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Ireland Team Talk/Gossip/Rumour Thread

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    #2282
    jm08
    Registered Users Posts: 11,300 ✭✭✭✭jm08


    totallegend wrote: »
    I disagree that he would double his earnings and I certainly disagree that Munster/IRFU would welcome him back with open arms at age 33/34 just to give him a dig out with his taxes (at least, I would hope they wouldn't).

    Chabal makes ridiculous money but that is for his profile rather than his actual rugby ability; DOC would not be in the same league.


    A 33/34 year old Irish qualified international lock? They'd be on their hands and knees for him. I'd say Leinster were delighted to get Damian Browne as Leinster were not allowed keep Nathan Hines who is 35/6.


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    #2283
    molloyjh
    Registered Users Posts: 24,762 ✭✭✭✭molloyjh


    totallegend wrote: »
    Fixed that for you.

    Whatever BJ Botha and John Afoa are getting paid is money well spent. Buckley, on the other hand... Meh, I don't care what he is/was paid to be honest, at least now he's shipped off to England Deccie won't feel the need to keep picking him, and that's the important thing.

    Did anyone see the Sale-Brive game last week? He started and I must say even in that distinctly average game he wasn't great by any stretch of the imagination. How he ever made it into a green jersey is beyond me.

    My understanding of Chabal is that he earns about €1m but that's salary+endorsements. I'd say he gets most of it from the latter.


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    #2284
    WeeBushy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,572 ✭✭✭WeeBushy


    Jenkins and Priestland out for the Ireland game.

    http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/rugby/2012/0125/1224310734043.html


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    #2285
    vinny chase
    Closed Accounts Posts: 816 ✭✭✭vinny chase


    WeeBushy wrote: »
    Jenkins and Priestland out for the Ireland game.

    http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/rugby/2012/0125/1224310734043.html

    Wow. That is a good result for us; interesting to see who they hand over the 10 shirt too. I know he references the possibility of Henson in that article, but you'd have to figure on it being the very flaky James Hook.

    Article suggests though that Jamie Roberts is increasingly looking likely to be fit.


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    #2286
    GerM
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,592 ✭✭✭GerM


    Jenkins and Lydiate (if confirmed) will be massive blows for Wales. They're workhorses with a wonderful bit of class that not many have. Throw in AWJ and Charteris to the injury list and the Welsh pack starts to look about as good as a decent HEC pack. Seeing as we look like we're going to have a fully fit pack with a point to prove, I can see us winning by a few scores. Packs win games and Wales shouldn't be able to compete up front with us. If they do and beat us, we should be worried.


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    #2287
    totallegend
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,234 ✭✭✭totallegend


    Worth repeating on this thread I think:
    Hagz wrote: »
    590590.jpg


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    #2288
    Podge_irl
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 26,852 Mod ✭✭✭✭Podge_irl


    totallegend wrote: »
    Worth repeating on this thread I think:

    Encouraging as it is, Wilkinson was involved in a lot of squads before being qualified too and has probably seen fewer now that he is. With Best playing the way he is Strauss isn't getting the jersey anyway. Good player to have available though. Especially if it keeps him at Leinster.


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    #2289
    CatFromHue
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 18,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭CatFromHue


    He's only there for the free gear that's all :P

    I don't see the point of him being at training. We've another 4 games in the 6 Nations and then a three test series in NZ in June to play this season. Any hookers in contention for these games should be at training ahead of Strauss.


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    #2290
    Hagz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,257 ✭✭✭Hagz


    CatFromHue wrote: »
    He's only there for the free gear that's all.

    I don't see the point of him being at training. We've another 4 games in the 6 Nations and then a three test series in NZ in June to play this season. Any hookers in contention for these games should be at training ahead of Strauss.

    Nice to get him comfortable with the environment so that when he is eligible he can slot in with ease.


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    #2291
    totallegend
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,234 ✭✭✭totallegend


    Hagz wrote: »
    Nice to get him comfortable with the environment so that when he is eligible he can slot in with ease.

    Exactly. He's going to be parachuted in more or less straight away so why not? He'll play for Ireland long before a lot of the other guys who were called into the Ireland training squad or Wolfhounds this season.


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    #2292
    CatFromHue
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 18,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭CatFromHue


    Hagz wrote: »
    Nice to get him comfortable with the environment so that when he is eligible he can slot in with ease.

    What does he have to get comfortable with though? He already knows half the squad through Leinster. The calls I presume will change before he becomes available.

