There is a fella on here absolutely obsessed with him anyway⌠Any time his name is mentioned it is like a fucking dog whistle
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Look at how the central contract are given majority over 30 and the IRFU have been caught out with fellas retiring between WCs. Every 4 years they should have a plan for possibles and probablys of who will be around in 4 years barring retirement due to injury. BOD is a great example of a fella who wanted 1 more lions tour, saying that he probably would have been able to play at the WC but made hes decision. I was very surprised Best hung on as long as he did. On form over the last 4 years is POM one of the best 3 backrows in ireland? Imho no. A firm commitment for that 4 year cycle is needed and central contracts should be up to the end of the cycle and renegotiated that year prior to WC and given as 4 year contracts.
DâArcy and BOD retiring in 2014 was a massive problem for the RWC in 15, we had 2 centres not so used to playing together at that level, only for them to get injured and the back ups had less experience. Its not the players fault of course they want to play for ireland as long as possible but the IRFU need to make these decisions.
I donât agree about the world cup cycle. Ireland obsess about the world cup cycle and itâs always a failure. They should forget about it.
Yes definitely. Who else is even close over a four year period. Stander.
Rwc is where you are measured. In between we were arguably the best in the world but shit our pants. Every other nation build towards it.
On POM I disagree, on his day hes world class but heâll go out be MOTM and shit for 3 or 4 games. He can go out and give some stupid penalties and then question the ref when a dog with a mallet up his arse can see how wrong he is. The red card the other week is the same brain dead decisions he makes. Stander has been consistently good and no arguement on his selection. You have leavy jvdf beirne at 6 consistently better over last 3 years. Now you have Connors doris(depending on the head) JOD playing out his skin in the mix. With Hodnet penny Coombes and o sullivan yet to be capped. The back row is our strongest area regarding depth.
Then look at the balance of the back row. I donât like having 2 players like POM and stander in the back row, it becomes very one dimensional and easy to read.
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Weâre in a pool with South Africa and Scotland. Weâll do well to make it that far. Could be a repeat of 1999 and 2007 early exits.
Theyâve all been early exits
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Itâs a tough pool for Ireland and even if advancement is secured from it, itâs tournament hosts France or New Zealand in the quarter final. Itâs not easy in a rugby World Cup.
We clearly dont though as todayâs contract alone shows. 6 nations, HC, interpros- they all.contribute to blurring the world cup focus. We actually fuck.ourselves by not being more WC focussed.
Look at the ABâS. Everything is built around 4 year cycles. The trinations is a testing ground, international tests an experiment plus money exercise.
Instead, they put all focus on WC. The management, if changing, are typically brought in at the start of a cycle. If theyâre to make mistakes, blood fellas , experiment itâs the early 2 years they have to do it. You then have in 3rd year of cycle a clear 22, few fellas knocking plus then youâve kiwis coming back from abroad as they have to play one full season pre-world cup year to be included in selections.
So they have the cllear at set game plan and structure, nucleus of the main starting XV, theyâve sharpened their sword on the field and theyâve then added competition coming home to test incumbents a year ahead of world cups. All.roads, management to players to backroom, all point towards WC.
If our primary objective is to make a world cup final then the structure that same strategy needs to be built on is 4 year cycle with all building to that final.
We can continue to pick up triple crowns, 6 nations, occasional grand slams here and there. And what a position to be in given the paucity for generations, were blessed. But thatâs the limit of our ambition unless we legitimately build to making a world cup final.
Sexton/POM- you want to be part of world cup winning side? Well, youâve been part of 2/3 that havenât been. And if.you buy in for the ideal, your reward between now and then is appearance and bonus money when in green. Your biggest reward however is taking the field in the final which will.more than cover the difference.
Theyâve been rewarded amply for whatâs been achieved. They should be incentivised to contribute in achieving more than weâve done before
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So true. We tend to peak about 12-18 months before World Cups. We regularly go there with players just over the hill, or a plethora of undercooked reserves. We actually looked to be building a bit of depth for a brief period around 2016 (likes of JVdF, Dillane, Jackson etc supplementing.
starters) but that didnât seem to materialise after.
