Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

The two week gap is handy as if we need something from the Scotland match the players will be well rested.

If we get another bonus point win against South Africa and Scotland fail to get 5 points against Tonga this weekend then the IrevSco match won’t matter to us, we’d still top the group.

We could put out a fully rotated side and try to avoid injuries.

I’m not expecting us to get a bonus point win this weekend, and I think Scotland will get a bonus point win against Tonga, so my prediction is that we’ll have to go fully loaded against Scotland, which is reminiscent of the situation we had in 2015; we beat France to avoid NZ but lost about 5 key players and ended up losing to Argentina.

Didn’t realise that. There was me blaming the French directors for all the artistic slow motion clips of players faces in between plays.

Relax..... nice try at trying to evade responsibility for what you said yourself. I am just quoting the exact words you used yourself so its you who should be doing the reassessment. The fact Scotland were well beaten by World Champions South Africa does not change the fact that they are a decent side overall which is the only point I originally made in addition to another posters point that Ireland has indeed played and beaten some decent sides in more recent times.

I have to laugh at some of the language and tone people use on here while gossiping about rugby and debating the games. Scotland are better than they've been and they've performed against poor English and Welsh teams but that is that, but they've been well handled by better teams and the beating SA gave them should reinforce that.

Russel is one of the most skillful players in the scene at the moment and when he has space and time and a disorganized opponent he is very dangerous, but shorn of that space, and against an opponent playing to his weakness, he is very ordinary and his mistakes pile up. He is like Quade Cooper in that regard. He was played off the park by SA who deployed the defense they were always going to deploy, linespeed and crowding his passing channel. He had no answer and kept doing the same thing that wasn't working. That does not make him one of the best 10s in the world, because he is one dimensional and a poor manager of the game. He failed to play territory against SA which is why Scotland only scored 3 points.

Statement made by eire - 'Scotland are a decent side'. Why you had to ramble on about losing to the world champions is beyond me.

So your argument is Scotland have an excellent pack but Russell is whats wrong with Scottish rugby? In fact if Ben Healy was playing against South Africa, Scotland would have matched them physically?

I would definitely go for a pint with you and @TRC10

I made a critique of Russels game against SA and I argued that Scotland's record does not reinforce the idea that they are anything special. The have some excellent players but not a great team and I like the way they play too, but it hasn't been particularly successful. Australia are a decent side, so what.

The point raised was whether Scotland would be best served playing without Russell as opposed to with. I claimed that Scotland's problems lie consistently in there forward pack rather than at the hands of Russell.

I don't see a huge difference between ntamack and Russell from a controlling 10 point of view but Russell seems to create vitriol amongst people on this forum.

Scotland got destroyed at the breakdown, at the lineout, and at the scrum but the reason Scotland only scored 3 points was because of Russell not playing Territory?

As far as I can see no one has claimed they are anything special but that there a 'decent side'. It all depends what you class as decent in your books.

Have to laugh at the language and tone you take when trying to not only evade responsibility for what you said and were called on and now even try and turn it around as if others are the ones with the problem. As I said earlier I am just quoting the exact words you used yourself so its you who should be doing the reassessment. 

Again Scotland are indeed a decent side in the overall scheme of things that Ireland have beaten in more recent times then 18 months ago which is the only point I have made in regard to them. I never described them as special or anything else.

Haha well either your being disingenuous or your just trolling now. But just for clarity lets recap.

I originally state when it was pointed out that Ireland had played and beaten some good teams in less then the last 18 months I added in that we had also beaten Scotland more recently with Scotland been a decent side also. You respond to that and to quote you:

"SA showed just how limited they are if we are being honest." I never suggested in any way shape or form they are or were at the level of the reigning world champions. I never claimed they were anything other then a decent side which they are. So if you want to question anybody's honesty save it for yourself.

Then in response you tell me to "relax" as if I am the one who has the issue here and then go on to double down on your South African comparison saying "They didn't fire a shot against SA." You attempt to evade responsibility for what you said yourself and again suggest it is someone else who is the problem. You double down then on evading responsibility for what you yourself said and continue to try and play it like others are the problem when you say :

"I have to laugh at some of the language and tone people use on here while gossiping about rugby and debating the games."

Now your latest is toss out an insult and claim (IMHO disingenuously) when you say:

"Take a bath or something. I have no idea what you are going on about."

Once again I reiterate what I said from the off Scotland are a decent side that Ireland have played and beaten in more recent months then 18 months ago.

You'll have to read what I wrote about Ntemack again, he does what Russell does, plus he does what Russell doesn't. Different players. And in fairness to Scotland's record against the French, they also weren't very good during the vast majority of that period. Scotland and Russell flatter to deceive. But Ive no interest in trashing them, just a response to an earlier comment that Scotland are decent in the context of Ireland and south Africa. Whatever decent means, they are well off both those teams which SA showed well enough last week and I'd be confident Ireland will do the same in a couple of weeks time.

I must be one of the few on here who likes Russell, think he's a fine outhalf in a not great team.

But SA are crap in those sports. Cricket - never made a final nevermind won a trophy at international level.

Soccer - qualified for one World Cup (as the host)? How have they gone in the African Nations?

Boxing and athletics - do they even get medals at the Olympics in these sports?