Ireland v France

Shefwedfan · 10-03-2019 10:00PM

troyzer wrote: »

Are you genuinely trying to argue that Ringrose is over rated?

For **** sake. You get some ****e on here during the Six Nations.

At least he is better than SOB:P:P:P :P:P

lawred2 · 10-03-2019 10:01PM

Pussyhands wrote: »

Ringrose has scored 2 tries in 9 six nations as an outside centre for one of the best teams in the world and you're telling me that's good?

They've been hyping him up all his career. I remember the over exaggeration when he scored that try v Australia...claiming he was the second coming of BOD.

Yerra give over. Ringrose is class.

The Rape of Lucretia · 10-03-2019 10:03PM

Pussyhands wrote: »

Ringrose has scored 2 tries in 9 six nations as an outside centre for one of the best teams in the world and you're telling me that's good?

They've been hyping him up all his career. I remember the over exaggeration when he scored that try v Australia...claiming he was the second coming of BOD.

He is very BODlike in his reactions and decision making, as well as handling, and tackling style. This is no accident. He was aping that example on the Williamstown pitches.

There is surely no one left now who doesnt recognise Ringrose as both Ireland first choice 13, and most important centre. He is probably also Ireland first choice 12 depending on availability of others. Basically, it Ringrose plus A.N Other.
Aki / Henshaw is a close call, and I would edge Henshaw on play, and additionally on an oldfashioned preference for Irish players representing Ireland.
Without Ringrose, Aki/Henshaw is the next best combo. Capable, but lacking the thrust of Ringrose blunts it as an attack.
Having only either Aki or Henshaw of that trio, and we are struggling. Having none of the three, and it is a damage limitation, save face somehow, type venture.
Ringrose is critical to any WC hopes. I would only play him for 60 minutes in one of the 4 practice games, simply to limit the chances of him being injured. He is that critical.

Pussyhands · 10-03-2019 10:03PM

troyzer wrote: »

Are you genuinely trying to argue that Ringrose is over rated?

For **** sake. You get some ****e on here during the Six Nations.

2 tries in 2 seasons in the 6 nations. He is over rated. Any international centre can make a loop pass like today by the way.

Shefwedfan · 10-03-2019 10:03PM

Not sure what this first choice second row is about

We need options depending on the opposition. So for some games Toner will be a better option. For some games Henderson and Ryan will be better.

At the moment Dillane looks to be back in form and he is nailed down as 4th choice. I am glad for him. Nothing against Berine or anything but Dillane had a hard time and great to see him back in fold

prawnsambo · 10-03-2019 10:06PM

Pussyhands wrote: »

2 tries in 2 seasons in the 6 nations. He is over rated. Any international centre can make a loop pass like today by the way.

Yeah, that's the only thing he did today. Such a funny post.

Perifect · 10-03-2019 10:11PM

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Not sure what this first choice second row is about

We need options depending on the opposition. So for some games Toner will be a better option. For some games Henderson and Ryan will be better.

At the moment Dillane looks to be back in form and he is nailed down as 4th choice. I am glad for him. Nothing against Berine or anything but Dillane had a hard time and great to see him back in fold

Maybe put Toner on for the lesser games in the world cup but when we're going first string, Henderson has won his spot in my opinion. He can run the lineout and around the field he's exceptional.
The battle is on for the bench spot. Beirne v Dillane.

troyzer · 10-03-2019 10:11PM

Pussyhands wrote: »

troyzer wrote: »

Are you genuinely trying to argue that Ringrose is over rated?

For **** sake. You get some ****e on here during the Six Nations.

2 tries in 2 seasons in the 6 nations. He is over rated. Any international centre can make a loop pass like today by the way.

His try count is irrelevant. We don't score many tries from midfield, that's not our game. We are not built on linebreaks.

Henshaw only has 4 tries in 7 years. Aki has a better strike rate but he also is the most independently minded centre which also has its drawbacks.

Comparing him with BOD is silly, he's probably the best back who's ever played the game. But Ringrose is already a better defender than BOD was at his age. He's also got a much more developed kicking game and his rugby IQ is off the charts.

