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

Jack Daw · 15-10-2023 8:28am

It looks like the Irish moral victory brigade have migrated from the soccer team to the rugby team.

All the nonsense I've read on the internet "couldn't be prouder of them" " they did the country proud" etc is just cringeworthy. They failed to capitalize on the best opportunity Ireland have ever had (and may have for a while) to win a world cup.They must be absolutely sick as a group of players.

I don't think this tournament has any real vintage team that Ireland shouldn't have been beating, this NZ team for example is well below the 2011-2015 versions, South Africa are nowhere near as good as they were 4 years ago and England are rubbish and France are very beatable.

Mr Disco · 15-10-2023 8:32am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121240275#Comment_121240275

Absolutely. When it mattered the team bottled it. Really shamed the fans (both the one there and watching) & the nation. Glad to see the back of a lot of them after this performance. Coaching ticket needs to be changed asap.

Musicrules · 15-10-2023 8:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121239460#Comment_121239460

We are! For one, this New Zealand team is probably the worst that has entered a World Cup. Secondly, we have shown that we are the best team in the World over the past 2 years. If both teams played at their best, Ireland would win comfortably.

Most of us thought this Irish team were different but when it came down to it, they are not. The mental fragility lost us the game, that's the bottom line. Choking, bottling it etc are all harsh terms but unfortunately they are accurate. We couldn't handle the pressure of a World Cup quarter final and beat a team we should be beating.

It's a bitter pill to swallow. We will probably never have a better chance of winning a World Cup.

honestbroker · 15-10-2023 8:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121239274#Comment_121239274

Ireland could not beat Wales in a Q/F in 2011. This attitude is part of the problem, South Wales is real rugby country like all of NZ, SA and the SW of France, Ireland only have a few clubs in Limerick with the same level of rugby knowledge and nous.

lawrencesummers · 15-10-2023 8:48am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121240271#Comment_121240271

Of all the players who didnt do well you pick on two that did nothing wrong.

If crowley put in the mundane performance sexton did then the abuse he would have gotten would endure for months.

Sexton had a crap game, he was predictable, slow and completely outplayed by his opposite number. He didnt attack the line just sat back and shuffled the ball on. He missed an easy 3 and the chip over the top was never on.

He should have come off with ten minutes to go, we needed the impetus and freshness that was on the bench and had we been better at developing a replacement 10 over the last few years we might have had the confidence to take him off with 20 mins to go.

Great servant and all that nostalgia but he simply didnt do it last night.

jones · 15-10-2023 8:50am

Some over reactions going on today IMO. Changing the coaching ticket after losing 1 game in over a year is crazy. Yes it's the most important game and I do believe mistakes were made but let's not throw the baby out with the bath water.

This was a close game that we were a few inches away from winning. NZ played to their potential and we didn't and they still only won by 4 points. I think the quarter final pressure took it's toll on the team.

My issues with last night were (in no particular order):

1) Hansen clearly wasn't fit

2) Sexton was gassed in the second half it's an indictment of the coaching tickets view of Crowley that he wasn't given any minutes considering Sexton wasn't exactly controlling the game in the second half.

3) the amount of times an Irish player was caught in isolation (obvs due to NZ pressure) but it's not something we've seen from this Irish team in a long time.

4) NZ targeted the scrum and whatever they did Barnes bought. I thought some of the calls were very harsh on porter but credit to NZ.

5) The line out badly misfired again... Not really sure what's going on with it but it's now a persistent issue. All this line-out ropeadope talk from earlier in the tournament really hasn't aged well. Big issues for us.

6) Front line players starting every game finally took it toll. Playing full strength against Romania and Tonga now looks to be a mistake. I can understand the reasons for it, sexton etc, but it was noticeable that Ireland seemed to tire in second half.

Really feels like this was the team to put this quarter final hoodoo to bed but it wasn't to be. Not sure how we could be better prepared. Still gutted.

almostover · 15-10-2023 8:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121239911#Comment_121239911

I think we place far too much stock in this 'world class 10' thing. It's an important position but not the be all and end all. Mounga isn't one, but he has the potential to be a game breaker as shown last night. What's far more important is a world class team, pack, scrum and lineout. No 10 in the world can guide a team to victory when their set piece and ruck is a mess like ours was last night. It's time for Crowley to get a go and we can see if he's up to it or not.

honestbroker · 15-10-2023 8:54am

Must say I was surprised Kleyn has not featured over the last few years, brings the kind of ballast and hard edge that could have made a difference in the last 30 mins, McCarthy could be one for the future but way off the standard and level of experience required for a clutch match against NZ. It will be pretty sickening if Kleyn wins a medal with SA a country not short of second rows.

riddles · 15-10-2023 9:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121240308#Comment_121240308

I don't think any New Zealand player is waking up this morning thinking they played a team of softies somehow.

honestbroker · 15-10-2023 9:04am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121240325#Comment_121240325

I am not bitter towards Kleyn at all, fair play to him, my point is that he is deemed good enough by SA, a country with an oversupply of quality second rows yet we felt he could be discarded after the 2019 world cup failure under Schmidt.

Apart from his qualities above he could have been our banker ball at 2 in the lineout last night instead of having to use O'Mahony when our throwing went awry.

Hermy · 15-10-2023 9:06am

Bottled it?

