The Official Irish Rugby Thread

[SFBB]

He likes the wrong crisps, which is understandable if you were raised with them like the Nordies, but it's just too much when you're a transplanted Dub.

[hermie]

Lads, Cooney won't be getting called up under this regime. Not sure what he's done to sour the milk but obviously it's enough to ignore him from a team management POV.

Ireland has too small a playing pool to have a management throwing a huff with one of his better players

Yeah absolutely. Plus he seems like a genuinely good bloke to boot. Ireland is also too small a place not to have heard if he was banging birds in airport jax or sexually harassing the physio or whatever.

[Winnie]

He likes the wrong crisps, which is understandable if you were raised with them like the Nordies, but it's just too much when you're a transplanted Dub.

[Winnie]

Lads, Cooney won't be getting called up under this regime. Not sure what he's done to sour the milk but obviously it's enough to ignore him from a team management POV.

Ireland has too small a playing pool to have a management throwing a huff with one of his better players

Yeah absolutely. Plus he seems like a genuinely good bloke to boot. Ireland is also too small a place not to have heard if he was banging birds in airport jax or sexually harassing the physio or whatever.

He does seem a decent spud
Can remember the bath away game he came out and had a few beers with the fans
Even got a round in
To the fair to him no other Ulster players did

[Jumper]

Jumper do you mean rocket scientist? Tree surgeon yes, rocket surgeon no.

No. Rocket surgeon.

Do you mind explaining your logic here?

Rocket Scientist + Brain Surgeon = Rocket Surgeon.

[YOYO]

What’s this? Official?

Much too early
I’d say it’s earls prediction

True enough. Isn’t in normally Thursday morning when the team / squad is officially released.

[feckwanker]

Lads, Cooney won't be getting called up under this regime. Not sure what he's done to sour the milk but obviously it's enough to ignore him from a team management POV.

Ireland has too small a playing pool to have a management throwing a huff with one of his better players

Yeah absolutely. Plus he seems like a genuinely good bloke to boot. Ireland is also too small a place not to have heard if he was banging birds in airport jax or sexually harassing the physio or whatever.

He does seem a decent spud
Can remember the bath away game he came out and had a few beers with the fans
Even got a round in
To the fair to him no other Ulster players did

Nordies in being tight shocker

[Winnie]

Most of our team are from down south you lot never tire of telling us

[feckwanker]

Most of our team are from down south you lot never tire of telling us

I'm not from Leinster so please don't tarnish us all with the same brush.

[SFBB]

Most of our team are from down south you lot never tire of telling us

They must have taken the scenic way up through Cavan and Monaghan and gotten infected.

[DeDoc]

Two tough Pro 14 matches for Ulster & Munster
Still brings in 2 bonus points wins
League is dying on its arse

Its a real problem.
We are too good for this league.
Lose television audiences, lose the league.
Don't think the SA Super League clubs are the answer.
Have to be British Irish league, two divisions, promotion and relegation.

Enough of this shit. You're as bad as the Welsh. This is our league and we're not moving. It's up to the others to improve.

It is a real problem, and I agree that the Welsh are a real problem here.

A number of the English clubs would welcome us into a B&I league, but I think it would be terrible strategically. They'll want all their clubs in the league, so you'll end up with some 20 team monstrosity with lots of shit matches that no-one is really interested in. So pretty soon you'll end up with pressure to have 2 divisions. The second division will be dead, with no attraction for sponsors/media and the top division won't be sufficiently more attractive to compensate. Europe will be dead already as a consequency - it'll become some bullshit 'challenge of the champions' playoff cup

[Bogbunny]

Jumper do you mean rocket scientist? Tree surgeon yes, rocket surgeon no.

No. Rocket surgeon.

Do you mind explaining your logic here?

Rocket Scientist + Brain Surgeon = Rocket Surgeon.

FFS Yoyo this has been around for 10 years +

[Willie Falloon]

Harry Byrne called up as well.

Is that confirmed ? I see the Indo are suggesting he’s going to be involved this weekend but there’s no mention of him in the IRFU press release

He needs to start in bigger Leinster games as well. His brother won't let you down in group games or big interpros, safe and dependable, but once you come up againest Toulouse or Sarries in Europe you need someone special at 10. He has a touch of the Finn Russels about him.

[SFBB]

I don’t think there is a proper solution to the Pro14 issue. Absolutely pushing shit uphill to get the Italians up to standard, while the Welsh seem totally disinterested. Scots will come good on their own, eventually. They are cyclical.

