Ireland vs Wales 24th Feb 2:15

Ardillaun

Stheno wrote: »

Aww nice to see Devin giving his jersey to the ball boy

A disgustingly nice person.

pickarooney

Peregrine wrote: »

Yep

He didn't. He moved to Grenoble at a time when Ulster had a lot of promising centres.

yosser hughes

Cowboy848 wrote: »

Even Tony Ward and other journalists agreed that the pressure came from online trolls until it was insurmountable. I’m not alone in knowing this was the case

Oh if Tony Ward said it must be true.
Matt O'Conner lost his job for the same reason he'll lose it at Leicester.

So what you and others are doing here is campaigning?
You overestimate the power of a few cranks on the internet.

I'm out of here anyway, leave you to your campaigning.

Sanjuro

So we should have Furlong, Henderson, O'Brien, Ringrose and Conway available for Scotland, right?

PhlegmyMoses

Didactic Ninja wrote: »

you will win the grand slam. its 2009 all over again, flattering to deceive but still getting over the line. infighting within the fans on the board, rub of the green with the refs. lots of flaws but opposition don't expose them.

Really don't feel like we got the rub of the green from the refs at all so far. Thought France got away with murder at the breakdown against us. The ref spent the game roaring at Wales to stay onside and they were inches from a yellow for repeated infringements near the line, a yellow that never came.

This feels a bit like sour grapes. Ireland have been pretty excellent so far, dominating posession with clutch interventions from big players, whilst struggling a bit in defence, which is a worry, and dealing with injuries to some pretty key players.

Ardillaun

Ardillaun wrote: »

A disgustingly nice person.

And a quality player to boot, having a really good season.

PTH2009

top 3 in the tables going into Round 5 depending on Scotland vs England result

Scotland BP win/ England LBP
1 Ireland 14pts
2 England 10pts
3 Scotland 9pts

Scotland BP/England no points
1 Ireland 14pts
2 Scotland 9pts
3 England 9pts

Scotland win/england LBP
1 Ireland 14pts
2 England 10pts/9pts (no BP)
3 Scotland 8pts

England win
1 Ireland 14pts
2 England 13pts/14pts (BP win)
3 Wales 6pts
4 France 6pts
Scotland 4 or 5pts/6pts (BPs L and/or Try bonus)

good reading for Ireland

thomond2006

Sexton's most egregious error was taking the tap penalty when Ireland were seven ahead. Crazy stuff. I was roaring at the TV.

Let's not forget however one of the most sublime moments in the game: Sexton's pass for Stockdale's first try. Executed quickly under pressure and put in front of Stockdale to gather at pace. Wonderful piece of ball handling.

The two kicks from near in front were poor misses but I do wonder if he was fully fit.

Stheno

I noticed a few times today that when the ball was passed to an irish player in attack a couple of others came up and formed a maul

Think Leavy did it a couple of times

Is this a new thing or just something ive not noticed before?

CatFromHue

Sexton's offload to Earls after the ball popped out of that ruck was pretty good too.

the one were Earls kick chased the ball all the way down to their goal

thomond2006

I forgot to mention Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

He's playing at a fcuking incredible level at the moment. Every time he got near the ball he was dangerous. He had absolute no right to make that crucial line break in the first half.

Former Former

thomond2006 wrote: »

I forgot to mention Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

He's playing at a fcuking incredible level at the moment. Every time he got near the ball he was dangerous. He had absolute no right to make that crucial line break in the first half.

He was always a top class finisher but he has added about twenty extra dimensions to his game in the last 12 months. He's absolutely on fire.

SuperSean11

Sorry to go off topic but yay Scotland

ebbsy

Would have liked England to win for the sake of Paddy's day.

Scotland's tackling was incredible.

chancer12

missed the match, grrrr. when will it be uploaded on Player? Thought they'd have it up by now!

thomond2006

thomond2006 wrote: »

I forgot to mention Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

He's playing at a fcuking incredible level at the moment. Every time he got near the ball he was dangerous. He had absolute no right to make that crucial line break in the first half.

Clearly playing the best rugby of his career.

Rala_

thomond2006 wrote: »

Sexton's most egregious error was taking the tap penalty when Ireland were seven ahead. Crazy stuff. I was roaring at the TV.

