Casey is not a tier one test level scrum half. In particular he doesn't the necessary size but he also doesn't have the levels to his game that is demanded from the position in a team with ambitions of winning championships. He's a decent URC SH but that's his ceiling.
Having Gibson-Park at 9 means having playmakers at 9 and at 10. Casey doesn't exhibit the same skill set. His pass is excellent and his box kicking can be excellent. He's quick to get to the breakdown, but isn't as quick to get the next phase moving. He doesn't call the plays for his backline and his solo 'snipes' too often result in turnovers. If you have a 10 who can command a backline then Casey is your 9. If, on the other hand, you have a 10 who needs more time & less attention from the opposition, then JGP is your 9. Doak most resembles JGP in his playing. Thus, he seems like the best option to bench for JGP. But, he needs more gametime & I hope we see more of him in green this year.
Like most posters I'm not happy that our bench 9 gets so little time. That needs to change.
We didn't get a TBP and were destroyed in the scrum. I still wouldn't go so far as to use that word for a game we won, fair enough to describe the French game that way.
Size isnt an issue with casey. Or it shouldnt be seen as one. if size was an issue or factor. he wouldnt have progressed at so many levels before turning pro. be it within the age grade system or stepping up to AIL and adult level or the step up to pro. His size isnt an issue. Saying hes only URC level is bit harsh. hes more than that.
His size is an issue. There is nothing he can do about it and it is not an over-riding one, but all things being equal it is a disadvantage.
All players being fit, what is the hierarchy at lhp? Porter, TOT, McCarthy, Boyle, Loughman? And where does TOT fit in at thp?
Hard to say, but most likely Porter>McCarthy>Boyle>TOT>Loughman. Possibly Boyle and TOT could switch.
What does he offer besides a quick pass? He's not much of a running threat, an obvious weak point defensively, and not really someone who runs an attack. Doak has clearly superior qualities imo.
Farrell doesnt seem to think so unless that changes going forward.
Whoever the 2nd 9 is they are not going to get meaningful minutes v T1 opposition between here & RWC
I'm genuinely interest in this response because there are things bout GR's game I don't understand. Defensively he's rarely less than brilliant and always influential but in attack he never/rarely distributes and instead goes into contact. Granted he is better than most at ball presentation and creating the most useful kind of shape on the ground, but Ive often been frustrated with how he steps back inside and leaves possible line breaks on his outside go begging. He does not seem to pass off his left. Is this at the direction of the coach?
Official stats have Ringrose missing 17 tackles across the tournament.
If GR consistently shows these patterns and he is consistently selected then it follows that he performs to & at the coaches directions.
Well done to Crowley
give it up !
Why does no one consider the possibility that Sexton helped Crowley turn around his fairly poor form? If Crowley is “back to his very best” after two months in Ireland camp, maybe that’s something to do with the coaching he’s been getting?
While I’ve no idea if that’s the case, it’s infinitely more likely than Sexton calling the shots on team selection or pushing for Prendergast
Probably due to the fact that any previous questioning of Sextons role was met with a defensiveness/thou shalt not question approach despite anybody clearly knowing what his defined role is.
I think that's tied with the record for missed tackles.
Eh…no it wasn't?
People making outlandish claims about the malevolent influence of Sexton in the coaching ticket and that being pushed back against is not "defensiveness".
Agree & if the improvement in Crowley's game can be proportionally attributed to him then credit where credit is due & well done.
Conversley if the 10's form is not where it should be then does he shoulder some of that responsibility?
Its a no win situation in some aspects, what people questioned re his appointment was his coaching pedigree...that was OK to do so at the time.
what people questioned re his appointment was his coaching pedigree...that was OK to do so at the time.
Absolutely that was (and is) OK.
What I was (very clearly) objecting to was, once again, posters suggesting that Prendergast was only ever picked because Sexton was exerting some sort of hold over Farrell and Easterby to get him in the team, for reasons which were never explained. Absolutely bizarre.
It's a waste of time discussing it.
Paul O'Connell should have been sacked was a constant here when the lineout wasn't great.
Now the lineout is great, have you heard one person praising him for it?
It's always the coaches fault if things aren't going well, never the players.
I imagine that Ringrose is rushing out of the defensive line at the request of the coaches.
*If he makes the tackle, it is well behind the gainline and all momentum for the opposition is lost
*He can get the opponent to make a pass behind the gainline
*His opponent may rush his pass
*His opponent tries to avoid the tackle, which delays him making a pass
I am not sure if it is effective, it may be on some occasions, others not. However, his coaches must think that it is.
For Scotland's first try, they went through over twenty phases. For most of these, the Scots were tackled on the gainline with their momentum gaining them a metre or more. This carried them from 30 metres out to end in a try. It badly needed an Irish player to rush out like Ringrose often does, to disrupt their progress
Ah yeah that stuff is bizarre, if ever we had a coach who was his own man then its Farrell ( Osbourne at 15 in SA being a great ex).
He fast tracked Sam p..it hasn't worked out as of now, what will be interesting to watch is will he be the starter for club from here on in at the business end of the season.
Hopefully he gets some issues resolved as we need more depth at 10 thats a given
If our lineout is so good and it has improved to be fair it would be nice to contest our opponents lineout and try to pilfer a few, we aren't even competing with them
Sure, probably some of it. But by everything we have been told, his role is reasonably limited.
I am fine with questioning his appointment. I am not a big fan of it myself. But he became a weird lightning rod for criticism about the 10 position.
Maybe not on here but i have heard it said by the media.Credit to him and his colleagues in turning it around
The number of lineout steals overall in the tournament is tiny. Ireland and Italy were joint top with 5, as far as I can make out - Beirne and McCarthy with 2 each and Izuchukwu with 1.
I think its 16 LO steals this Championship. Which is about average. Could be wrong.
Credit to POC the Lineout provided a real weapon.
First two tries in the opening 10 mins direct from the lineout. (& credit to Goodman)
Triple crown wins underlined once again the importance of LO for Ireland. And with Stu McCloskey, Baloucoune and Tommy O'Brien they have imbued a potency to the Irish attack with power, offloading and pace (P.O.P!!!) to launch off set-plays.
since 2004, they had a sunday game for the first few years
a number of posters on here admitted they were wrong and praised POC, go back 2/3 pages
