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Other countries ain't ****. No wonder so many foreign players grow up dreaming of playing for us. The view is great up here.
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Ireland World Cup 2019 Thread aka "Quarter Final 4"
- Thread starter Leonormous Boozer
- Start date
So feeling a bit strange after those warm up games lads. After the England game I thought there was no way we could recover, and certainly no chance of me recovering my optimism about our chances. But two Wales games later and I am feeling weirdly optimistic, definitely enjoyed the sight of us overpowering Wales two times in a row.
But for me the weirdest thing I have gotten out of these warm-ups is the lack of certainty over who my starting XV, or even 23 would be. Generally I tend to be a believer in getting your best players out on the pitch for the big games, but then again I never thought I'd be doubting who the best 13 for the job is. I also feel like there's more uncertainty about the backrow after the warm-ups than before them: did we start different players at 6 for each game because Joe isn't sure who to put there?
What are everyone else's thoughts after the warm-ups?
But for me the weirdest thing I have gotten out of these warm-ups is the lack of certainty over who my starting XV, or even 23 would be. Generally I tend to be a believer in getting your best players out on the pitch for the big games, but then again I never thought I'd be doubting who the best 13 for the job is. I also feel like there's more uncertainty about the backrow after the warm-ups than before them: did we start different players at 6 for each game because Joe isn't sure who to put there?
What are everyone else's thoughts after the warm-ups?
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I really wasn't feeling too bad after the England game, I'd predicted a big loss because it was very much a pre season run out for us and then England really hit their stride which I wasn't expecting to exacerbate the situation. I did think it confirmed the need for a few tweaks in personnel though. The Wales games were grand, nothing special but Saturday looked great for team morale because of the occasion.
I reckon there's two issues in the right five. The first is do we rotate Best and Scannell in and out of the starting 23 with them swapping the two jersey or trust Best to put in shifts in consecutive weeks for the first time since the grand slam? I'd argue the former and I imagine Schmidt is a bit thick with this country's lack of ability to produce hookers. The second is who of Kleyn or Beirne benches, it probably depends on the oppo.
Backrow is the most open spot. In my opinikn our best 8 is Conan and our best flanker is VdF, it should then be a straight shootout for 6 between the other three, I liked Stander at 6 and I like POM as a bench option too, I'd also have no worries if Ruddock starts.
Halfbacks are set in stone.
I'd still back Henshaw Ringrose but definitely understand where Joes head is at if he picks Aki Henshaw. Hopefully Aki Ringrose is not seen in the next two months...
If Earls is fine 23 is the only talking point in the back three and I could see it being Ringrose. Larmour and Conway is much of a muchness in my opinion.
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Earls is fit apparently. Was in some discomfort but probably could have played on. Mostly precautionary. Great news. Feeling optimistic enough going into this. We didn't win three of the last five six nation's for nothing, we have a nice pool and a decent turnaround for the quarter final. Hasn't been a great year with the Six Nation's, but realistically results like the English warm up don't worry me at all with the squad we have. Scoreline was poor but our players were undercooked and coming off a week of warm weather training. I will absolutely take a relatively unscathed squad as the biggest win from these warmups.
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It's brilliant to get through the pre-season games relatively injury free. All guns blazing now for Scotland and Japan before resting up and rotating for, hopefully, a quarter final.
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Indeed I was expecting one or two serious injuries. Dare I say it might be a good sign!
WaterboySA
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You guys a bit more positive about CJ's selection? I only saw highlights, looked as if he's starting to gain some meters again?
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For whatever reason he was definitely more able to establish himself on the game from the 6 jersey. May well be that Conan and Van der Flier compliment him better than O'Mahony. Can't say for sure, but he played quite well.
When's the parade taking place?
I want to see it happen before they leave for Japan
Have a big party and celebrate....
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Another party in a long line of many you're not invited to, eh Rugga?When's the parade taking place?
I want to see it happen before they leave for Japan
Have a big party and celebrate....
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A lot of it I think is down to having Conan in the backrow with him, when he was at 8 he was the only real carrier in the backrow which made it much harder for him to have an impact. Having someone else there to take some of the slack off him is a massive help, and he's always been a better 6 at international level anyway.