A myopic view if ever there was one.

roverjoyce · 15-10-2023 9:06am

Back row totally outgunned

What does POM bring apart from a lineout jumper which is only an extra skillset

No carrys or tackles of note last night and never close to a jacket

Why was he kept for 4 years

Conan must be wondering why he never got a chance to start in this world cup

Leslie Purkiss · 15-10-2023 9:09am

henderson couldn’t do anything wrong as he was 2 rucks behind the pace of play.

POM likewise, apart from the cross field kick he should have caught. The one against the smallest man on the pitch. Quinny said in commentary that POM did well to “get off his feet” 🙄

Sexton had a steady game. That was too big of an occasion for Crowley. He is for the future, but not last night.

honestbroker · 15-10-2023 9:10am

"Conan must be wondering why he never got a chance to start in this world cup"

Was he not injured?

TedBundysDriver · 15-10-2023 9:10am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121240275#Comment_121240275

They failed yet again on the biggest stage. All the moral victory talk is cringe on steroids. Champions and the very best produce when the pressure is on end of story.

Xander10 · 15-10-2023 9:14am

I see the usual clowns have arrived to spew the usual bile.

Time to log out

downtheroad · 15-10-2023 9:16am

Lining up in a figure 8 for the Haka. Literally living off of the day out in Chicago.

NZ have long forgotten that match, and rise to the big occasion. We will write a play about it.

Absolutely devastated at the result. NZ are just clinical.

VayNiice · 15-10-2023 9:17am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121240277#Comment_121240277

What a load of ****

MojoMaker · 15-10-2023 9:17am

Jungle drums suggested POC is falling on his sword today.

Sad end for another great servant.

ujjjjjjjjj · 15-10-2023 9:22am

Watched it back this morning, up early....

Kiwi tactical kicking was superb. They clearly looked at our defence and saw how well we have held a line and how good our defence is and also looked at our back 3 and saw kicking long gave little advantage. So they kicked into that bit in the middle and rolled the dice. I wonder was Schmidt the tactical brains behind this ?

We didn't handle it very well.

Our lineout very very poor and we also put virtually no pressure on theirs. Coaching has to be questioned here and specifically our lineout coaching.

Porter got several scrums wrong, Barnes correct on those calls but also feel NZ had done some good analysis here and had identified his tendency to turn those hips in.

TMO call on the Aki head hit certainly controversial and marginal. Otherwise the officials and Barnes spot on, he had a very good game.

All in all our mistakes at set piece were the controllable that cost us the game. The Kiwi kicking game we probably could have done little to counter so for me set piece failure cost us the final.

Talk it round all you want but that for me is the bones of it.

Well done NZ.

Dont Be at It · 15-10-2023 9:22am

I know people are getting annoyed by the term 'bottled it' etc, but as much as it pains me to say it we did a bit. Obviously not the same extent as previous years but enough to matter. We started very nervy and by the time we settled we were 13 points down - against a team pretty much your equal this is near unsurmountable lead.

Serious questions need to be asked over the line out. We got the wake up call against south africa and seem to have ignored it.

Three scrum penalties against a pack not known for having a big scrum. And Porter getting getting pinged for the same infringement 3 time - ffs, man. Even Murray giving away that penalty - what are you doing!

Also as has been said here already, our rucks were well off. Clear outs, particularly in the second half were noticeably slower. NZ were clinical in that department.

Sexton should have been subbed off with 15 left as well. He offered nothing in the last 10. A fresh sniping Crowley could have asked questions off a tiring nz defence. But the damage was done in the first 20. Nz are the last team you want to be chasing.

Knockout rugby seems to be a serious mental block for Irish teams of late.

Leslie Purkiss · 15-10-2023 9:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121240356#Comment_121240356

you can’t handle the truth.

Vinnie222 · 15-10-2023 9:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121240305#Comment_121240305

He didn't matter what backup outhalf was on the bench, Farrell was never going to replace Sexton . Sexton should have been pulled off at 60 mins .He had nothing more to give

Dont Be at It · 15-10-2023 9:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121240372#Comment_121240372

Good synopsis.

Although I really think we could have struggled against Argentina given the effort last night took. Impossible to know for sure obviously

lawrencesummers · 15-10-2023 9:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121240372#Comment_121240372

I was making that point before the game.

NZ kicked like that against SA in their win during the championship, they have 3 very good kicking options in the barretts and Mo’ounga and they identify empty space to kick into

giveitholly · 15-10-2023 9:37am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121240339#Comment_121240339

Conan was injured. Were u following the world cup at all?

Brief_Lives · 15-10-2023 9:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121240362#Comment_121240362

I have that bellend blocked, I suggest you do the same. You will never see his posts except if quoted.

Incredible game last night, even if most of our pack didn't turn up. Another 4 years until we try and prove ourselves again, on the biggest stage.

Hermy · 15-10-2023 9:52am

I know people are getting annoyed by the term 'bottled it' etc, but as much as it pains me to say it we did a bit.

It's the exclusive use of the term, without expanding on the point as you have done, that's annoying.

There's no denying that Ireland were well below par last night while New Zealand were on song.

Yet despite that, one of the greatest sides in the history of team sport could only manage to eke out a 4 point victory against us.

Yes we struggled with the pressure but that's what pressure does.

But to merely say we bottled it is to miss so much of what's involved in competing at the elite, or indeed, any level.

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

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