Ireland Team Talk/Gossip/Rumour Thread

Clegg

thomond2006 wrote: »

Murray is almost certainly out for the last 2 games, Reddan will start now but who will come onto the bench? Going by the Wolfhounds selection it should be Boss.

Does anyone else think Fitz should be involved? I know he's lacking games at the mo but we're not seeing the best out of Trimble. Perhaps a change should be made?

thomond2006

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Marshall/Boss debate in 5, 4, 3, 2....

Given that Marshall may well start at 9 for the rest of the season for Ulster, I think it should be him.

danthefan

jm08 wrote: »

Hayes was just back from playing in a winning Lions Test for Healy's first cap.

In 2010 in the AIs, Healy started with Buckley who had a decent enough tour to NZ before you go all abusive.

Lions tour = July
Healy's first cap = November.

That's 4 months ffs. He was not just back. He'd been back for FOUR MONTHS.

Fireball07

I'd like to see Fitz brought into the squad, I'd say it's unlikely though.

Or Earls moved to the wing and EOM brought into the centre, that would be nice. Though Earls did play well today and I suppose it's unfair to keep shunting him around.

But in the future, some sort of rotation would be good. One winger get 3 games, another gets 2. Pick them to suit the opposition. Possibly the same in the centre aswell?


As for the scrum-half, you'd think it would be Boss. TOL actually played well for the Wolfhounds, so that's not impossible either. I'd like it to be Marshall...he's only really coming into his own this season and Boss is getting on.

Tox56

Fireball07 wrote: »

I'd like to see Fitz brought into the squad, I'd say it's unlikely though.

Or Earls moved to the wing and EOM brought into the centre, that would be nice. Though Earls did play well today and I suppose it's unfair to keep shunting him around.

But in the future, some sort of rotation would be good. One winger get 3 games, another gets 2. Pick them to suit the opposition. Possibly the same in the centre aswell?


As for the scrum-half, you'd think it would be Boss. TOL actually played well for the Wolfhounds, so that's not impossible either. I'd like it to be Marshall...he's only really coming into his own this season and Boss is getting on.

I would ultimately like to see this, despite his good defence, I wasn't convinced in Earls when it came to creativity and incisiveness in attack, and the good hands to Bowe aside, didn't look threatening.

I wouldn't mind Earls having another few games to prove me wrong, but EOM at 13 would be my favourite option.

danthefan

Fireball07 wrote: »

I'd like to see Fitz brought into the squad, I'd say it's unlikely though.

Or Earls moved to the wing and EOM brought into the centre, that would be nice. Though Earls did play well today and I suppose it's unfair to keep shunting him around.

But in the future, some sort of rotation would be good. One winger get 3 games, another gets 2. Pick them to suit the opposition. Possibly the same in the centre aswell?


As for the scrum-half, you'd think it would be Boss. TOL actually played well for the Wolfhounds, so that's not impossible either. I'd like it to be Marshall...he's only really coming into his own this season and Boss is getting on.

Earls played well enough in the sense he didn't make any costly mistakes (which is great) and he made his tackles, but there was still a real tendancy to stick the ball under his arm and run. After Kearney made that great break we had a huge overlap on the right but Earls was either unaware of this or didn't have the confidence to pass while running at pace. On the other hand he showed lovely quick hands before the 2nd Bowe try. He's infuriating imo. Still much more suited to wing, if it came down to it I think the ideal situation is move him to wing, bring in a new centre, and drop Trimble.

ongarite

Would love to see Marshall picked as sub for the next 2 games. He is a great talent,very quick and dynamic at the breakdown looking for a gap.

tolosenc

Should be Marshall. I can see why Boss is in the mix. I know that Deccie will call on TOL.

danthefan

Murray apparently has avoided serious damage to the knee, according to Michael Corcoran on Twitter.

yimrsg

tolosenc wrote: »

Should be Marshall. I can see why Boss is in the mix. I know that Deccie will call on TOL.

Hans Moleman sums it up rather succintly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjFutMmaC50

goreyguy

Vs Scotland

1. Healy
2. Cronin
3. Ross
4. Ryan
5. O'Callaghan
6. O'Brien
7. O'Mahony
8. Heaslip
9. Reddan
10. Sexton
11. Earls
12. McFadden
13. O'Malley
14. Bowe
15. Kearney
16. Best
17. Court
18. Touhy
19. Ferris
20. Marshall
21. O'Gara
22. Trimble

No reason what so ever we shouldnt handle scotland with a team like that, give ferris and his bad knee a rest. Get Cronin some PT and some other players like Touhy and Marshall involed..

