Scotland v Ireland

[munstermuffin]

Surprised Nigel had bad game as he is usually good

 

[CaleyFan]

I have never felt so heartbroken after a loss against a "big team" than i did today.

MUCH, MUCH better than 2 weeks ago but i ******* wish the buggers would stop losing early points.

Also, i don't think we ever looked like scoring tries today and if we concede them, then 3 pointers might not be enough to win games so ii still ask, WHERE IS THE APPARANT IMPROVEMENT?

 

[profitius]

I have never felt so heartbroken after a loss against a "big team" than i did today.

MUCH, MUCH better than 2 weeks ago but i ******* wish the buggers would stop losing early points.

Also, i don't think we ever looked like scoring tries today and if we concede them, then 3 pointers might not be enough to win games so ii still ask, WHERE IS THE APPARANT IMPROVEMENT?

I heard that Scotland didn't score a try in their last 8 games in Scotland! Thats an amazing statistic.

Regarding Andy Robinson. He done a great job with Edinburgh and was rightly promoted to the Scotland job. He has also had some good wins for Scotland. What I notice though is he is starting to make some strange decisions and dropping players too easily and that might cause some friction in the camp. If players lose respect for him its not easy to get back.

I'm sure he took Ross Ford off yesterday because ROG handed him off for the try. If that is so its very harsh and POC winning the Scottish lineout at the end might not have happened if Ford was throwing.

Scotland should play to their strengths. Pick a big pack, look to dominate the lineouts and get Parks kicking to the corners and take any 3 pointers on offer. Its not attractive to watch (as I well know watching Ireland over the years) but it could be the way forward in the short term.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Are there any alternatives to Jacobsen at loosehead in Scotland?

 

[coonor]

My Ireland Player ratings:

1) C.Healy (7.5/10)- I thought he had a really good game and dominated both in the scrum and with strong runs in the loose. His discipline has also improved unlike the rest of the teams
2) R.Best (6/10)- fair in the loose and good in the scrum but the lineout failed
3) M.Ross (7/10)- He has drastically improved our scrum in only 3 games and he made a nice run. He doesn't make many errors or give away any penalties in the loose
4) D.O'Callaghan (5/10)- poor in the lineout and didn't do much in the loose
5) P.O'Connell (6/10)- Had an amazing last 10 minutes but the lineout was poor and he gave away to many penalties again
6) S.O'Brien (7.5/10)- Made some great runs and good tackles he is still learning the way of international rugby
7) D.Wallace (7/10)- I thought he had one of his best games in ages and made some good runs and tackles
8) J.Heaslip (7/10)- Still not fully fit but he scored and created a try and made some good breaks
9) E. Reddan (7/10)- Provided quick ball, scored a try and is much better than TOL
10) R.O'Gara (8.5/10)- Best game in a green jersey for ages
11) K. Earls (7.5/10)- Good under the high ball and looked dangerous
12) G.D'Arcy (5.5/10)- He was solid but didn't do anything other than make his tackles
13) B.O'Driscoll (6/10)- A quiet game but he made some good tackles organised the backs well
14) T.Bowe (7/10)- He was always looking for work and he adds to Irelands attacking threat. He is also creating alot such as the Earls break at the end of the first half
15) L. Fitzgerald (6.5/10)- solid but and he is looking to strike but the centres are not bringing into the game

probably abit generous but I would like to see them all playing at no less than an 8 rating.

 

[LittleGuy]

There is a reason I have been defending Dan Parks and this game partly shows why he is Scotland's best chance to win. I like Jackson don't get me wrong he has played well for Glasgow and has a good career ahead, but Scotland seemed comatose when he was in. When Parks was inserted the whole attitude changed and I think the only mistake was in not lining up for a potential drop goal to tie when the Scots were in deep with about four minutes to go.

