It’s obvious Munster raise their game when they are overcome with grief. I suggest that they should periodically sacrifice one of their star former players in order to maintain this momentum. They should start with Ronan O’Gara.
1 Like
I think there’s similarities between Anthony Foley’s Munster reign and Steve Staunton’s spell as Ireland football manager (notwithstanding the fact that rugby football isn’t a sport).
Both were solid, dependable, unfancy stalwarts who gave great service and made many appearances as players.
But each was thrust into a high pressure, high profile coaching / managerial position too early, without having fully proven themselves in that environment and when they were relatively recently retired as players.
Neither of them seemed to be the best communicator or have the charisma required to lead a squad as a manager. They were more capable as players of doing their own jobs with quiet efficiency rather than being clever overall strategists with the ability to plot and lead their own squad as coaches.
In fact they both came across as fairly gruff and dumb when they were in charge and received plenty of abuse and ridicule from supporters. The new Munster boss seems to be making a decent fist of cleaning up Foley’s mess as Trap did after Stan.
1 Like
A solid couple of hundred words post from Bandage on rugby football, great to see. Along with @Julio_Geordio’s capitulation today it really shows how we’re overcoming the haters. @ChocolateMice you need to set them straight or you’ll lose them forever.
4 Likes
Except Foley had served a 4 year apprenticeship as forwards coach with munster a period in which they got to two European cup semi finals. He also spent a season as irish forwards coach in that spell.
He was not suited to a head coaching job though I agree. Huge amount of management and not that much coaching involved in it on day to day basis. An individual with his coaching history would most definitely have been moving to head coach roles though after 4 years as a forwards coach
Woah buddy, Stan was an assistant manager at Walsall before John Delaney handed him over the keys. He had all the experience required.
1 Like
This is an appalling post.
Clearly no understanding of what an oxymoron is. Your basic point is based on the incorrect assumption that there’s something contradictory about referring to the coffin of a dead person. And it’s really poor execution of a falsely amicable style that’s tired and derivative.
3 Likes
I also don’t agree with this
Whatever
1 Like
Sad to read of the liquidation of London Welsh.
I don’t watch Munster that closely but his stint as Irish forwards coach was a disaster. That was the year we lost to Italy and only won one game in the six nations iirc. A South African whose name escapes me took over the following year and our pack became a strength rather than a weakness and helped in quite a successful season. We got loads of tries from mauls, etc.
1 Like
Gert Smal
They are completely difderent. Foley was a good coach, a very good one in fact.
He just wasn’t a good Head Coach…yet.
Staunton was stone cold useless.
A real dispicable distasteful posting going on here from supposedly educated and “respected” “businessmen”, well-to-do posters.
2 Likes
No It wasn’t him. Just googled it. John Plumtree. New Zealander who had been coaching in South Africa. Only stayed for a year but made a huge difference
1 Like
No Foley stepped in when Smal was having an operation with the forwards.
IIRC Foley did okay in charge of the defence on the 2013 tour which was before Schmidt took over.
1 Like
Agreed it was a v poor six nations. Your not quite right about the chronology. Gert Smal had been there for 3 or 4 seasons as fwd coach and got some problem with his eye and foley was pulled in at short notice to cover for him for the season.
Smale came back for a year and was replaced by another kiwi called Plumtree …I’d guess thats who your talking about who improved the maul…it was he came up with the stunt they pulled against SA where they stood off all the line out drives
1 Like
It was 2013 as well when Ireland lost to Italy. I don’t think Foley was involved then.
That’s was what forced the IRFU’s hand with Kidney. As with Gatland after losing versus the Argies and Eddie nearly losing to Georgia, you don’t want to embarrass the blazers.
1 Like
Nothing innovative about that really, surprised sometimes that more teams don’t try it. St Michaels College did it to great effect versus the Clongowes ferocious maul when they won their first senior cup nearly 10 years ago now. I remember Wardy creaming himself after in the Indo.
1 Like
Lolz.he was an absolute fud
Iv seen it done at club level as well…but more likely get away with it at lower levels as the opposition wouldn’t have a breeze what’s going on really. Once you would get the ref on board before the game!!!
Is thus the type of hilarious banter you and yerman Gary O’Brien from at the races do be having sitting above in Fowler’s? Repetitive gags about a young man hardly cold in the ground?
5 Likes