The Rugby Thread (Part 1)

Sport
201

[quote=“dancarter”]15 Girvan Dempsey (Terenure College/Leinster)

14 Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)

13 Brian ODriscoll (UCD/Leinster)

12 Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster)

11 Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster)

10 Ronan OGara (Cork Constitution/Munster)

9 Tomas OLeary (Dolphin/Munster)

1 Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster)

2 Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)

3 John Hayes (Bruff/Munster)

4 Donncha OCallaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)

5 Paul OConnell (Young Munster/Munster)

6 Alan Quinlan (Shannon/Munster)

7 David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)

8 Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)

Replacements:

16 - Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)

17 - Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)

18 - Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)

19 Shane Jennings (St.Marys College/Leinster)

20 - Eoin Reddan (Wasps)

21 - Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)

22 Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)

No predicting Kidney lads! massive massive call to bring TOL in, I guess he brings physicality that Reddan cant. Dempsey, meh. Not surprised but a bit disapointed[/quote]

A few points:

Kidney really is his own man, glad to see him taking decisions.

Dempsey not surprising but a little disappointing, would have preferred Rob or Geordie.

TOL is the key decision, we’ll really see if he has it on Saturday.
Backrow also suprising, Wallace and Quinlan not exactly ones for the future.
Best at hooker was a tossup.

I suppose this looks like a team that is playing a game that Kidney is really trying to win in order to get the ranking points.

WBY

202

I am a bit surprised to see dempsey start…thought he would have been behind murphy, earls and horgan in the pecking order…can’t complain with the rest of it although though ferris would keep his place

203

Fancied he’d give Quinny his head, he loves Quinny, but TOL is some shock!

204

ah ya its a good team no question. Quinlan or Ferris can shove up into the second row if required, Ferris went in second row when quinlan came on the last night.

Brave call by Kidney playing TOL alright, delighted for him absolutely fucking delighted.

205

I am all the more confident that ireland will get within the 13 point handicap now…infact if they get their gameplan right and their setpiece holds it own we could well be very close to our first win over the all blacks…

206

I wasn’t impressed with Reddan the last day, brave call, but the right call, best of luck to TOL now.

Not sure of Girv, but I guess playing the All Blacks you want to know that your full back isn’t going to be ran over. I think Quinlan is tailor made to be up against McCaw, that’s going to be some battle

207

Is it the case lads that O’Leary is the least weak of the 3 options rather than the strongest? Seems like an odd selection but best of luck to him. Its been a fairly quick rise for him and I hope he doesn’t have a stinker and it ruins him.

Think the All Blacks will crucify us at the breakdown with us having no specialist 7. I suppose we’re back to O’Driscoll playing as a flanker again.

Dont think Dempsey is a surprise as he’s been playing well for Leinster at full back. Looks like the end of the road for Stringer - hopefully now they can focus on developing someone like Cillian Willis or some of the other young scrumhalves in the country. Think Ferris and Jennings could be 2 good impact subs to have in reserve as well cos I’d worry for our backrow.

208

Quite the meteoric rise for TOL isnt it? Best of luck to him, he’s from good stock.

Girv will be what Girv is, solid, dependable.

As for Quinny, time to throw off the ol Nicolas Cage nickname, absolutely fucking delighted for Quinny.

209

Tremendous to see Dempsey get selected but very disappointed to see an all Munster back row and the lack of a true openside like Jennings. We’ll get destroyed at the breakdown and NZ should win this comfortably ahead of the handicap largely due to this - I would predict a similar scoreline to their victory over Scotland based on that XV. As Mac says, we’ll see more of O’Driscoll trying to clear out rucks than in an attacking sense and our scrum half options don’t inspire me either.

210

Not to be pedantic but I dont think Heaslip would be too happy to be classed as a Munster man!

211

True enough. Once I saw two promising younger players like Ferris and Jennings had been dropped for veteran Munster players I lost the head and called it an all Munster back row and heaped poor Heaslip in there with them. Apologies to him and his family and everyone at the Leinster Branch for such a grave and unwarranted insult. My blood is boiling over this team selection*.

  • It actually isn’t.
212

maybe bandage knows something we don’t know;)…

213

[quote=“Mac”]Is it the case lads that O’Leary is the least weak of the 3 options rather than the strongest? Seems like an odd selection but best of luck to him. Its been a fairly quick rise for him and I hope he doesn’t have a stinker and it ruins him.

Think the All Blacks will crucify us at the breakdown with us having no specialist 7. I suppose we’re back to O’Driscoll playing as a flanker again.

Dont think Dempsey is a surprise as he’s been playing well for Leinster at full back. Looks like the end of the road for Stringer - hopefully now they can focus on developing someone like Cillian Willis or some of the other young scrumhalves in the country. Think Ferris and Jennings could be 2 good impact subs to have in reserve as well cos I’d worry for our backrow.[/quote]

Don’t think that TOL is the best of a weak lot. I think they are a decent bunch of 9s to be honest
Reddan is playing with one of the best teams in the Premiership, (he has a Heineken doesn’t he?) Strings has a heap of caps and 2 winners Heinekens and 2 losers, TOL has at least one winners Heineken ( can’t remember was he on the bench in 06?).

O’Leary could become a great scrumhalf, he sort of reminds me of a cross between Justin Marshall and Joost Van Der Westhuizen.

WBY

214

O leary was on the bench in 06…in fact i thing he got some game time in the final on the wing…although i could be wrong…

215

Did he not get injured in the lead up to the final? Or did he play at 13 after Kelly got injured?

216

I am trying to remember…think henderson came on for kelly and he had to go off late on and O Leary came on for him…

217

Munster supporters can’t remember who played in the final when they reached their ‘holy grail’?

Amazing revelation.

218

[quote=“Bandage”]Munster supporters can’t remember who played in the final when they reached their ‘holy grail’?

Amazing revelation.[/quote]

Was thinking the same myself - has no problem telling us he was on the pitch hugging Jim Williams after the miracle match but can’t remember a simple thing like the starting 15 and subs for their first ever Heineken Cup win. Is there a band on that wagon over there?

219

[quote=“Bandage”]Munster supporters can’t remember who played in the final when they reached their ‘holy grail’?

Amazing revelation.[/quote]

Having seen munster play so many games it is hard to keep track of it all but just for you

hayes
flannery
horan
o connell
o callaghan
leamy
wallace
foley
stringer
o gara
dowling
halsted
kelly
horgan
payne
Subs:
o driscoll came on for o connell, quinlan* came on for foley, henderson came on for kelly, o leary came on for henderson, puciarello came on for horan

*Fairly sure it was quinlan…

220

Quinny did come on for Axel. Dont feel bad lads, after a while all the Heineken Cup Finals roll into one. Its old age and drink fuelled celebrations that can do it. The boys wouldnt realise that.