Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

awec

awec wrote: »

Nobody is talking about celebrating a semi final. There'll be no calls for an open top bus tour.

indeed

but comparing getting to a world cup semi final and getting to a Heineken Cup semi-final as some posters have done are way off the mark

The Heineken cup is a European club competition on every year. Some of the qualified clubs don't even prioritise it depending on their mood (e.g. as French clubs have done in the past).

The World Cup is only on every 4 years, is the biggest competition in Union and the very fact that Ireland haven't won 1 knockout game in 32 years makes that fact a big deal - it's an easy knock for any other nation and a huge chip on the shoulder for Ireland.

AbusesToilets

Harsh on Ruddock. Suppose he can be content, with his 1 appearance for the season. Clearly looking to ape Leo's career in green

irishbucsfan

Paul Smeenus wrote: »

On the boards.ie interweb forum.

Amongst others.

Is this because one fan (singular) has posted a list of where players are from? Or are there other threads/posts I’m ignoring here?

Because if it’s one fan, that’s outrageously sensitive

irishbucsfan

AbusesToilets wrote: »

Harsh on Ruddock. Suppose he can be content, with his 1 appearance for the season. Clearly looking to ape Leo's career in green

To be fair he was good but not spectacular the last time out.

I’m more heartened by the selection of Baird than disappointed by the absence of Ruddock. Baird may not be all the way there yet but he could be a huge asset. Would love if he comes off the bench and has a big contribution against a tiring Italian pack.

Paul Smeenus

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Is this because one fan (singular) has posted a list of where players are from? Or are there other threads/posts I’m ignoring here?

Because if it’s one fan, that’s outrageously sensitive

Yes, there are millions of posts and threads you are ignoring. Week in, week out.
Harry Byrne is far too good for the Pro12 and Hugo Keenan's Herculean list of amazeballs attributes being two of the most recent that I personally stirred the pot over.

It's tongue in cheek. Lighten up.

Molloy posting Leinster 24 - Ulster 12 is really more of the response I expected.

irishbucsfan

Paul Smeenus wrote: »

Yes, there are millions of posts and threads you are ignoring. Week in, week out.
Harry Byrne is far too good for the Pro12 and Hugo Keenan's Herculean list of amazeballs attributes being two of the most recent that I personally stirred the pot over.

It's tongue in cheek. Lighten up.

Molloy posting Leinster 24 - Ulster 12 is really more of the response I expected.

The problem is that what you said isn’t a joke, it’s what’s actually going to happen, and I’m not ready to accept that yet

molloyjh

Paul Smeenus wrote: »

Yes, there are millions of posts and threads you are ignoring. Week in, week out.
Harry Byrne is far too good for the Pro12 and Hugo Keenan's Herculean list of amazeballs attributes being two of the most recent that I personally stirred the pot over.

It's tongue in cheek. Lighten up.

Molloy posting Leinster 24 - Ulster 12 is really more of the response I expected.

And if you're not careful there's more where that came from!

Paul Smeenus

irishbucsfan wrote: »

The problem is that what you said isn’t a joke, it’s what’s actually going to happen, and I’m not ready to accept that yet

Actually laughed out loud there. Touché.

Former Former Former

I mean, people have to be happy with that team, right?

Lots of changes, two potential new caps, that dastard Healy finally benched. It's like a boards.ie fantasy XV.

Paul Smeenus

molloyjh wrote: »

And if you're not careful there's more where that came from!

Don't I know it.

normanbond

No point in hyping up this fixture, Ireland almost always dominate Italy.
Farrell’s team selection for this game is shocking for the future of the Irish game, playing an almost full Leinster team makes little sense??
Great if you’re a Leinster fan, great exposure for some of their fringe players to the international set-up.
Poor if you support Munster, Connacht or Ulster.
Very little separating Leinster and Munster in games played in last couple of years.
Can’t imagine many outside Leinster getting excited this weekend!

