashssacre wrote: »

I think Cronin still has a role as an impact sub, i suppose you'd have Conway in ahead of Addison then?

I'd have Conway starting if he continues his form pre-Covid. Sean Cronin has just turned 34, has already been moved on from by Ireland and I don't see a reason to bring him back.