Let's not forget however one of the most sublime moments in the game: Sexton's pass for Stockdale's first try. Executed quickly under pressure and put in front of Stockdale to gather at pace. Wonderful piece of ball handling.

The two kicks from near in front were poor misses but I do wonder if he was fully fit.

Ah leave him to it, he probably felt he didn't have the confidence to kick it.

Rala_

Cowboy848 wrote: »

Even Tony Ward and other journalists agreed that the pressure came from online trolls until it was insurmountable. I’m not alone in knowing this was the case

Cowboy

swiwi_

So I’m at rugby camp Monthey Rugby 2018. After a hard day of Judo the beers and the Pastis are flowing. But Swiwi does not forget. He comes to félicite Ireland on its victory! Buvons buvons à votre santé.

pc7

Jebus lads I lurk a lot in here don’t post much, but fook me, 3 from 3, against France away and Wales at home with a bp. Wheels just came off the chariot, let’s enjoy tonight. I’ve got a feeling .....

rebel girl 15

pc7 wrote: »

Jebus lads I lurk a lot in here don’t post much, but fook me, 3 from 3, against France away and Wales at home with a bp. Wheels just came off the chariot, let’s enjoy tonight. I’ve got a feeling .....

SSSHHHHH, jinx it or what!

I think Ireland v England for the Grand Slam and Sixth nations would have been preferable to Ireland v England where England are at home and looking to spoil Ireland's party

Stheno

Stheno wrote: »

I noticed a few times today that when the ball was passed to an irish player in attack a couple of others came up and formed a maul

Think Leavy did it a couple of times

Is this a new thing or just something ive not noticed before?

Leeching, it's what we often do after getting slow ball to set up the next breakdown.

pc7

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

SSSHHHHH, jinx it or what!

I think Ireland v England for the Grand Slam and Sixth nations would have been preferable to Ireland v England where England are at home and looking to spoil Ireland's party

I’m two for two on wins there when I’ve gone and booked flights this morning. So for once I’m all in!!! (Ps was sure we’d lose by two today so I know feck all!)

AudreyHepburn

That has to be the best day of rugby I’ve seen so far this championship - dare we start to dream about *whispers* the Grand Slam?

AudreyHepburn

Also congratulations to Scotland - they knocked the chariot out from under England in style!

AudreyHepburn

edgecutter wrote: »

No one is upset, it was a great game but there are issues that need to be addressed. How we weren't out of sight and how poor our defence was need to be discussed.

Discussed yes but the way some of us are harping on you’d think we were diabolical.

It was a great game with superb play and that we should let a few mistakes overshadow that.

stephen_n

thomond2006 wrote: »

I forgot to mention Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

He's playing at a fcuking incredible level at the moment. Every time he got near the ball he was dangerous. He had absolute no right to make that crucial line break in the first half.

Yes and why was he subbed? Was it an injury, didn’t make any sense.

.ak

chancer12 wrote: »

missed the match, grrrr. when will it be uploaded on Player? Thought they'd have it up by now!

Watching it now.

salmocab

Been a big fan of Earls for a long time, in fact he’s genuinely the only Munster player that I think I wish he played for Leinster, now with him and Stockdale I think Ireland after a long time have 2 quality attacking wingers.
Earls should have been motm.

AudreyHepburn

As for Johnny Sexton missing a few points - bad misses yes but they don’t equate to a bad game or a bad player - I’m sure even Dan Carter missed a few points in his time.

I honestly think we’d be lost without him.

AudreyHepburn

almostover wrote: »

Simon Zebo but we can't pick him. Maybe Andrew Conway? Joey Carbery?

I would have said Conway or Carbery ahead of Zebo tbh - both far more consistent. Or even Earls,

thebaz

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

As for Johnny Sexton missing a few points - bad misses yes but they don’t equate to a bad game or a bad player

Seriously hope no one suggested Johnny is a bad player - be like saying Brian O'Driscoll was a bad centre - Ireland looking good - Joe Schmidt is such an amazing coach , we are blessed. He's blooded so many players and combinations that have worked at the top level - Top top man.

stephen_n

stephen_n wrote: »

Yes and why was he subbed? Was it an injury, didn’t make any sense.

I think he was just wrecked.

chancer12

what channel?

Buer

awec wrote: »

Also Ulster Rugby I hope you took a serious render after the man of the match was announced today you bunch of incompetent tits.