    We have what 2 hookers in the squad as it is. If either of them goes down injured his replacement will need to get up to speed a lot quicker than Strauss will.


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    #2293
    totallegend
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,234 ✭✭✭totallegend


    CatFromHue wrote: »
    What does he have to get comfortable with though? He already knows half the squad through Leinster. The calls I presume will change before he becomes available.

    We have what 2 hookers in the squad as it is. If either of them goes down injured his replacement will need to get up to speed a lot quicker than Strauss will.

    Varley has been training with them, Sherry has been in the Wolfhounds, don't see the problem. It was probably just a one-day thing anyway.


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    #2294
    CatFromHue
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 18,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭CatFromHue


    totallegend wrote: »
    Varley has been training with them, Sherry has been in the Wolfhounds, don't see the problem. It was probably just a one-day thing anyway.

    To me it seems a bit pointless. Leinster have a game on Thursday which he will be needed for so could be training with them (that's only if he's with Ireland as opposed to Leinster).

    I mean just look at the pic, he looks lonely. This experience will leave him with bad memories :pac:


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    #2295
    CiaranMT
    Registered Users Posts: 4,092 ✭✭✭CiaranMT


    totallegend wrote: »
    Varley has been training with them, Sherry has been in the Wolfhounds, don't see the problem. It was probably just a one-day thing anyway.

    Barnes joined up with them while they were at UL. Same thing here I'd imagine.


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    #2296
    .ak
    Registered Users Posts: 30,308 Mod ✭✭✭✭.ak


    Podge_irl wrote: »
    Encouraging as it is, Wilkinson was involved in a lot of squads before being qualified too and has probably seen fewer now that he is. With Best playing the way he is Strauss isn't getting the jersey anyway. Good player to have available though. Especially if it keeps him at Leinster.

    What if he starts at 7?


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    #2297
    Podge_irl
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 26,852 Mod ✭✭✭✭Podge_irl


    .ak wrote: »
    What if he starts at 7?

    That's not a runner. He's fine as emergency cover there for a game, but he's not going to be playing international rugby at 7 and provincial rugby at 2.


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    #2298
    .ak
    Registered Users Posts: 30,308 Mod ✭✭✭✭.ak


    True. But anytime I've seen him at 7 he's just awesome. Great fetcher too.


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    #2299
    Podge_irl
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 26,852 Mod ✭✭✭✭Podge_irl


    .ak wrote: »
    True. But anytime I've seen him at 7 he's just awesome. Great fetcher too.

    He's an awesome player in general and yeah he's great at the ruck. I'd have him straight onto the bench if he was IQ but while he looks good in cameos at 7 (and that's all he's had in Leinster) he'd probably start showing that's why he doesn't play there regularly if he was selected there.


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    #2300
    .ak
    Registered Users Posts: 30,308 Mod ✭✭✭✭.ak


    Podge_irl wrote: »
    He's an awesome player in general and yeah he's great at the ruck. I'd have him straight onto the bench if he was IQ but while he looks good in cameos at 7 (and that's all he's had in Leinster) he'd probably start showing that's why he doesn't play there regularly if he was selected there.

    Yeah, I agree in internationals he'd probably be shown up due to speed etc.,

    Think he started his trade as a flanker tho in SA no? Not just cameos with Leinster...


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    #2301
    Podge_irl
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 26,852 Mod ✭✭✭✭Podge_irl


    He did yeah. I meant he has barely played there in the last two and a half seasons.


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    #2302
    CatFromHue
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 18,156 Mod ✭✭✭✭CatFromHue


    I was just reading Matt Williams article in the Irish Times from last Saturday. He made some interesting points.
    The Irish player evaluation of the attack at the World Cup was that it lacked ambition. This may have been an incomplete assessment of what occurred internally in the team and what elements are required to build an effective attack system for the Six Nations.

    Firstly, within the Irish coaching staff at the World Cup, Alan Gaffney did not get the opportunity to have his attacking principles applied to the team. Alan is now happily back in Sydney at the Waratahs, where he started with me all those years ago. However, it was obvious from both team selections and tactics that Ireland’s attacking philosophy and structures were confused. To me it was obvious there was more than one cook preparing the attacking broth. For clarity, the question needs to be asked of the management team: is Mervyn Murphy a video analyst or a coach? Mervyn is an excellent analyst. However, if he is not a coach why is he getting a vote on team selections and why does he have such a strong influence on the policies of the team? There is no doubt there was conflict in this area of the management at the RWC.

