Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

I posted this last month and at the time I think I was correct? Everything we'd seen up to the start of the Six Nations suggested England had a settled game plan that most nations couldn't compete with.

I'm at a complete loss to why it has gone tits up. Their kicking strategy is no longer effective and that's fair enough. Teams are better at scouting the England slap down and they're flooding that area now to prevent England regathering possession and launching quick transition attacks. But it's like Borthwick just expected his same strategy to work all the time with no new layers or wrinkles in attack added on. Once the aerial game stopped working they had no other points of attack. That's a coaching failure

But the players have looked so laboured across the pitch too. Not winning collisions, getting bunched up right in defence to leave dog legs etc. Seems like as an entire group the players and coaches have both slumped at the same time.

If Wales beat Italy with a BP it'll be a dilemma whether I want to see England lose and get the wooden spoon or beat France and allow us a shot at the title.

Assuming we beat Scotland which is a major assumption after today.

I feel more confident playing Scotland after the performance they put in today. Hard to see them getting to the same emotional and physical pitch again next weekend. I think we on the other hand have plenty to improve on and an extra day of rest/no travel.

Crowleys inexplicable missed touch against Italy at 80 mins is really coming back to haunt us. This is elite level rugby.

I was thinking the same about the 2019 comparison, a very structured game that gets figured out but one that’s based less on skill and dynamism than on set piece and method, difficult for players in a system like that to adjust on the fly, particularly when other teams are embracing a more unstructured system that thrives on broken play.

Potentially. But the point he is making is that Sheehans mistake was as if not more costly r.e the bonus point but many here are only focusing on Crowleys kick which was bad, while ignoring others mistakes. Thats the point.

Calling him out while ignoring others shows the hypocrisy of it all. A 5m lineout is not a guaranteed try. Sheehans try was. So the comments bringing up his kick v Italy are a thinly veiled means of having a kick at him. If they weren't, the posters would bring up the other opportunities for a try we left behind. But they don't.

I said it here a few weeks ago, and everything since in my mind has backed my opinion up. This wasn't about Prendergast. It was about Crowley and it took getting to a point where Prendergasts performances couldn't be justified anymore that a pivot by many then went to Byrne and Frawley. Anyone but Crowley.

I left it there because it was so toxic but its continued here.

Facts are we win a six nations with Crowley at 10 in his first starting season. Lead NZ in a test match before he was substituted and drew a series away to S.A the current world champions. And now when Crowley came on against Italy we were facing down a home loss to Italy after an embarrassment away to France, two losses from 2. But its turned around with him at 10 to 3 wins, a home game for a triple crown and the possibility of a championship.

Hes not Sexton or an O'Gara. His place kicking is sus and needs improvement but he's our best option at 10 and we are in the position we are now, with a chance for a triple crown and a championship in some big part because of him not in spite of him but many here just want to pile on.

Our 10 situation has improved with him now starting both defensively and in attack.

9 is now just as big an issue with inconsistent performances.

Biggest issue is our scrum.

It's amazing we're still at the point where people won't accept that Sam Prendergast was picked ahead of Crowley because he was playing better than the latter. He hasn't been perfect but there have been enough good performances in blue and green to justify his continued selection.

A France England draw, unlikely as it is, and an Irish win without a TBP leaves us level with France but they have a better PD. So there is a scenario where missing out on BPs matters.

Big Moments. Like Billy Burns v Wales in 2021, poor kick cost us an opportunity of a win.

Like george ford missing touch twice in the first 20 minutes in Twickenham cost England big time.

For all those blaming Sexton for the place kicking issues, Crowley is working with Dave Aldred according to an article in the papers today

Scotland had ridiculously quick ball yesterday. We need Beirne, VDF and Doris to be lurking behind tackles looking to get on the ball at rucks.