Munster, celtic league, heineken cup, general and tag rugby thread 🐐

Sport
461

Twas Quins yea, that he missed that penalty with. He went straight to Wasps from there, so that definitely didnt endear him to the Quins public. Saying that there was more wrong wtih Quins back then that a missed kick from Jeremy. Pumping money into the facilities and ignoring the team being no 1 problem. Same happened at Northampton and saw them go down also as it turned out.

Yea Damien was on trial there for the pre season, put in a huge amount of work and got his contract. Fair play to him, exams got in the way of his run with Munster.

462

Lads, what players that are currently based in England realistically have a chance of playing for Ireland? Aside from those mentioned in the last few posts who is there?

Is Bob Casey a realistic hope or has he missed the boat. What about Johnny Murphy at Leicester? Obviously Reddan as well. Any other young lads make the move over there who could come through this season?

463

wouldn’t be the most knowledgeable rugby fan but from what i saw it looked like leinster let Quinlan away with murder when he came on…he had carte blanche to smash up whoever he wanted with no payback…he totally disrupted them with fist,boot and elbow…fired jackman around a few times…
O’driscoll looked like a man going through the motions last night…as if he didn’t want to be there…

464

I don’t really like rugby much but (bar a few quips here and there!) I’m not going to prattle on about it and pointlessly hijack the rugby threads. But I have a genuine question and it’s something that annoys me on the rare occassions I go to a Leinster or Ireland game. And it’s this, why is the game stopped after nearly every phase of play for players to get treatment?

I completely accept a scrum can’t go ahead without a prop or whatver but it completely stops the flow of the game when there’s invariably a delay after every good hard hitting spell. I take the point that it’s very much a contact and impact sport but, as a spectacle, I think it would improve if play was continued and players had to leave the pitch for treatment (unless they’re members of the front row).

Obviously, these delays are fine when you’re watching on TV as they show replays and stuff but I found it pretty boring last night.

465

[quote=“Mac”]Lads, what players that are currently based in England realistically have a chance of playing for Ireland? Aside from those mentioned in the last few posts who is there?

Is Bob Casey a realistic hope or has he missed the boat. What about Johnny Murphy at Leicester? Obviously Reddan as well. Any other young lads make the move over there who could come through this season?[/quote]

Bob was in Kidneys first training camp down in Cork. Saying that, he’s too slow imo and I think his chance is gone.

Johne Murphy seems alright, but not too sure, havent seen enough of him yet. There isnt as much over there as you’d think to be honest.

Ian Humphreys is back at Ulster, Frank Murphy is back at Connacht, and neither are setting it alight as of yet. Maybe ROG was right all along.

[quote=“Bandage”]I don’t really like rugby much but (bar a few quips here and there!) I’m not going to prattle on about it and pointlessly hijack the rugby threads. But I have a genuine question and it’s something that annoys me on the rare occassions I go to a Leinster or Ireland game. And it’s this, why is the game stopped after nearly every phase of play for players to get treatment?

I completely accept a scrum can’t go ahead without a prop or whatver but it completely stops the flow of the game when there’s invariably a delay after every good hard hitting spell. I take the point that it’s very much a contact and impact sport but, as a spectacle, I think it would improve if play was continued and players had to leave the pitch for treatment (unless they’re members of the front row).

Obviously, these delays are fine when you’re watching on TV as they show replays and stuff but I found it pretty boring last night.[/quote]

Fair point, but its a high impact sport which can move at high speed from side to side, from ruck to ruck to breakdown, (albeit while not going forward much at times). I’m sure the players are grateful for the rest at times. Didnt think it was too bad last night to be honest. Fuckers going around getting up and down out of their seats to get beers and pisses was what really hacked me off last night. If you want beer watching the game, go to the pub.

466

[quote=“myboyblue”]Bob was in Kidneys first training camp down in Cork. Saying that, he’s too slow imo and I think his chance is gone.

Johne Murphy seems alright, but not too sure, havent seen enough of him yet. There isnt as much over there as you’d think to be honest.

Ian Humphreys is back at Ulster, Frank Murphy is back at Connacht, and neither are setting it alight as of yet. Maybe ROG was right all along.

