Rugby Union 2009

[pete]

if O'Gara was on form to punish them then fair enough but I think that tactic of slowing ball down to snail pace will eventually result in a turnover or losing yards. Maybe the Munster lads fancied their chances at the expense of the backs and a win is a win but Christ it was a close finish to a game we should have won by a decent margin.

True. I was just suggesting the pace of moving the ball off the rucks does not seem to explained entirely by O'Leary slow hands.

[Dodge]

I think its O'Leary's slow decision making rather than his slow hands that caused the delays. If it was a tactic, it clearly didn't work as England had no bother stopping Ireland pick'n'drives

Quicker ball would've giving a little variety

[Youths4Ever]

the new list of world rankings came out yesterday we did not move up the ranking but moved closer to Wales only .29 behind them in the rankings so 5th a real possibility and .38 behind Argentina in 4th
http://www.irb.com/rankings/full.html

[Mr A]

Ireland team to play Skirt Wearing Transvestite land:

R Kearney (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, captain), G D'Arcy (Leinster), L Fitzgerald (Leinster); R O'Gara (Munster), P Stringer (Munster); M Horan (Munster), R Best (Ulster), J Hayes (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), D Wallace (Munster), D Leamy (Munster).

Replacements: J Flannery (Munster), T Court (Ulster), M O'Driscoll (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster), T O'Leary (Munster), P Wallace (Ulster), G Murphy (Leicester).

I guess Heaslip losing his place is the main surprise, but I think he'll be back for the Welsh game.

[pete]

Best for Flannery not really a surprise as very little to choose between them.
D'arcy for Wallace is a bit of a surprise.
Stringer for O'Leary & Leamy for Heaslip are big surprises.

Maybe an indication of the type of game Kidney wants to play? Playing a wider game away from Scottish forwards? Heaslip on the bench doesn't match that though...:confused:

[OneRedArmy]

Best for Flannery I would see as squad rotation, ditto Leamy for Heaslip. Remember Wales are resting a few against Italy too, so Kidney is thinking about next weekend.

The other two are more on form and have been coming.

So no real surprises.

[gspain]

Any football fans going to Edinburgh for the weekend might care to pop along and support our U18 schoolboy football team v Scotland at Tynecastle (Hearts ground) tomorrow night at 7pm.

[Youths4Ever]

no real surprises with the selection Darcy is back scoring tries, Wallace has been playing well but has been badly beaten (as in physically) in last few games could see Wallace back in for Wales. Stringer in for O'Leary is a bit mystifying unless going to play open attacking rugby all game.

The others changes Best for Flannery & Leamy for Heaslip squad rotation not a lot to choose between these players

[TheBoss]

50 Mins: Italy 9-7 Wales

Interesting times :)

[SkStu]

link would be much appreciated!

[SkStu]

found this for any exiles.

http://www.tv-direct.fr/live_france2.php

[strangeirish]

We're on the back foot early on. Great link by the way SkStu...Top Man!

[SkStu]

c'est superb! :D

[SunnySweeney]

We're on the back foot early on. Great link by the way SkStu...Top Man!

Yes a very nice link .. Thanks!

[SunnySweeney]

that was close (The last break from the Scots, when they got within a yard of the tryline)

[SkStu]

too close.

bit of a war of attrition out there but i expect us to break them down in the last quarter. They have had their chances and we have held them out.

[SunnySweeney]

Peter Stringer (who'd have expected him to do that)

[SkStu]

where did that break come from from Stringer!!!! Fair play the lad.

Here we go. :D

[strangeirish]

Great stuff by Stringer!

[tricky_colour]

Leading 16-12.
Hope they can hang on or better still increase that lead.

[tricky_colour]

Woo hoo 7 point lead.
(checks odds on the draw!!)

[strangeirish]

O'Gara brought his kicking boots today...

[SkStu]

did anyone elses link just die?

edit: its back!

[strangeirish]

did anyone elses link just die?
It's back up.

[tricky_colour]

Looks like job done - well done Ireland.

[strangeirish]

Looks like job done - well done Ireland.
Yep, bring it on Wales!

[SkStu]

excellent stuff. Pretty accomplished second half.

The slam is ON!

[SunnySweeney]

Much better stuff from us in the second half.

We got lucky on a couple of occasions (their near try right before half time, and also 10 minutes into the second half when their full back nearly had a clean break on us but somehow the ball ended up in an Irish guys hands).

Tres bon .. Adieu

[paudie]

France out of it following today's result.

All down to Wales game now. Interesting to see mindset of Irish time next week. Say if we're 6 points down near the end will they go for GrandSlam or hold on for Championship win?

[joeSoap]

France out of it following today's result.

