Irelands grand slam hopes are toast
Warren Gatland sliced the toast with Gerry Thornley’s fabled Sword of Damocles.
Some of the efforts here have been utterly shocking, you should all be ashamed of yourselves, you know who you are.
The Western Mail on the other hand, can take a bow
Franno’s gripe with the Welsh goes back to his meeting with Tony Copsey in 1992.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPzxZC0yG1c
00.31 in.
[QUOTE=“Manuel Zelaya, post: 1107438, member: 377”]Franno’s gripe with the Welsh goes back to his meeting with Tony Copsey in 1992.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPzxZC0yG1c
00.31 in.[/QUOTE]
Tony Copsey was actually English.
Correct. He’s an Essex boy. Its a fact that seems lost on Franno though as its Wales and not Essex that has borne the brunt of that grudge for the last 23 years.
I remember in the run up to that Ireland-Wales match in 1992 Francis had a chest or a rib injury of some sort and there was talk of him having to wear a protective bra, hence a lot of guffawing and har de har har-ing in the media. Frano didn’t wear the bra.
i would love to go for pints with Franno, Gary Halpin , Nick Popplewell and Paul Wallace
Franno lays out another lovely little anecdote here about “the great Swindon steak and kidney pie stand-off”, and although he’s not directly involved in the story himself, it’s still a charming little vignette.
Franno despite being touted from a very young age as the next Willie John McBride had an underwhelming enough international career. From 40 or so caps, he produced probably two performances of real quality against Australia in the 1991 World Cup quarter final and England at Twickenham in 1994. Most of the rest of the time, he flattered to deceive. He did according to Tony Ward produce possibly the finest performance from a second row he’s ever witnessed when Ireland beat France at Auch on their 1988 tour of France, but that was a non capped game.
“Franno the raging bull”, as the Irish Independent Monday sports supplement headline memorably exclaimed after Twickenham 1994.
He really does have a very engaging writing style and I’ve been a fan of his articles since his Sunday Tribune days 15 or 16 years ago.
Has he ever released an autobiography?
[QUOTE=“Sidney, post: 1107488, member: 183”]“Franno the raging bull”, as the Irish Independent Monday sports supplement headline memorably exclaimed after Twickenham 1994.
He really does have a very engaging writing style and I’ve been a fan of his articles since his Sunday Tribune days 15 or 16 years ago.
Has he ever released an autobiography?[/QUOTE]
I enjoy reading his column too. He was a sensitive enough soul in his playing days. Mick Doyle wrote quite a funny but personal enough article on him in the early 90’s on what Doyler felt was a career of underachievement. Think Franno might even have issued a libel writ. I still have that article somewhere. Must dig it out.
I used to enjoy Mick Doyle’s articles too. Full of bile. Openside flanker Denis McBride was another favourite target of his. Rugby After Dark was a good discussion programme on the Sunday nights of championship weekends. Doyler and Edmund van Esbeck were generally the panel members talking to Bill O’Herlihy.
[QUOTE=“Manuel Zelaya, post: 1107438, member: 377”]Franno’s gripe with the Welsh goes back to his meeting with Tony Copsey in 1992.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPzxZC0yG1c
00.31 in.[/QUOTE]
Lovely auld slap there well done copsey
[QUOTE=“Sidney, post: 1107488, member: 183”]“Franno the raging bull”, as the Irish Independent Monday sports supplement headline memorably exclaimed after Twickenham 1994.
He really does have a very engaging writing style and I’ve been a fan of his articles since his Sunday Tribune days 15 or 16 years ago.
Has he ever released an autobiography?[/QUOTE]
as a fan of the written word i too much enjoy Franno’s prose
he has wonderful condescending style of writing,you can imagine him recounting these tales with a sherry and cigar at some Old Belvedere get together, also his TV appearances were quality , back around 2010 Franno and Maddy Williams had a fantastic discussion show on rugby football related topics on Setanta, Franno had wonderful anecdotes , he took great pride in describing the Racing Metro attitude to rugby and informed us that back in the day the players all appeared at the game on bicycles and quaffed champagne at half time, he then threw in this comment saying you could never imagine that kind of thing at a Munster game and laughed heartily at his own joke.
is doyle dead?
he was an ogre of a man, but like Franno also incredibly well spoken, Rugby after Dark was a mainstay during the mid to late 90’s analysing the latest home defeat to Scotland.
The current rugby football crowd wouldnt be able for that, i used to love these wooden spoon teams of the 5 nations era with a back row dominated by players from Lansdwone and Belvo with half back pairings like Bradley and Paul Dean, David Macaleese, Fergus Ahern … none of this tedious Munster / leinster / Tommy Bowe crap… we had the likes of Franno, Nick Popplewell, Ralph Keyes, Ron Saunders, Bryn Cunningham, Hugo MacNeil, Paul Wallace, Gary Halpin, rugby royalty from a proper background…
Doyle is dead about 10 years I’d say.
Doyle was a bit of a CJ Haughey - squired a few birds if I remember correctly.
If I’m not mistajken he used to destroy Richard Wallace on a weekly basis too.
[QUOTE=“Spidey, post: 1107569, member: 289”]
If I’m not mistajken he used to destroy Richard Wallace on a weekly basis too.[/QUOTE]
As in smashing his back door in?
one of my favourite games of the era was a 6-6 draw with Scotland in 1994, 2 eric elwood penalties sealing the tie.
@Sidney , who replaced Jim Davidson on the coaching ticket after the 1989 5 Nations?
was it Ciaran Fitzgerald?, this brought in a wonderfully unsuccessful era the high point being the wooden spoon in 1992, never forget my oud lad call the team a bunch of girls after Chris Oti scored a hat trick in Twickers in 1988, this was the same team that a few months earlier stood for The Rose of Tralee as a national anthem at the inaugural rugby world cup, Doyler had a heart attack there iirc , at the opening dinner