Was Joe over Ireland at the last WC also?
Anyway back to my initial point. Ireland will probably never have another chance like 2011. Weâd genuine world class players littered across the team. That will always be a big regret.
Yes, they lost at the QF stage to Argentina. AFAIR Argentina âtested every shoulderâ.
Thatâs an abysmal record really⌠No doubt Farrell will do a great job at the 6ns and some friendlies next year and the cycle will begin again.
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A semi-decent point that was made somewhere or other the past few days was that Irelandâs âcoach-cycleâ is out of synch with the WC. The thing to do would probably appoint a coach about 2 years before the WC.
But honestly, I donât know if thatâs accurate criticism or not because a criticism that George Hook used to make was that the IRFU gave OâSullivan and Kidney big extensions right before the WC. Here they went in without giving the coach an extension and thatâs the new excuse.
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Pretty sure Schmidt and kidney were pointed mid cycle after ridiculous extensions of their predecessors pre World Cup.
I think four years is very fair. The irfus obsession with the six nations may end now and Farrell might be given a better chance to build from scratch. Itâll be interesting but I donât really think heâll be a good head coach.
Jonny Wilkinson beat them with his booth
The 6Ns cash cow funds the IRFU - No chance will they ease up on that⌠The whole structure is set up to have a tilt at the 6Ns.
Oh Iâve a small amount of Ireland rugby gossip.
This forum will already be aware that Conor Murray wasnât really injured and in fact was suspended for testing positive for cocaine. Apparently division was caused in the squad by his return because some players thought he should never have been let back in. I donât know which players exactly.
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You are correct but Iâve a feeling theyâll ease up some bit.
Sure everybody is doing it these days.
So why cant we
Whatâs your source for this?
Brilliant from the IRFU leaking this. Now Murray is actually representative of lots of Irish lads his age now. #TeamOfActuallyUs
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Picking an international team from three and a half club teams is one thing
Picking an international squad from three and a half club teams is another thing entirely
The IRFU faces a big choice
If it picks players on non-Irish teams it risks the Walesification of the Irish club teams
If it doesnât allow players on non-Irish club teams to be picked for Ireland, they are confining their own options
The point was made elsewhere here that maybe the glorified player welfare exercise that is the Irish club scene means Irish players could actually be undercooked for World Cups
Maybe there is something to it
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New zealand only pick from within and England too I think? If Iâm not mistaken wales only allow a small number of players to be picked. I think itâs three. If Ireland start allowing players to be picked outside of Ireland the provinces would struggle massively. it would end up costing the irfu a lot of money too probably. I think the current system works well bar a small few tweaks.
I mentioned the under cooked theory and weâd multiple meltdowns earlier today. England are going to play Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in 14 days and have barely gotten an injury after two games while winning both games relatively easily.
George North signed for Northampton in 2013
Iâm pretty certain he didnât have 60 caps by then
Liam Williams has 62 caps and plays for Saracens
He did not have 60 caps before the World Cup