Former Former Former

normanbond wrote: »

No point in hyping up this fixture, Ireland almost always dominate Italy.
Farrell’s team selection for this game is shocking for the future of the Irish game, playing an almost full Leinster team makes little sense??
Great if you’re a Leinster fan, great exposure for some of their fringe players to the international set-up.
Poor if you support Munster, Connacht or Ulster.
Very little separating Leinster and Munster in games played in last couple of years.
Can’t imagine many outside Leinster getting excited this weekend!

I'm sure many people feel like that.

And frankly, f**k them. We are better off without people like that.

molloyjh

normanbond wrote: »

No point in hyping up this fixture, Ireland almost always dominate Italy.
Farrell’s team selection for this game is shocking for the future of the Irish game, playing an almost full Leinster team makes little sense??
Great if you’re a Leinster fan, great exposure for some of their fringe players to the international set-up.
Poor if you support Munster, Connacht or Ulster.
Very little separating Leinster and Munster in games played in last couple of years.
Can’t imagine many outside Leinster getting excited this weekend!

What fringe Leinster players are involved in that 23? Every one of them were in the 23 for the Saracens QF.

There is very little separating Leinster and Munster, other than the fact that Leinster have won the vast majority of games against Munster over the last few years, home and away.

But then here was me thinking that during the 6Ns we were Irish supporters. Maybe I'm just being silly though?

Paul Smeenus

I'm an Ulster fan and I'm excited. There's an Ulster and an Ireland game on this weekend. My Province, and my Island.

Just need to keep a lid on those uppity Leinster ones, is all.

Downlinz

A dull conservative selection but it's what we've come to expect, I'm debating if I even want to watch this game since any fixture against Italy always feels so pointless with the outcome never in doubt.

molloyjh

Paul Smeenus wrote: »

I'm an Ulster fan and I'm excited. There's an Ulster and an Ireland game on this weekend. My Province, and my Island.

Just need to keep a lid on those uppity Leinster ones, is all.

I've got some potentially better news for you. With the Scotland game postponed, Glasgow may get their internationals back and rock up to the RDS against a very depleted Leinster side (missing around 30 players). If that happens then they could do Ulster a massive favour by erasing the cushion Leinster have in our conference and leaving it Ulsters to lose with the game in Belfast likely a decider next week.

bilston

Paul Smeenus wrote: »

I'm an Ulster fan and I'm excited. There's an Ulster and an Ireland game on this weekend. My Province, and my Island.

Just need to keep a lid on those uppity Leinster ones, is all.

As long as we all remember to talk down the player from another province who someone from your own province could replace in the Ireland team then we're all good!

Telling you now if James Lowe scores a hat trick against Italy it will be worse than Gilroy's!

so what is the required outcome vindication for Farrell and Catt here?

Ireland score at least 6 tries against Italy who have conceded 90 points in their opening 2 games and the Ireland attack will be deemed "back" after scoring 1 created try in 2 games?

(Kelleher try was a French mistake and lucky bounce)

aloooof

normanbond wrote: »

Can’t imagine many outside Leinster getting excited this weekend!

Downlinz wrote: »

A dull conservative selection but it's what we've come to expect, I'm debating if I even want to watch this game since any fixture against Italy always feels so pointless with the outcome never in doubt.

We're in the middle of lockdown during a pandemic, and we still get to see an Ireland 6 nations game. Excited? It's the highlight of my week, tbh!

Paul Smeenus

molloyjh wrote: »

I've got some potentially better news for you. With the Scotland game postponed, Glasgow may get their internationals back and rock up to the RDS against a very depleted Leinster side (missing around 30 players). If that happens then they could do Ulster a massive favour by erasing the cushion Leinster have in our conference and leaving it Ulsters to lose with the game in Belfast likely a decider next week.

That would make me - and all of a righteous disposition - most pleased.

Yeah_Right

I like this selection. With the one proviso, that Casey and Baird get some meaningful game time off the bench. Good to see Furlong starting. Him and Porter are a fantastic one two punch at tighthead. I think Conan is a good bench option as he is a dynamic threat. I'd love to see Coombes there but that is my own personal bias. Daly instead of Earls could also be argued. Looking forward to the game.

aloooof

glasso wrote: »

so what is the required outcome vindication for Farrell and Catt here?

