posted Nov 16, 2008

What O'Gara lacks is pace. he seems to have lost a yard, Ireland's backline has been slowed down considerably to the point that they are taking the ball static with no forward momentum.
Carter's dynamism was the factor between the 2 teams, he had the pace to suck in defenders and spread the ball quickly

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posted Nov 16, 2008

We need a new outhalf fast. The IRFU should now ban provinces from selecting foreign players at outhalf. O'Connor, Sexton and Keatley must be given the game time to come through.

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posted Nov 16, 2008

Don't be so hard on yourself "Twowrongs.....". I'm a Kiwi with an Irish passport and always cheer for Ireland when they play the All Blacks. I agree that Ireland does not have the player base but in the last 10 years Ireland has done some amazing things in rugby. Beating the All Blacks may be too much but as you point out the best team in the world has not won a World Cup since '87 so maybe World Cups are not indicative of how well a team can do. Ireland has produced some great players in the past. Irish players have flair and are willing to take risks something which the ABs are loath to do with the result often being a pretty mechanical effort.

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posted Nov 16, 2008

Good to see all the provincial bias back...Davemin talking up some of the Leinster crowd while studiously ignoring that Heaslip was the worst of the backrows etc etc luckily Leamy is getting fit.

Look generally a bad day at the office. Next weeks game against an improving Argentina will tell us more.....

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posted Nov 17, 2008

I agree. England and wales should be shaking in their boots.

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posted Nov 17, 2008

I dont want to seem a bit slow or anything but did a majority of folks really believe Ireland were going to beat New Zealand? Even playing well below there best and making a bucket load of errors, Ireland still spent a lot of the game defending tide after tide of new Zealand Attacks.

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posted Nov 17, 2008

I wouldnt say the majority thought we would beat the AllBlacks.

However, a clear majority expected us to compete better than we did. A lose was not a certainty if we played to our ability and shrugged off the inferiority complex.

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posted Nov 17, 2008

Reading/hearing some of the post match comments/excuses from players and coaching staff has a familiar ring to it!! All comments give the impression that individually and collectively they felt that they were adequately and properly prepared - and yet again they under achieve as a team.Given that we have changed the whole management team is it not a bit odd that we are getting the same old same old...?

Someone has to start looking at the team dynamic for possible solutions.Is there perhaps a pissing contest between O'Gara & O'Driscoll,both vying for the lead generalship role on the pitch? Never mind beating the All Blacks, they DID NOT EVEN GIVE US ANYTHING TO CHEER ABOUT.We have all supported Ireland long enough to have become experts at extracting enough from very little, at least in terms of pride and passion to keep us coming back for more. We did not even get that on Saturday.

While we have some hugely talented and committed players, the whole[team] is significantly and chronically less than the sum of the parts. It was the same at the latter stages of EOS reign and does not seem to have changed much.

Maybe Declan Kidney needs to direct his renowned man management skills to finding out just why the team dynamic is not working.

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posted Nov 18, 2008

Brawdmowr

Listen if i were welsh i wouldn't be too optimistic about thw future either

Why? Have you not been following the Welsh team lately? Also our -21 team with younsters Halfpenny and Biggar forcing themselves into contention, with many others lining up? This and a great coaching set up?

I'm sure that many others would be envious.

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posted Nov 19, 2008

We need to build for the future...

stop flogging dead donkeys blood some new provincal palyers eg Earls, Caldwell. Cave, Ferris and keep Kearney Bowe etc to help ease the transition.

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