Yeah, this is exactly it.
Like, a two-test series between the first and second ranked teams, your first games on home turf as RWC champions, against the last team to beat you… isn't that enough motivation? It shouldn't need all this background noise and weird paranoia, but this seems to be the only way Erasmus can function.
Yeah, agreed. We've come a long way but until we can really compete for the WC we're still also rans.
You can't really have it both ways. If Ireland win it's against a team that's inconsistent between World Cups. Nothing to brag about. If SA win, what does it prove? It'll probably be 1-1 anyway.
The 6N is great but it's the Commonwealth games of rugby when SA are winning the Olympics.
I doubt they're 'running to the press'. They're being interviewed and making very slightly controversial comments which are mostly taken out of context by pearl clutchers weaned on the utter dross most pro rugby players spout when they've a mic in front of them.
If Ireland win it's against a team that's inconsistent between World Cups
I'm fine with this. I'm not having it both ways at all.
The 6N is also not the commonwealth games of rugby, that's just a ludicrous comparison.
Take out the top teams and have the next best play themselves and celebrate being champions. Same difference.
Jesus lads, why do we even bother watching the sport for 3 and a half years between these world cups?
I do think wed be less consistent in between world cups also generally of we had to play nz even if weve gone well against them recently
Because we can moan about how poor the RWC Champions are and how brilliant we are.
Like the summer tour is being built up as the 1st and 2nd ranked teams, yet, we've never, ever, got past the RWC QFs. Teams with lower rankings than us have made and won QFs, SFs, and finals
Rankings are great for what they're used for, rankings in the RWC competition but outside of that, they're utterly useless.
From The Examiner
David Humphreys talks about an over reliance on Private Schools and the possibility of identifying talent in other sports that could be used as a pathway for developing players for our teams.
It will be interesting to see more details on what he's hoping to achieve.
His successor, the former Ulster and Ireland fly-half who joined the IRFU three months ago from his role as director of performance operations at the England And Wales Cricket Board, wants to move away from what he sees as an over-reliance on Irish private schools supplying the bulk of rugby talent to the professional game.In order to give Ireland coaches the best possible opportunity to field the strongest teams possible, Humphreys is seeking to improve a pathway system that identifies athletes in other codes now that the concept of project players from overseas becoming Irish Qualified (IQ) has effectively run dry through changes in World Rugby’s residency criteria.
His successor, the former Ulster and Ireland fly-half who joined the IRFU three months ago from his role as director of performance operations at the England And Wales Cricket Board, wants to move away from what he sees as an over-reliance on Irish private schools supplying the bulk of rugby talent to the professional game.
In order to give Ireland coaches the best possible opportunity to field the strongest teams possible, Humphreys is seeking to improve a pathway system that identifies athletes in other codes now that the concept of project players from overseas becoming Irish Qualified (IQ) has effectively run dry through changes in World Rugby’s residency criteria.
Meh.
Far easier said than done.
'Commonwealth Games'? Have a serious word with yourself.
'Friendlies'? What?
https://x.com/SSRugby/status/1801177693909578054?t=EIQiKogC7rZkQLmppkd8uw&s=19
I saw the full interview somewhere, i'll try and find it and put it up here.
Humps is correct.
Overdependance on private schools is not the problem, it's the lack of other sources that limits the growth of playing numbers generally. The professional game here, with 4 clubs, may be able to survive with players from traditional routes but the game generally will never expand beyond it's narrow base until it attracts players who currently choose other codes.
Interesting shot across the bows.
"Where you have a player who we believe could be performing out here [for Ireland], sitting in third, fourth or fifth in the province and not getting the game-time that they need to develop, that’s sending a strong message about that player’s ambition to Andy Farrell. We want players who are competitive, who are going to give it everything they have to play for Ireland. If they choose not to do that for whatever reason, so be it.”
Ooof, spicy.
I'd love to know if he's got someone specific in mind there.
Nucifora said similar recently.
I'm sure the IRFU have tried to use that line many times with Leinster players and not to much effect.
its a very fair point.
However, with Deegan being the obvious example (behind conan and doris at 8 for Leinster) Farrell has STILL gone on to cap players who have been seen as 3rd choice for their province, ahead of other players who were closer to starting for their province.
maybe theres a sea change coming, im not sure though.
The problem is that Nucifora/Humphreys don't select the Irish squad so realistically what can they actually do about it.
It's hard to see how this is Humphreys' call though? In a million years, he's not going to forbid Farrell from picking players who haven't agreed to switch provinces.
Deegan always gets cited here but he got 20 minutes off the bench against Fiji in 2022 and I don't think he's been in so much as a training squad since then. So maybe he is in fact evidence that Farrell doesn't want to pick guys who aren't playing regularly. Like, he capped provincial third-choice Crowley in the same game, and look at how that went.
People keep claiming Crowley was provincial 3rd choice when the reality is we can't know for sure because of 1) the new coaching ticket 2) the EI tour and 3) injuries.
hang on til I get my barge pole.
It's true tho….
You're essentially taking 2 games prior to the EI tour as evidence of him being 3rd choice when it's pretty obvious that losing 9 guys for ~3 games would've had an influence on that selection.
We simply don't know.
Or, of course, the entire season prior to that.
Where Munster had a different head-coach picking the team? That entire season?
I don't know why you seem to get so much enjoyment out of having literally the same arguments over and over again.
Look, if you want to argue that JVG seeing Crowley as 3rd choice in the 2021/22 season means Rowntree also saw Crowley as 3rd choice in the following season, you can…
I'm just pointing out it's not rooted in logic.
Not really, he has no say over who Farrell picks.
Interesting thought, has Rassie ever beaten an Ireland or Leinster side as a coach?
Might be why he is so hung up on Ireland even with a WC in his back pocket, two actually
Beat Leinster in Thomond in his 1 season with Munster.
Less certain about Ireland; I think they may have only played twice tho (RWC group, and AI?), even tho he's been there so comparatively long, what with Covid.
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