Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

All you’re saying here is that the schedule hurt us. Thats not a ridiculous take. The idea that we should have rest players against Scotland when we hadn’t qualified for a QF yet is though.

Ireland the number 1 side in the world, grand slam champions and unbeaten in 17 tests over a span of 18 months were knackered going into a QF after playing 1 game in 14 days…I surely don’t need to say anymore.

?

I don’t think you were or are paying attention

Ireland played 7 days earlier

I don’t think I need to say anymore myself either on the matter.

Former international outhalf, who also played in a World Cup and a respected analyst also happens to think the same.

Some rotation should have been factored in. Not zero.

People can have different opinions. Fine. But for my opinion to be attacked (and allowed to be attacked btw) as “i don’t know what I’m talking about” says everything.

There is zero logical argument for claiming the Irish team were fatigued going into the NZ game. As many of us have shown here multiple times now, on average players in our 23 had played just over 2 games in 5 weeks coming in to that match (an average of less than 3 games in 5 weeks for the starting 15).

I'd say without a doubt the pressure and the expectations got to them, allied with the somewhat claustrophobic atmosphere perhaps of being in camp etc, and all those things combined to see us freeze like a deer in the headlights and basically not fire a shot for the first 20 mins, but the notion we were "fatigued" doesn't wash with me at all.

I do think some of our players will be a little undercooked going into the NZ game, but, worth noting NZ last played on October 4th, so won't have played any rugby in 4 weeks by the time we kick off in Chicago.

So from that list 4 out of the 6 will be bang in their prime for the RWC

That’s brilliant!

I'm loathe to get into this for the reasons you've mentioned ionad - I don't have a strong opinion at all one way or the other (even tho I think do think Crowley should've been on the field) - but I do have a memory that our starters had fairly significantly more minutes played going into that QF than NZ (and other teams too).

But as you say, moving on; I think the undercooked element means I think there's more of a case to pick certain positions / players on form for this reason.

It's a real shame Izuchukwu is injured, was really looking forward to seeing him involved again and think he could put his hand up for the 6 jersey. Baird finished the last season well, but that seems like the most open jersey in the starting 15. Looking forward to seeing what TOB can do, he deserves a good spell injury free.

Mod Edit

Warning issued.