Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

phily2002 · 10-03-2022 4:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118763038#Comment_118763038

Good man, sorry you couldn't change my "narrow view" of POMS selection.

Yeas he brings leadership and lineout skill but personally I don't think he does enough around the park. I hear the logic but disagree with it.

We've different views which is OK. Unlike you I'm not too worried about changing your narrow views...

Dubinusa · 10-03-2022 4:23pm

Ouch! Don't like this side. I think we will lose now. The back row looks smallish and not physical. I'd have Beirne at blindside. I'd also have Kilcorne starting. Healy doesn't have the loose game anymore.

Could be a long day. The dropping of Casey is mind-boggling, Murray just doesn't have the game for how we're trying to play.

Must love hardship · 10-03-2022 4:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118763499#Comment_118763499

You want a bigger more physical team and casey in the squad??

jp101 · 10-03-2022 4:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118762000#Comment_118762000

Could it be that the issue not POM v Conan but Conan V Doris for no 8 and then POM is seen as next best 6. There must be some logic.

Pale Caucasian · 10-03-2022 4:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118763399#Comment_118763399

There is some accepted or supposedly proven opinion that POM doesn’t contribute enough around the park. This is completely false created by people unwilling to work overly hard and using social media to diminish players and in this case creating a false projection on O Mahony.

This is likely due to old rivalry’s but the image of OMahony doing nothing backed up by falsified stats over the course of several random games and not a good sample size to prove their opinion - has stuck. It’s due to people like you who don’t verify it and check the very evidence used to propagate this opinion online.

There have been a few vindictive and focused people one in particular set up to undermine his performances after every game he played over the course of two or three years. You just regurgitate that un-backed up vitriol. The stats on those rugby websites are for simpletons judging players performances on tackles made and metres gained. There’s very little more meaningful evidence for player performance on them. You shouldn’t multiply this clap.

phog · 10-03-2022 4:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118763399#Comment_118763399

I've no narrow views POM. Look back on the recent team selections and show us where I was moaning over him benching rather than starting. I get what players bring to the side and I can see why AF went with him for this game that's hardly a narrow view or do you think AF suffers from it too?

Jump_In_Jack · 10-03-2022 4:51pm

The pack back 5 looks a little under-powered to me.

I’d have had Henderson over Ryan with Treadwell on the bench.

And Coombes at 8, with Doris at 6, Timoney on the bench.

I might have started Henshaw at 13 instead of Ringrose too.

This team looks like we’ll need to keep the English pack moving around if we’re going to get the better of them.

on the positive side, I think our bench might be more impactful than theirs, fingers crossed.

Dubinusa · 10-03-2022 5:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118763524#Comment_118763524

A more physical pack!

Interested Observer · 10-03-2022 5:08pm

Having seen the England side I don't think it's brilliant either. The difference if Farrell and Tuilagi were in would be huge.

kuang1 · 10-03-2022 5:18pm

Despite the drop off in posters here since the castration job done on boards, plenty still to giggle at on a Thursday afternoon in a 6ns week.

Thanks everybody! :)

phily2002 · 10-03-2022 6:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118763577#Comment_118763577

Jesus man, I don't think it's a conspiracy. What stats are falsified? He's down for 5 tackles made and 2 missed on espn, 6 nations the same . No defenders beaten. Maybe they could be a bit off but I think they are normally pretty accurate and I would have thought even his biggest fans would acknowledge this isn't a strong area of his game.

POM has huge strengths, hence all his caps. For me I'd prefer a player who's more solid in defense and a stronger carrier. The coaches obviously value his lineout work and leadership more which is fine.

Look hopefully he goes well. He's pulled off huge performances in the past and would be great to see one again at the weekend.

phily2002 · 10-03-2022 6:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118763600#Comment_118763600

I get that man, which is fine. Just because I disagree with you doesn't mean I'm narrow viewed. I know he brings lineout ability and leadership. However with Porter gone we lose a strong defender and attack option as Healy doesn't offer nearly as much. Then taking out Conan who is probably our best tackler and a strong carrier wide and in traffic, our pack now doesn't look as dangerous.

Anyway we're going in circles. Hopefully he plays a blinder and we win.

phily2002 · 10-03-2022 7:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118764153#Comment_118764153

So your best shot at Conans tackling is a clip of Conan getting out and making his tackle...