Of course we wont get that but...

BarackPyjama

Yeah. Ferris definitely better off warming up the bench. :rolleyes:

goreyguy

BarackPyjama wrote: »

Yeah. Ferris definitely better off warming up the bench. :rolleyes:

I'm not saying that he isnt out best back row, he is.. he is also running around on one knee.. give him a rest and let him come and make an impact later in the game..

I never said this was our best 15, i'm simply stating that that 15 should be upto the job.

roycon

Murray has played about 6 matches for ireland now and ive yet to see him play well or over a 6 in my opinion. his kicking is woeful, his passing is slow although accurate and in attack he is not as good around the fringes as reddan or tol was back in the day or paul marshall for that matter. he does put in more tackles than any other scrumhalf going though.

Donnacha O'Callaghans carrying today was abysmal. he offered little on the oposition throw in the lineout or on ireland throws. his work around the park was commendable and dogged and disciplined as always but he doesnt exactly knock people back or make a nuisnace of himself at the breakdown. Tuouhy or toner should feature in the squad for at least one game.Donncha Ryan should start due to his superior effectiveness and athleticism around the park and his equal lineout abilities.

Reddan and donnahc ryan must both start against scotland - i actually think earls has done better than most people expected apart from his stupid rushing out of the line and attempt at a fly kick for the french try today. he is a far better centre than a winger and has become more physical in attack over the last year.

irishbucsfan

BarackPyjama wrote: »

Yeah. Ferris definitely better off warming up the bench. :rolleyes:

Someone didn't read the post

durkadurka

It's definitely time to rest/rotate/ experiment.


So I agree try Cronin, Ryan, POM. Rest ferris.
Try bowe at 13 too. Or maybe Fergus at 12.
Earls back on the wing.

I just hope some of these options are tried.

Otherwise we'll arrive in twickers completely knackered.

thomond2006

durkadurka wrote: »

It's definitely time to rest/rotate/ experiment.


So I agree try Cronin, Ryan, POM. Rest ferris.
Try bowe at 13 too. Or maybe Fergus at 12.
Earls back on the wing.

I just hope some of these options are tried.

Otherwise we'll arrive in twickers completely knackered.

They surely can't pick the same side for 4 weeks in a row, the only time something like that is needed is the World Cup but then players are at their peak fitness wise thanks to a pre season.

The problem is, Scotland are now a very dangerous side. Ireland can't afford to rest too many key players. They knocked us over in 2010 so they'll have no fear coming to Dublin.

padser

thomond2006 wrote: »

They surely can't pick the same side for 4 weeks in a row.

Watch and learn. :-)

I'll bet ya a tenner that DK makes not one non injury enforced change over all four games. (5 games if I'm allowed to count Wales and 7 if you will let me go back as far as Italy in the RWC)

touts

goreyguy wrote: »

Vs Scotland

1. Healy
2. Cronin
3. Ross
4. Ryan
5. O'Callaghan
6. O'Brien
7. O'Mahony
8. Heaslip
9. Reddan
10. Sexton
11. Earls
12. McFadden
13. O'Malley
14. Bowe
15. Kearney
16. Best
17. Court
18. Touhy
19. Ferris
20. Marshall
21. O'Gara
22. Trimble

No reason what so ever we shouldnt handle scotland with a team like that, give ferris and his bad knee a rest. Get Cronin some PT and some other players like Touhy and Marshall involed..

Of course we wont get that but...

O'Connell out of the team completely?? On what grounds??