Seán Cronin has nearly four times more tries for Leinster this year than Ringrose. Do you think he should play in the midfield? Or maybe it suggests that Leinster are built around the driving maul more than the individual player flare which is ultimately not really a recipe for success as a team.

lawred2 · 10-03-2019 10:11PM

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Not sure what this first choice second row is about

We need options depending on the opposition. So for some games Toner will be a better option. For some games Henderson and Ryan will be better.

At the moment Dillane looks to be back in form and he is nailed down as 4th choice. I am glad for him. Nothing against Berine or anything but Dillane had a hard time and great to see him back in fold

You're not sure about first choice but dead sure about fourth choice..

Either way I know what you're saying but for me Henderson and Ryan are Ireland's best two second rows. Sure there are games where Toner can and will come in..

Faugheen · 10-03-2019 10:12PM

Pussyhands wrote: »

2 tries in 2 seasons in the 6 nations. He is over rated. Any international centre can make a loop pass like today by the way.

There’s no international centre in the NH with the exception of Jonathan Davies that has the all-round game Ringrose has.

Why is it than whenever he’s missing the back line looks like a shadow of what it can be? His range of passing, his kicking, his ability to make that extra yard or two in the tackle and his defence are all outstanding. He’s not a prolific try scorer, but that’s what we have Stockdale and Earls for.

He’s also only 24 years of age and is at such a high level already. He’s still a baby as far as centres go.

penybont exile · 10-03-2019 10:13PM

Not sure what to make of this weekend's games TBH .....

"Phoney war" ... says some hack on WalesOnline ..... kind of feels like it .... next week is the real one.

Thought Ireland were good in the first half .... though very one dimensional when in the French 22. The first time they tried something other than biff-bash or x-kick they scored under the sticks!

Wales were a lot more economical when they were on top yesterday .... however to win next week they can't concede the possession stakes like they did in the second half.

Thought both sides were fairly sloppy also .... too many unforced errors.

There's not much between the teams so it's going to be fine margins next week. Be interesting to see if Wales continue with Anscombe @10. He can be got at ..... Wales will go after Murray .... looks off the pace to me. [Probably have a stormer now ....].

Thought Wales were very physical yesterday especially in the first half ..... could be the difference ...... if they can replicate.

Crowd will play a part ..... they will put a lot of pressure on the referee [Angus Gardner] .....

Wales have been very good in these big, final 6N games over the years ......... when they get a sniff of the silver they tend to deliver [05, 08, 12, 13] ...... Hopefully this continues to be the case.

is_that_so · 10-03-2019 10:13PM

Pussyhands wrote: »

Ringrose has scored 2 tries in 9 six nations as an outside centre for one of the best teams in the world and you're telling me that's good?

They've been hyping him up all his career. I remember the over exaggeration when he scored that try v Australia...claiming he was the second coming of BOD.

Eh he's only 24.

Hugh_C · 10-03-2019 10:25PM

lawred2 wrote: »

Yerra give over. Ringrose is class.

And so pretty

Perifect · 10-03-2019 10:27PM

This has been a great match thread with an outstanding opening post previewing the game, no need to spoil it by talking about the pretty boys. Kearney will get jealous.

Neil3030 · 10-03-2019 10:33PM

The only reason I know that guy isn't Garry Ringrose secretly trolling himself is because the trolling is nowhere near the level I imagine Garry Ringrose could achieve if he set his mind to it.

molloyjh · 10-03-2019 10:35PM

So, with the benefit of a bit of time after the game (I was bitterly disappointed with that final quarter) I’m actually pretty happy with that all told. If you’d told me that we’d get a comfortable TBP win before kick off I’d probably have laughed in your face so the overall result is a massive positive in the context of how the tournament has gone fornus so far. There were still some inaccuracies but we were never going to fix everything in 1 game. It was one big step in the right direction though. Hopefully we can continue that on next week.