All down to Wales game now. Interesting to see mindset of Irish time next week. Say if we're 6 points down near the end will they go for GrandSlam or hold on for Championship win? No question in my mind that they will go for the grand slam in such a scenario. Its always been the goal, and it won't change.

It's not in the make up of guys like O'Connell, O'Driscoll, O'Gara, Hayes and O'Callaghan to settle for something when theres something better on offer, and Kidney certainly won't settle for any kind of defeat.

John Hayes and Marcus Horan have for me been the unsung heroes of this campaign. They are constantly slagged off by the media for their lack of ability but in this tournament they have been nothing short of immense.

[Macy]

John Hayes and Marcus Horan have for me been the unsung heroes of this campaign. They are constantly slagged off by the media for their lack of ability but in this tournament they have been nothing short of immense.
I would've thought they were slagged off for their scrummaging weakness rather than their overall contribution? Hayes inparticular has been highlighted on both RTE and BBC (irrc) for his contribution to this team during the championship - he'd probably get more if he'd do interviews! :)

[shakermaker1982]

I'm dismayed at the amount of digs the team are getting from pundits and fans from the UK (blogs, articles etc). Boring? England bored their way to a World Cup and it was clinical, professional, orcs on steriods and a job well done. We grind out victories and put teams away in a clinical manner by taking all our chances and the 6N is back in the dark ages. The choking tag also irritates me. We didn't choke against England in the Grand Slam decider we were beaten by a better side who'd go on to win a WC in that calander year. A good proprtion of this Irish team have won two Heineken Cup medals, to label these players bottlers is way off the mark.

Saturday was another solid performance. The jocks came at us hard but we withstood the pressure and went up a couple of gears offensively in the second half. Game over. Next stop Wales.

The Welsh will be really up for this but I'm confident we can turn them over. It's Grand Slam or nothing now. COME ON IRELAND!

[Stuttgart88]

Stuff anyone who complains about the lack of flair or the quality of the performances, be they UK, Irish or otherwise. Just like after we beat Georgia last month the goal of the campaign gets nearer and yet many can only find cause to complain. As a fan I want results. If I get entertained along the way even better.

[Stuttgart88]

I watched most of all 3 games at the w/e and I have to say the endless kicking for territory is totally tedious and makes the game look stupid. I also think the endless waiting by the scrum halves to take the ball from the ruck when it's clearly out has to be looked at.

[The Fly]

The mind games have started!

Coach Warren Gatland says Wales' players dislike their Irish rivals more than any other team in the Six Nations.
Gatland made his comments ahead of Saturday's crunch clash in Cardiff in which Ireland bid for the Grand Slam and Wales solely for the championship.
Gatland said: "Probably, out of all the teams in the Six Nations, the Welsh players dislike the Irish the most.
"Players' experiences against Ireland haven't always been the greatest, so they are very motivated." Gatland had a 38-Test reign as Ireland coach between 1998 and 2001 and his comments came after he named a team showing eight changes from the line-up that fumbled its way to a 20-15 win against Six Nations wooden-spoon favourites Italy last weekend.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif


Ireland are on the verge of winning the Grand Slam for the first time since 1948. But Wales could retain the Six Nations trophy if they beat Ireland by 13 points or more.

They last achieved that at Ireland's expense 26 years ago - while a victory of any description would secure a third Triple Crown in five seasons.
Gatland added: "It's about winning the game first, win the Triple Crown, deny them the Grand Slam and then see what position we are in.
"There is a lot of pressure and expectation on the Irish team to come to our back-yard and perform.
"After the Scottish game [on Saturday], the Irish players were an hour-and-a-half in the changing room celebrating and singing, so they were clearly happy where they were at.
"It's how they handle that pressure. There has been expectation on them over a number of years and in a couple of World Cups as well.
"At international level, when there has been that expectation either to perform in Six Nations tournaments or World Cups, they've sometimes faltered a little bit.
"It will be interesting to see how [coach] Declan [Kidney] handles that and how the players handle that this week.
"They've performed well in this Six Nations, but we're at home with a massive crowd behind us.
"If you go back to the autumn, they [Ireland ] were talking themselves up a lot before the All Blacks game - and they really performed poorly in that game.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif
"We've got to really concentrate on ourselves and put them under as much pressure as we can."
Reflecting on events in the Eternal City, Gatland said: "I've been criticised for the number of changes I made, and in hindsight maybe we made too many changes.
"I am not afraid to put my hand up and say maybe it was the wrong decision. Tactically, we got some things wrong against Italy.
"We feel we haven't played as well as we could have done in this Six Nations and we want to address that.
"To win the title again would be a massive achievement. If we play to our potential on Saturday, we are capable of winning and winning well."
He added: "With a healthy head-start, you have to say Ireland are probably favourites to take the title.
"But we are confident we can come up with a win - and who knows what will happen if we can get ourselves ahead in the game and that Millennium Stadium factor begins to kick in?"