Personally I would go with:

1. Healy
2. Cronin
3. Ross
4. Ryan
5. O'Connell (Capt)
6. Ferris
7. O'Mahony
8. O'Brien
9. Reddan
10. Sexton
11. Earls
12. McFadden
13. Bowe
14. Trimble
15. Kearney

16. Varley
17. Court
18. Touhy
19. Heaslip
20. Murray
21. Keatley
22. Zebo

Thats O'Gara O'Callaghan and D'Arcy all gone. They have to be major doubts for next year anyway so now is a good chance to blood their replacements when there is nothing left to lose. McFaddan replaces D'Arcy as long term that looks the best option at 12. Try Bowe in outside centre beside him. It's something we should look at and now's about the best chance we will get. If it works then fantastic as we have a few young wingers coming up but no real 13s to replace BOD. If it doesn't then we haven't exactly lost a championship as a result. Keatley replaces ROG on the bench. We're fecked for outhalfs and when ROG retires (which could be any time) and with Sexton taking major hits week in week out we need a third outhalf coming up. DOC drops out with Ryan getting a starting nod and Touhy moving onto the bench. They both deserve a shot at this point and POC could really bring them on. Best is out but unlike ROG, DOC & GD he is only "rested" to give Varley a spot on the bench because hooker has historically been quite an injury hit area and we need three experienced players there. I think Best is mature enough as a player to understand that. Trimble didn't look comfortable in constant defence mode yesterday but given his form for Ulster I think he deserves another shot and has the pace and power to do serious damage to the Scotland and English defences. I would like to give Court a start but with Cronin already in there I think Cronin could do with the experience of Healy and Ross on either side of him for the first 60min. Heaslip drops to the Bench to accomodate O'Mahony at 7 and allow O'Brien switch sides to 8 where he might be stronger. Murray keeps his spot on the bench ahead of Marshall because he's a young lad and definately one for the future and while I think Best would understand the logic of being dropped Murray could see it as a bad confidence blow. Zebo moves up to take the final slot on the bench. He is on fire at the moment and deserves a shot if form is to be considered a factor at all.

rrpc

touts wrote: »

Thats O'Gara O'Callaghan and D'Arcy all gone. They have to be major doubts for next year anyway so now is a good chance to blood their replacements when there is nothing left to lose. McFaddan replaces D'Arcy as long term that looks the best option at 12. Try Bowe in outside centre beside him. It's something we should look at and now's about the best chance we will get. If it works then fantastic as we have a few young wingers coming up but no real 13s to replace BOD. If it doesn't then we haven't exactly lost a championship as a result. Keatley replaces ROG on the bench. We're fecked for outhalfs and when ROG retires (which could be any time) and with Sexton taking major hits week in week out we need a third outhalf coming up. DOC drops out with Ryan getting a starting nod and Touhy moving onto the bench. They both deserve a shot at this point and POC could really bring them on. Best is out but unlike ROG, DOC & GD he is only "rested" to give Varley a spot on the bench because hooker has historically been quite an injury hit area and we need three experienced players there. I think Best is mature enough as a player to understand that. Trimble didn't look comfortable in constant defence mode yesterday but given his form for Ulster I think he deserves another shot and has the pace and power to do serious damage to the Scotland and English defences. I would like to give Court a start but with Cronin already in there I think Cronin could do with the experience of Healy and Ross on either side of him for the first 60min. Heaslip drops to the Bench to accomodate O'Mahony at 7 and allow O'Brien switch sides to 8 where he might be stronger. Murray keeps his spot on the bench ahead of Marshall because he's a young lad and definately one for the future and while I think Best would understand the logic of being dropped Murray could see it as a bad confidence blow. Zebo moves up to take the final slot on the bench. He is on fire at the moment and deserves a shot if form is to be considered a factor at all.

O'Brien switch sides to 8? You do know that 8 is in the centre of the backrow don't you?

Leinster7

Scotland are the 5th strongest team in the 6nations. They are not a very dangerous side, they are a poor side. France have been poor by their standards in this competition and that is perhaps a reflection of their change in management. I cannot see PSA being successful with France, he did nothing special with Toulon and his achievements are in the 10-man game that is the English Premiership. This is why Ireland under Kidney and Scotland under the equally awful Robinson have come close to beating them but still failed.

Wales will win the Grand Slam not playing thatwell, ie. not well enough to beat NZ/Aus which they rarely ever do.

What does this say about Ireland? Well, we have been stagnant for some time now under this management and will continue to be so until there is a change unfortunately.

questforfit

I think the Murray experiment has to end.

Hes had an unprecedented number of chances and has failed to surpass 'decent'.

irishbucsfan

questforfit wrote: »

I think the Murray experiment has to end.

