Rugby World Cup

**Soko** · 01/10/2007, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by osarusan

Who are the token players for South Africa?

Habana? Pietersen? Hardly token players, either of them.

You just picked the best couple of players, what about the others?

**Scram** · 01/10/2007, 12:22 PM

Ireland's Call !!!!

Looks like the players answered with "sorry, wrong number" !!!

**onceahoop** · 01/10/2007, 1:07 PM

It all came down to the preparation or lack of it. We haven't got players with the physicality of some of the other nations. Hence the managements decision to spend too much time in the gym and not enough time on the training ground. Also not playing more pre tournament games was a huge mistake. Surely they could have organised a few more friendlies against high quality club opposition if they couldn't get International teams.

There have been suggestions that O'Sullivan had to keep winning games over the last few years to keep the turnstiles clicking for the IRFU and that's why he didn't blood many players. I don't subscribe to that.

It's no coincidence that O'Gara's best form for Ireland was when Humphreys was snarling down his back. Why did he bother bringing some players if he wasn't going to use them. By playing so badly in the first game I think he panicked a bit and thought he had to get more game time into his first 15. He'd have given them a better kick up the ars* by dropping a few of them.

As Neil Francis said last night EOS is a survivor and expect to see some of the coaches pay the price by Christmas as sacrificial lambs.

**Ash** · 01/10/2007, 1:09 PM

So when should I expect all the emails about what really happened
to the players and the unrest in the camp?

Maybe I took it up wrong but I thought Trevor Brennen implied that
Denis Hickie was going to do an expose on it all but was waiting until
after the tournament?

**Dodge** · 01/10/2007, 1:15 PM

Originally Posted by onceahoop

It all came down to the preparation or lack of it

A fair bit of it was down to simply not being good enough. Look at the state of play with all the other "home" nations (as ITV called them the other day). Scotland lucky to get through against a woeful Italian side. England huffing and puffing through an easy group and wales bowing out to fecking Fiji. The Irish team's reputation is built on beating these chumps.

**kingdom hoop** · 01/10/2007, 1:16 PM

Originally Posted by onceahoop

...expect to see some of the coaches pay the price by Christmas as sacrificial lambs.

Lamb for Christmas‽ The IRFU really are crazy, why don't they slaughter the turkey?

**pete** · 01/10/2007, 1:55 PM

Originally Posted by osarusan

Who are the token players for South Africa?
Habana? Pietersen? Hardly token players, either of them.

The other 5 lads are no where near the 1st team but its a different country & quotas in all walks of life there so it is difficult to understand. I don't think they have a quota system yet but soon a large percentage will be quota which might mean won't be challenging for the World Cup for a while.

It will be interesting to hear what the Ireland players say. I expect some of the International retirees to have their say in the months to come. I don't think any Internationals who are staying will speak up though.

**joeSoap** · 01/10/2007, 2:00 PM

I wouldn't call them sacrificail lambs, especially Niall O'Donovan. He had responsibility for that pack, and ultimately the disastrous lineouts, and forward turnovers were as much down to him than anybody else. He deserves to lose his job. He will lose his job. We are going to have to go down under to recruit specialist coaches, particularly a scrummaging and lineout expert. Why not approach Matrin Johnson...he's looking to get into coaching? And he was arguably the greatest second row the game has ever seen. Something radical has to be done, and an overhaul of the squad for the six nations has to be high on the list. We open against Italy.That provides the perfect opportunity to experiment. I would like to see a team against the Italians along the likes of:

Girvan Dempsey: Luke Fitzgerald, Brian O'Driscoll, Andrew Trimble, Brian Carney; Paddy Wallace, Eoin Reddan; Tony Buckley, Jerry Flannery, John Hayes; Paul O'Connell, Alan Quinlan; Neil Best, Jamie Heaslip, David Wallace.

Might sound crazy, but we've gotta start blooding the likes of Fitzgerald, Carney, Paddy Wallace, and others to see if they can cut the mustard. If they can't do it against Italy, then they have no business being there at all.

I think Geordan Murphy will pack it in under the EOS regime, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Stringer & Mal join him. Hope and pray the Bull doesn't.
O'Gara needs a year out to get his act together off the pitch. Munster have more than adequate cover in Paul Warwick for him.

**pete** · 01/10/2007, 2:09 PM

Originally Posted by joeSoap

Might sound crazy, but we've gotta start blooding the likes of Fitzgerald, Carney, Paddy Wallace, and others to see if they can cut the mustard.

I agree need to blood new players but Carney is 32 & Wallace needs to start playing as out half for his club before can be considered. I think maybe Staunton & the young Humphreys may challenge again..

Originally Posted by joeSoap

I think Geordan Murphy will pack it in under the EOS regime,

I expect him to retire as he does not rely on the IRFU for his salary. Easterby may follow for the same reason. Some of the older players such as O'Kelly & Hayes may hang on until the end of current IRFU contracts. Any one know when these renewed?

