Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

Podge_irl

Win rates versus New Zealand from 2016 onwards. If we repeat this kind of form after finally breaking our QF duck I'll be thrilled.

South Africa - 3.5/13 = 27%

England - 1.5/3 = 50%

France - 1/6 = 17%

Australia - 3.5/22 = 16%

Ireland - 5/8 = 63%

Morgans

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120983314#Comment_120983314

Didnt Ireland have a good record against the All Blacks before the last world cup? They are never going to be so far clear of the All Blacks that we don't play close to our maximum to win.

Beating NZ/Fra in a QF and losing to Eng/Aus or whoever in the semis would be a failure for me. The QF issue is nice for pundits to talk about. There have been only two quarter finals where I'd have given us a better than 50% chance of winning - one where we unfortunately had a ton of injuries - Argentina in 2015. The Irish performance vs France was one of the best of the tournament/best of irish world cups, but sadly came at a cost.

The welsh one in 2011 was a 50/50 game against a good Welsh team, that had our number unfortunately. I don't see these as mental failures. It wasnt mental baggage that prevented Ireland from being better than New Zealand in 2019.

Morgans

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120983313#Comment_120983313

I think you are setting them up to fail. Being number 1 in the world is borderline irrelevant, given that the draw for the World Cup was made three years ago. If Ireland was in the other half of the draw and failed to deal with that opposition, then you could talk about mental baggage. But claiming that if Ireland fail to beat South Africa, New Zealand and France (at home) is down to mental baggage is nonsense. Even if they do everything right they could very easily get beaten by a better team on the day. Believing that Ireland only have to get their head right and its in the bag is an immature way of looking at this. They have no divine right to beat these teams. If they play to their potential, they might.

aloooof

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120983367#Comment_120983367

I'd never argue that mental baggage alone is what's costing us, tho. (It's why I said it was an issue). You still have to go out and perform. And to beat NZ or France, we'll likely have to be closer to our best.

But I think not having that mental baggage in future World Cup's would help us to perform closer to our best.

I'd absolutely agree with the following too fwiw:

Beating NZ/Fra in a QF and losing to Eng/Aus or whoever in the semis would be a failure for me

But I strongly think that if we do win a QF, we'll also make a final.

Morgans

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120983409#Comment_120983409

If we can get through Scotland, SA, NZ or Fra, who knows who would be left standing.

Buer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120982922#Comment_120982922

I would guess that he's only there temporarily. They need another prop up to speed if there is an injury and, with Kilcoyne and Healy not being particularly young, it's prudent to have Loughman integrated. But they did this earlier in the camp also with others such as Conway coming into the camp for a week before being released due to work load/knocks for members of the squad.

The phrasing of Fogarty's comment yesterday suggests it's for the duration of Kilcoyne's rest period:

"Killer [Kilcoyne] is just looking after himself for the week, so Jeremy will step in with us."

TheRestorationOfPeter

Earls to make his 100th cap v England

The records keep tumbling

salmocab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120984780#Comment_120984780

What record?

lbj666

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120983416#Comment_120983416

More a question who on the team would be still left standing at that stage.

Game against SA and Tonga ..potential knockout against the Scotland..

Players will be putting their season/careers on the line for such 1/4 final game.

It's why there are questions whether they have the size and depth to withstand this.

Past winners have had far more comfortable opposition in the 1/4s ..that is guaranteed not to happen.

TheRestorationOfPeter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120984785#Comment_120984785

Only Irish winger to ever reach 100 caps?

To put that in context the next closest is Trimble on 70 caps

How about the oldest centurion winger in International rugby ever!

salmocab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120984886#Comment_120984886

Meh they are both a bit loose, second one is a bit interesting if true but neither are that noteworthy really.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120984900#Comment_120984900

as an aside, the second one wont last long if Touda plays for Georgia in the RWC, and Earls doesnt travel. But fair dues to him if he gets that record on Saturday.

But delighted for him, he fully deserves it, and if he plays on saturday i hope he has a worldy.

salmocab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120984971#Comment_120984971

Absolutely, I’m delighted for him great player and seems a decent bloke too. I think he’ll travel and pick up one or two more caps too.

