Guinness SIX Nations 2021

LuckyLloyd

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Starting all of Earls, Sexton, Murray, Healy, O'Mahony and Stander is obscene. There is obviously zero long term vision or plan. All leading up to being embarrassed at another world cup. It's beyond frustrating.

Something, something, Irish rugby cannot afford a rebuild...

All other nations can, but not the Irish.

clsmooth

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Something, something, Irish rugby cannot afford a rebuild...

All other nations can, but not the Irish.

Yep just like Wales are rebuilding with Lydiate, Faletau and Tipuric in their back row packing down behind AWJ. It’s a results based industry, very easy for us with no skin in the game to demand revolution when sporting success tends to be more based on evolution.

thomond2006

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Starting all of Earls, Sexton, Murray, Healy, O'Mahony and Stander is obscene. There is obviously zero long term vision or plan. All leading up to being embarrassed at another world cup. It's beyond frustrating.

Stockdale is injured and Larmour had a nightmare in Thomond Park. I can see why Earls remains in the side.

No other 10 is pushing Sexton for his spot. That's the reality. Billy Burns and Ross Byrne haven't demanded selection in the minutes they've played. The hope is that the academy flyhalves like a Harry Byrne or Ben Healy will be pushing in a year or so.

Murray is the best option and he's played well recently. Craig Casey is in the extended squad and will hopefully get capped during the tournament. JGP got the majority of minutes during the autumn.

LH is a big issue and has been the most criticised in terms of the extended squad selection.

POM and Stander are both playing well. Doris would have been starting but for injury.

We can't look at everything through the prism of a RWC. If there's a Six Nations to be won, we have to go for it. The England loss last night has opened the door too. Now, if we were to lose today and lose to France then big decisions on players need to be made.

littlevillage

joseywhales wrote: »

I don't know the intoxicating talent can be good sometimes

Agreed, I plan on being completely (intoxicated) intoxicating by 3pm

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

France will beat the green off us.

This place has an obscene belief in this Irish setup.

We've won six of our last 10 games against France, drawn 2 and lost 2.

They haven't beaten us in Dublin since 2011.

I accept that they are a better team the last season and a half - but I think you are being more 'obscenely' unrealistic than I am to be honest.

Jacktheelad

Eddie Jones saying England want to be the greatest team in history & spending the build up giving advice to the Irish & Welsh coaches before losing to Scotland at home for the first time in 40 years in their first game of the tournament.

This made me smile

Zzippy

Happy Sixmas everyone!

I remember the days when we would have a thread specifically to allow posters apply to write match threads for the 6N. Some were even entertaining. Where are all the rugby forum Flank O'Briens and Spike Milligans gone?

/nostalgia

lawrencesummers

lawrencesummers wrote: »

Considering I think we have zero chance of winning the tournament

I guess this is where our difference of opinion rests so. I think we'll beat Wales today based on their recent form (7 losses out of 10).

I think we will beat Italy. I would have us as favourites against Scotland.

Based on today's performance do I think England will roll us over in Dublin? I would say not.

If we can win 4 out of 5 games then we've a much better than zero chance of winning the tournament.

I would imagine that if Kilcoyne had more game time this season he might have pushed ahead of Healy. I suspect he'll play close to half of the match today.

I don't think Burns or Byrne are the natural successor to Sexton any more than Madigan was. Carberry gets back fit then the conversation changes.

We have pipeline issues in a few positions - we just don't have anyone in those positions screaming for first team minutes.

Zzippy

Zzippy wrote: »

Happy Sixmas everyone!

I remember the days when we would have a thread specifically to allow posters apply to write match threads for the 6N. Some were even entertaining. Where are all the rugby forum Flank O'Briens and Spike Milligans gone?

/nostalgia

Everyone is still basking in the messy afterglow of England losing at home to Scotland.

Scratchly

Zzippy wrote: »

Happy Sixmas everyone!

I remember the days when we would have a thread specifically to allow posters apply to write match threads for the 6N. Some were even entertaining. Where are all the rugby forum Flank O'Briens and Spike Milligans gone?

/nostalgia

Probably all banned. Turns out board's policy of ban everyone for everything wasn't a great long term business plan.

The Inbetween is mine

Scratchly wrote: »

Probably all banned. Turns out board's policy of ban everyone for everything wasn't a great long term business plan.

Welcome back

Scratchly

The Inbetween is mine wrote: »

Welcome back

Thanks! I wasn't banned by the way. I fled during the purging and took refuge on Reddit. But that too fell underneath the fascist boots of "de mods".

Scratchly

I'm actually expecting a big Irish win. Which given previous similar expectations makes me nervous. Wales regularly somehow do us over when we're the favourites.

thomond2006

Zzippy wrote: »

Happy Sixmas everyone!