BTW Contepomi is far from the nice guy image all the Dublin media have built him up as. Mouthing off to the referee constantly & goading Irish players. Hernandez is much better player. I expect Munster to give him a battering again next time they play Lenister.

**kingdom hoop** · 01/10/2007, 2:11 PM

I was just looking up Dempsey's age on wikipedia, he's 32 tomorrow as it happens, to see how long we have to wait for Rob Kearney to usurp him. Given the value of the kicking prowess exemplified by the likes of Montgomery and Hernandez is it about time we made space for our own 'big boot' merchant? Oh yeah, the important thing I was going to post before I lost track of myself there is one of the finer wikipedia tamperings, or at least I presume it's a tinkering!, I've seen for a while;

His (Dempseys) pastimes away from the game include golf, making jam and picking mushrooms. He has also found time to publish several academic works on the flora and fauna of some of the world's most remote islands. His groundbreaking discovery of the South Atlantic Guillemot (Uria Girvanae), unique to the islands of Tristan de Cunhas, in particular brought him much credit within the Royal Society.

**Aberdonian Stu** · 01/10/2007, 2:16 PM

Ooh I doubt it, well at least not the next time though possibly the time after.

There are some bitter bodies in Donnybrook eager that will be really revved up for the first Leinster-Munster game of the season due to their omissions from the World Cup squad. Also I could well see Jonny Sexton being given a run in either/both of the Munster fixtures due to the dates they're on.

**OneRedArmy** · 01/10/2007, 2:17 PM

Originally Posted by pete

Wallace needs to start playing as out half for his club before can be considered.

Hernandez plays full back for his club and Contempomi plays outhalf for Leinster.....

**kingdom hoop** · 01/10/2007, 2:30 PM

Originally Posted by OneRedArmy

Hernandez plays full back for his club and Contempomi plays outhalf for Leinster.....

Still though, is it not time for Humph Jr to step up?

**Soko** · 01/10/2007, 3:21 PM

Originally Posted by OneRedArmy

Hernandez plays full back for his club and Contempomi plays outhalf for Leinster.....

And Wallace is nowhere their abilty. Now if he started playing outhlaf consistently and to a high standard, then I think he would have a far better claim on the position

O' Gara needs to go off some place and not look at a rugby ball for a couple of months. If he doesn't come back then leave Wallace at it

**OneRedArmy** · 01/10/2007, 3:21 PM

Originally Posted by kingdom hoop

Still though, is it not time for Humph Jr to step up?

I've never had any sense that he's even at Paddy Wallace's level, never mind showing any promise to be better.

He got a few 1st team appearances at Leicester but was very much 3rd choice and has never really made a breakthrough (one good performance against Munster when Goode was out injured). He played for Ireland A when the England A team hockeyed them in Ravenhill this year.

He's also about 25 or 26 now, no spring chicken.

Also appears Paul Burke and Andy Goode are playing ahead of him this year?

**Aberdonian Stu** · 01/10/2007, 3:42 PM

He's 25.

**kingdom hoop** · 01/10/2007, 4:12 PM

I made the typical rush to snap judgment based on that Munster match.

I'd say he must be injured or something at the moment cos Burke started their first game and was replaced by a winger (Johne Murphy took the kicks thereafter actually). And in their most recent game Goode started with neither Burke nor Humphreys on the bench. Edit; yes Humphreys is injured, don't know where, how, when etc. Just had a quick perusal of a forum and there were a good few posters saying Humphreys should be ahead of Goode, or at least rotated with him. He's still one to watch, 25 is pretty young in rugby terms.

**Torn-Ado** · 01/10/2007, 4:30 PM

Watching Ireland yesterday was like watching a car crash. I agree with IFK when he says that if we didn't need the four tries, we might well have beaten them. However the damage was done earlier on in the group.

When we needed that little spark and flair we were left wanting. It reminded me of Irish teams ten/fifteen years ago when skill when creativity was non existent and trudging, labouring movement was the order of the day. We had no flair and we were completely out of ideas. We had no players in support for the offload, we hardly ever competed with their lineout and our kicking from defence only added to the problems. We simply had nothing up our sleeves for such a demanding game.

They were basically the Irish football team with an oval ball.

**pete** · 01/10/2007, 4:41 PM

Originally Posted by Torn-Ado

They were basically the Irish football team with an oval ball.

The Irish football team have always progressed past the group stages since 16+ team tournaments introduced. The rugby team don't even have to qualify although more than likely will have to partake in qualifying group next time.

**Torn-Ado** · 01/10/2007, 5:00 PM

Originally Posted by pete

The Irish football team have always progressed past the group stages since 16+ team tournaments introduced. The rugby team don't even have to qualify although more than likely will have to partake in qualifying group next time.

Thats true. But my point was that the Irish rugby team, like their football playing counterparts, are completely devoid of any ideas and creativity. And therefore are sh*te.