- 16 can be got with Ladbrokes and Iād say even better could be got if you shop around
Really disappointed he didnāt go for Wallace and overall the selection is overly conservative once more. MOD was so bad on the tour in the summer it was clear he wasnāt up to it. Thought Toner had an excellent game last week so really his non selection is frustrating at this stage. Court had to come in if we donāt want our scrum to be totally destroyed. How Reddan got the nod at 9 is beyond me. Anyway have a funny feeling despite all this we will put in a good performance on Saturday.
Gordon DāArcy is a vastly superior rugby footballer than Paddy Wallace and no amount of ongoing bleating from the Ulster and Munster contingent on here will ever change that.
Not anymore heās not, and if DāArcy is playing like the coaches want him to play then they are idiots, otherwise heās playing like an old Junior B full forward who still thinks he can round fellas like he did a few years ago.
It was interesting to hear Aussie guys say several times in the recent past that the only way to beat NZ is to attack attack attack and just go at them, all the time. They sometimes break when teams stay with them.
That team picked is a real old Irish defeatest mindset.
Thatās how the French have beaten them in world cups too.
South Africa are big enough to try and grind out a victory but everyone else needs to take them on. I know the game was over after a few minutes during the summer but Ireland ran in some handy tries. Thatās how to beat them alright.
I would say on our day that backline we have is capable of anything (in a positive way) and are not that far away from Australia, could be as good if not better than France, but will always be a bit behind NZ. But that doesnāt mean we canāt beat them. We have more power, whereas the Aussies are silky skilled and sharpe (but light) runners, the Blacks are a mix of it all really. Franceās back 3 are usually immense no matter who they go for, but they can be very hairy at 9,10 &13.
One thing i know on the selection, and they were going on about it today on Matt Cooper, Mike Ross has got no time really, i know Kidney didnāt rate him at all at all a couple of years ago. Kidney is a very hard man to change, and i really wonder has he got the open mindness to bring this team on. I have seen coaches before at all levels who have been very successful with teams, and they are incredibly slow to make changes when needed, and it catches them out in the end, and young players suffer. I am all for loyalty, but iām very disappointed with the 3 selections overall in this series.
Iād like to know how much of a call the forwards coach gets on the front row, 'cos i have a feeling (and iām only speculating) that a forwards coach would be playing Court & Ross alot more, because they are good at the fundamentals.
Iāve often thought that about Kidney but in fairness to him he made some big calls for Munster in 2008 in elevating Hurley and OāLeary to the starting team. But in general I think heās conservative and he has a loyalty to some players who havenāt really delivered at this level at all.
Off set piece ball Irelandās backs are as good as anyoneās. Thatās why the failure to sort out the scrums is baffling. The lineout is more of a balance call but it still means weāre not guaranteed decent ball for the backs which is where the strengths are.
In 1999, yes. In 2007 not on your life.
New Zealand battered France for the whole game. Dusautoir had more tackles than the whole New Zealand team!
The French have beaten them 2 other times in between as well. The one in Dunedin they ran and ran at them, and going by the score of the one in Mrsaille (42-33) they had a go as well. So for at least 3 out of the last 4 wins it was by having a go. The game in Cardiff had a different feel to it alright, and the French got a few large slices of luck.
Will NZ take this friendly seriously?
Nah theyāve been saucing it in Johnnie Foxās all week from the youtube footage I saw.
The samoan front row which caused Ireland so many problems against Ireland last week is being eaten without salt here by the English front row here 
ā¦
Scotland to beat SA today? Felt theyād have a chance and theyāve started v well here. Conditions are suiting them too of course.
Samoa lead Eng 8-6 just after HT, Sid whats going wrong?!
Scotland 12-12 at Murrayfield and still putting it up to the racists.
Terribly dull games in Twickers and Murryfield. Canāt remember last real good international I watched actually. Hopefully in thirty minutes there will be one anyway. Come on Ireland
donāt know if you saw it but England V Australia last week was an excellent game of rugby with both teams playing positive heads up rugby
No I didnāt but remember you posting about it all right. Exception rather than the rule though surely. Far too many awful games. Big problems in the game at present in rules and drugs and both are being ignored imo. Anyway thats probably talk for another day.
Disappointing to see the two ulster cunts, the ausssie and the isreali wouldnāt even make an attempt to sing the anthem
there are more than two ulstermen playing puke.
Hokey Cokey time.