I thought France provided a sterner test in some ways than I expected. I figured that if they struggled early on then they’d crumble. But to be fair they didn’t. Not defensively anyway. Even after we secured the TBP they were still pretty dogged. I’m not sure why they don’t fear us the way they do the likes of England. Since Joe took over we’ve won 5 of 6 games against them, with their only win being a 1 pointer at home in awful conditions that they scraped at the death. We have their number yet they still don’t seem as fragile against us as others. It’s very frustrating. They didn’t fire a shot themselves until very late in the game, but on the other side of the ball they did make life very difficult.

We helped with some errors of course. Some of our passing and decision making was poor. I thought Stockdale had a really poor game and Aki wasn’t great going forward. Sexton has a couple of poor moments too, including a cross field when we had scrum advantage which saw us lose possession. But overall our hunger and aggression was where it needed to be.

I was delighted to see a few guys prove me wrong. I was worried about Hendo calling the line out, but he was very good there (and everywhere else!). I’ve also been critical of Standers lack of a passing game, but that pop to Earls was lovely. More of that please CJ!

The MOTM could have gone to any of Ryan, Hendo, Stander or Ringrose for me. Healy would probably have been in the conversation had he played a little longer. He was excellent. The idea that Ringrose was poor is laughable. And the missed tackle stats are misleading. His reads are just so good and he shut off outside options so often, forcing carriers back inside to be smashed by the likes of Aki. His chase for the 5m scrum was top quality and he was very unlucky not to get that try under the posts. We are a far better side with him in it.

Next week is huge and we’ll need to cut out the errors and play with some serious aggression. I still fancy Wales to win it. They are so good in games like these because they just get their headspace bang on and constantly deliver for each other. They are more than capable of a massive defensive performance, which we’ve seen before in Cardiff. But at the same time I haven’t been overly impressed with them outside of the England game tbh. I’m looking forward to it now. I can’t see us winning the Championship, and I ultimately don’t care who does if it isn’t us. I just want to see us go out and play like I know we can. That’ll be enough ahead of the RWC. If we’re beaten by a better team on the day then that’s fine.

Shefwedfan · 10-03-2019 11:00PM

lawred2 wrote: »

You're not sure about first choice but dead sure about fourth choice..

Either way I know what you're saying but for me Henderson and Ryan are Ireland's best two second rows. Sure there are games where Toner can and will come in..

Maybe reread the post

I wouldn’t say we start x and y because they are our first choice....depending on the opposition then pick the best player to combat the specific requirement, so it could’ve WC final but you know Toner will be the best choice because of a number of reason, so pick Toner

I do think Henderson and Ryan would have started v England if fit....people are constantly looking for a reason to drop Toner who is an unbelievable player for ireland

All_in_Flynn · 10-03-2019 11:03PM

Henderson and Ryan were immense. Hard to think of a better 2nd row combo in world rugby.

Very impressive performance overall today I felt. Couldn’t give a toss what England do next week. For me this is all about the World Cup and I think England are a tier below us. Wales next week will be close. Feel we are better man for man and as a team but they are on a roll and have home advantage.

Has anyone ever done to France what Ireland done today? They could not get out of their 22. It was incredible. Granted we should have put a couple more on then but given the last 3 performances today was a massive improvement.

Hard for any team to live with us when we get going like that today. We have the ability to just suffocate teams. Room for improvement too of course.

Lastly, Rory Best! What a fantastic player and servant to Irish rugby. Sad to see him play his last competitive home game today.

FrancieBrady · 10-03-2019 11:07PM

All_in_Flynn wrote: »

Henderson and Ryan were immense. Hard to think of a better 2nd row combo in world rugby.

Very impressive performance overall today I felt. Couldn’t give a toss what England do next week. For me this is all about the World Cup and I think England are a tier below us. Wales next week will be close. Feel we are better man for man and as a team but they are on a roll and have home advantage.

Has anyone ever done to France what Ireland done today? They could not get out of their 22. It was incredible. Granted we should have put a couple more on then but given the last 3 performances today was a massive improvement.

Hard for any team to live with us when we get going like that today. We have the ability to just suffocate teams. Room for improvement too of course.

Lastly, Rory Best! What a fantastic player and servant to Irish rugby. Sad to see him play his last competitive home game today.