I can’t see any value in including Saffer clubs at all. Maybe if they were London based Saffer teams, or something. None of it adds up to me, really. Basically need somebody to throw their money away on it, but that’s hardly a real thing.

[lorcanoworms]

Harry Byrne called up as well.

He said he' calling everyone up except Coombes.

[Nolanator]

Lads, Cooney won't be getting called up under this regime. Not sure what he's done to sour the milk but obviously it's enough to ignore him from a team management POV.

Ireland has too small a playing pool to have a management throwing a huff with one of his better players

You'd think so but maybe he is disruptive in camp or likes boorish things like sleeping with the lights on - who knows? All we know for certain is that his card is marked by Farrell and co.

Face just doesn't fit.

[Nolanator]

Harry Byrne called up as well.

Is that confirmed ? I see the Indo are suggesting he’s going to be involved this weekend but there’s no mention of him in the IRFU press release

He needs to start in bigger Leinster games as well. His brother won't let you down in group games or big interpros, safe and dependable, but once you come up againest Toulouse or Sarries in Europe you need someone special at 10. He has a touch of the Finn Russels about him.

https://www.the42.ie/leinster-toulouse- ... 0-Jan2019/

15. Jordan Larmour
14. Adam Byrne
13. Garry Ringrose
12. Rory O’Loughlin
11. Dave Kearney
10. Ross Byrne
9. Luke McGrath

1. Cian Healy
2. Sean Cronin
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Scott Fardy
5. James Ryan
6. Rhys Ruddock (captain)
7. Josh van der Flier
8. Jack Conan

Replacements:

16. James Tracy
17. Ed Byrne
18. Andrew Porter
19. Ross Molony
20. Max Deegan
21. Jamison Gibson-Park
22. Noel Reid
23. Conor O’Brien.

[hermie]

I don’t think there is a proper solution to the Pro14 issue. Absolutely pushing shit uphill to get the Italians up to standard, while the Welsh seem totally disinterested. Scots will come good on their own, eventually. They are cyclical.

I can’t see any value in including Saffer clubs at all. Maybe if they were London based Saffer teams, or something. None of it adds up to me, really. Basically need somebody to throw their money away on it, but that’s hardly a real thing.

I've often defended the league and would have resisted too much tinkering in the past but right now the Saffer teams can't come soon enough. It's the only thing for it at this point.

[Mullet 2]

We need to stop buying this disinterested crap the Welsh mongs push.

Their teams are crap not disinterested

[Willie Falloon]

Harry Byrne called up as well.

Is that confirmed ? I see the Indo are suggesting he’s going to be involved this weekend but there’s no mention of him in the IRFU press release

He needs to start in bigger Leinster games as well. His brother won't let you down in group games or big interpros, safe and dependable, but once you come up againest Toulouse or Sarries in Europe you need someone special at 10. He has a touch of the Finn Russels about him.

https://www.the42.ie/leinster-toulouse- ... 0-Jan2019/

15. Jordan Larmour
14. Adam Byrne
13. Garry Ringrose
12. Rory O’Loughlin
11. Dave Kearney
10. Ross Byrne
9. Luke McGrath

1. Cian Healy
2. Sean Cronin
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Scott Fardy
5. James Ryan
6. Rhys Ruddock (captain)
7. Josh van der Flier
8. Jack Conan

Replacements:

16. James Tracy
17. Ed Byrne
18. Andrew Porter
19. Ross Molony
20. Max Deegan
21. Jamison Gibson-Park
22. Noel Reid
23. Conor O’Brien.

2 years ago.

Toulouse have been a weeeee bit better recently. Ulster beat them back then but got hammered a couple of months ago. They have the best halfbacks in NH, if not the world

[DeDoc]

I don’t think there is a proper solution to the Pro14 issue. Absolutely pushing shit uphill to get the Italians up to standard, while the Welsh seem totally disinterested. Scots will come good on their own, eventually. They are cyclical.

I can’t see any value in including Saffer clubs at all. Maybe if they were London based Saffer teams, or something. None of it adds up to me, really. Basically need somebody to throw their money away on it, but that’s hardly a real thing.

I've often defended the league and would have resisted too much tinkering in the past but right now the Saffer teams can't come soon enough. It's the only thing for it at this point.

I'm not convinced the SA teams will solve any problem either. I think admitting the two Italian sides was a backward step, and a more logical move might have been integration into the French system. But, overall, giving the Italians some more meaningful sub-international action is important and I'd accept that as the price. It seems the direction of travel though is for the Saffas coming in, so I don't think my concerns are going to influence that

We need to stop buying this disinterested crap the Welsh mongs push.

