Rugby Union 2010

The France-England point is a good one, as not only will 2011/12 season have no Autumn internationals, we have Scotland, Wales and Italy at home. Again, most of the whingers will be nowhere to be seen for those fixtures and I presume the IRFU will have to reduce prices.

If the Greens get their way and get the Heineken Cup free to air we could see basically the whole of the international team playing abroad.

As for the clubs, I've sympathy for those that actually distribute their tickets to members, however a lot of clubs distribute limited or no tickets to members and have sold them at a huge profit to brokers and corporate hospitality for the last decade (admitted to fund the running of the club sides). Presumably that market is down significantly so the clubs are struggling to find takers.

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Originally Posted by OneRedArmy

The France-England point is a good one, as not only will 2011/12 season have no Autumn internationals, we have Scotland, Wales and Italy at home. Again, most of the whingers will be nowhere to be seen for those fixtures and I presume the IRFU will have to reduce prices.

....

As for the clubs, I've sympathy for those that actually distribute their tickets to members, however a lot of clubs distribute limited or no tickets to members and have sold them at a huge profit to brokers and corporate hospitality for the last decade (admitted to fund the running of the club sides). Presumably that market is down significantly so the clubs are struggling to find takers.

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As far as I can tell, the clubs are having the England and France games held over them - take the tickets this time to guarantee tickets for those games. If the clubs were passing on that to their members (i.e. take these tickets to guarantee England and France) I'd be surprised if they didn't sell. I suspect they're not though.

It doesn't really matter which games you pair the tickets off with the cost is still too high for the majority and thats the feedback the clubs are getting. Even the France / England 6 nations games are 100e a pop.

I know you are hurting the daytrippers but you are also hurting the clubs who now who have to fork out for these games. EGM is probably going to take place now as nearly all the clubs are dissatisfied.

I'm not so sure there is plenty demand for the All Blacks game either - I saw a few ads for them in the Sunday papers yesterday - with buffet + entertainment at no extra cost!

The most peculiar thing about all this to me is that accoring to an article in one of the Sunday papers yesterday ( think it was the times - i'll post up link when I find it ) the IRFU are in debt with regards to the stadium to the tune of 6 million and many 10 year tickets which always seem to sell well are up for renewal in both 2013 and 2015. Hardly an organisation in dire financial straits.

Ireland team to play South Africa, Saturday 6 November, Aviva Stadium, kick-off 5.30pm:

15. Rob Kearney
14. Tommy Bowe
13. Brian O'Driscoll
12. Gordon Darcy
11. Luke Fitzgerald
10. Jonathan Sexton
9. Eoin Reddan
8. Jamie Heaslip
7. David Wallace
6. Stephen Ferris
5. Mick O'Driscoll
4. Donncha O'Callaghan
3. Tony Buckley
2. Rory Best
1. Cian Healy

Replacements:

16 - Sean Cronin
17 - Tom Court
18 - Donnacha Ryan
19 - Denis Leamy
20 - Peter Stringer
21 - Ronan O'Gara
22 - Keith Earls/Andrew Trimble/Paddy Wallace

No major shocks - we look a bit weak in the front 5 but with the visitors not exactly at full strength - this could be an opportunity to get another win over them.

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Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid

It doesn't really matter which games you pair the tickets off with the cost is still too high for the majority and thats the feedback the clubs are getting. Even the France / England 6 nations games are 100e a pop.

I know you are hurting the daytrippers but you are also hurting the clubs who now who have to fork out for these games. EGM is probably going to take place now as nearly all the clubs are dissatisfied.

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The clubs only have to pay for the ones they sell now. The IRFU implie they'll work out a figure for the unsold inventory, but something tells me it'll be approximately exactly precisely around 0.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...282486901.html

That said, the IRFU is going to have to pull a rabbit out of the hat if it's going to keep the vast majority of our centrally-contracted players beyond the World Cup. Even if the Greens don't get their way, they still can't compete in the monetary stakes with France.

How can he keep on Best? Baffling.

Great win for an understrength underprepared out of form SA

Matfield was outstanding, SA pack ruled supreme

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Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

How can he keep on Best? Baffling.

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I don't know why he puts Cronin on the bench when he clearly doesn't trust him.

Matfield was imperious - his tackle to make sure Kearney could only touch down in the corner won his team the match. But really SA only won because we were dreadful. Gameplan was seriously flawed.

Every facet of our game was poor. It's a wonder the game was so close when our scrum and lineout was so poor and the 9-10 axis failed miserably.

I honestly don't see D'Arcy, Wallace or Best as leading us into the World Cup so I'm not sure why they are in the team. Cronin, Earls, Trimble and O'Brien need game time.

Sexton's inconsistency is infuriating. O'Gara and particularly Stringer offered something completely different.

As for Buckley, at some stage he's going to have to demonstrate he can scrummage at international level. Otherwise he's too big of a risk.