He is due a massive send off. Gentleman and heart of steel.

Wheres Me Jumper? · 10-03-2019 11:26PM

FrancieBrady wrote: »

I was actually talking about an Irish side after a possible defeat by France. (which is eminently possible)

another great prediction frankie!

FrancieBrady · 10-03-2019 11:30PM

Wheres Me Jumper? wrote: »

another great prediction frankie!

You couldn't get anyone to notice you on the other thread so you have decided to jump up and down here? :rolleyes:

Sorry, I ignored you on the other thread and will do it on this too.

Dubinusa · 10-03-2019 11:49PM

Ringrose's 1st turnover was from an awful pass from Sexton. It was behind him and Bastaraud was all over him.
The 2nd was from a woeful Murray pass, that was down by his ankles.

stephen_n · 10-03-2019 11:50PM

penybont exile wrote: »

Not sure what to make of this weekend's games TBH .....

"Phoney war" ... says some hack on WalesOnline ..... kind of feels like it .... next week is the real one.

Thought Ireland were good in the first half .... though very one dimensional when in the French 22. The first time they tried something other than biff-bash or x-kick they scored under the sticks!

Wales were a lot more economical when they were on top yesterday .... however to win next week they can't concede the possession stakes like they did in the second half.

Thought both sides were fairly sloppy also .... too many unforced errors.

There's not much between the teams so it's going to be fine margins next week. Be interesting to see if Wales continue with Anscombe @10. He can be got at ..... Wales will go after Murray .... looks off the pace to me. [Probably have a stormer now ....].

Thought Wales were very physical yesterday especially in the first half ..... could be the difference ...... if they can replicate.

Crowd will play a part ..... they will put a lot of pressure on the referee [Angus Gardner] .....

Wales have been very good in these big, final 6N games over the years ......... when they get a sniff of the silver they tend to deliver [05, 08, 12, 13] ...... Hopefully this continues to be the case.

With home advantage it’s Wales Grand Slam to lose. I said from the outset that it would be tight between Wales, England and Ireland for the championship. I didn’t think anyone would do the slam. I thought at that stage we’d beat England, they’d beat you and you’d beat us. Hasn’t quite worked out like that. I would imagine we will see a performance more like the English game than the Scotland game from Wales next week. It will be tight, but I’d see Wales shading it.

mangobob · 11-03-2019 12:19AM

Shefwedfan wrote: »

They had a 26 point lead when Joe emptied the bench. That would have been the biggest Ireland win ever over France.

He didn't need to either, apart from the front row who held their own in the last few mins. It was to give players experience.

I go back to my original point. Joe could have kept the main part of the team on the field and closed out the game for a record win, they would probably have put another score or 2 on France but he decided to give some players a bit of time on pitch. A new 9/10 combo is a prime example.

This allowed France back into the game but it gave those players time on the pitch. So people moan and complain. If he kept Murray/Sexton on the pitch you would have the same people moaning and complaining.

Everyone knows the last 10 mins are important, but Ireland was too far in front so it wasn't like France could win it and it was more important to give guys a shot......

I totally understand and support the decision to bring the young guys on for the last period in the game. That's not what I am "moaning and complaining" about. It was the right decision, but the point is that we should have been much further ahead before they came on. They are not the reason that the scoreboard didn't reflect our dominance. The reason is because we squandered so much of what we worked so hard to create in the first 3 quarters of the game, which is pretty frustrating.

But anyway I don't want to labour the point, because it sounds like I am just focussing on the negatives when in fact there is far more to be pleased about in that performance. I tend to agree with Molloys post earlier. I was really disappointed in that last quarter and especially those last 5 minutes of the game. But as the dust settles and a little time has passed, I am feeling more and more satisfied with it. We still have a distance to go before we get back to 2018 levels of performance, but we are getting there. Our 9/10 axis is back working well and I expect Murray to be even better again next week. I was happy with how the younger guys went when they came on, and I felt everyone really stepped up and delivered across the park. Not sure if he has been mentioned much, but I felt Stander was really excellent today. I was also particularly delighted for Best - a great way to bow out of your last home game in the 6 Nations. Crucially we have some momentum now going into the showdown with Wales.