Euan Murray was not missed at all. Richie Gray has been a breakout star this Six Nations another solid performance. That being said what a dissapointing Six Nations campaign for Scotland, a winnable game lost here a dreadful performance aginst Wales and a gutsy but lacking finish performance against France. England will be tough at Twickenham and even Italy wll be hungry for a win, I think Scotland avoids the Wooden Spoon but not by much.

As for Ireland is there another team in the world that plays up or down to their opponents as much as they do. Pull out ugly wins against Italy and Scotland but challenge France in a pretty inspired match. Not just this Six Nations but plenty of other examples, luckily they seem to squeeze out those narrow wins over the underdogs but at the RWC bonus points will count and Italy won't be a total pushover.

 

[profitius]

My Ireland Player ratings:

This is how I rated them. I thought the team played well but they shot themselves in the foot by conceding too many penalties.

1) C.Healy (7.5/10)- I thought he had a really good game and dominated both in the scrum and with strong runs in the loose. His discipline has also improved unlike the rest of the teams
2) R.Best (7/10)- fair in the loose and good in the scrum but was also under pressure in the lineout due to the Scottish height advantage.
3) M.Ross (7/10)- He has drastically improved our scrum in only 3 games and he made a nice run. He doesn't make many errors or give away any penalties in the loose
4) D.O'Callaghan (5/10)- poor in the lineout and didn't do much in the loose
5) P.O'Connell (8/10)- Was under pressure in the lineout because of the height advantage of the Scottish second and backrows. He was everywhere and made some great steals at the end.
6) S.O'Brien (8/10)- Burst into life in the early second half with 3 runs into the Scottish 22. Covered alot of ground too.
7) D.Wallace (7.5/10)- Was busy and made alot of carries.
8) J.Heaslip (7/10)- Still not fully fit but he scored and created a try and made some good breaks
9) E. Reddan (7.5/10)- Big improvement on TOL. Looked sharp and made the right decisions.
10) R.O'Gara (8.0/10)- ROG played well. Missed a few kicks and shouldn't have gone for one because it was too far out.
11) K. Earls (7.5/10)- Good under the high ball and looked dangerous
12) G.D'Arcy (5.5/10)- Defended well and made no mistakes. Ireland need something new at 12.
13) B.O'Driscoll (6.5/10)- Solid game from BOD. Looked dangerous when he got the ball and made a good break.
14) T.Bowe (6.5/10)- He had a solid game. Made one good break.
15) L. Fitzgerald (5.5/10)- He played well but is shakey under the garryowen.

 

[profitius]

As for Ireland is there another team in the world that plays up or down to their opponents as much as they do. Pull out ugly wins against Italy and Scotland but challenge France in a pretty inspired match. Not just this Six Nations but plenty of other examples, luckily they seem to squeeze out those narrow wins over the underdogs but at the RWC bonus points will count and Italy won't be a total pushover.

Its not easy being a fan of them!

 

[LittleGuy]

Its not easy being a fan of them!

Yeah, Aspirin needed for both the headaches and heart attacks of close games.

 

[Logorrhea]

@profitius

You cant rate Darcy down because you want a change. He didnt have a bad game. Pretty similar to O'Driscoll but gave away fewer penalties.

As for the rest, too harsh on Fitz and too generous with the rest of em (I'd knock about 1 of everyone but Fitz and Darcy and you'd be close).

 

[profitius]

@profitius

You cant rate Darcy down because you want a change. He didnt have a bad game. Pretty similar to O'Driscoll but gave away fewer penalties.

As for the rest, too harsh on Fitz and too generous with the rest of em (I'd knock about 1 of everyone but Fitz and Darcy and you'd be close).

D'Arcy done nothing wrong but he also didn't do anything good either... nothing. BOD made a break and was more involved. The Penalty against him was wrong. BOD is only 1 ahead of D'Arcy which is about right.

Fitz played alright but knocked on a few times. The rest of the team played well in patches. Despite the crippling penalty count they played well. Yes they gave away penalties but it was shared rather than 1 person giving them away all the time. I gave ROG an 8 while some would say he deserved higher.