Farrell tore his ACL and then broke a bone. Ulster had been giving him game time at 18 when they already had Payne, Marshall, Cave, Olding and McCloskey on their books. He was clearly highly rated.

Ulster were keen on him but he opted to go elsewhere and turned down offers from other provinces and England.

stephen_n

Kenzie Harsh Volleyball wrote: »

I think he was just wrecked.

Hope so, don’t want him injured.

stephen_n

stephen_n wrote: »

Hope so, don’t want him injured.

He'd made quite a few sprints at that point chasing kicks etc then had to make one back to tackle. He was playing really well anyway.

stephen_n

Kenzie Harsh Volleyball wrote: »

He'd made quite a few springs at that point chasing kicks etc then had to make one back to tackle. He was playing really well anyway.

Yeah he was having a great game, that’s why I thought it might have been an injury, as it was quite early for an unforced substitution. Was definitely in contention for MOTM.

Burkie1203

https://twitter.com/TV3SportIreland/status/967435674331828224

AudreyHepburn

thebaz wrote: »

Seriously hope no one suggested Johnny is a bad player - be like saying Brian O'Driscoll was a bad centre - Ireland looking good - Joe Schmidt is such an amazing coach , we are blessed. He's blooded so many players and combinations that have worked at the top level - Top top man.

Unfortunately an awful lot of posters are suggesting exactly that. Complete rubbish of course.

Bridge93

Mighty happy with that. Generally a pretty good performance all round. To get a bonus point when we've struggled to score tries against the top teams was mighty pleasing. A lot of lads under pressure for a range of reasons stood up.

Thought the score flattered Wales for the most part until the end. Should have been far more comfortable than it was until Stockdale stepped in. The concern being Wales only had three real chances and were able to score them. Defence needs to be looked at. It seemed we kept getting caught really narrow. Wales were getting outside at will. Not sure what the reason was for it but Farrell and then Kearney at the end were scrambling on a number of occasions. North in particular gave Rob a torrid last 10/15 mins.

Very impressed by Porter, Leavy and Farrell in particular. Honourable mentions for Earls, Healy and Toner. Farrell and porter really showed up strong under immense scrutiny on both sides of the Irish Sea given who they were replacing. Farrells earned the 13 shirt for the rest of the competition. His hit of the first box kick set the tone for him. Porter just looks to the manor born.

Backrows for the most part cancelled each other out with Leavy the exceptional man among them. Was intrigued to watch it given all the absentees on both sides in that area.

Naturally disappointed with Sexton from the tee but he was superb elsewhere and wasn't fully fit in I'm led to believe. Those kicks when compared with Halfpennys performance nearly looked like biting us in the ass when they could've left a more accurate reflection of the game.

Looking forward to Scotland big time. Confidence on both sides but with the names to come back in and add to our depth you have to back them to pull through. I think a bonus point win while England only get the four is enough to win the championship?

Burkie1203

Bridge93 wrote: »

Mighty happy with that. Generally a pretty good performance all round. To get a bonus point when we've struggled to score tries against the top teams was mighty pleasing. A lot of lads under pressure for a range of reasons stood up.

Thought the score flattered Wales for the most part until the end. Should have been far more comfortable than it was until Stockdale stepped in. The concern being Wales only had three real chances and were able to score them. Defence needs to be looked at. It seemed we kept getting caught really narrow. Wales were getting outside at will. Not sure what the reason was for it but Farrell and then Kearney at the end were scrambling on a number of occasions. North in particular gave Rob a torrid last 10/15 mins.

Very impressed by Porter, Leavy and Farrell in particular. Honourable mentions for Earls, Healy and Toner. Farrell and porter really showed up strong under immense scrutiny on both sides of the Irish Sea given who they were replacing. Farrells earned the 13 shirt for the rest of the competition. His hit of the first box kick set the tone for him. Porter just looks to the manor born.

Backrows for the most part cancelled each other out with Leavy the exceptional man among them. Was intrigued to watch it given all the absentees on both sides in that area.

Naturally disappointed with Sexton from the tee but he was superb elsewhere and wasn't fully fit in I'm led to believe. Those kicks when compared with Halfpennys performance nearly looked like biting us in the ass when they could've left a more accurate reflection of the game.

Looking forward to Scotland big time. Confidence on both sides but with the names to come back in and add to our depth you have to back them to pull through. I think a bonus point win while England only get the four is enough to win the championship?