Whats the capitals about?

Emphasis. Is that alright like?

FrancieBrady · 11-03-2019 12:56AM

Watching it again and I think the quality of the French defence has been downplayed. They took some breaking down and we literally smothered them for 40 minutes and more.

Amprodude · 11-03-2019 01:55AM

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Based on what?

They hardly beat England and lost against Ireland. SA beat them as well.

At home against France, they didn't look super either......

Don't let that fool your judgement.

Ardillaun · 11-03-2019 02:38AM

Amprodude wrote: »

Wales showed that England are average when it comes to it. NZ are a league above everyone else.

I’d put NZ definitely number 1, England 2 a fair bit back and then the following group. One win doesn’t make Wales better than England. For a long time the Welsh were woeful against France. On the plus side, they have a solid scrum, two good fly-halves, a solid centre partnership and an excellent full back.

Ardillaun · 11-03-2019 02:52AM

Perifect wrote: »

Against 14 men from 68-78 minute.

Things got better for the French with 14. You might even say it’s that Sun King feeling...

Neil3030 · 11-03-2019 04:25AM

Ireland were leading 26-0 with 74 minutes played, France down to 14 men, when Garry Ringrose gave a penalty away for offside in midfield. France kicked for the corner and though they didn't score off that immediate set play, they rode the momentum and eventually broke through a short time later and avoided the whitewash. Such a smart move by Ringrose; nilling France wouldn't mean all that much in the broader context of the tournament, and with Brexit negotiations ongoing, you really want to keep all parties in Europe on your side. Little gestures could make all the difference should talks reach a deadlock. It's this lightning fast decision making, integration of cost and benefit, and broader geo-political perspicuity that keeps Ringrose, in the eyes of many, the best outside centre in the world.

Dubinusa · 11-03-2019 04:33AM

Rewatched the match.
Gotta say that Larmour was very good overall. He hit a lot of rucks and beat a lot of defenders. He is by no means a top quality fb, yet. He has some work to do, but the tools and talent are there.
Carty had some nice plays. Couple of fantastic kicks to touch.
I think he's better than Carbury.
The 1st French try looks like a POM and Ryan mistake. They missed their assignment and France finally broke through.
The 2nd try was a result of a dominant French scrum which resulted in a penalty. Our front row crumbled under pressure.
Pity Conway didn't get much of a run.
Aki was a mixed bag imo. Stockdale too!
Sexton looks like he's coming around.
Murray whilst improving, is still a ways below his normal form.
I think Henderson was better than Ryan today!
Conan was really strong in the tackle and the carry. He really stood up.
I'm going to say that Cooney is a test level 9. He's no superstar, but he's a solid 9.
I wouldn't be too worried about him starting a top level test. I think that all of the provinces 9's are test level players.
Anyhow, next week will be a barnburner.
I hope our performance is there and our sloppiness is eradicated.

Shefwedfan · 11-03-2019 06:38AM

mangobob wrote: »

Emphasis. Is that alright like?

Capitals are used to indicate you are shouting, are you aware of that?

Plus I wasn’t picking out one poster, it was a comment about the general fan...it seems no matter what coach, selection etc people will just complain for the sake of complaining

troyzer · 11-03-2019 07:16AM

Joe using the word "learnings" instead of "lessons" is really starting to get on my tits.

Pussyhands · 11-03-2019 08:06AM

All_in_Flynn wrote: »

Henderson and Ryan were immense. Hard to think of a better 2nd row combo in world rugby.

Very impressive performance overall today I felt. Couldn’t give a toss what England do next week. For me this is all about the World Cup and I think England are a tier below us. Wales next week will be close. Feel we are better man for man and as a team but they are on a roll and have home advantage.

Has anyone ever done to France what Ireland done today? They could not get out of their 22. It was incredible. Granted we should have put a couple more on then but given the last 3 performances today was a massive improvement.

Hard for any team to live with us when we get going like that today. We have the ability to just suffocate teams. Room for improvement too of course.