I remember the days when we would have a thread specifically to allow posters apply to write match threads for the 6N. Some were even entertaining. Where are all the rugby forum Flank O'Briens and Spike Milligans gone?

/nostalgia

Ban Buer and then we'll talk.

swiwi_

clsmooth wrote: »

Yep just like Wales are rebuilding with Lydiate, Faletau and Tipuric in their back row packing down behind AWJ. It’s a results based industry, very easy for us with no skin in the game to demand revolution when sporting success tends to be more based on evolution.

Lydiate has come back from the dead. So that’s an original way to rebuild. If asked I would have said he was retired!

Zzippy

thomond2006 wrote: »

Ban Buer and then we'll talk.

It's either you or him, and the mod team can't agree...

swiwi_

Zzippy wrote: »

It's either you or him, and the mod team can't agree...

Better the devil you know. Adieu thomond.

Zzippy

Zzippy wrote: »

It's either you or him, and the mod team can't agree...

Allow Thomond Monday - Friday and Buer at the weekends. Thomond doesn't know anything about rugby so we won't miss him in the match threads - and we'll have fewer days having to tell Buer to shut up.

win - win.

Zzippy

Plot twist. Buer and Thomond are the one entity. Ever seen Fight Club?

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

We've won six of our last 10 games against France, drawn 2 and lost 2.

They haven't beaten us in Dublin since 2011.

I accept that they are a better team the last season and a half - but I think you are being more 'obscenely' unrealistic than I am to be honest.

Our best players were in their prime during that period. None of our best players are anywhere remotely near their prime now.

This current team is going nowhere.

Our tactics consist of; carry ball into contact ---> ruck ---> aimless box kick---> chase ---> back on the backfoot.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

Our best players were in their prime during that period. None of our best players are anywhere remotely near their prime now.

This current team is going nowhere.

Our tactics consist of; carry ball into contact ---> ruck ---> aimless box kick---> chase ---> back on the backfoot.

I view this as such extreme hyperbole I don't really know how to respond or if I should bother.

I think we've one or two players beyond their best days, we've a few more coming into their prime and we've a good mix of experience and youth.

I think your description of our playstyle is reductive and the main issues in my opinion are our lineout and organisation at the breakdown as opposed to kicking or carrying.

I suppose we'll just have to wait and see how we go today.

degsie

Who has TV rights apart from VM?

Scratchly

degsie wrote: »

Who has TV rights apart from VM?

Split between BBC and ITV for the UK. Game today is on BBC I think.

Dwarf.Shortage

Who does the coverage for BBC? Not sure I am in the mood for Alan Quinlan today

Buer

Zzippy wrote: »

Plot twist. Buer and Thomond are the one entity. Ever seen Fight Club?

F*ck. Right. Off.

thomond2006

Buer wrote: »

F*ck. Right. Off.

Yeah, shut up Zzippy.

Zzippy

Buer wrote: »

F*ck. Right. Off.

Face your demons Buer. You're a bogger-slash-hipster with a love of Munster and a fetish for pear in a bacon sandwich.

OldRio

Dwarf.Shortage wrote: »

Who does the coverage for BBC? Not sure I am in the mood for Alan Quinlan today

Warburton Heaslip and Johnson are doing the pre game and are very very good

.ak

Zzippy wrote: »

Plot twist. Buer and Thomond are the one entity. Ever seen Fight Club?

I thought we agreed we weren’t telling them this? They aren’t ready...

lawrencesummers

Wales by 3.



I hope not but they are being completely underestimated and Pivac is an excellent coach.

DJIMI TRARORE

Needs a bit more kicking in this game

lawred2

Not a great start

Scratchly

Warburton on BBC very positive after that saying its a good start for Wales and they'll kick on with the momentum.

Surely Pivac answered nothing in that game. Wales were very close to losing and were outplayed for most of the game despite having a man advantage for most of it.

A win is a win but there can't be any confidence gained by that performance.

Scratchly

Scratchly wrote: »

Warburton on BBC very positive after that saying its a good start for Wales and they'll kick on with the momentum.

Surely Pivac answered nothing in that game. Wales were very close to losing and were outplayed for most of the game despite having a man advantage for most of it.

A win is a win but there can't be any confidence gained by that performance.

Wales were incomprehensively bad and only two massive errors from Earls one after another and an uncharacteristic mistake from Ringrose kept them in the game.

They showed and offered nothing and I don't see them kicking on from this at all.

lawred2

Scratchly wrote: »

Warburton on BBC very positive after that saying its a good start for Wales and they'll kick on with the momentum.

Surely Pivac answered nothing in that game. Wales were very close to losing and were outplayed for most of the game despite having a man advantage for most of it.

A win is a win but there can't be any confidence gained by that performance.