Hes had an unprecedented number of chances and has failed to surpass 'decent'.

It won't end yet. If O'Leary got two season of poor play to lose his place then Murray will.

questforfit

1.Healy
2.Best
3.Ross
4.O'Connell
5.Touhy
6.Ferris
7.O'Brien
8.Heaslip
9.Reddan
10.Sexton
11.Fitzgerald
12.D'arcy
13.Earls
14.Bowe
15.Kearney

16.Cronin
17.Court
18.Ryan
19.POM
20.Marshall/Murray
21.O'Gara
22.Trimble

rrpc

irishbucsfan wrote: »

It won't end yet. If O'Leary got two season of poor play to lose his place then Murray will.

To be fair, Murray improved his speed and tempo from his last outing. There were some bad passes, but the conditions were awful for passing; D'Arcy's pass and Heaslip's knock on were cases in point.

We still had a limited gameplan. Instead of defending deep, we rushed up which unsettled the French and led to our first try. The element of surprise was gone in the second half and the French were able to counter us effectively as we had absolutely no plan B.

Leinster7

questforfit wrote: »

1.Healy
2.Best
3.Ross
4.O'Connell
5.Touhy
6.Ferris
7.O'Brien
8.Heaslip
9.Reddan
10.Sexton
11.Fitzgerald
12.D'arcy
13.Earls
14.Bowe
15.Kearney

16.Cronin
17.Court
18.Ryan
19.POM
20.Marshall/Murray
21.O'Gara
22.Trimble

If I were manager My team for Scotland would be (theoretical guys):

1.Healy
2.Cronin
3.Court
4.O'Connell
5.Touhy
6.Ferris
7.O'Brien
8.Heaslip
9.Reddan
10.Sexton
11.Trimble
12.McFadden
13.O'Malley
14.Bowe
15.Kearney

16.Best (rested for England)
17.Ross (rested for England)
18.Ryan
19.POM
20.Marshall
21.Madigan
22.Fitzgerald (if fit)/ D.Kearney

fitz

rrpc wrote: »

The element of surprise was gone in the second half and the French were able to counter us effectively as we had absolutely no plan B.

But we didn't stick to plan A.
We stood off in the second half.
Watch it again, and look at the defensive line.
It was like a carbon copy of the Wales game...passive defending, standing off.
If we had stuck with the rush defence, we would have won. It stiffled France.
We went out in the second to defend our way to a win, instead of sticking to what was working and trying to extend our lead.

Completely squandered opportunity. Which pretty much sums up DK's coaching tenure.

touts

rrpc wrote: »

O'Brien switch sides to 8? You do know that 8 is in the centre of the backrow don't you?

Sorry. Yes. I was contemplating should he switch sides or move to 8. Typing both without editing. It should be just switch sides. Basically I would have him & O'Mahony in the team but was trying to work out if it would he Heaslip or Ferris I would drop and that would dictate where I would try O'Brien (I think O'Mahony at the moment is 7 or no where while O'Brien has the talent to be more flexible).

I would like to see a

6. POM
7. Henry
8. Heaslip

19. SOB

against Scotland.

We have no reason to dick around the 6N any longer. We have no mathematical chance of winning it. We lose few/any ranking points if we were actually beaten by Scotland, and though that's not a first choice back row, I still am pretty sure they'd do fine.

Ferris was an animal yesterday, I'm still in the "wrap him in cotton wool" club though. I don't like risking him against the Scots.

fitz

touts wrote: »

Sorry. Yes. I was contemplating should he switch sides or move to 8. Typing both without editing. It should be just switch sides. Basically I would have him & O'Mahony in the team but was trying to work out if it would he Heaslip or Ferris I would drop and that would dictate where I would try O'Brien (I think O'Mahony at the moment is 7 or no where while O'Brien has the talent to be more flexible).

O'Mahony was largely anonymous when he came on, apart from nearly turning over possession due to not bothering to turn his body when he hit the a few minutes before the end. He just lay there, head pointing towards the French line, the ball exposed. I couldn't understand why he wasn't turning to protect the ball.

Was an example of what irishbucsfan was saying during the week...he's got the work-rate and aggression, but he needs to work on technical aspects of his game. He's not ready, imo.

The back row doesn't need changes, but if you were going to bring someone in, it should be Henry.