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Originally Posted by OneRedArmy

Sexton's inconsistency is infuriating. O'Gara and particularly Stringer offered something completely different.

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It seems set it stone that it has to be Redden and Sexton or O'Gara and Stringer. Can we not see Stringer and Sexton ffs?

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Originally Posted by OneRedArmy

As for Buckley, at some stage he's going to have to demonstrate he can scrummage at international level. Otherwise he's too big of a risk.

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Or too old to risk - at least there's long term benefit of persisting with Healy (although I felt he did ok - most issues on the tighthead side). Ross has been doing well for Leinster, and is only a few months older than Buckley afaik.

Also, Cullen has to come into the reckoning to try and sure up the line out, and give us more of a threat on the opposition throw. I don't really buy into the bias bs, but I'm not sure what he's done to Kidney in the past!

Cullen probably doesn't get a look in for the same reason as Bob Casey, lack of mobility around the park. They do ok at the Heineken Cup level but the South African and All Black locks are so much more dynamic and more like back rows in the loose. I do agree a change is required and Mick O'Driscoll isn't the answer. I'd give Ryan a run out. I've always liked his aggression and physicality.

I'd pick Stringer and Sexton for next week to see how they go.

Very few Irish players came out of that game with much credit to be honest.

O'Gara did make an impact when he came on and Court made a huge difference to the scrum.

I'd have Cullen back in there in a heartbeat, and Casey. Ain't going to happen though.

Attendance released yesterday of 35,000. Pretty embaressing for the IRFU.

Best, MO'D, Reddan are not good enough. Best has a panic attack every time he takes a line out. MO'D isn't good enough for top level test match rugby and Reddan is one of the slowest scrum halfs I have ever seen.

Flannery, PO'C and O'Leary fit and healthy would have made the game a bit closer on Saturday (I know there was only 2 points in it but there was only 1 team playing for the first hour).

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Originally Posted by OneRedArmy

Cullen probably doesn't get a look in for the same reason as Bob Casey, lack of mobility around the park. They do ok at the Heineken Cup level but the South African and All Black locks are so much more dynamic and more like back rows in the loose.

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It's a long time since either got a genuine chance though. Cullen got a bit of a run in the Championship, and iirc he ended it even with being dropped with the best lineout stats of any second rower in the tournament!

I really don't get the logic of loose play totally over set play in the tight five to be honest - Cullen or Casey wouldn't exactly be the liabilities in the loose anyway imo. That choice (mobility ahead of set piece) cost us one try directly on Saturday, and countless turnovers (did we even get 50% on our own throw?). Edit - the intercept was off crap line out ball too iirc But that could be the old, immobile, front rower in me! :)

Reddan was directly at fault for both tries - dismal performance.

Front 5 is a huge issue ( gettting worse if anything ) O'Driscoll got into the team due to his performance against Toulon in the HC, better options being overlooked. Tom Court did ok when he came on, I don't know if he is the answer to our troubles. I'm not sure how much rugby Best has played this year - was a big ask for him on Saturday in the circumstances.

Can't understand the game plan at all if we kept it relatively simple and limited the mistakes we probably would have won comfortably. For all the possession we gave them we werent exactly under pressure for long spells.

Delighted with the crowd - at least people have voted with thier feet. It would have been truely sickening if that ticket structure was vindicated. - looking at a crowd of about 15k for the samoa game next week imo.

Some of the selections against South Africa baffled me. Some of the selections against Samoa have astounded me.
Why is Brian O'Driscoll playing against Samoa? To get arses on seats I think. Samoa are a side that are not even at Heineken Cup level realistically and our team selection should have reflected where we want to go from here. The likes of Fergus McFadden, Darren Cave, any little fat kid down the street that wants to play prop instead of John Hayes ffs???. No disrespect to John Hayes but his selection completely stumps me. What does Fionn Carr have to do to get recognised? Chris Henry? How are any of these lads going to prove that they have what it takes? Mike Ross can only be injured....sorry, must only have one leg, because to play a man that is nearly 37 years of age in a meaningless international ahead of him beggars belief...

O'Driscoll's only had one match in the last month. He'll benefit from an extra game before NZ (provided he doesn't get injured). Samoa have as good a World Cup record as us.

Mike Ross must have must have said something bad about Kidney's mother. How he's behind Hayes is the pecking order is beyond me.

Kidney is getting more like Fast Eddie as each day goes by....

Toner is about the only thing to get excited about and possibly Fitzgerald at 15.

I've no doubt Wallace and O'Driscoll will work well against Samoa, but as a pairing they won't cut it against a top side (like...erm....New Zealand) as they are both 12's at this stage in their careers. Earls, Cave, McFadden and even Trimble are the future at 13.

I'd say at this stage Hayes is probably even questioning why he can't be let retire to his farm in peace.