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Parties are taking place all over Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa because the youth of all those countries grow up dreaming of playing for Ireland. Only a lucky few are plucked to come to Éire and represent their national team.When's the parade taking place?
I want to see it happen before they leave for Japan
Have a big party and celebrate....
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https://www.the42.ie/jean-kleyn-iain-henderson-bernard-jackman-4802062-Sep2019/
Feel genuinely awful for Dragons fans after having a coach that would start Jean Kleyn ahead of Iain Henderson. With the exception of the scrum (which isn't a problem area), Henderson is twice the player in every area of the game, even before you take into account that with Toner gone he's our most experienced lock. Leaving him out forces Ryan to call the lineout as well which I'm not really on board with, it's an awful lot of pressure on a guy who is actually very young and who hasn't really done it at club level. Leave him to focus on playing his natural game and single-handedly destroying the entire Scottish pack instead of forcing him to worry about lineouts.
Feel genuinely awful for Dragons fans after having a coach that would start Jean Kleyn ahead of Iain Henderson. With the exception of the scrum (which isn't a problem area), Henderson is twice the player in every area of the game, even before you take into account that with Toner gone he's our most experienced lock. Leaving him out forces Ryan to call the lineout as well which I'm not really on board with, it's an awful lot of pressure on a guy who is actually very young and who hasn't really done it at club level. Leave him to focus on playing his natural game and single-handedly destroying the entire Scottish pack instead of forcing him to worry about lineouts.
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Bernard Jackman made being a pro rugby player sound like a worse job than cleaning festival toilets in his autobiography too...
He's not going to be sniffed by another pro outfit after his dragons stint, he's fallen out of favour as a pundit and is now on an Irish rugby podcast I'd never heard of before this article, maybe time to cut your losses so I can forget about you and your face Bernie! He completes the Luke Fitz and Matt O'Connor triumvirate of Leinster players/coach that suck ass and have no qualities to redeem for their shiteness.
He's not going to be sniffed by another pro outfit after his dragons stint, he's fallen out of favour as a pundit and is now on an Irish rugby podcast I'd never heard of before this article, maybe time to cut your losses so I can forget about you and your face Bernie! He completes the Luke Fitz and Matt O'Connor triumvirate of Leinster players/coach that suck ass and have no qualities to redeem for their shiteness.
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Despite the fact that I can't really stand either of them, I can't fully being myself to dislike guys who won the Heineken cup with Leinster.
Matt O'Connor on the other hand... there isn't a single person in professional rugby I dislike more. Honestly think my main failure as a poster on this forum is that I haven't ranted about him and his awfulness as a coach enough.
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Is it worth reading? I remember hearing that he was very candied about concussion (before it was trendy) which piqued my interest, but not enough to get my hands on a copy. Might be tough to read now given knowledge of what has happened since.
Yeah Luke Fitzgerald was my favourite player up until his retirement, hard to accept the type of pundit he's become.
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I definitely can, it's not easy though. To be honest, SOB would be on the list too but for the story about him decking Paul Doran Jones in u20 rugby which is one of the funnier rugby stories I've read.
Nah, plenty of players have written far better articles on the topic since and did so without sounding like children who never got their way. Jackman makes it sound as if he was forced to play rugby week after week even though he lied again and again to clearly concerned medical teams if I remember correctly, it was clear from the book more research into and concern over concussion was required but that wasn't even groundbreaking at the time.
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Luke Fitzgerald and Jackman have had completely contrasting hot takes in Kleyn, and they're both impressively bad. Jackman as a coach should probably know better though.
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Lads Luke and Jackman are totally awful pundits.
On J.Kleyn vs Henderson. They're 2 different players again. Kleyn will offer more physicality and will be very good option in some games. But again Henderson is much further down the line of being an international and is the better player. Schmidt picked Kleyn based on a horses for courses mentality.
On the selection I wonder will the weather in Japan dictate selection at times.
On J.Kleyn vs Henderson. They're 2 different players again. Kleyn will offer more physicality and will be very good option in some games. But again Henderson is much further down the line of being an international and is the better player. Schmidt picked Kleyn based on a horses for courses mentality.
On the selection I wonder will the weather in Japan dictate selection at times.