    Les Kiss has since assumed the responsibility for the team’s “go forward”. Les is a great operator. If he is given free rein with no interference he is well capable of creating a very positive attacking system.

    At the RWC Ireland chopped and changed the halves. There was no common philosophy of attack or selection of halves. To me, Eoin Redden and Jonny Sexton give you Leinster’s “go forward”. Conor Murray and Ronan O’Gara give you Munster’s. I can not tell you what is Ireland’s philosophy because it has changed from game to game. The selection of your halves should reflect the tactics of the team. No wonder Gaffers seemed frustrated.

    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2012/0204/1224311249240.html


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    #2303
    phog
    Registered Users Posts: 24,310 ✭✭✭✭phog


    Sexton was interviewed by Matt Cooper on Newstalk last night, a decent enough interview, some leading questions asked by Cooper. Sexton at times sounded like he was doing a job interview and seemed nervous but overall he gave a good account fo himself.

    It can be picked up on their realplayer.


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    #2304
    andrewdcs
    Registered Users Posts: 1,106 ✭✭✭andrewdcs


    phog wrote: »
    Sexton was interviewed by Matt Cooper on Newstalk last night, a decent enough interview, some leading questions asked by Cooper. Sexton at times sounded like he was doing a job interview and seemed nervous but overall he gave a good account fo himself.

    It can be picked up on their realplayer.


    Cooper did give him a reasonable tricky time, which is great, better than the general "where do you feel it went wrong" dross after matches.

    realplayer.... *sigh*
    Its like going back in time.


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    #2305
    leftleg
    Registered Users Posts: 1,165 ✭✭✭leftleg


    andrewdcs wrote: »
    realplayer.... *sigh*
    Its like going back in time.

    welcome to the Irish media in general


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    #2306
    GerM
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,592 ✭✭✭GerM


    CatFromHue wrote: »
    Firstly, within the Irish coaching staff at the World Cup, Alan Gaffney did not get the opportunity to have his attacking principles applied to the team. Alan is now happily back in Sydney at the Waratahs, where he started with me all those years ago. However, it was obvious from both team selections and tactics that Ireland’s attacking philosophy and structures were confused.

    I've been banging this drum for some time to no avail. But, oh sure, when a former international and provincial, world famous coach says it, then it's news! :mad:

    :pac:


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    #2307
    cork exile in london
    Registered Users Posts: 84 ✭✭cork exile in london


    gert small is out ill for rest of 6 nations. foley been called up as forwards coach. no backs coach and now small suddenly out. been some **** yr so far.


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    #2308
    leftleg
    Registered Users Posts: 1,165 ✭✭✭leftleg


    cork exile in london wrote: »
    gert small is out ill for rest of 6 nations. foley been called up as forwards coach. no backs coach and now small suddenly out. been some **** yr so far.

    It gets worse; you see there's this guy called Declan Kidney.....


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    #2309
    ray jay
    Registered Users Posts: 881 ✭✭✭ray jay


    phog wrote: »
    Sexton was interviewed by Matt Cooper on Newstalk last night, a decent enough interview, some leading questions asked by Cooper. Sexton at times sounded like he was doing a job interview and seemed nervous but overall he gave a good account fo himself.

    It can be picked up on their realplayer.
    That's a good interview, well worth listening to.


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    #2310
    profitius
    Registered Users Posts: 3,976 ✭✭✭profitius


    phog wrote: »
    Sexton was interviewed by Matt Cooper on Newstalk last night, a decent enough interview, some leading questions asked by Cooper. Sexton at times sounded like he was doing a job interview and seemed nervous but overall he gave a good account fo himself.

    It can be picked up on their realplayer.

    It revealed alot about Sexton and I was surprised because hes not as mentally tough as I thought he was.


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    #2311
    Leinster7
    Registered Users Posts: 326 ✭✭Leinster7


    ray jay wrote: »
    That's a good interview, well worth listening to.

    Good interview. A lot of honesty when it came to his own highs and lows. You feel he needs to lighten up a little, which will come with age I guess. Interesting how he lights up when he talks naturally about Joe Schmidt and then gets all political sounding and tight when talking about Ireland/Kidney. There is a different respect there for sure. He didn't feel he should've been dropped after Australia and he was right to feel that way imo. Italy were useless and Rog was useless vs Wales!


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