Who said it wasnt? Its nowt to do with the league though as neither wales or scotland exploit it effectively. IRFU couldnāt get enough plaudits for their structures but some people like to use it as a stick to beat them with.
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Of course Sexton has also been injured this year.
To my eyes and ears there seems a general reluctance amongst the vast majority of people in Irish rugby circles to square the circle of i) good player management, which Iāve stated numerous times the IRFU are expert at, with ii) having an inbuilt advantage for a Six Nations campaign, particularly in a post-British Loins year.
Discussion of and praise for i) appears to be a pre-requisite in media, and thatās fair enough.
But discussion of ii) appears to be off limits.
This was also the case in 2007, 2009, 2014 and 2015.
By omitting to mention ii), a much needed dose of realism is absent from discussions about Irelandās true place in the international pecking order, particularly with a view to the 2019 World Cup, when that inbuilt advantage there for Six Nations campaigns ceases to become a factor.
As a man with no interest in rugby I have to say watching a team deliver the goods while playing with such skill, commitment and passion was great to see on the day of our patron saint. The gusto with which our national anthem was sung by all added to the occasion also. Itās just a shame Nemo didnāt turn up.
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Ah your giving out about the media again. Nowt I can do about that. You will have to take it up with the media. I try to form my own opinions from watching the games and following the sport from grassroots level up. Im not really interested in what gerry thornley or someone thinks
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When I say āthe mediaā, that includes numerous people who have played or coached international rugby, not just the #marians of this world.
I think it could be fairly applied to the vast majority of Irish supporters too.
Thereās nothing wrong with having confidence in your team, and Ireland are no doubt a team to be respected, but too often Irish rugby people have failed to inject some realism into discussion of the teamās prospects. That has been the case both ahead of and during all of the last four World Cups.
For instance, I donāt see any discussion of the odds for the next World Cup and anybody saying āwoah, steady on here, these odds are a bit outā, as they most certainly are - Ireland being 4/1 with South Africa at 14/1, Wales at 20/1 and Argentina at 40/1 is laughable - thereās little enough between all four of those teams with all more than capable of beating each other on a given day.
Irish rugby hype in the professional era has repeatedly proven reminiscent of the euphoria many people had about house prices circa 2006.
And it seems thereās always a willingness to repeat the same mistakes.
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Those odds are a bit, well, odd.
Youāre obsessed about this World Cup thing. Its 18 months away. Thereās an awful lot of very important rugby to be played before the World Cup comes around. Thereās a three test series for the Lansdowne Cup in June, the Admiral Brown Cup to defend in November and the visit of New Zealand in November as well. Then in early 2019, Ireland will defend the Centenary Quaich, the Millennium Trophy, the Triple Crown and the Championship Trophy.
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It irks me that these prestigious trophies are never on the line in the World Cup.
For example, when Ireland played Argentina in that World Cup quarter-final in Cardiff in 2015, it was not an officially sanctioned Admiral Brown Cup tie - both teams knew going into battle that the trophy would remain in Irish hands regardless of the result.
That must have taken away significantly from the win for Argentina, but conversely, it no doubt gave the Irish team and the Irish rugby public more than a small crumb of consolation to know that the famous young trophy was still in their possession.
As I write, the wait for that maiden Admiral Brown Cup triumph goes on for the Argentines, and it may do for quite a while yet.
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FFS it has been talked about for a decade and a half.
It is a self made āadvantageā.
If the Scots could have got the people through the turnstiles then maybe they could have it. Ditto the Welsh.
Itās an out of date narrative at this point. England gave lots of access to their players now. So too the French. Going on about training camps being a great leveler in World Cup yearās night have been a half interesting insight 10 years ago, it really isnāt now. Ireland played the French off the pitch at the last World Cup.
What you in fact are doing is failing to acknowledge the vastly improve player development pathways developed by the IRFU in the last 15 years. This has created a depth that Ireland can lose two British and Irish Lion Test backrow players and indeed some of their replacements, and not miss a beat. Itās a far cry from Eddie OāSullivanās 15 plus a couple of squads, at a time when England and France had far less access to their players.
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Yes, good to see rugby trumping the gga
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The trouble with England access to players is that it just batters the fuck out of them even more. They are caught between the rock of the erfu, and the hard place of the clubs. Itās everyoneās fault, and no oneās. Itās a shame as Iād like to see a match of import between us and them all things being equal. I still think weād beat the fuckers, but itād be an interesting watch as these things go.
Poor.
What is the Erfu ??
English rugby football union
No such organisation
Go onā¦
RFU
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