Fcuk that Moral victory thing… I reckon we can beat them. Get the set piece right and we will be laughing.
Disagree on Dempsey. For certain matches I don’t hink he’d be the right call but to beat NZ we’ll have to exploit any weakness/vulnerabilities they have and I think that Muliaina gets found out in the kicking game. This is obviously Dempsey’s strength and with a less than formidable New Zealand lineout we should be looking to beat them through tactical (not mindless) kicking.
This is one advantage someone like O’Gara has under the new rules - he’s not the most powerful kicker in the world but his accuracy, particularly outside the 22, is superb. Kicking for the corners is a really useful skill now that:
a) kicks to touch from your own half are less frequent and
b) you can really compete in opposition ball in their 22 - why not have 4 jumpers on their line? They can’t shorten the lineout advantageously so you can put some serious pressure on the hooker by getting huge competition up there. Obviously you’re vulnerable to an attack from deep if you over-commit but it’s a brave team that attacks off a lineout on their own 5 yard line.
Ya, i see your point Re: Dempsey and O’ Gara. O’ Gara is loving these new laws in alot of ways i think.
But isn’t Kearney just as good a kicker (better probably) than Dempsey?
This match has a lot of variables and I personally think that Kidneey has picked the right team to beat the all blacks…we ran them close in the summer but that was under the old rules when the all blacks were used to the EVLs…for us to win O Gara has to kick well, for him to do this he needs his forwards to give him a good platform…backrow is crucial, wallace had a great game against them in the summer and is playing as well now as he ever has, while quinlan will relish the chance to get in jimmy cowans face…The scrum has to hold its own and the line out has to secure its own ball as well as disrupt the all blacks…O Learys ability to break and his kicking could well be crucial
In front of 80,000 odd thousand and i am sure deccie will have the right game plan in place so it is all about execution and discipline…I can see us winning it but we need a lot to go right for us but i have the feeling that the players fancy their chances and will give it socks…
My prediction:
Ireland 24
New Zealand 22
My prediction
Ireland to start really well, battle hard and have the best chances in the first half but just fail to put enough points on the board as the All Blacks slowly push them back towards their own 22. AB’s will score a pivitol try around the 50/55 minute mark and knock the stuffing out of Irelands chances. Kidney will introduce Earls at this stage to try and give them a lift but apart from a few promising runs he doesn’t produce an awful lot.
All Blacks seal the deal in the final 5 minutes with penalty or drop goal to win by about 8-10 points.
Another case of what could have been for the Irish but they look forward with hope to the Argentina clash and a promising 6-nations campaign.
I could well be wrong though.
there is nothing out there to suggest that ireland can get with 15 of the ABs.
we do better against them in the summer internationals when our lads are fit and ready for one last lash before the hols, but november can be a disaster and i dont think kidney will be the difference this time that will get us a win.
I wouldnt trust him with a quenched match to be honest iw what his boss is telling me is true.
Question dan…Who is higher up in the organisation, You or Bandage?..
[quote=“caoimhaoin”]Ya, i see your point Re: Dempsey and O’ Gara. O’ Gara is loving these new laws in alot of ways i think.
But isn’t Kearney just as good a kicker (better probably) than Dempsey?[/quote]
Said on here in the past that I think an awful lot of teasm/coaches and players have completely overreacted to the change in rules. The premiership in england its like they are playing a completely different game.
Im not a fan of the new rules really becasue I didnt think there was much wrong with the game but Munster (because Iv seen them most) have basically had to get used to not mauling, and thats really it. They are still kicking the corners, still retaining posession, they never really attacked from deep anyways so they didnt need to rein in this insticnt. So its no surprise really that they have suited ROG.
Kearney is a far better kicker than Dempsey but playing Kearney at wing and Dempsey at FB is just the best way to get both of em on the pitch at the same time. Dempsey wouldnt do on the wing. Murphy aint a great kicker and Earls is unproven at this level.
Easy call for Kidney in hindsight.
That’s a good question Pukey.
I was only thinking the other day that this place needs a good cabinet reshuffle to freshen up the admin staff. Bandage has been good to tfk but the more useful question is, would dancarter be better?
[quote=“dancarter”]Said on here in the past that I think an awful lot of teasm/coaches and players have completely overreacted to the change in rules. The premiership in england its like they are playing a completely different game.
Im not a fan of the new rules really becasue I didnt think there was much wrong with the game but Munster (because Iv seen them most) have basically had to get used to not mauling, and thats really it. They are still kicking the corners, still retaining posession, they never really attacked from deep anyways so they didnt need to rein in this insticnt. So its no surprise really that they have suited ROG.
Kearney is a far better kicker than Dempsey but playing Kearney at wing and Dempsey at FB is just the best way to get both of em on the pitch at the same time. Dempsey wouldnt do on the wing. Murphy aint a great kicker and Earls is unproven at this level.
Easy call for Kidney in hindsight.[/quote]
Kearney is certainly a longer punter of the ball but I don’t think his kicking is as accurate or as measured as Dempey’s. He’s been charged down a few times and he’s scuffed a few, Dempsey doesn’t have a fantastic boot or anything but he’s unerring and that’s just as important.
Who the fuck do you think
Bandage?..
dan were did your comment go…
Il give you two guesses 
on the kearney-dempsey thing, whatever about kearney being a better kicker (would certainly tick the box marked “distance” but not sure about “finding touch”) surely dempsey’s positioning is superior?
half Girve’s problem is always being in the right place at the right time, making what he does look simple, and far less spectacular than earls or kearney.
for the all blacks, he’s exactly what you want as the last line of defence, a guy who wouldn’t dream of running it back in case he gets turned over with no-one but 2 wingers to ruck for him.
My point exactly Treaty, only slightly less eloquent.
[quote=“treaty_exile”]on the kearney-dempsey thing, whatever about kearney being a better kicker (would certainly tick the box marked “distance” but not sure about “finding touch”) surely dempsey’s positioning is superior?
half Girve’s problem is always being in the right place at the right time, making what he does look simple, and far less spectacular than earls or kearney.
for the all blacks, he’s exactly what you want as the last line of defence, a guy who wouldn’t dream of running it back in case he gets turned over with no-one but 2 wingers to ruck for him.[/quote]
I’ll bow to your superior rugby knowledge here, great points.
cheers. is there a smilie for slightly embarrassed?
been thinking about dempsey v kearney for most of the season so far, it’s a recurring theme for leinster and ireland.
way i see it now is o’sullivan, kidney, cheika and gatland can’t all be wrong, there’s just got to be some reason for dempsey’s continued selection. Dan’s usual point about good players making it look easy also comes to mind.
of course, if he’s turned over tomorrow i’ll be rightly shot down.
Rock, any man who can fit unerring into a post needs no lesson in eloquence.
i’m off to back ireland to win at 9-2, laying off on ireland with the spread.
all the coaches have picked Kearney in tandem with Dempsey, so maybe they dont think Dempeys the better player (I dont) but that it is the best use of resources
but they rarely pick kearney on his own, at least not for the bigger games.
as it is, there’ll be a lot of kicks landing just outside the 22, so both dempsey and kearney will have fielding to do. should be an interesting contrast in styles.