Rugbymad2020

So IRFU want rassie to replace Nucifora

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985077#Comment_120985077

nope, its reported that rassie is one name on a list. Theres no indication that Rassie is the preferred option, and to be honest, there would be many better options out there (eg Joe Schmidt)

Rugbymad2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985102#Comment_120985102

Well from my contact who is the same life who told me months before anyone had any idea that rassie was leaving Munster has told me they want him bad!take from that what u will.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985139#Comment_120985139

ill take it as an anecdote, until the IRFU announce who the replacement will be.

If he ends up being the best man for the job, so be it, but im not sure "oversight of all coaching, medical, sports science, athletic performance, performance analytics and coach and player development staff" plays to Rassies best strengths, which i view as being coaching on the pitch and in the dressing room.

Dave_The_Sheep

That would not be a popular decision. I'd be disgusted by it, for one.

I'll take it with a pinch of salt for the moment mind you.

leakyboots

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985029#Comment_120985029

And hopefully add to his record try scorer at RWC haul, he's sitting on 8 now.

Podge_irl

I don't consider the IRFU that incompetent or careless so I'm choosing to believe it's nonsense until proven otherwise.

ionadnapokot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985368#Comment_120985368

And none were scored when playing right wing!

I thought he would get the 100th cap v Romania. I suppose he still will be in the squad now.

BOD and POC have 17 RWC appearances. Earls has 14, Healy 13, Murray 13, Sexton 12 & Henderson 9.

tobefrank321

I fancy the southern hemisphere teams to do well again, they always do. I think having the Rugby Championship a few months before the World Cup is perfect preparation for them and gives them an advantage. An extremely intense competition under their belt while the Northern teams are left playing fairly low intensity tests in the build up.

This is why I think we could struggle against SA or NZ, but I'm hoping to be proved wrong.

ionadnapokot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985139#Comment_120985139

I'd be interested to know when did he tell you? Most of us suspected when he had his lawyer deny it in Jan '17.

Then Erasmus himself said this in Feb "When that happens there is always a lot of speculation around different coaches. I am definitely not in the mix there."

It was in March that he gave the IRFU his notice.

Despite repeatedly denying he was leaving after Saracens loss in April, most knew by May he was out the gap. The story was released to press at seasons end in Jun '17.

Nucifora was perfectly independent for the Performance Director role. If the IRFU wanted somebody charismatic and utterly ruthless then Erasmus ticks that box. However, the fact that he is completely untrustworthy and a bit of a headbanger would be a problem!

I hope its Joe Schmidt.

AbusesToilets

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985711#Comment_120985711

It's a definitely a massive benefit to the RC teams, they come in more battle hardened than the 6Ns team get to.

Must love hardship

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985833#Comment_120985833

I'd prefer a Conor O'shea type personality myself over Rassie.

Buer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985833#Comment_120985833

He let Niall Scannell go on live television and state that he (Rassie) was staying and had told the squad. If he treats his own players like that, I'd rather have him nowhere near the set up.

"It's brilliant that Rassie is staying around. It's brilliant for our club and it's brilliant for Irish rugby - the players he is bringing through and the confidence he has given us."

Asked what a relief it was for the players to know the South African was committing himself to Munster, Scannell replied:

"There was a lot of speculation but Rassie clarified it to us [that he was staying] a couple of weeks ago."

fitz

The guy is poisonous, I'd be disgusted if the IRFU brought him onboard.

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120985833#Comment_120985833

To be honest , one of the things that helped Nucifora was the fact that he had zero connection to Irish Rugby prior to coming on board.

Having someone that has a previous connection leaves them open to all kinds of claims of bias/favouritism etc.

Nucifora was able to be an equal opportunity bollocks to everyone.

As an aside ,someone once described Nucifora to me as "the most aggressively Australian person" they had ever met.

And I knew exactly what they meant... :-)

AbusesToilets

I wouldn't welcome a further influx of South African influence into our game tbh. Very on the fence with Nienbarr coming to Leinster.

Rigor Mortis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120986608#Comment_120986608

Other than being a seemingly nice bloke and a good media performer, it is really hard to see what Conor O'Shea has achieved in concrete terms.