Another example of the folly that is employing a lad barely out of the panel to talk about his friends

Burkie1203

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Wales were incomprehensively bad and only two massive errors from Earls one after another and an uncharacteristic mistake from Ringrose kept them in the game.

They showed and offered nothing and I don't see them kicking on from this at all.

Wales are away to Scotland next week. If they win that they have some momentum. Sometimes a win or two changes everything for a team.

thomond2006

Deleted User wrote: »

Wales were incomprehensively bad and only two massive errors from Earls one after another and an uncharacteristic mistake from Ringrose kept them in the game.

They showed and offered nothing and I don't see them kicking on from this at all.

Wales won the tournament in 2013 after losing in the first game against Ireland at home, where Ireland completely dismantled them in the first half with the second half turning into a training run. Wales then went to Paris and won by 10 in one of the worst 6N games for a long time. They ended the tournament by destroying England and claiming the trophy on points difference.

In such a short tournament you only need to turn up in 2 or 3 games to get the job done. In Ireland's 2009 GS run you could argue the only game they outperformed themselves was the opener against France.

lawrencesummers

thomond2006 wrote: »

Wales won the tournament in 2013 after losing in the first game against Ireland at home, where Ireland completely dismantled them in the first half with the second half turning into a training run. Wales then went to Paris and won by 10 in one of the worst 6N games for a long time. They ended the tournament by destroying England and claiming the trophy on points difference.

In such a short tournament you only need to turn up in 2 or 3 games to get the job done. In Ireland's 2009 GS run you could argue the only game they outperformed themselves was the opener against France.

You could argue that alright.


But you would be wrong

joseywhales

Deleted User wrote: »

Wales were incomprehensively bad and only two massive errors from Earls one after another and an uncharacteristic mistake from Ringrose kept them in the game.

They showed and offered nothing and I don't see them kicking on from this at all.

Earls missed a catch,gave away a penalty, kicked away a turnover and ringrose missed an offload?

This is some take on a game where a player got red carded in the first 15 minutes and the out half kicked a penalty out on the full in the last play of the game that they lost by 5 points.

hahashake

France by far the team of the weekend even if Italy are barely tier 1.

Maybe harsh on Scotland but they were dominant in most areas and yet couldn't turn that into points. Wales lucky to win after playing a man up for most of the game.

RugbyLover123

Interesting to see Ian McGeechan has Murray and Russell as his half back pairing on his team of the week. He obviously doesn’t read Boards🀣

Podge_irl

RugbyLover123 wrote: »

Interesting to see Ian McGeechan has Murray and Russell as his half back pairing on his team of the week. He obviously doesn’t read Boards��

Good thing he doesn't coach anymore either.

Burkie1203

RugbyLover123 wrote: »

Interesting to see Ian McGeechan has Murray and Russell as his half back pairing on his team of the week. He obviously doesn’t read Boards🀣

Is Russell any good at chasing box kicks

RugbyLover123

RugbyLover123 wrote: »

Interesting to see Ian McGeechan has Murray and Russell as his half back pairing on his team of the week. He obviously doesn’t read Boards��

He obviously doesn't watch the games either.

Even Murray's mother would admit he stunk out the Principality yesterday.

crossman47

RugbyLover123 wrote: »

Interesting to see Ian McGeechan has Murray and Russell as his half back pairing on his team of the week. He obviously doesn’t read Boards��

Nonsense to pick Murray if hes including France in his team but he was the best of the rest.

AdamD

Russell was genuinely appalling for Scotland, they won in spite of him.

Podge_irl

AdamD wrote: »

Russell was genuinely appalling for Scotland, they won in spite of him.

Close run thing between whether picking Russell or NOT picking Dupont is worse but if true they are both utterly absurd selections.

hirondelle

AdamD wrote: »

Russell was genuinely appalling for Scotland, they won in spite of him.

I agree- and also note that the BBC gave him MOTM, the Guardian was swooning over hm etc. I can't understand how some people seem to gloss over the truly crap things he did in the game. Even the drop goal attempt at the end- the pass to hm was poor so he should have readjusted and not just kicked it anyway.

Podge_irl

Podge_irl wrote: »

Close run thing between whether picking Russell or NOT picking Dupont is worse but if true they are both utterly absurd selections.

To further things, it was his Lions XV of the week and hence no Dupont.

Pretty happy he's not coaching the Lions anymore.

aloooof

AdamD wrote: »

Russell was genuinely appalling for Scotland, they won in spite of him.

It's almost incredible how well Scotland's entire backline played, considering how poorly Russell did.

I think we could have expected it from Maitland and Hogg, but I was extremely impressed with their new 12, Redpath, who I knew nothing about before that game. Some performance for your debut in Twickenham.