[/quote]

Always thought Frank Murphy was a strange one - in fairness, how often have Munster let someone go who turned out to be a huge success somewhere else? Murphy seemed very one dimensional to me and if he was that good he would have been back here last year. Moving to Connacht pretty much backs this opinion up. Battling with Kieran Campbell for a place is hardly international standard.

So Geordan and Reddan are the only realistic ones? Dont think its any harm to have a few lads playing over in England. It is overhyped but at least they might learn from different training methods. You could see last night that both sets of players were so used to playing with and against each other that it made for a poor spectacle.

Who’s the best option to back up ROG now? Sexton, Wallace, Staunton?

467

There could be more over there, but on a Monday morning, I cant think of them. Its too early to say for Varley, but what he doesnt learn from Ibanez wont be worth knowing.

Back up for ROG has to be Wallace at present, much and all as it pains me to say it. I’d have high hopes for Humphreys if David can straighten him out a bit. Sexton should be, but on last nights evidence he’s a bit to go yet.

468

I think the whole idea for the breaks is that the game has evolved so much in such a short period of time that players need a breather as ofter as possible, as the time keeping is kept by someone in the stand it makes it easier to allow for such breaks, most rugby halves would be closer to 50 minutes a half to 40 at this stage

469

whats the story with Neil Francis? comes out with absolute crazyhorse comments…what was he like as a player?..i always had the impression he used to go hiding when most needed?

470

Ah you wouldnt want to pay much heed to Franno, he talks out his arse for most of the time. Best to sit back and enjoy his utterances and make up your own opinion. Not a bad read once you dont take him for gospel. Didnt hear him last night though as I was at the game.

471

was he any use as a player on an international level?

472

Its as if he sees himself as the next George Hook. Outlandish comments and often proved wrong. If he says bizarre things every week by the law of averages he’ll be right a couple of times. Not a patch on Hookie.

473

Ah he wasn’t shite or anything, he had some talent. He claims himself that with the right coaching in the professional era he could have been one of the greats.

Bless him.

474

I think his Irish career was summed up for me when he scored a concelation try, near the end of a game, either with an interception or a pickup and run. My father turned around and said that if the fecker had done any work when it mattered then he wouldnt have had the legs for the run at the end when the game was gone from them.

Thought the little disagreement between himself and Donal Lenihan on Setanta yesterday about the first time he played for Leinster in Cork was funny.

475

I remember reading somewhere that the change allowing lifting ruined his career. He had a great bounce and could outjump quite a few taller men in the line-out but once lifting was introduced he became less useful as he was too bulky and heavy.

476

Francis is a cunt of the highest order, and is eeking out a living trying to be a wind up merchant.

Was banging on in y’days Tribune about munster -v- leinster being the highlight of the irish sporting calendar, and that the defensively sound leinster likely to beat munster last night through forward dominance.

As a player he was a plank, and was never fond of things when the going got tough, and all of his defining moments came against the likes of Canada and Japan. He was an amazing athlete, and potential to be as good as Eales & co, but he was a lazy cunt. What sums him up was that he was happy to leave Balckrock and drop down a level and sign for Sir AJFGH O’Rielly’s Old Belvedere, for his 20 pieces of silver (or a grand a game in old money). For me the highlight of his career, and one of my favourite sporting moments was when Tony Copsey decked him in the Arms park in '92. For such a wind up merchant he was not able to take the criticism at all, Mick Doyle once put a picture of him and a donkey in the indo as a comparison and Francis sued Doyle. When Doyle passed away Francis basically signed off his sunday colomn along the lines that Doyle was no loss.

477

The Irish player that hurt more that most was Mike Coughlan(sp) who played with Garryowen, great jumper, but too light around the field.

478

Francis in yesterdays tribune:

Well here it is, the match that needs no hype, the match that other sporting codes look on with envy. There isn’t an Irish sporting contest which can match this occasion. There is nothing in domestic soccer that comes remotely close. Nor can hurling or any of its rabid acolytes who foam at the mouth for any kind of rivalry in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship. Nor can Gaelic football come close.

Rugby is different. Twice a year, Munster and Leinster have to get it on. It is the outstanding domestic sporting occasion on the island of Ireland, no question.

479

Saw that, he is some fcking clown.

480

I think he wrote that himself in his columna while back, around the same time as he said he’d have been a star in the pro era.