Six Nations 2010

[Pikeman]

@larryduff

No way Wallace should be playing at ten so with Sextons injury of course ROG should start. Wallace is an inside centre and shouldn’t be considered seriously as a 10. He should have started at 12 imo as he is a far more skillful player than Darcy and his performance against Bath was simply class. I would have gone for Henry and Boss in the 22 at least. Trinble selection was logical. Go with the player who is in the best form. Think he will pleasantly surprise a few in this Six Nations actually. A much improved player.

Your first point was well made Lar-then you ruined it by saying Wallace is more skillful than D’Arcy

[dancarter]

@Pikeman

Yeah-for Munster he’ll step it up alright, not for country though.

Kidney will give Sexton his 6 Nations debut v France in Paris?
D’ya think?
That would be putting some pressure on Sexton-the Italy game would have gotten the debut out of the way.

Fuck off Pikeman there is enough WUM around here without you starting. Sexton is injured end of…

[dancarter]

@Mac

Does Trimble definitely deserve his place or is it a case of making sure there’s an Ulster guy in the starting 11 again? I would have thought Earls would have been a better choice to keep Lukes jersey warm? Great chance for McLaughlin as well and one that he will relish. Will be good for him having experienced heads like Heaslip and Wallace beside him.

Funny how far up Kidneys arse MBB’s head is at this point in time as well.

MBB is bang on about Kidney. I would have picked Trimble as well. He has been in super form and Kidney selects on known form and always has. Makes sense to have someone who can cover 12-15 on the bench as well. Still not 100% convinced by Earls; he has savage gas but not sure about the rest of the package

[dancarter]

@Mac

Just raising the Ulster thing as it was raised on here before - possibly by Dan. Trimble has really reinvigorated himself as a classy winger. Mad to think that we have enough players now to keep the likes of Earls on the bench when 4 or 5 years ago there’d be a national protest if someone with his talent wasn’t starting.

Not me, I have always said the Ulster quota thing is a pile of bollocks

[dancarter]

@caoimhaoin

I’ll argue this with you, well its more a prediction than than a point. Earls will be the better player than Luke Fitz in time, and will score more tries and get more caps for ireland.

Luke Fitz is a talented boy, no doubt, but for some reason i think some of what made him so exciting has been taken away, can’t quite put my finger on it now, maybe its that elusiveness. He’s incredible in defense, and can be a real threat at times, but i think Earls is a slightly bigger threat going forward. I think Earls will maintain that elusiveness for a longer period.

Anyway, i agree on your point in the main above, a few years ago missing anyone of these lads was a disaster, now we have guys on the bench of the required standard. Not that we can do without anyone, but with the combinations and the maturing backs, missing BO’D isn’t quite the disaster it would have been even last year.

Cant agree with this at all!!! Luke Fitz is twice the player Earls is at the moment, bug quick physical with a far better knowledge of how to play the game than Earls. Id say Fitz is quicker as well. I dont think Earls has anything like the skill set to be ain international centre at the moment and wouldnt be convinced by his defence at the top level either. I have watched both for years and Fitz is by far and away the most talented player to have come through since BOD.

[Pikeman]

@dancarter

Fuck off Pikeman there is enough WUM around here without you starting. Sexton is injured end of…

End of?

You boring cunt

[W_B_Yeats]

@dancarter

Cant agree with this at all!!! Luke Fitz is twice the player Earls is at the moment, bug quick physical with a far better knowledge of how to play the game than Earls. Id say Fitz is quicker as well. I dont think Earls has anything like the skill set to be ain international centre at the moment and wouldnt be convinced by his defence at the top level either. I have watched both for years and Fitz is by far and away the most talented player to have come through since BOD.

Dan tells it like it is

[Pikeman]

[quote=“dancarter, post: 427022”]I have watched both for years and Fitz is by far and away the most talented player to have come through since BOD.
[/quote]

[Manuel_Zelaya]

Its difficult to understand why there’s even a Sexton/O’Gara debate. If form was the barometer for selection, O’Gara is fourth or fifth in the pecking order. Ian Humphreys & Jeremy Staunton are miles ahead of him. O’Gara’s continued selection for over two years smacks of deference for past services.

You get the sense with Kidney that there’s an anti-Ulster bias at play. On this occasion he’s only coming back from injury, but it is puzzling how Jerry Flannery is ahead of Rory Best in the pecking order. With a scrum that has been creaking so badly for so long and with a dearth of scrummaging props, a scrummaging hooker like Best should be an automatic selection. All the more so when he offers so much in all other facets of his game.