Joe spoke about this after the game. Its a connectivity issue between centres and wingers mostly and also a bad error by Conan for the last one.

England were totally dull today. Played right into Scotland hands. I dont think we will do likewise

Akrasia

stephen_n wrote: »

Yes and why was he subbed? Was it an injury, didn’t make any sense.

He took a lot of heavy hits and made a lot of tackles. We definitely missed him when he went off
McFadden made some major defensive errors in the few minutes he played

.ak

Few thoughts on the game as I rewatch it.

Thought it was a bloody brilliant game, no matter where your allegiance lies. People going on about Ireland having a mixed bag, but Wales were bloody good, and I think it's an insult to them to say it was our fault that we let them into the game. There was two teams out there.

In regards to how the teams played I thought Ireland looked really good throughout the game. They just looked so comfortable going through phase play, but whenever we looked to vary our game we seemed to unlock the Wales with easy. As Joe said, they were chasing shadows. The difference between Ireland and England's phase play was like night and day. We seemed to go through the nitty gritty phases without breaking a sweat, and just enough to suck the team in.

Defensively yes, Ireland showed issues, but if I'm being honest not at all as bad or worrying as some are making out to be. Some soft tries out there, not sure if all of them were legal, especially the one that brought Wales to 20 points - certainly a forward pass there. We seemed to be caught napping on the last try where we didn't even try to push out with the ball and instead someone shoots up to leave us exposed.

Thought Sexton was brilliant. Ignoring the few kicks he missed, which was unusual for him, he was brilliant around the park. The Welsh fans we were sitting with in the stadium were in awe of him despite the missed kicks. He was everywhere, involved in everything, and his pace and ability to keep the defence on honest opened up a lot of opportunities elsewhere.

For me though I thought Farrell was a joy to watch. From the very first kick return of the game where he flattened the Welsh receiver he was everywhere. His tackling was immense, he was our best carrier IMO, his distribution was tidy and his work rate was unrivalled. Honestly I couldn't get over how many meters Farrell was making with his carries. He was brilliant, it looks like Joe's 'project' has worked out. Before the end of the first half I felt he was destined to get MoTM.

Other players I thought were particular good was James Ryan, Healy, Earls, Murray, Leavy and Porter. Aki, Kearney, Stockdale, POM and Stander mixed the good with the bad.

Overall I'm very happy with that game, we always knew both teams would be evenly matched and the game proved the absolute cracker it was billed as. A great win, and to be honest this was the game I felt Ireland would be under the most pressure. Ofcourse the form Scotland are in that slightly changes things, but this was such a must win game, and even when we went 8 points down we never panicked, and felt we always knew our destiny.

Brilliant game and I'm just delighted it was the one game I got to see live in this Championship.

Burkie1203

Burkie1203 wrote: »

https://twitter.com/TV3SportIreland/status/967435674331828224

Surely he didn't say this after the match?

AudreyHepburn

Bridge93 wrote: »

I think a bonus point win while England only get the four is enough to win the championship?

I could be wrong but I don't think we even need a win. I think the Bonus Point would be enough.

Saying that I'm confident we will get the win. I don't believe it'll come down to Twickenham as cracking as that would be.

A win over England would simply be the icing on the cake.

Stheno

Kenzie Harsh Volleyball wrote: »

Surely he didn't say this after the match?

No hes said it before

He made some statement after the match that he regretted riling Schmidt with that statement and was very complimentary about Ireland

Stheno

Stheno wrote: »

No hes said it before

He made some statement after the match that he regretted riling Schmidt with that statement and was very complimentary about Ireland

Whole load of nothing then really. Loads of people said Ireland don't play much rugby in the build up to the match.

AudreyHepburn

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

I could be wrong but I don't think we even need a win. I think the Bonus Point would be enough.

Saying that I'm confident we will get the win. I don't believe it'll come down to Twickenham as cracking as that would be.

A win over England would simply be the icing on the cake.

If we lose against Scotland and then England beat France and then us they they'll win the championship so we certainly need to win against Scotland.

AudreyHepburn

Kenzie Harsh Volleyball wrote: »

If we lose against Scotland and then England beat France and then us they they'll win the championship so we certainly need to win against Scotland.

Fair enough, my mistake.

I do think we'll get the win either way though.