Nonsense. We lost a QF by a single score to New Zealand.
He has overall, been a huge success
I heard it was actually Nucifora that held up Kelleher that time.
100% he's been good for Irish Rugby but let's not pretend he or the IRFU is flawless. He/they have missed out on most of their own KPIs, twice in the RWCs.
Women's Rugby was set back by their actions/inactions, their current contracts are a shambles.
Did you watch Irish rugby in the 90s?
Did you know that over 10 years of the 5 Nations from 1990-99 we won 8 games. That’s 8 out of 40. One year we won 2 games (1993), in no other year did we win more than 1 and 3 years we won 0.
If you told rugby fans back then that we’d be sitting here in 2024 in the position we’re currently in people would have thought you were insane.
The entitlement of some fans is off the charts.
How is that on Nucifora?
His job isn’t to pick the team, he’s not the mental skills coach and he can’t play the matches.
His job was to put in the best position possible to win the RWC. We entered the tournament as one of the favourites to win, as (deservedly) #1 team in the world and went into our quarter final as favourites to beat NZ.
To repeat: An Ireland team were favourites in a World Cup game against New Zealand. I can’t believe people need to be convinced that the guy was a success.
Yes all the 6 nations wins during his tenure was a failure
Seriously I just can't figure out how one of the people at the head of such a successful period for Irish rugby is hated by fans
It was the union I expect who approached him
They also took a ex-GAA player into the ladies, was that "pretty shi**y" as well?
Women rugby was been run by Anthony Eddy, the decision was to focus on 7s because the lack of players, it was also easier to convert people from other sports into 7s than into rugby 15s players
They have got to a Olympics. Is that not a success from a sport that didn't exist a few years ago?
Haters gonna hate.
Munster won URC last year
Leinster in 5th European final in 7 seasons
Connacht getting redevelopment in sports grounds
Ulster Are not in a great place atm but there is some green shoots there
Womens game has turned a corner. Long way to go but there is signs of progress.
Sevens programmes are going well
U20s have been going great the last few years
Leinster sold 170000 tickets for 3 games in 5 weeks recently.
Do the IRFU get everything right. No absolutely not. But Rugby as a sport has grown exponentially in the minds of people in the last few years. When Sexton said "we lost, but we won' he was referring to the bigger picture of the sport here. That bigger picture is the long term growth of interest in the sport.
Agreed, the post you quoted has me saying he was good for Irish Rugby. I agree rugby is in a much better place than when I used to watch it on B&W one channel TV.
This isn't me thinking/hoping that we'd do better, it's the IRFU themselves who set out their strategic plan. They haven't met their own KPIs in that plan
Both statements can be correct.
Also, the IRFU instigated this review and recommended changes so they themselves have seen failures and want to address them.
Everyone except the player who gets bumped out of the squad after years of preparation for the Olympics in favour of a player arriving (back) at the last minute.
Would it be any different for a player who doesn't make the 15s World Cup Squad?
Fair comment. Who was the French 7s player bumped out of their squad to make room for Dupont ?.
Think back to Toner not making the 2019 RWC because Joe went with someone else, very last minute.
Differing opinions!!! Lots of DN fans here. I'm happy that ye all think he was a success! My opinion is he wasn't as successful as he should have been. He was imo, a mixed bag. I'm hoping Humphreys does well.
Not great for him admittedly but this is competitive sport, it’s the nature of it.
Keenan should be playing for Leinster. I wish him well. I think it's ****. Just an opinion.
It's not like only the same 12 irish players go to every 7's tournament and one of these will be forced to miss out..
There is a panel of about 20 and only 12 or 13 get to compete in the 7s tournaments .
12 players will get to the Olympics. Some players who have been invovled in tournaments this year are going to miss out.
A fringe player will most likely miss out. They've had a chance to stake a seat on the plan for the last while if they didn't bail down their place that's not Keenans fault.
It's not like the same 34 players go to every 6Ns squad, Summer tour, Autumn tour, some people drop in, some drop out BUT ask Toner how he felt to be dropped from the 2019 RWC squad. I wouldn't have classed Toner as a fringe player. Look back on this very forum, how many posters had Toner staying at home when making squad lists.
And in case anyone thinks otherwise, I'm delighted for Hugo, he's one of my favorite players in Ireland and I delighted for him.
Bundee Aki wins Players Player of the Year
I don't have a problem with Toner getting dropped for the WC, the problem I had was the player he was dropped for was a disaster and I had a good idea he would be prior to the WC.
Did anyone get upset when Big Joe came from nowhere and got into the WC squad in 2023?
You said he accomplished little and was a failure, now he is a mixed bag.
If Humphreys can even equal his record from a men's 15's point of view he will be a success.
Never mind the 7s men and womens success Ireland has had.
Womens 15s is an issue and it's not a short term fix, in reality the changes been made now should be to help in 10-20 year time
Bundee is an interesting one… just turned 34. It's hard to think he'll be as effective as he can be next season and I feel the trajectory won't be anything else but downwards soon just because of his abrasive style. Maybe he'll maintain his current level of form but I do wonder when looking beyond him… who is going to replace him? He's been comfortably our best centre in recent years
Lowe and him are our physical presence in the backs and both are pushing on (I know Lowe is only 32 soon but he has his health issues). Henshaw has a lot of miles under his clock too. Big Stu is 32 in August.
I just think it makes for interesting pondering in terms of the style of game we play that a lot of the current more physical cabs on the rank are moving towards their twilight years.
Second row, back row, half backs… I think we're well stocked and you can see a decent succession plan with the players coming through. I'm not seeing it at centre (yet)
Deservedly
He is a failure. He's done some good with 7's. But he never got to his goals. He probably stayed too long. If you all think he transformed the landscape, good. I'd grade him a C.
Women's success? Are u serious?
To me it's similar to the England forward who missed the 2015 world cup to accommodate Sam Burgess.
I suppose it's not possible to say who exactly that was, like with the 7s player Dupont replaced.
Dupont at least played the required qualifiers and could theoretically have not made the squad if he'd played badly. I don't see how Keenan could get picked without having played those same required tournaments but maybe I've misunderstood how that all works.
The Toner situation is not comparable. He was dropped from the WC squad because Schmidt reckoned he'd cop a hefty suspension from a citing that was due just after the selection deadline and Kleyn, who had just become qualified, was the next best choice.
He was dropped from the WC squad because Schmidt reckoned he'd cop a hefty suspension from a citing
This was a complete nonsense from Joe, several months after the fact. No one really knows what was behind it but it wasn’t this, he just decided he wasn’t bringing Toner and that was it.
You can literally say that about practically anything or anyone in sport or life.
Irish rugby as a whole is in a far better place now compared to 10-15 years ago.
Like, what exactly was he not successful at? By no means has he got everything right, or has every target been achieved, but that's not an outright indication of failure either.
It's easy to fire shots from the sidelines when you don't have to take responsibility for a decision made, or the ramifications of it.
Ultimately a lot of areas of the game are in far better position now compared to 10 years ago. DN, IRFU have made mistakes, got things wrong along the way but have you seen the state of other sporting bodies in this country?
Something else happened there imo
Joe & Dev had words or fell out over something, v v strange at the time
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