Reaching for Glory: Inside Irish Rugby '07
‘Fly-on-the-wall documentary following the Irish rugby team as they allow a camera crew unprecedented access to their preparations for the gruelling RBS Six Nations campaign.’
These things can be entertaining enough at times.
Had half an eye on the game the other night. Flannery and Best put in some huge hits. Murphy really should have done better with the drop goal attempt at the death - he barely rose the ball off the ground.
Yeah looks like it will be an interesting programme. Surprised they’re bringing it out now - it would have more publicity just before the world cup but the advance clips look interesting.
Murphy’s “effort” at the weekend was shocking. All those hard yards to get him right in front of the posts and he doesn’t get it off the ground. Lack of temperament really.
Good viewing. I would have liked more clips behind the scenes rather than match clips. They looked as though they could have had a bit more footage which we could have seen. O’Driscoll and O’Connell really look great leaders. O’Sullivan too spoke sense nearly every time he opened his mouth either in the dressing room or in interviews. You get the sense that this team is full of leaders and when they talk about pride about playing for their country they mean it. I’d love to see a similar show done with the 26 county soccer team. There would be glaring difference I imagine. I can’t see Niall O’Donovan saying that we British don’t like the sun anyway.
The only negatives for me were the clichs from Tony Ward and Gerry Thornley. The dressing room footage was excellent but it was a pity there wasn’t a bit more of it. Definitely co-captains at play there with O’Driscoll and O’Connell.
Good point on the soccer team Piper. I think there’s no question that Eddie O’Sullivan has brought the team and rugby in this country on no end. There’s a serious level of preparation and professionalism there. Kerr was villified for using too many DVDs which was hilarious. You could even see from short clips there what emphasis O’Sullivan placed on it.
I can’t see the same level of camaraderie or desire or professionalism from our soccer team.
I’m sure there was definitely a load of dressing room stuff they just couldn’t show. Probably don’t want to give any opposition motivation by showing them having a go at them or whatever. Leaders throughout the side and a number of different voices speaking at various stages.
What are the odds there’ll be gimps ringing in ‘Liveline’ and writing letters to the papers about the language used? When RTE showed the documentaries on Dublin’s first season under Caffrey and Pid’s Leinster winning season with Westmeath in recent years we got that from the easily offended. You’d have to wonder have any of them ever been in a dressing room situation in top class, world class sport. Of course the language is going to be colourful and passionate. Nothing compared to thefreekick.com dressing room mind you.
O’Connell I could listen to but Dricco was spouting utter shite, put on for the cameras if ever I heard it - with his let this be your best game ever goys. What a load of bollox.
O’Connell is the leader, no doubt. I think if Eddie was to start again he’d make him captain.
Liveline will be jam full of unemployed dogooders tomorrow alright. Be listening out for you Bandage.
I hate all this anti-O’Driscoll bullshit. Just because he’s private school educated and from D4 people quetion his leadership qualities. Its easy to shout shit in the dressing-room (actually I thought he did quite well) but another is to go and prove your leadership qualities which he has done in spades. The tries against the French and English in Lansdowne when we never looked like getting it the last time we were going for the Grand Slam, the try against Australia in the World Cup. Cometh the hour cometh the man with O’Driscoll.
But then you have O’Connell from Munster who’s from the country and is the true warrior. Get the fuck. He dropped the kic-off against France remembe
I really hate that 0’Driscoll bashing shite - mainly from those horrible Munster fnas. He’s one of the world’s best players and he’s Irish so leave him alone for fuck sake
I’ve never agreed with you more Farmer. O’Driscoll is a superb captain. His deeds on the pitch are the example to follow, not edited highlights of a speech. His absence from the pitch was telling at the end of the French and Italian games - there was no collapse agasint Scotland when he was there hitting every tackle and every ruck without fail.
I consider him to be the best rugby player in the world - he hasn’t even had one mediocre season yet.
Excellent post farmer. O’Driscoll is probably the best player in the world. I think he has imp roved as a captain after a shaky start and I thought his comments about being great not good were excellent as well as telling o’sullivan it is not a question of maybe lifting their game against Scotland - they must. Your comments regarding O’Connelll are harsh imo and I think he too is a great leader and player.
Get fooked Bandage. Dricco is clearly one of the best players in the world, but more of a leader in deed than speech. The pieces we heard from him were bull shit, thats my point. When O’Connell talks about putting the fear of god into the opposition its strikes a chord, more so than “…we will be victorious”, which just sounds out of place.
I can imagine some Junior B selector saying that at a GAA match. Hardly inspirational and stirring stuff Appendage.
O’Driscoll is not just better in deed than O’Connell - he’s also a far better decision maker than him too.
Anyone recall O’Connell turning down a penalty against Leicester in Munster’s crucial match at Thomond in the Heineken Cup this year? They took the scrum, which was in trouble all game, and the Leicester pack drove through them, laying down a huge psychological marker, and regained possession. They then scored the try that was ultimately the difference between the sides shortly after.
I also questioned, on here at the time, his decision to kick for the posts against France when we had just mauled them back into their own half with 2 minutes remaining and when we were holding onto a 14-13 lead. I said the only way they were going to overhaul our lead was if we gave them a chance to retain possession and that kicking a penalty goal, while giving us a 4 point lead, gave them the opportunity to win the ball back from the kick off. He should have instructed O’Gara to kick for the corner and pin them back in their own 22.
That’s only 2 examples of his questionable decision making. O’Driscoll is cool, calm and analytical and completely more clued in than O’Connell who’s too busy working in the trenches in the pack to be a clear-minded captain.
I thought O’Connell made the right call with in the Munster game. It was time to turn the screw and while I don’t remember the match as vividly anymore I agreed with the decision at the time and won’t change my mind on it now.
The decision to go for the posts in the France game was more interesting. 95% of rugby followers would tell you he made the right choice but I held the same opinion as you, then and now. The points differential was irrelevant if we had possession. We had just marched France back 20 yards in a maul, it was easy to get touch, clean safe ball at the front of the lineout and then maul. When the maul stops just keep it tight.
Interestingly in the Super 14 final this year I saw one of the South African teams do just that against the Crusaders I think it was. They were up a couple of points with a minute to go and were awarded a kickable penalty. They went for touch in the corner and retained possession instead of giving the Crusaders a chance to attack from the restart.
