2014 Six Nations Thread - Come the Power & the Glory

Its the great ones final home game in the green mate, this weekend is going to be magnificent.

I can’t wait for Marian Finucane’s summing up of this titanic encounter on her South Dublin Coffee Morning on Sunday.

No Parisse for Italy, they’re resting him for the England game. We’re gonna beat the fuck out of @Rudi’s bitches.

Only two Munster players in the 23. Have they fallen that far?

Axel will sort it mate.

No Parisse for Italy. Ireland by 30+.

Fucking hell, RTÉ usually do these things better than most, but this is fucking dreadful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx8wA0YcEC8

[quote=“myboyblue, post: 913450, member: 180”]Fucking hell, RTÉ usually do these things better than most, but this is fucking dreadful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx8wA0YcEC8
[/quote]

They overthought that one alright. Just give us a montage with some stirring music and if necessary some voice-over or talking heads.

Delighted to see O’Driscoll being allowed to go out on his own terms. True legend of the game. Best Irish player I am ever likely to see. Was thinking about it during the week and iv probably seen 85% of games hes ever played as a professional, and close on 100 times live and in all those games he has probably never been poor, and average less than a dozen times (most of these in last 18 months). His consistency and stubbornness is rare, even rarer in players with his quality- Johnny Giles would call it moral courage. He always did the right thing for the team, always.

2009 was the absolute peak of his powers over a sustained period where he dragged Ireland to that GS. Performance against England in the face of severe punishment a highlight capped by the crucial score. My memories of his performances in blue won’t be as fond for obvious reasons but my worst day as a Munster fan in Croke Park in 09 is probably one of his best memories, he was immense.

I was supremely fortunate to be in Paris in 2000 and unlikely that will ever be surpassed as a live sporting highlight. Shock and awe.

Two more wins in an Irish jersey will give a most fitting sign off.

[quote=“dancarter, post: 913457, member: 122”]Delighted to see O’Driscoll being allowed to go out on his own terms. True legend of the game. Best Irish player I am ever likely to see. Was thinking about it during the week and iv probably seen 85% of games hes ever played as a professional, and close on 100 times live and in all those games he has probably never been poor, and average less than a dozen times (most of these in last 18 months). His consistency and stubbornness is rare, even rarer in players with his quality- Johnny Giles would call it moral courage. He always did the right thing for the team, always.

2009 was the absolute peak of his powers over a sustained period where he dragged Ireland to that GS. Performance against England in the face of severe punishment a highlight capped by the crucial score. My memories of his performances in blue won’t be as fond for obvious reasons but my worst day as a Munster fan in Croke Park in 09 is probably one of his best memories, he was immense.

I was supremely fortunate to be in Paris in 2000 and unlikely that will ever be surpassed as a live sporting highlight. Shock and awe.

Two more wins in an Irish jersey will give a most fitting sign off.[/quote]

He will be punch drunk for the rest of his life, probably be like Ali for a finish. Very sad.

[quote=“dancarter, post: 913457, member: 122”]Delighted to see O’Driscoll being allowed to go out on his own terms. True legend of the game. Best Irish player I am ever likely to see. Was thinking about it during the week and iv probably seen 85% of games hes ever played as a professional, and close on 100 times live and in all those games he has probably never been poor, and average less than a dozen times (most of these in last 18 months). His consistency and stubbornness is rare, even rarer in players with his quality- Johnny Giles would call it moral courage. He always did the right thing for the team, always.

2009 was the absolute peak of his powers over a sustained period where he dragged Ireland to that GS. Performance against England in the face of severe punishment a highlight capped by the crucial score. My memories of his performances in blue won’t be as fond for obvious reasons but my worst day as a Munster fan in Croke Park in 09 is probably one of his best memories, he was immense.

I was supremely fortunate to be in Paris in 2000 and unlikely that will ever be surpassed as a live sporting highlight. Shock and awe.

Two more wins in an Irish jersey will give a most fitting sign off.[/quote]

That’s a cracker of a post. Who was the gobdaw on here who suggested dropping before the 09 Grand Slam?