Wales: Lee Byrne; Mark Jones, Tom Shanklin, Gavin Henson, Shane Williams; Stephen Jones, Mike Phillips; Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees, Adam Jones, Ian Gough, Alun-Wyn Jones, Ryan Jones (capt), Martyn Williams, Andy Powell.
Replacements: Huw Bennett, John Yapp, Luke Charteris, Dafydd Jones, Warren Fury, James Hook, Jamie Roberts.

Ireland: Rob Kearney; Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll (capt), Gordon D'Arcy, Luke Fitzgerald; Ronan O'Gara, Tomas O'Leary; Marcus Horan, Jerry Flannery, John Hayes, Donncha O'Callaghan, Paul O'Connell (capt), Stephen) Ferris, David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements: Rory Best, Tom Court, M O'Driscoll, Denis Leamy, Peter Stringer, Paul Wallace, Geordan Murphy.

[OwlsFan]

Hayes inparticular has been highlighted on both RTE and BBC (irrc) for his contribution to this team during the championship - he'd probably get more if he'd do interviews! :)

Hayes gave away two crucial penalties in the scrum in the 2nd half which wasn't commented on by the RTE panel. Both for technical offences (not binding and something else). One cost Ireland 3 points and another a lot of ground near the end. Madness and could have cost us the game.

George Hook by the way is rugby's version of Dunphy. He has to say something controversial - anything> England "worst English team in living memory" just before the Irish game. They then run Ireland close and massacre France. Sigh!

[shakermaker1982]

Favourite Gatland quote this week.

"Ireland are playing very much like Munster, closing down and taking three points, and it has been reasonably successful so far but at some stage you have to take more risks and play some rugby."

****er. I hope we stuff em.

[tetsujin1979]

Favourite Gatland quote this week.

"Ireland are playing very much like Munster, closing down and taking three points, and it has been reasonably successful so far but at some stage you have to take more risks and play some rugby."

****er. I hope we stuff em.
Someone should point out to him who the current European Champions are...

[hula4]

Someone should point out to him who the current European Champions are...

gatland is an arrogant man, but until ireland win a grand slam he probably has the cause to be arrogant.

to be fair he was shafted out of the ireland job after a season where ireland only lost one game in the 6 nations

in saying that it was his fault for the team he picked and the tactics he used against scotland that year which cost ireland a slam. i cannot stand him or shaun edwards

[Soper]

Spare a thought for me as an Irishman being surrounded by the biggest glory supporters in sport :(

[Macy]

to be fair he was shafted out of the ireland job after a season where ireland only lost one game in the 6 nations
He should've been gone after that bloody game against Argentina in the '99 World Cup!

[shakermaker1982]

Spare a thought for me as an Irishman being surrounded by the biggest glory supporters in sport :(

I feel for you!

[OwlsFan]

Spare a thought for me as an Irishman being surrounded by the biggest glory supporters in sport :(

You're in a Dublin pub surrounded by Man U supporters ??

[Scram]

SHANE BYRNE BLOG - INTERESTING (http://blog.ireland.com/itb_shanebyrne?cmpid=pigsback_hintlink)

Prediction; If we can stay within 5-7 points of Wales at half-time, we will win.

Watching it in the Foggy Dew, looking forward to a great day.

[shakermaker1982]

If O'Gara has his kicking boots on and we are aggressive from the start (like the first 20 minutes of the second half performance against Scotland) then I'm confident we will win. Keeping the penalty count down is another thing that I hoped is drilled into their heads before they leave the dressing room tomorrow. Silly penalties for not binding properly in the scrum is frustrating for fans and players alike. A brilliant day for Irish sport if the lads can pull this one off. COME ON IRELAND!

[Pike B]

Wales 23-27 Ireland..

[Dodge]

A little bit of me wants Wales to win. Just to stop this hype...

[SkStu]

A little bit of me wants Wales to win. Just to stop this hype...

Dodge, thats fckin terrible. Im a rugby fan for years and this is a chance for our country to finally overachieve and deliver the big one.

would that little bit of you not even take a draw? ;)

[brianw82]

Going to try out the Woolshed on Parnell St for the game tomorrow. Hopefully it won't be full of Aussies and Kiwis.

[Dodge]

Dodge, thats fckin terrible. Im a rugby fan for years and this is a chance for our country to finally overachieve and deliver the big one.

would that little bit of you not even take a draw? ;)

I'll take the draw or a loss by less than 13 points...