Ireland score at least 6 tries against Italy who have conceded 90 points in their opening 2 games and the Ireland attack will be deemed "back" after scoring 1 created try in 2 games?

(Kelleher try was a French mistake and lucky bounce)

In this particular game, I don't think there is any; it's one of those lose-lose situations.

Beat Italy comfortably and we'll hear "it's only Italy, we should have started other lads". Stutter to a win and it'll just invite more criticism.

Any vindication can only come in the Scotland and England games, imo.

Bazzo

Former Former Former wrote: »

I mean, people have to be happy with that team, right?

Lots of changes, two potential new caps, that dastard Healy finally benched. It's like a boards.ie fantasy XV.

Unless you're a Connacht fan :pac:

At least this is the only Ireland match of the 6 nations I can't watch live

Former Former Former

glasso wrote: »

so what is the required outcome vindication for Farrell and Catt here?

Ireland score at least 6 tries against Italy who have conceded 90 points in their opening 2 games and the Ireland attack will be deemed "back" after scoring 1 created try in 2 games?

(Kelleher try was a French mistake and lucky bounce)

You've answered your own question.

For those people who do not want us to suceed, nothing will be good enough.

We could win 100-0 and you'll shrug and say "big deal, it's Italy". If the new faces do well, you'll say "took him long enough to pick them". If the new faces struggle, you'll say we should have picked the other shiny new things. If the established guys play well, you'll say that we've learned nothing. If the established guys don't play well, you'll say that their time is long past and why can't Farrell see this.

There is no scenario in which you will say "that was good".

molloyjh

aloooof wrote: »

In this particular game, I don't think there is any; it's one of those lose-lose situations.

Beat Italy comfortably and we'll hear "it's only Italy, we should have started other lads". Stutter to a win and it'll just invite more criticism.

Any vindication can only come in the Scotland and England games, imo.

This. Quite why so many people view individual games in isolation is beyond me. They don't exist in isolation.

Jump_In_Jack

Yeah_Right wrote: »

I like this selection. With the one proviso, that Casey and Baird get some meaningful game time off the bench. Good to see Furlong starting. Him and Porter are a fantastic one two punch at tighthead. I think Conan is a good bench option as he is a dynamic threat. I'd love to see Coombes there but that is my own personal bias. Daly instead of Earls could also be argued. Looking forward to the game.

Agree except Lowe selection is pure sticking with a poorly performing player in the hopes he will improve.

There are loads of good wingers so no need to keep a guy that makes so many defensive read errors and lacks pace.

hawley

molloyjh wrote: »

Its entirely possible to do. Wales, IIRC, had never won a knock-out game until 2011. They then made a SF and came within a score of beating France despite Warburtons red card. Keep 15 men on the field and they probably win that game. They are then 1 win away from doing exactly what you think is absurd.

Wales beat England in the quarters in '87. They've been in three semi-finals.

Former Former Former

Former Former Former wrote: »

You've answered your own question.

For those people who do not want us to suceed, nothing will be good enough.

We could win 100-0 and you'll shrug and say "big deal, it's Italy". If the new faces do well, you'll say "took him long enough to pick them". If the new faces struggle, you'll say we should have picked the other shiny new things. If the established guys play well, you'll say that we've learned nothing. If the established guys don't play well, you'll say that their time is long past and why can't Farrell see this.

There is no scenario in which you will say "that was good".

if by "you" you're referring to me I would say that's not true at all

I'd be impressed if Ireland did to Italy what France did against them

A flowing confident and stylish attack execution with beautiful tries

But 20 phase bosh will probably be enough to punch a hole in the Italian defence to get through and that's far more likely what we are going to see instead of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLc4Y7vsvaA

hawley

hawley wrote: »

Wales beat England in the quarters in '87. They've been in three semi-finals.

prawnsambo

I am really very surprised that it's been this long since the last time we had an all Leinster back line.