Paddy Wallace most unlucky to lose out. Probably won’t matter against the Italians, but with Sexton out, Paddy Wallace’s play making skills at 12 become even more important.

I don’t know what Leo Cullen has to do to get selected.

[Pikeman]

@Manuel Zelaya

Its difficult to understand why there’s even a Sexton/O’Gara debate. If form was the barometer for selection, O’Gara is fourth or fifth in the pecking order. Ian Humphreys & Jeremy Staunton are miles ahead of him. O’Gara’s continued selection for over two years smacks of deference for past services.

You get the sense with Kidney that there’s an anti-Ulster bias at play. On this occasion he’s only coming back from injury, but it is puzzling how Jerry Flannery is ahead of Rory Best in the pecking order. With a scrum that has been creaking so badly for so long and with a dearth of scrummaging props, a scrummaging hooker like Best should be an automatic selection. All the more so when he offers so much in all other facets of his game.

Paddy Wallace most unlucky to lose out. Probably won’t matter against the Italians, but with Sexton out, Paddy Wallace’s play making skills at 12 become even more important.

I don’t know what Leo Cullen has to do to get selected.

This lad knows his stuff

[Mac]

@dancarter

MBB is bang on about Kidney. I would have picked Trimble as well. He has been in super form and Kidney selects on known form and always has. Makes sense to have someone who can cover 12-15 on the bench as well. Still not 100% convinced by Earls; he has savage gas but not sure about the rest of the package

Ah c’mon Dan - at this rate if Kidney told us to disband the GAA you’d have MBB on here clapping him. He’s had a great year but that doesn’t mean we can’t question his decisions.

[Bandage]

What’s the schedule day and time wise for this weekend’s games?

[Mac]

6 Feb 2010 Ireland 14:30 Italy Croke Park
6 Feb 2010 England 17:00 Wales Twickenham
7 Feb 2010 Scotland 13:00 France Murrayfield

[mickee321]

any idea what the handicap betting will be here at the weekend lads.?
im thinking a blustery croker with a swirling wind may make for a scrappy encounter with the italian pack generally spoiling the game as best they can, ROG to have an off day with the boot, we’ll cross the italian line 3 times but they also may bundle themselves over at the end due to the weakness in our front row, id take ireland by 13-15 points with large periods of dull unimaginative play and me regularly flicking around the channels to try to watch the afternoon Bundesliga or israeli league, what think ye men of the oval ball persuasion?

[Mac]

@mickee321

any idea what the handicap betting will be here at the weekend lads.?
im thinking a blustery croker with a swirling wind may make for a scrappy encounter with the italian pack generally spoiling the game as best they can, ROG to have an off day with the boot, we’ll cross the italian line 3 times but they also may bundle themselves over at the end due to the weakness in our front row, id take ireland by 13-15 points with large periods of dull unimaginative play and me regularly flicking around the channels to try to watch the afternoon Bundesliga or israeli league, what think ye men of the oval ball persuasion?

Handicap with publicities is 21 points. Will decide once I see the weather forecast.

[Bandage]

@Mac

6 Feb 2010 Ireland 14:30 Italy Croke Park
6 Feb 2010 England 17:00 Wales Twickenham
7 Feb 2010 Scotland 13:00 France Murrayfield

Thanks Mac - you’re swell.

[Rocko]

@dancarter

Cant agree with this at all!!! Luke Fitz is twice the player Earls is at the moment, bug quick physical with a far better knowledge of how to play the game than Earls. Id say Fitz is quicker as well. I dont think Earls has anything like the skill set to be ain international centre at the moment and wouldnt be convinced by his defence at the top level either. I have watched both for years and Fitz is by far and away the most talented player to have come through since BOD.

Yeah I’d agree with all that, not sure about the last sentence just because I don’t think he’s in the same class (or I haven’t seen it yet at pro level) but while Earls has potential (and may become a great player) he’s a long way from the finished article at the moment and still makes too many mistakes to be really considered a proper international centre yet.

Trimble is in there on pure merit and is in far better form than Earls.

[Bandage]

[quote=“Rocko, post: 427034”]Trimble is in there on pure merit and is in far better form than Earls.
[/quote]

Just wanted to capture this for posterity.

[Rocko]

@Bandage

Just wanted to capture this for posterity.

I’ll defend that selection forever Bandage.

[Bandage]

Sly.

My only quibble with the team is the non selection of Leo Cullen - it’s frankly a disgrace. I trust Brian O’Driscoll, as captain, will have a word with Paul O’Connell in terms of showing more respect to the French official on Saturday.