We beat South Africa by 35 points in the Aviva in November 2017 but they were playing the long game and ended up winning the World Cup after a brave mid-cycle change of management.
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You asked has POM been in the top three back rows in Ireland over the last four years. Heâs in the top two with stander and no one else is even close. Most of the players youâve named have been nowhere near that level over four years, or havenât even been playing.
England are another great example post 2015, new team in 2016 and won the grand slam, built towards the world Cup and got to the final, beating NZ on the way. The same NZ that embarrassed ireland
And if you recall when they beat NZ in NZ year before winning the world cup, they had been building to that moment. Canât even recall did the win the 6 nations, triple crown etc that year. Cos who gives a fuck really if your goal is to win a world cup?
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Why reward a.player mainly on past performance? Heâs been paid for that. You pay for what you think youâre going to get, not what you already got.
Wasnât everything supposed to built up for the world cup last cycle? âBest coach in the worldâ retained and depth increased and lessons learned and beat the all blacks.
Ireland should stop talking about the world cup. Talk of winning it is complete madness altogether.
If Ireland stopped obsessing over the WC they might arrive at it in a better place.
Supposedly it was but in truth it wasnât Even the managers contract was renewed ahead of the world cup which is bullshit. Same shit with Eddie OâSullivan, contract signed sealed and delivered before they headed off to France.
Structurally we do not build properly towards world cups. Iâd wager thatâs in large part down to the blazers in the IRFU hq. Crowds are wishy washy with the intl setup. Poor results can see âfansâ reduce. No sport is as beholden to turnstiles as much as rugby. So theyâre caught between two chairs trying to remain competitive on the field largely in part for commercial motivations and also build to the world cup.
Take Craig Casey last weekend. He is either going to be starting or benching come next world cup. All can see that. Italy is a gimme. He has Munster men in the backrow and, while donât agree with it, Sexton starting. Perfect breeding ground to bring him in and give his debut. But instead guy closer to 30 and here for the money is giving the starting 9 jersey. How does that selection make sense if youâre satying the world cup is too.much of a focus? Itâs anything but lookinh at that choice
For whatâs its worth, Iâd have Craig starting for mubtser for the same reason. Make Murray earn it back and show he has the hunger for it cos thereâs no doubt on Craigs appetite to start.
From.top.to bottom, we donât encourage savage competition. Win a few awards, say weâre doing this for the world cup, fill.the coffers with SH tours and HC and shur look, weâre bound to make a WC semi at some point arenât we?
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Ireland go all out the year before a world cup when other teams are all just preparing for the end goal
He set the question, not me.
But one reason is to incentives players to stay in Ireland. Say OâMahony is cut loose. What do players in their late 20s think? Iâll commit to Ireland now and theyâll hang me out to dry in two years, why not go abroad now and get paid more.
They backed the wrong horse with the manager. I think managers should be up for review two years out, not give four years of a run at it. Farrell is the wrong pick too and they should cut him loose now while thereâs still time.
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I agree in part with what youâre saying. 2 years out, full review with clear contingency lined up and communicated. Again, manager shouldnât feel he has a free run.
But I donât think the managers coming in are given a mandate to fully build for that world cup. And they should be.
Should be clean slate every 4 years. Contracts, for management and player alike, framed by world cup final date end of contract.
Selection for first set of test matches after world cup should be based entirely on form. Who gives a fuck if we lose them. Same with the 6 nations fkr the next 2 seasons. As long as there is a clarity and progression, losses can be worn.
Cos weâve been doing it the other way. Hugely successful and punching above our weight in everything but world cup. And to have fucked it so many times with the most skillful and decorated generations weâve had would suggest itâs not the player ranks that have let us down
Hang out to dry? Its a fixed term contract not a job for life. They can go to France to get some change before retirement. The IRFU canât be a jobs for the boys club, hindering development of guys coming up and expecting to be successful. At the end of the day its a business and a job.
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