Great offload but clearly forward.

tooka · 10-03-2022 7:12pm

The bench could be crucial, I think the Irish front row replacements and murray are not inspiring and if the game is close or if we are chasing the game we could be in trouble

sydthebeat · 10-03-2022 7:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118764153#Comment_118764153

so your example to denigrate Conans tackling ability is to show him making two tackles in a row....

youre not very good at this 'rugby' thing, are you......

ersatz · 10-03-2022 7:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118764336#Comment_118764336

yeah, maybe we get on top with a fast game early on, great. But if it's tight in the last quarter...squeeky bum time.

phog · 10-03-2022 7:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118764011#Comment_118764011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118764043#Comment_118764043

23 man squad, hopefully they all have a good game and we win.

jimdemp · 10-03-2022 8:19pm

Seems like Aki is now 1st choice 12 for Ireland

aloooof · 10-03-2022 8:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118764011#Comment_118764011

“POM has huge strengths, hence all his caps. For me I'd prefer a player who's more solid in defense and a stronger carrier.”

Whatever about the carrying, where I think you have a point, I’ve never thought POM was a poor defender or tackler tbh.

And I’ve always thought the tackling stats (and stats in general) that we are privy to are very rudimentary.

For example, you could easily have an isolated defender who scrags a player, which goes down as a missed tackle but could be an excellent piece of defending, allowing the secondary tacklers in to complete behind the gainline.

Equally, a player could make their tackle but soak 5 yards and concede quick ruck ball.

I love a stat, but I think, generally, they don’t really tell us as much as we might think.

ersatz · 10-03-2022 8:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118764671#Comment_118764671

Yeah, I go back to some of his passing in November and the difference he made. It's a big part of Farrell's game. Still I imagine Robbie will have something to say ab out that.

Larbre34 · 10-03-2022 8:56pm

The game hinges on two things.

If we can maintain <1.5 second rucks and England are not let away with lounging all over them in leisurely way, we will turn them inside out and Marcus Smith will be shown up for the exceptionally average player that he is.

jimdemp · 10-03-2022 9:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118764824#Comment_118764824

Robbie is more of a 13 its rare you will see Ireland play a top5 team without Aki at 12

BoardsMember · 10-03-2022 9:39pm

Who is the ref for Saturday, and how is he likely to adjudicate the breakdown?

ersatz · 10-03-2022 9:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118764839#Comment_118764839

Except Gatland is the only coach who feels like that when Ringrose is available.

sydthebeat · 10-03-2022 10:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118765008#Comment_118765008

Raynal, he allows a free for all

BoardsMember · 10-03-2022 10:34pm

Even harder to understand how we didn't try to go for a physical back 5. I'd have gone with Hendo in the row, Beirne at 6 to put some manners on Lawes. I cant see how POM is the answer to this England team's strength, hopefully I am proved wrong.

bilston · 10-03-2022 10:39pm

I feel Porter is a huge loss. Healy is fine and I'm sure he has one HUGE game in him, but it's the bench where the issue lies.

Doris is best at No.8 so delighted to see him there as harsh as it is on Conan. Ideally I'd have Beirne at 6, but Henderson needs more gametime.

Backs are what I expected.

Still think Baloucoune has been really unlucky, although he was never going to be drafted in for this match.

Wegians89 · 10-03-2022 10:58pm

Moving Doris back to 8 is nicely lining up prendergast at 6 for the rwc.

TRC10 · 10-03-2022 11:14pm

Having a prop as good a carrier as Porter is a luxury, not something you should rely on. Healy is a very good scrummager and does the basics very well. I know he isn't as impactful around the park as he used to be, but you can carry one forward who isn't much a ball carrier, when you can still put out 7 good ball carriers, which makes the POM selection even more confusing. Especially when our style relies heavily on having as many carriers as possible (look at how VDF lost his place under Farrell until he improved his carrying). We lose one ball carrier to injury, and then we voluntarily remove another. Bringing in Henderson would have had the same effect and more. Leadership, another jumper, plus a ball carrier and some power in the scrum

I don't know, if I was an England fan I'd be quietly confident after seeing that Irish team. Baloucoune is an asset that we really should be using now, when he's probably at the peak of his powers as a winger. I'd much rather come up against Conway. Murray's continued inclusion at this stage is mind boggling, I could name at least 5 better Irish 9s right now.

Doris I think is vastly overrated. He just makes so many handling errors. He can be a good carrier if he holds onto the ball, but that's a massive "if". He's just a very clumsy player and he body positioning in contact is quite poor and leaves him exposed to be turned over. I'd have Conan and Coombes both ahead of him.

As someone who is generally a fan of Farrell's selections, this has to be one of his poorer ones for me. I can see us losing this.

phog · 10-03-2022 11:40pm

Looking at a few posts since the team was announced it seems one player has a huge target on his back should we lose.

Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

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