"I started a joke, that started the whole world ......" | Ireland v New Zealand.

Man Vs ManUre · 15-10-2023 4:04pm

Ireland deserved to lose that game just for having a fan who thinks it is a great bit of absolute horseplay to bring a pineapple to the stadium and wave it in the air.

letsseehere14 · 15-10-2023 4:20pm

Theres nuance to every game and every result. But in the cold hard light of day this was a world cup with

- the most talented and best prepared Irish team ever

- the weakest Australian team ever

- the weakest English team in decades

- the weakest Welsh team in decades

- a very average Scotland

- a poor Italy

- the weakest Argentine team in about 15 years

- a very good but injury hit French team

- a very good S.A team

As golden an opportunity in history to progress to a semi final minimum and they bottled it. They were slow to breakdown, ponderous in possession, months in camp together and the lineout didn't improve one iota. It was a complete and utter bottle job.

N.Z did nothing crazy, just kicked from play smartly and contested the kicks. Challenged the obviously weak line out. Contested the breakdown as quickly as they could with numbers. Simple things and it was enough. If they won breakdown ball from proper contests then ok, but it was quite literally an isolated irish player with only 1 support player coming in late or at some stages no support at all. Thats lack of bottle, lack of composure and it was repeated all over the pitch.

This was an absolute failure of a tournament from an Irish perspective. To look at it from any other perspective is an excercise in mediocrity.

aloooof · 15-10-2023 4:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121240822#Comment_121240822

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121240841#Comment_121240841

Mod: Mr Disco and Flesh n Blood, do not reply to each other on thread again.

PTH2009 · 15-10-2023 4:37pm

Where are all the videos of us Irish dancing around not giving a **** about the result. Only the great craic

Mr Disco · 15-10-2023 4:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121241666#Comment_121241666

A massive failure of management leaving Sexton on hoping to fulfil his dream end to his career

ednwireland · 15-10-2023 4:38pm

someone said crowley wasn't ready , sorry shouldn't be on the bench then. sexton was cooked and ireland left him on the bench. crazy decision.

crushproof · 15-10-2023 4:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121241693#Comment_121241693

Couldn't have put it better myself, spot on. From an Irish sports perspective it was a massively missed opportunity to finally win something big and put a mark on the world.

15-10-2023 4:43pm

Johnny Sexton 2 Grand Slams, 4 ERCs, World player of the Year.

What a great, great player, living in the head of begrudgers rent free for 15 years😊

Enjoy your retirement!

Mr Disco · 15-10-2023 4:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121241775#Comment_121241775

Sexton was indulged for the last 2 years. He should have just retired and allowed proper prep for a new outhalf - Crowley, Byrne whoever. This praying he’d last at the top level til he’s nearly 40 was crazy

Dubinusa · 15-10-2023 4:47pm

Aahhhh hindsight. If only I had have went on only fans?

bucketybuck · 15-10-2023 4:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121241775#Comment_121241775

How could he or anybody else be ready when they don't get any real game time?

As I recall Sexton started 5 of the 6 Six nations games, only missing one due to injury. Then they arrive at a world cup wondering why there is no backup to Sexton.

Mr Disco · 15-10-2023 4:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121241813#Comment_121241813

This is the point and the usual refrain is - well no one is good enough, no one has stepped up blah blah blah. Total nonsense. Saint Johnny is partly responsible for another QF malfunction

riddles · 15-10-2023 4:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121241693#Comment_121241693

The score was 7-3 Ireland I think for the period of the sin binnings which I'd imagine is way less to what we accumulate on average previously

15-10-2023 4:51pm

Thread seems to have a few Carlow chaps on. By lad, aye lad🤣

Those outhalves needed to take the position. Real power isn't something you're given, it's something you take.

David Humphreys didn't roll over for ROG, ROG didn't roll over for Sexton.

Not Sexton's fault he was still the best outhalf.

roverjoyce · 15-10-2023 4:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121241798#Comment_121241798

It happens every 4 years because of the central contracts

BOD, Best were kept too long

Same will happen or is currently happening with Earls,POM, Healy, Murray

Dubinusa · 15-10-2023 4:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121241821#Comment_121241821

And yet.... Sexton is the best option available.