Lastly, Rory Best! What a fantastic player and servant to Irish rugby. Sad to see him play his last competitive home game today.

Yeah spent the whole half in their 22 and got 3 tries....

jr86 · 11-03-2019 08:06AM

Much, much better from Ireland

Intensity was much better, line speed phenomenal and a very low error rate.

Still a bit turgid in attack - when they finally decided to utilise a subtle backs move it paid dividends. There's no way you're simply going to just bash Wales over the line next week

Overall a very welcome improvement - while also accounting for how awful the French were, even if they defended admirably for periods. That said 26-14 does not reflect the match at all and you do have to wonder have we found out in this tournament, we do not have the depth we may have thought

Next saturday is one of those occasions where I expect tournament form to matter little. Wales have shown on umpteen occasions they're a team for the big occasion, and have never failed in going for the slam (and championship 2013) in the 6n era (incidentally all at cardiff!). On the other hand we often raise our own game in these types of matches (England 2011, England 2017)

Like in 2009 (the other way around) I think the hunger when actually playing for something tangible may well be enough to swing it in what is likely to be a game of small margins

Pussyhands · 11-03-2019 08:08AM

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Watching it again and I think the quality of the French defence has been downplayed. They took some breaking down and we literally smothered them for 40 minutes and more.

The attacking play was hardly mesmerising. It was basic hands when it went to the backs and the forwards it was just running into them. Very little imagination or creativity allowed, no offloads or anything.

FrancieBrady · 11-03-2019 08:15AM

Pussyhands wrote: »

The attacking play was hardly mesmerising. It was basic hands when it went to the backs and the forwards it was just running into them. Very little imagination or creativity allowed, no offloads or anything.

No it wasn't mesmerising, but on another day a might have gone differently. It wasn't that the French were making that many mistakes, we just were not giving them the ball to play with.
Struggling to remember a game were we were 3 tries up after 30 mins and were disappointed. Especially after the recent form of the team. It's a world cup year, we need to lighten up a bit, the trajectory is up.

Birdie Num Num · 11-03-2019 08:17AM

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Watching it again and I think the quality of the French defence has been downplayed. They took some breaking down and we literally smothered them for 40 minutes and more.

There was a lot of stupid play by France. We pinned them into their own 22 for most of the first half but they fluttered around with the ball like they were happy to stay there.

We played well (better) and some great performances but some lads still due a big performance, I'm thinking Furlong particularly. Hope Kearney will be back and if not I'd sooner Conway in than Larmour.

I've a slight feeling that the Irish Fullback that will be happiest next week could be Conor O'Shea.

Scotland for the Calcutta cup. Prosecco rather than Champagne. Ireland to win in Cardiff! PG.

prawnsambo · 11-03-2019 08:17AM

Pussyhands wrote: »

The attacking play was hardly mesmerising. It was basic hands when it went to the backs and the forwards it was just running into them. Very little imagination or creativity allowed, no offloads or anything.

Five offloads. Larmour, Ringrose, Aki, Carty and Stockdale. Yep, no offloads. Same as the French who also had five. Is that how you calculated it? 5-5=0?

FrancieBrady · 11-03-2019 08:25AM

Birdie Num Num wrote: »

There was a lot of stupid play by France. We pinned them into their own 22 for most of the first half but they fluttered around with the ball like they were happy to stay there.

We played well (better) and some great performances but some lads still due a big performance, I'm thinking Furlong particularly. Hope Kearney will be back and if not I'd sooner Conway in than Larmour.

I've a slight feeling that the Irish Fullback that will be happiest next week could be Conor O'Shea.

Scotland for the Calcutta cup. Prosecco rather than Champagne. Ireland to win in Cardiff! PG.

Because we pinned them in, is the reason they fluttered around. I thought that was obvious. They simply were given no options the odd time they got the ball.
It took Wales 70 minutes to get on top of this side, we did it after 5 mins.

Burkie1203 · 11-03-2019 08:28AM

Conan ended as top tackler on 16
Ryan had 13
Stander had 12

troyzer · 11-03-2019 08:29AM

Burkie1203 wrote: »

Conan ended as top tackler on 16
Ryan had 13
Stander had 12

Conan isn't even international standard of course.