Their teams are crap not disinterested

I don't think their players are that bad - at least as good as available to the Scots, and better in many cases. They've never really had (that I can recall) good coaches at more than 1 or 2 of the regions at any one time. Get some decent coaching in place and they can improve pretty fast - look at Ulster under Dan McF, or Connacht under Friend. And whatever about the players, it is a rump of fans + the powers that be at the regions that seem to suffer from the delusion that the English clubs are going to wake up some day and think the Welsh regions are all that is lacking from sort of rugby utopia. Get their shit together off the pitch - look at what the Scots have done in the last 5 or so years in terms of building attendances for their sides

[Winnie]

Good point there is a massive delusion of grandeur in welsh rugby that harks back to the 70s
These days success drives attendance and interest

Pro 14 is now competing against football
Swansea and Cardiff have both been in the premier league and the welsh national team is going well
The welsh have lost a large section of the next generation to football

[Floppykid]

I maintain that changing it from the Celtic League was a huge mistake.
The tournament feels like a tacky cobbled together thing, just people desperate to make it work however they can.

[YOYO]

We are so spoilt to get joy from our teams winning and being successful and international team too if less so. Let’s be honest an Irish provincial team win puts a smile on everyone’s face. Winning a league or championship is fanatic for the fans. The poor Welsh (international team apart), Scots and Italians barely get to experience the joy we do on a regular basis. We are cock a hoop with a pep in our step.

[Floppykid]

I honestly believe they had something when it was the Magners.

Clearly they didn't, because they felt the need to include Italian teams for some reason, but yeah.

It just gave off a vibe of desperation when they were brought in.

[CM11]

I honestly believe they had something when it was the Magners.

Clearly they didn't, because they felt the need to include Italian teams for some reason, but yeah.

It just gave off a vibe of desperation when they were brought in.

Better competition alright but not enough money.

[Boxcar Ira]

I maintain that changing it from the Celtic League was a huge mistake.
The tournament feels like a tacky cobbled together thing, just people desperate to make it work however they can.

Yeah they probably took on too much too fast. You couldnt really trust the Welsh to stick around though so much of it was self preservation I'd say.

The bottom line is that it's pretty useless without the Welsh being competitive. Even up to recently you could rely on them to put up some competition at home when we had weakened teams out.

[Winnie]

We are so spoilt to get joy from our teams winning and being successful and international team too if less so. Let’s be honest an Irish provincial team win puts a smile on everyone’s face. Winning a league or championship is fanatic for the fans. The poor Welsh (international team apart), Scots and Italians barely get to experience the joy we do on a regular basis. We are cock a hoop with a pep in our step.

Its been touched upon loads of times that ireland touched lucky that they had four ready made sides.
You are right a win puts a smile on everyones face because everyone sees the province as them/theirs
Its (mostly) local lads, some of which you knew from school or at least have a tie to.
The welsh or jocks dont have this really
Edinburgh and Glasgow were never rugby hotbeds
The borders were the home of scottish rugby, I dont see how Hawick, Gala and Jedburgh feel they are represented by the two big cities
The welsh regions bar Cardiff and the Scarlets are the same, Ponty dont feel they are represented by the Ospreys

The weakness of the Pro-14 is harmful to Irish rugby in the long run

[DOB]

I maintain that changing it from the Celtic League was a huge mistake.
The tournament feels like a tacky cobbled together thing, just people desperate to make it work however they can.

Yeah they probably took on too much too fast. You couldnt really trust the Welsh to stick around though so much of it was self preservation I'd say.

The bottom line is that it's pretty useless without the Welsh being competitive. Even up to recently you could rely on them to put up some competition at home when we had weakened teams out.

Yeah, it used to be that Dragons away on a 6N weekend was always a banana skin, or even some years an outright ambush. Now it’s just a chance for the academy lads to run riot.

In fairness, a big part of that is the output from our academy is that much better than the Johnny Hepworths and Harry Vermasses that would be sent out in those games in the past.

[DOB]

Edinburgh and Glasgow were never rugby hotbeds
The borders were the home of scottish rugby, I dont see how Hawick, Gala and Jedburgh feel they are represented by the two big cities
The welsh regions bar Cardiff and the Scarlets are the same, Ponty dont feel they are represented by the Ospreys

The Borders I get the impression always had the same issue we talked about with the Welsh the other day. No matter where you set their home games, the other Border clubs wouldn’t go along to support. Hawick fans wouldn’t support a Gala team etc etc. So the crowds were always the smallest in the league. I don’t know their geography so can’t compare with how easy it is to pull in a rugby crowd on a Friday evening in Galway.

