There have never, ever been spontaneous street celebrations when Ireland have won a rugby football match.
Iâm looking for background information on the issue to see which side I should support
Agreed but @gilgamboa is actually acting like a Grinch since they won
Why canât he enjoy the moment
Because he knows full well that Ireland winning their first four matches, three of them at home, in an annual tournament against:
i) a French team at a very low ebb
ii) a joke of an Italian team
iii) a far below full strength Wales
iv) a limited Scotch teamâŚ
is not that big a deal.
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The game was dull enough to my philistine eyes. Once Ireland scored the first try there was little enough to get excited about. Ireland looked much the stronger team.
Very few women in the premium level of the Aviva yesterday. You would see far more and better quality in the premium level of Croke Park. Better quality seats in the Aviva but apart from that an inferior product for the corporate fan than Croke Park.
An enjoyable day out nonetheless. The flags under the seats are a nice idea to bring some levity and joie de vivre to corporate Ireland supporting the team. Although most people didnât touch them. There is a certain passive aggressiveness associated with the âsssshhhingâ that really resonates with the middle aged middle class crowd. Even chatting away in a talking voice during a kick was frowned upon.
Rugby is thriving in Ireland mate. Eire soccer types are seething over that. This is rugby country.
Continuing to talk away quietly while the shushers are going red in the face from shushing at a rugby match is very enjoyable, drives them mad so it does, great satisfaction to be had from it.
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Maybe not in Ballyfermot, quite a few in Sandymount through the years.
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Good posts from Sydney on this, but Ireland are a very very good team. England are England. Big but limited mullockers, the millwall of world rugby. Tough e nough, but any good side should beat them. I expect Ireland to win well in twickers, in what will be a relatively neutral venue. Itâs a cold mausoleum of a place, with little atmosphere and zero intimidation factor, especially as lads will travel in their droves, and every paddy in London will be there
England are hamstrung by their club structure, which emphasises bulk and durability, and hammers the playe rs remorseless ly.
I absolutely expect Ireland to beat sa at the next WC.
It seems you are so bored today you are buting in to other peoples discussion that doesnt concern you on topics that dont interest you.
Get some air maybe, walk the dog?
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Mccarthy, keogh, McLean, walters
Sure there were.
Have you ever heard of the Good Friday Agreement?
The other three are all much more Irish than Bundiaki
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There is about 7 lads hopping up and down in a rage here now. Its gas
But weâve heard all this before about Ireland in 2007 and in 2014 and 2015. We heard it in 2009 after Ireland finally won the Grand Slam and then beat South Africa at Croke Park in November. Ireland were supposedly in the top three in the world all these times and were going to do the devil and all in the following World Cups. It never happened.
The Six Nations is an annual tournament in which pretty much always, for whatever reason, ie. injuries, form or disorganisation etc, at least two of the big four teams are well below their best and teams often arenât that bothered about losing matches. The nature of the tournament is that championship wins are spread around the different teams.
Gatty, quite obviously, wasnât that bothered about Wales losing to England and Ireland this year, he knew Wales were below strength and was looking at performances and developing new players with a view to the World Cup.
Eddie Jones will probably be a bit more worried than Gatty after Englandâs defeats in Edinburgh and Paris, but he won a Grand Slam two years ago and winning another one isnât that big a deal for England. He was brought in specifically to get England challenging for the World Cup and thatâs what heâll be judged on.
This year, England and Wales were badly affected by a hangover from the British Loins tour in a way that Ireland werenât. France have showed some improvement this year but theyâre only gradually awakening from their longest slumber in living memory.
As has been pointed out ad nauseum, the IRFU do a better job than the English, French or Welsh in managing their players throughout the season which means Ireland have managed to remain pretty consistent year on year. But I think this misleads a lot of Irish rugby supporters.
The World Cup is a totally different ball game. There is a long lead in time from the end of the previous season in May and other teams for once have an opportunity to really rest their players and get them right, so the advantage Ireland generally have during a normal season goes out the window.
On what basis are Ireland 5/1 to win the World Cup and Wales 20/1? Those are laughable odds which donât reflect reality at all.
Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Wales and France all generally up their game significantly when the World Cup comes around.
But Ireland have never raised their game significantly at a World Cup, in fact theyâve generally underperformed, sometimes disastrously. Thatâs not a coincidence, itâs an established pattern, tournament after tournament.
At the next World Cup, itâll likely be Ireland v South Africa in the quarter-final. South Africa have just appointed Rassie Erasmus, who is an excellent coach, so they are only going to improve significantly over the next 18 months. Even under South Africaâs previous lame duck coach Allister Coetzee, they still managed to beat Ireland in a three match test series in 2016.
Would anybody put much money on Ireland beating a rejuvenated South Africa in a World Cup quarter-final? Nah, neither would I.
What Irish players would make a world XV? How many even made the British Loins XV?
Beyond Sexton, Murray and maybe OâMahony and Furlong, who is true world class?
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You, Kevin, who else?
Stockdale?
The facts are the facts
Nobody is saying anything about how irish anyone is.
I am pointing out more hypocrisy of the soccer only pick and choose irishmen
Agreed, but sa are very poor compared to historical norms, Ireland wonât fear them at all, so wonât go in beaten, and Ireland have the makings of a very good backline. I was basing my prediction more on sa being in turmoil than anything else.
Yes you are. You called lads playing the Irish soccer team âforeignersâ i.e. not Irish
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