Birdie Num Num · 11-03-2019 08:30AM

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Because we pinned them in, is the reason they fluttered around. I thought that was obvious. They simply were given no options the odd time they got the ball.
It took Wales 70 minutes to get on top of this side, we did it after 5 mins.

They had the option to kick themselves out of trouble and decided to run it and then put themselves in trouble. Typically French but that's fine when it's a French team playing well with typical French flair.

Burkie1203 · 11-03-2019 08:30AM

Larmour to Munster anyone?

https://twitter.com/CianTracey1/status/1104852194350620673?s=19

Pussyhands · 11-03-2019 08:32AM

Conan did more yesterday than SOB has done for years for Ireland.

Pussyhands · 11-03-2019 08:33AM

Burkie1203 wrote: »

Larmour to Munster anyone?

https://twitter.com/CianTracey1/status/1104852194350620673?s=19

Larmour isn't going to last at full back. Luckily he won't be starting next weekend. Williams would eat him for breakfast in the air.

Birdie Num Num · 11-03-2019 08:34AM

Pussyhands wrote: »

Conan did more yesterday than SOB has done for years for Ireland.

I assume you are not taking SOB's injuries and time off the pitch into account. But yes Conan played very well yesterday.

FrancieBrady · 11-03-2019 08:35AM

Birdie Num Num wrote: »

They had the option to kick themselves out of trouble and decided to run it and then put themselves in trouble. Typically French but that's fine when it's a French team playing well with typical French flair.

They did try to get that game going but failed. That's a plus for us and back to the form we had previously - awesome intensity. Certainly more work to do though. But I do feel we are aiming through the target of the 6 Nations, which is exciting.

Pussyhands · 11-03-2019 08:36AM

Birdie Num Num wrote: »

I assume you are not taking SOB's injuries and time off the pitch into account. But yes Conan played very well yesterday.

SOB has been getting caps for years for Ireland off reputation alone. He's been finished at this level a long time.

lawred2 · 11-03-2019 08:37AM

Pussyhands wrote: »

2 tries in 2 seasons in the 6 nations. He is over rated. Any international centre can make a loop pass like today by the way.

Pussyhands wrote: »

SOB had been living off his reputation for years. He broke onto the scene as a massive ball carrier breaking tackles and soon got figured out. The only thing he's good for now is hitting rucks and that's not enough for international.

Pussyhands wrote: »

Ringrose has scored 2 tries in 9 six nations as an outside centre for one of the best teams in the world and you're telling me that's good?

They've been hyping him up all his career. I remember the over exaggeration when he scored that try v Australia...claiming he was the second coming of BOD.

Pussyhands wrote: »

The midfield is devoid of any creativity anyways because Joe doesn't give it to them except for training ground set plays off lineoutsand scrums. Least number of offloads of the teams in the 6 nations tells it's own story!

Hoping Farrell opens it up a bit but I think he'll still go for this boring structured stuff.

Pussyhands wrote: »

SOB has been getting caps for years for Ireland off reputation alone. He's been finished at this level a long time.

Pussyhands wrote: »

Yeah spent the whole half in their 22 and got 3 tries....

Pussyhands wrote: »

The attacking play was hardly mesmerising. It was basic hands when it went to the backs and the forwards it was just running into them. Very little imagination or creativity allowed, no offloads or anything.

Pussyhands wrote: »

Conan did more yesterday than SOB has done for years for Ireland.

Pussyhands wrote: »

Larmour isn't going to last at full back. Luckily he won't be starting next weekend. Williams would eat him for breakfast in the air.

quite the antagonist aren't you!?

do you get any joy out of Irish rugby?

Birdie Num Num · 11-03-2019 08:40AM

Pussyhands wrote: »

SOB has been getting caps for years for Ireland off reputation alone. He's been finished at this level a long time.

I think he probably knows himself where he is at. Unlikely he'd be heading off to London Irish if he thought he was at the top of his game. He has been brilliant for Ireland. Conan hasn't reached that level yet.

Ireland v France

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