Timoney deserves a proper crack over the next few games, not jettisoned to the bench or wider squad again.
TO'B got a lesson & a real test. He'll learn from it.
This kicking game is no good to us unless we can execute it to our benifit on a higher %.
Oddly this could work to Farrells advantage...he now has a glorious opportunity to introduce at least one new winger & a proper look at centre partnership.
I was always a Ringrose fan but he offers zero attacking threat...the go to description of Ringrose over the past few years is his shooting from the line....the attacker of 2014 u20's was long gone b4 Neinabers arrival
Virgin Media highlighting the positive play between Prendergast and Crowley switching at first receiver and how it allows both an extra split second to pick a pass and put a player through a gap. Leinster have played better with two distributors in the backline. Would like to see that with Ireland.
Jack Crowley is not a 'top class international 10'.
None of our options are.
We have a bevy of talented centres sitting on their arses watching at home, while Ringrose does **** all yet again. We have a bunch of wingers with power and pace doing similarly. Farrell decides to pick a 12 who hasn't played all season to start at 15 over guys who've been performing well at fb for their Provinces.
Farrell is accepting mediocrity, in the players and the coaching staff, and we're seeing the results on the pitch.
I leave this here.
Do we? Who?
No, Calvin Nash has played for Ireland recently
We Will struggle against Italy next week, Brex and Menoncello could tear us a new one
Can we get all these people who constantly gripe about POC to give him credit after tonight?
Their centres are excellent and probably the best in the championship but Irelands pack should have too much next week. Could easily see a close game but would be a massive upset to lose at home to Italy, even with their big improvement and our decline lately.
I completely agree and I think Harry Byrne is the safest option.
Hopefully our young man in Connacht, Sean Naughton, gets opportunities soon to see if he's good enough.
Yes...his job of getting the lineout functioning back to test level standard was a success.
The question now is how long before it unravels yet again as is the trend.
Hopefully tonight was the start of some consistency
I hope you are right, but it all looks so stale from us , from coaches to players.
We were pretty poor in Rome last year. If Italy don't have any major injuries after this weekends game they will make a game of it next week in dublin.
Italy aren't good enough to beat us.
Sean Naughton wasn't even the best 10 at his age group, so the likelihoood of him jumping into the mix is slim at this stage.
Can never write it off completely mind.
He's got a few starts at full back, his goal kicking has been excellent. He certainly can play but I'd like to see him at 10 to know how good he is there.
They most definitely are good enough to beat us
You are getting carried away.
Why are you so dismissive of the potential of Italy beating Ireland they have a better , 1, 7, 10,12, 13, 11 ,14
Yep. Italy have the makings of a very good spine of a team and are far from the walkover win we would have expected them to be a few years back.
Pound for pound, I would be expecting to beat them. However you can't take it as a given anymore.
There will be a first time for everything but the closest they've ever come in ireland was a 16-11 loss in 08 when we were atrocious. Been double digit wins every other time.
So i reject even the premise, they aren't better at all those positions anyway or they would win more.
We are pretty atrocious now by our standards, look we may well win as we are at home , but Italy must be thinking they have a great shot .
Because our standards are way higher than in 08.
Italy have essentially never troubled ireland at home ever. I'm not about to start pissing my pants cause of a loss in Paris to that French team.
There's a rake of promising centres. Gavin, Postlewaithe, Forde, Cooney, Tector, Osborne et al. Yet Ireland, and Leinster, persist with lads who are years past their best. Folks were deriding the notion of having Tector in the squad, yet seem happy to watch Ringrose be an empty shirt for 80mins. It's been a massive area of failure on Farrell's part with regards selection. Outside of McCloskey currently, our attack does nothing through the centres. No threat of an outside break, no fancy footwork. Just head down, slowly running into contact. Part of the reason Farrell has persisted with Lowe is to try and compensate for the deficits of our centres imo.
Similar issue on the wings. We finally have Baloucoune fit, and he picks Stockdale instead. Arguments about wing specificity are daft, if an a professional winger can't adapt to generally catching the ball from his right rather than his left, they've no business playing the game. I'm a fan of TOB, but's he not playing well in green currently. There's also Ward and Bolton putting in consistently good performances at club level. JOB ignored despite being the arguably the form FB when fit this season.
Ireland will beat Italy next week, beat Wales lose to England and the Scotland game will be close but Ireland will just shade it as Scottish pack still not at the races.
But the six nations is over for us as a comp to win, mid table and well off the pace will be the report card.
Our lineout while the best in a long time in the first half, did regress quite a bit in the second. As Bertie Ahern said, lots done lots more to do!!
I get that the IRFU need 3rd place for their budget but honestly just give it the young lads for the rest of the tournament. Anyone over 30 shouldn't be playing meaningful minutes the rest of the way.
What dreadfully inadequate response @ElisaAtWar. Shameful really. 10 minutes in the bin for you.
Did you watch the Leinster v Bayonne game? If you did you'd know Jimmy O'Brien is a disaster in the air.
