Rugby World Cup 2019 - Ireland shit the pot all over again

[tallback]

@Sidney

@tallback

Hugely encouraging performance. Wales pride themselves on physicality but Ireland dominated the contact both in defence and attack.

I was listening to Michael Corcoran’s commentary and he was telling us thaat despite Wales having just come back from an intensive two week fitness camp in a foreign location I cant remember the identity of, they looked off the pace

You don’t have to be Colombo to work out that Wales were likely below par precisely because of that fitness camp

At least that was the excuse given for Ireland’s awful performance in Twickenham

Bottom line is you can usually read sod all into these games - you can only construct a retrospective narrative about them based on World Cup results

Perhaps. You’re right in that the results in the prep games can be skewed. Either way, we looked a lot sharper. The result wasn’t that important, the performance was. We got both. Either way - we’ll find out fairly shortly exactly where we’re at

[GeoffreyBoycott]

Ireland are going to be facing one of the two superpowers of international rugby in the quarter final, South Africa or New Zealand. Regardless of what the rankings say, South Africa and New Zealand are still the two best teams in the world at the moment.

[Halfpipe]

Hmm, don’t I recall you extolling the competitiveness of international rugby on here quite recently, now it seems the group stages are a foregone conclusion?! Russia got within 30 points of Connacht in Moscow today, Schmidt will need to be careful not to take them for granted when up against them in Japan.

[GeoffreyBoycott]

Scotland, Samoa and Japan will be no pushovers but I fully expect Ireland to emerge from the pool. Forgive if I’m bullishly confident about that.

[anon32894817]

@Elvis_Brandenberg_Kr

Does this mean that Ireland are the no.1 ranked team in the world now?

If so, what’s all this talk about failing to get past the quarter-finals then?

Ireland are surely the odds-on favourites to win the tournament if they are the no.1 side in the world.

The ramblings of a fella terrified Ireland will do well at the World Cup. What nonsense.

[GeoffreyBoycott]

The carping from the rugby haters here is just something else. They are just apoplectic that Ireland have gone to Number 1 in the world rankings, a tribute to the consistency of a moderately enough talented group of players, over achieving under the genius of Coach Schmidt these past few years.

[carryharry]

@GeoffreyBoycott

The carping from the rugby haters here is just something else

It really is something else, these chaps despise Rugby but giving running commentaries through most games.

Gas cunts.

[anon32894817]

Really coming together now. The scrum as a weapon is huge for Ireland and something we never ever had in the World Cup before. A lot of strike runners in our back line now too. Besty and Murray making a return to form too. Very positive for Ireland.

[Bod95]

Get over the q final and we’ll go all the way

[anon32894817]

I’m not sure about that. Playing 3 international games in 14 days is bloody tough and it’ll be who gets the least injuries. I think we’ll get the semi final but I wouldn’t be able making any bold predictions until I see a head count of who’s left standing,

[GeoffreyBoycott]

Wales would look like the most likely semi final opponents for Ireland if they won the quarter final.

[flattythehurdler]

@gilgamboa

Wad the telly your only option? Jesus thats grim

No mate, I was watching the rugby.

[flattythehurdler]

@GeoffreyBoycott

Scotland, Samoa and Japan will be no pushovers but I fully expect Ireland to emerge from the pool. Forgive if I’m bullishly confident about that.

Well we’re world number 1.
Im struggling to think of an endeavour at which the world number 1 would fail to overcome countries as disparate as Scotland japan and Samoa.
In any case, this has fallen perfectly for the rubby set. Lose in the quarter finals and they’ll say sure we were expected to. Win against a team ranked below us, and they’ll “wad” the telly.

[PhattPike]

To be honest, I would not think we are no. 1 in the world. Not remotely.

However we are at a strange juncture. It feels a bit like 2013, when everyone in the AIHC was at a low ebb. It’s there for us. We’re not great, but none of the other teams are.

The age of the squad is a big worry. We are ancient.

[mikehunt]

@Halfpipe

Russia got within 30 points of Connacht in Moscow today,

This can’t be true.

cc @Tim_Riggins

[anon67715551]

@PhattPike

The age of the squad is a big worry. We are ancient.

Best is thirty seven (37). He’s almost too old for golf ne’er mind the fucking rubby.
Draw your own conclusions.

[gilgamboa]

@PhattPike

The age of the squad is a big worry. We are ancient.

Interestingly the average age of the squad is two years lower now than in 2015. Even including a massive outlier like Best. 10/31 are 30 + (NZ have 9/ SA 7)

The squad has the third most caps of any side in the competition.

[fistoffury]

Didn’t the oirish soccer ball team beat the world champions recently.

[Raylan]

Similar to the England RWC winning panel? Or younger again??

[GeoffreyBoycott]

You make a very good point. If you go through all the World Cup winners, they’ve invariably all been won by very experienced teams bordering on veteran status.