If O’Driscoll was so good then why didn’t he take up a real sport?

O’Driscoll was unquestionably a terrific rugby player. I was fortunate enough to win our personal battle when we met on the rugby field but even when gliding past him for a try I could see there was something about him.

The hyperbole today is way over the top but that’s the stranglehold rugby has over the media for some reason. It’s all a bit much but I wouldn’t begrudge the guy anything. He worked very hard to become better than anyone else at what he does, talented but it wasn’t his natural talent that transformed him from a run of the mill Irish player to the level he got to.

Eddie O Sullivan said he* was the best player ever on Off The Ball the other night, a bit of an exaggeration?

*BOD not Rocko

[quote=“Fran, post: 913466, member: 110”]Eddie O Sullivan said he* was the best player ever on Off The Ball the other night, a bit of an exaggeration?

*BOD not Rocko[/quote]

The best Irish player I’ve seen by a mile. And there’s something appealing about the way he mixed physical bravery with intelligent play in a way very few backs have done. He’d undoubtedly have been a first choice player in any international team for a decade or so. But even in this era it would be hard to say he was better than Carter or McCaw for example.

I think it’s fair to say that Brian O’Driscoll embodies our Warrior Spirit as a nation.

That’s the Warrior Spirit that has a record of one win (Battle of Clontarf) one score draw (War of Independence) and fifteen defeats in battles against foreign invaders in the last 1100 years.

[quote=“Rocko, post: 913464, member: 1”]O’Driscoll was unquestionably a terrific rugby player. I was fortunate enough to win our personal battle when we met on the rugby field but even when gliding past him for a try I could see there was something about him.

The hyperbole today is way over the top but that’s the stranglehold rugby has over the media for some reason. It’s all a bit much but I wouldn’t begrudge the guy anything. He worked very hard to become better than anyone else at what he does, talented but it wasn’t his natural talent that transformed him from a run of the mill Irish player to the level he got to.[/quote]
He unquestionably was naturally hugely gifted. The hyperbole around some of the rugby in Ireland annoys me. O’Driscoll deserves every bit of good press he gets today though. The real deal.

This fawning and hyperbole over Brian O’Driscoll is fucking ridiculous. Rugby football is essentially an activity where a combination of fatties, gangly types with no co-ordination and bodybuilders try to undress each other while dry humping on a field*.

It’s not a sport. It’s ignored by 99.9% of the world. Within the few countries that put any pass on it, it’s despised by the right thinking members of society. The best team in the world by far are a bunch of sheep farmers from New Zealand apparently. Ireland’s so called golden generation have never gone beyond the last 8 of the world cup even though we’re inexplicably one of only 5 countries where a broad section of society care about it (despite nobody really playing it). The fact that @Rocko mentions two such sheep farmers as being other greats of O’Driscoll’s generation just serves to emphasise the minority of nobodies who engage in this shit.

O’Driscoll seems to have quite good speed, awareness and agility but he never tested himself in an actual sport. Therefore, he can’t be considered great as his average opponent is typically a misfit of the type mentioned above and there is absolutely no skill whatsoever in his chosen activity.

And, unfortunately for O’Driscoll, his career will be remembered mostly for taking a sulk when the coach dropped him from the combined Britain XV last summer in the last of the 3 friendlies against Australia. A decision which was overwhelmingly vindicated by Britain running out easy winners in that game.

I wish him a happy and healthy retirement, however.

*copyright @Rudi.

Bandage, I respect you and I respect your right to provide a silly opinion on any topic you wish. It should be pointed out though, for context, that you

  • switched allegiances to Celtic only to impress a senior at work (Rocko)
  • went to wrestlemania
  • play in goal (yeah, in goal) in Astro.

Keith Duggan had a nice tribute in the IT today

[quote=“Fran, post: 913466, member: 110”]Eddie O Sullivan said he* was the best player ever on Off The Ball the other night, a bit of an exaggeration?

*BOD not Rocko[/quote]

Yes, an exaggeration of massive proportion if he was talking about other countries too.