Cluedo Monopoly · 15-10-2023 4:59pm

What are the thoughts around Porter's penatles in the scrum? Were they justified? I thought he had his man turning in first.

Mr Disco · 15-10-2023 5:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121241856#Comment_121241856

And is he today? Sure keep him til 2027 then ffs

downtheroad · 15-10-2023 5:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121241545#Comment_121241545

Scotland might be ranked #5, but they're sh!te. We should be glad to be have been drawn against them rather than Argentina for example.

15-10-2023 5:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121241856#Comment_121241856

True. He had a great tournament. Not his best yesterday but a good few players had more in them. That's sport, it was always a 50/50 game.

Rebelbrowser · 15-10-2023 5:08pm

I suspect the following question from, in truth, a non rugby person (but big sports fan generally) will annoy some, but is there not a smidgen of truth in the often put argument that test matches are, ultimately, more akin to friendlies and simply can't have the same intensity as knock out matches? I know both teams take tests very seriously but when there is, ultimately, no silverware at stake, its difficult for me to understand how that is comparable to a match like last night. Seems to me that World Rubgy needs more than 1 knock out competition every 4 years (and I know the world calendar is presently being reviewed). The 6 nations is great and all, but its the same six teams being played in a two year rota, every single season....

downtheroad · 15-10-2023 5:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121241642#Comment_121241642

I was in Stade de France last week for the Scotland game and there were a few goys, straight out of a Ross O Carroll Kelly novel, sat behind me.

About 70 mins in one of them questioned when would Farrell bring Conor Murray on. I turned around to explain he came on for James Lowe around the 42nd minute, and was met with a very confused face.

"For fock sake Fiachra, James Lowe went off injured haaawf an hour ago".

You get all sorts at these matches 😀

ersatz · 15-10-2023 5:18pm

There are 4 or 5 Irish out halves who would have been better than Johnny in the last 30 minutes last night. He had a poor game yesterday. I thought it was a real tell that BB went for a drop goal, a few years ago it didn’t occur to him and he wasn’t prepared for it but yesterday the ABs played classic knockout rugby. On another day they go to the corners w those early penalties but against Ireland they understood that getting in front was half the battle won.

JS has been a mighty player for us but the argument many of us made a couple of years ago still stands. The fact that no one else is better doesn’t change the fact that he likely wouldn’t make it through a brutal wc campaign and sure enough by 55 minutes last night his legs were gone but Crowley didn’t have the confidence of the coaches, even though he might well be good enough if he’d had the investment. Without being disrespectful, this became the Johnny sexton show rather than the World Cup show. It’s not a poor reflection on sexton, he’s a stone cold pro who was selected and proved his value, but the selectors should have known this was a likely scenario.

aloooof · 15-10-2023 5:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121241798#Comment_121241798

He was still the best 10 for the last 2 years. And not by a small margin.

That's not indulgence.

There's a clear argument he could've been taken off earlier last night, but that's something else entirely.

15-10-2023 5:28pm

Crowley turns 24 in the new year, he has 10 years ahead of him. We need someone to nail the 10 quickly. I think Crowley will.

After every WC it's the beginning of a new era. I posted ages yesterday. We had the oldest squad in the tournament. A lot of 31 year olds. How many will make 2027 at 35.

Farrell has to build a new team. Longterm I see O'Gara taking over. He's 46 now. So in many ways in his heyday as a relatively young coach.

walshb · 15-10-2023 5:32pm

Game on!!!

rubbledoubledo · 15-10-2023 5:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121241773#Comment_121241773

100% correct

riddles · 15-10-2023 5:59pm

That shouldn't be his choice solely it's cost dearly last night.

Shehal · 15-10-2023 6:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121242044#Comment_121242044

Because they won, if NZL lost they wouldnt be too happy either about the situation either. The applies for either France or SA tonight.

Argentina and England are an absolute rabble yet are in a SF despite not beating a side ranked higher than 7th in the world and yet Ireland and one of SA/FRA are going to be out in the QF's after having to play 3/2 top 5 teams...when a draw is done based on rankings from 4 years ago this is the shambles you get.

"I started a joke, that started the whole world ......" | Ireland v New Zealand.

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