2014 Six Nations: Ireland vs Wales (Round 2)

[siochain]

Say what you like, it won't change my opinion, Kearney is a fine player, no question, but he's also the most unlikeable player in world rugby right now and an appalling example of an Angry winner.
Bad losers are awful but you can understand it.
Bad winners are the worst kind of arsehole.
Irelands management need to have a word with him pronto and stamp that crap out because all Kearney is doing is making a rood for Irelands back.
If players in the opposition think they are going to have to put up with that kind of disgraceful 'rub your face in it' nonsense if they lose against a team with Kearney in it, they will fight twice as hard to make sure they don't find themselves in that position.
Top teams (and Ireland are a top team) do not give their opponents any reason to raise their game and all Kearney is doing is giving other teams a reason to raise their game.
That sort of poor sportsmanship will come back to haunt Ireland if he doesn't curb his outbursts. Players and fans store that kind of rubbish away and they don't forget. Why would you ever lower yourself to give them that kind of easy ammunition anyway.
Rob Kearney is rugby's most unlikeable player.

POM, he's a good hard grinding flanker and he had a cracking game yesterday devoid of the base nonsense his fullback invests in.

Are you off your head or what? It was Clearly a late elbow he was right to let Williams know it wasn't on. Rugby is an tough attritional sport and their is no place for dirty cheap shots such a late elbows to the head. How can you come out with that rubbish with someone like Philips in your team? What a track record that lad has. Wales have had some of the biggest embarrassments to rugby in the teams over the years, Philips, Henson, Powell.

How Barnes and the touch judges missed the other Williams shoulder charge on BOD was disgraceful. Delighted he had to go off injured because his cheap shot.

By far Phillips and Henson take the awards you mention.

 

[SelimNiai]

Are you off your head or what? It was Clearly a late elbow he was right to let Williams know it wasn't on. Rugby is an tough attritional sport and their is no place for dirty cheap shots such a late elbows to the head. How can you come out with that rubbish with someone like Philips in your team? What a track record that lad has. Wales have had some of the biggest embarrassments to rugby in the teams over the years, Philips, Henson, Powell.

How Barnes and the touch judges missed the other Williams shoulder charge on BOD was disgraceful. Delighted he had to go off injured because his cheap shot.

By far Phillips and Henson take the awards you mention.

And you were doing so well and then you ruin it. On what planet was Scott's hit on BOD a cheap shot? It was smidge late but he was commited to the tackle, he made a visible attempt to wrap the arms.

 

[siochain]

Speaking of fullbacks and ungentlemanly behaviour, was it just me or did Halfpenny pull the shirt of an Irish player to stop an almost certain try after he was charged down? Didn't know he had it in him to play dirty.

Yeah he pulled kearney back but it wasn't a certain try. This carry on is well accepted in the welsh team.

 

[munstermuffin]

Are you off your head or what? It was Clearly a late elbow he was right to let Williams know it wasn't on. Rugby is an tough attritional sport and their is no place for dirty cheap shots such a late elbows to the head. How can you come out with that rubbish with someone like Philips in your team? What a track record that lad has. Wales have had some of the biggest embarrassments to rugby in the teams over the years, Philips, Henson, Powell.

How Barnes and the touch judges missed the other Williams shoulder charge on BOD was disgraceful. Delighted he had to go off injured because his cheap shot.

By far Phillips and Henson take the awards you mention.

In fairness the hit on BOD I think was tight call either way. The camera angle didn't shown but Scott Williams did try wrap arm around. And I think if he actually was genuinely trying to be illegal he'd have escaped injury but fact he tried to wrap arm around was cause of the injury.

Regards list - Andy Powell wasn't embarrassment. That man is a hero.

 

[siochain]

And you were doing so well and then you ruin it. On what planet was Scott's hit on BOD a cheap shot? It was smidge late but he was commited to the tackle, he made a visible attempt to wrap the arms.

Clearly no attempt to wrap right arm

http://youtu.be/69zRGsI0Yzg

 

[SelimNiai]

Clearly no attempt to wrap right arm

http://youtu.be/69zRGsI0Yzg

But there was on his left arm

 

[siochain]

In fairness the hit on BOD I think was tight call either way. The camera angle didn't shown but Scott Williams did try wrap arm around. And I think if he actually was genuinely trying to be illegal he'd have escaped injury but fact he tried to wrap arm around was cause of the injury.

Regards list - Andy Powell wasn't embarrassment. That man is a hero.

I guess that depends on you definition of hero

 

[munstermuffin]

Clearly no attempt to wrap right arm

http://youtu.be/69zRGsI0Yzg

As an Irish man I'd have to say there was an attempt. And fact was BOD was winded so shows it wasn't high but as I said angle isn't great but there was an attempt in fairness.
And hero is someone who you'd know is great craic on night out. He was life of Lions in 2009

 

[siochain]

As an Irish man I'd have to say there was an attempt. And fact was BOD was winded so shows it wasn't high but as I said angle isn't great but there was an attempt in fairness.
And hero is someone who you'd know is great craic on night out. He was life of Lions in 2009

OK he made an attempt but still an illegal hit. Yeah Powell is a good laugh but as an international player he should take more responsibility of his nights out in public.