[Floppykid]

It's why I get sick of the implicit criticism or admonishment of the likes of Leinster for "always having strong teams" year round, or not taking the tournament seriously.
They're punting out academy lads and still hockying everyone, playing the first teamers all the time isn't going to improve other teams chances or magically turn the league into the Top14.

OTB, Bod Wood and Quinnie, were all very guarded in their criticisms this week.
Clearly trying to keep links they have to the camp sweet.
It's unlistenable at this stage. Wish Franno did a podcast.

[Mullet 2]

Good point there is a massive delusion of grandeur in welsh rugby that harks back to the 70s
These days success drives attendance and interest

Pro 14 is now competing against football
Swansea and Cardiff have both been in the premier league and the welsh national team is going well
The welsh have lost a large section of the next generation to football

That's the thing the National team for whatever reason bucked the trend and they used that to paper over the cracks of weekly ass kicking.

That's not happening anymore and the chickens are coming home to roost.

[YOYO]

Franno would be unlistenable in his own way. The way he castigated Carty during the WC was nasty saying he wouldn’t be able to run a schools cup game. It stunk. His chatter would only service parts of south Dublin.

[SFBB]

We need to stop buying this disinterested crap the Welsh mongs push.

Their teams are crap not disinterested

One hand washes the other. They are crap and disinterested.

[Winnie]

Good point there is a massive delusion of grandeur in welsh rugby that harks back to the 70s
These days success drives attendance and interest

Pro 14 is now competing against football
Swansea and Cardiff have both been in the premier league and the welsh national team is going well
The welsh have lost a large section of the next generation to football

That's the thing the National team for whatever reason bucked the trend and they used that to paper over the cracks of weekly ass kicking.

That's not happening anymore and the chickens are coming home to roost.

Yep
Gatland was keeping the whole thing together
Once he left the Welsh were always going to be in big trouble
Like him or loathe him, he is a hell of a coach

[SFBB]

I just can’t see how the South Africans are at all the solution. I’d rather go back to 10 teams and only play when Test rugby isn’t. It’s effectively an academy tool for most or our season, so no wonder the lustre has gone off it.

[Mullet 2]

I just don't really buy the parochial thing either. Nobody is more parochial than us.

Yes the door of provincial loyalty was a bit more ajar but Leinster in particular and Connacht have worked hard to turn themselves from Dublin and Galway City sides to genuine provincial sides.

The Taffs arent arsed.

[SFBB]

I just don't really buy the parochial thing either. Nobody is more parochial than us.

Yes the door of provincial loyalty was a bit more ajar but Leinster in particular and Connacht have worked hard to turn themselves from Dublin and Galway City sides to genuine provincial sides.

The Taffs arent arsed.

You’re correct. They’ve had long enough to sort out their regional identity. Just useless cnuts

[lilyw]

Harry Byrne called up as well.

Is that confirmed ? I see the Indo are suggesting he’s going to be involved this weekend but there’s no mention of him in the IRFU press release

He needs to start in bigger Leinster games as well. His brother won't let you down in group games or big interpros, safe and dependable, but once you come up againest Toulouse or Sarries in Europe you need someone special at 10. He has a touch of the Finn Russels about him.

Interesting question in the Sunday Times at the weekend: how often has he played behind a beaten pack? Very rarely I'd suggest.

[rfurlong]

Easterby has said that they wont be throwing caps around just for the sake of it against Georgia Seriously Simon, cop the fvck on .....

Based on the extended autumn squad previously announced (incl. development players), plus some of the others called into camp based on the pictures today (EOS), the team I'd like to see for the Georgia game would be:

15. Daly
14. Earls
13. Farrell*
12. McCloskey
11. Stockdale
10. H. Byrne
9. Casey

*only because theres no other centres in the squad.

1. EOS
2. Heffernan
3. Bealham
4. Henderson
5. Wycherley
6. Baird
7. JVDF
8. Doris

Not sure if some of the above players are injured?

The above lineup would see 6 debutants (Baird, Wycherley, EOS, Daly, Byrne, Casey), but based on Easterby's comments, I now fully expect none of them start

The fact that Coombes, Frawley and others aren't even being looked at during this window is an indictment frankly