 

[munstermuffin]

OK he made an attempt but still an illegal hit. Yeah Powell is a good laugh but as an international player he should take more responsibility of his nights out in public.

Well these guys have lives and not that I'm saying it's right. If Powell is a messer out of rugby Wales can't be held responsible. Zebo is a case here in Munster. Not to same extent but we have to try control him but it happens everywhere.

Regards "illegal" hit as I said it's very borderline that I still cant see reason in slamming it. I 100% believe there was no malice in it just commitment and you say he made attempt but still illegal. The point is a lot would say he made attempt and hit target perfectly. Legally

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

The fact that he doesn't go down with BOD makes it look bad but I think that is more because he ****ed his shoulder up in the tackle, I've seen them given as penalties and I've seen them played on, a bit of a grey area.

As for Kearney, players playing with a lot of heart and emotion has now made them "the most unlikeable players in World Rugby"?! An elbow to the head deserves a push in the back and then when Phillips came in for a fight Kearney did one of the best things that a sportsman on a winning team can do, he laughed in his face, Phillips was throwing his toys out of the pram and Kearney laughed at him because of the baby he was being, better than throwing a punch in my opinion. Getting pumped and playing with emotion on a rugby pitch is a good trait, Kearney has started doing it in the last 6 moths and improved his form no end!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Having not watched a lot of Irish rugby why do you not like POM? Is it his attitude? Aggression?

He's the Irish mixture of Farrell/Borthwick (though talented).
Constantly crying to the referee, or just generally shouting at him - digs at players all game (though if you're a munster/irish fan that'd be a plus I guess) and always goes for people off the ball like Farrell does (shoving them around etc. not late hits, I mean). He's just generally a mouthy gob*****e.

 

[munstermuffin]

The fact that he doesn't go down with BOD makes it look bad but I think that is more because he ****ed his shoulder up in the tackle, I've seen them given as penalties and I've seen them played on, a bit of a grey area.

As for Kearney, players playing with a lot of heart and emotion has now made them "the most unlikeable players in World Rugby"?! An elbow to the head deserves a push in the back and then when Phillips came in for a fight Kearney did one of the best things that a sportsman on a winning team can do, he laughed in his face, Phillips was throwing his toys out of the pram and Kearney laughed at him because of the baby he was being, better than throwing a punch in my opinion. Getting pumped and playing with emotion on a rugby pitch is a good trait, Kearney has started doing it in the last 6 moths and improved his form no end!

Regards BOD thing you are bang on. As I've said it was borderline but by no way clear cut illegal.

Regards Kearney. Again it's bang on like people seem to forget these guys get so fired up and I don't think it was laughing at Welsh in general just Phillips who was acting like a child from min 1.

@Olyy - POM has calmed way down and only really talks in his role as captain and has cut down on his little scuffles. But regards being pumped up and in to a lot of scuffles I think as a top class player in that position a lot do live on the edge and he does too. Let's remember Quinlan mentored him so he got true training in the dark arts and well I think top teams need some guys like that who can be controlled but will be a loose cannon too. Ferris I think is the same style and SOB can be too.

 

[SelimNiai]

POM could have got at least pinged 10m for dissent yesterday or possibly even binned yesterday. That and half his steals yesterday were calls that could quite easily have been called against him

 

[TRF_Olyy]

To be fair every time pom was crying to the ref, philips was doing just the same - so 10m given each way = stay where you are

 

[munstermuffin]

POM could have got at least pinged 10m for dissent yesterday or possibly even binned yesterday. That and half his steals yesterday were calls that could quite easily have been called against him

I'd disagree regards steals as every time POM went for steal he clearly showed he came up then went in. Welsh just couldn't get anything right. POM did have bit of dissent but nobody was on Phillips level of whining. I think it was a sign that he's on his last year or2 as a pro player

 

[siochain]

POM now we're talking HERO material.

 

[big ginger 8]

There was one noticeable incident of PO'M whining to the ref after he got pinged for interfering with the jumper (after the lineout that should have been ours) where he looked like a right eejit.

However Philips was at it all the time and as far as I can remember Barnes gave him something like three warning before finally giving him a yellow.

PO'M is still definitely a ****ly player but he has improved this season, it was noticeable the Welsh guys were trying to rile him up but he didn't react though there was one time when he nearly did until Healy ( I think) said something into his ear and he calmed down. Trigger phrase?

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

To be fair to O'Mahoney, he has really stepped it up this year but he has an awful cry baby face and interacts with the ref a bit too much for my liking. If he tried some of the stuff he does with a ref like Nigel Owens, for example, he could put himself and his team at a huge disadvantage. He was fantastic yesterday, wasn't my man of the match but he was in the top three, the other two are from Ulster though and RTÉ don't hand out MOTM to Ulster players often.

 

[big ginger 8]

Sexton not making your top three? Started poorly but yesterdays gameplan wouldn't have been possible without him. Also that hit on Roberts..