France won - pretty sure it was all/mostly penalties in a close game. Twas on Setanta - not much of a match though and I’d shit to do so only watched some of it.
Just don’t think I’d mess with his form. He’s hitting the line well from the wing, playing centre in the Magners League is a long way different from playing there against the All Blacks. You need someone who’s utterly sure of their defensive alignment as well as everything you need in an attacking sense.
French won 12-6 I think. Was on in the background in the pub and didnt seem to be all that great.
I’d go with:
Dempsey
Bowe, O’Driscoll, Fitzgerald, Kearney
O’Gara, Reddan
Jennings, Heaslip, Wallace
O’Callaghan, O’Connell
Horan, Flannery, Hayes
Think that Ferris is still a bit too raw to be starting against the All Blacks. Would prefer to play Kearney at Full Back but can’t think of anyone good enough to come into his place on the left wing.
Lads
All the talk of Bowe not having enough experience to play centre vs ABs makes me laugh, not sure how many games Fitzgerald has played there for Leinster- usual line-up is Dr Phil and BOD at 12 & 13, Fitzgerald when he gets his game is usually on the wing. The young lad has a serious lack of game time in the centre at senior level and I fear he’ll be thrown to the wolves as another fancy dan leinster boy if it goes a bit pear shaped. Remember how A Horgan was hammered after his game vs the ABs the last time. He never really recovered- the cameo in the very latter stages of the Heineken Cup 06 not withstanding- A Horgan had way more experience than Fitzgerald currently does. The blacks will be ruthless and will target either him or Earls if they play, it could be the breaking or making of them but I’d prefer not to take the risk.
WBY
[quote=“W.B. Yeats”]Lads
All the talk of Bowe not having enough experience to play centre vs ABs makes me laugh, not sure how many games Fitzgerald has played there for Leinster- usual line-up is Dr Phil and BOD at 12 & 13, Fitzgerald when he gets his game is usually on the wing. The young lad has a serious lack of game time in the centre at senior level and I fear he’ll be thrown to the wolves as another fancy dan leinster boy if it goes a bit pear shaped. Remember how A Horgan was hammered after his game vs the ABs the last time. He never really recovered- the cameo in the very latter stages of the Heineken Cup 06 not withstanding- A Horgan had way more experience than Fitzgerald currently does. The blacks will be ruthless and will target either him or Earls if they play, it could be the breaking or making of them but I’d prefer not to take the risk.
WBY
I really don’t think he has the experience to deal with the All Blacks, it would be a hard enough game for him on the wing[/quote]
Interesting stuff. I remember yer man Horgan getting shown a clean pair of heels (love that phrase) by one of the NZ second rows in that game. Embarrassing. Was that the game where ROG went to kick into the corner from a penalty from about 10 metres out and kicked the ball dead behind the goal? It prompted the memorable ‘his target is the whole of the stand and he can’t even hit that’ outburst from my pal Jugs.
I do believe it was. I was at the game, it was also a game that D Humphs came on and made a serious difference. I think it was the time the North terrace was closed because there had been a fire. How can you set fire to a lump of concrete?
It was a bad time for Ireland in the rugby. The next week or a fortnight later we played Australia and there were tons of tickets around.
WBY
[quote=“W.B. Yeats”]Lads
All the talk of Bowe not having enough experience to play centre vs ABs makes me laugh, not sure how many games Fitzgerald has played there for Leinster- usual line-up is Dr Phil and BOD at 12 & 13, Fitzgerald when he gets his game is usually on the wing. The young lad has a serious lack of game time in the centre at senior level and I fear he’ll be thrown to the wolves as another fancy dan leinster boy if it goes a bit pear shaped. Remember how A Horgan was hammered after his game vs the ABs the last time. He never really recovered- the cameo in the very latter stages of the Heineken Cup 06 not withstanding- A Horgan had way more experience than Fitzgerald currently does. The blacks will be ruthless and will target either him or Earls if they play, it could be the breaking or making of them but I’d prefer not to take the risk.
WBY[/quote]
Reference Irish career of one John McWeeney.
[quote=“W.B. Yeats”]Lads
All the talk of Bowe not having enough experience to play centre vs ABs makes me laugh, not sure how many games Fitzgerald has played there for Leinster- usual line-up is Dr Phil and BOD at 12 & 13, Fitzgerald when he gets his game is usually on the wing. The young lad has a serious lack of game time in the centre at senior level and I fear he’ll be thrown to the wolves as another fancy dan leinster boy if it goes a bit pear shaped. Remember how A Horgan was hammered after his game vs the ABs the last time. He never really recovered- the cameo in the very latter stages of the Heineken Cup 06 not withstanding- A Horgan had way more experience than Fitzgerald currently does. The blacks will be ruthless and will target either him or Earls if they play, it could be the breaking or making of them but I’d prefer not to take the risk.
WBY[/quote]
Reference Irish career of one John McWeeney
Reference Irish career of one John McWeeney.
Stick to the WUMMING on AFR tipptops.
As an internet legend may say
you are embarrassing yourself here
[quote=“W.B. Yeats”]Lads
All the talk of Bowe not having enough experience to play centre vs ABs makes me laugh, not sure how many games Fitzgerald has played there for Leinster- usual line-up is Dr Phil and BOD at 12 & 13, Fitzgerald when he gets his game is usually on the wing. The young lad has a serious lack of game time in the centre at senior level and I fear he’ll be thrown to the wolves as another fancy dan leinster boy if it goes a bit pear shaped. Remember how A Horgan was hammered after his game vs the ABs the last time. He never really recovered- the cameo in the very latter stages of the Heineken Cup 06 not withstanding- A Horgan had way more experience than Fitzgerald currently does. The blacks will be ruthless and will target either him or Earls if they play, it could be the breaking or making of them but I’d prefer not to take the risk.
WBY[/quote]
Comparing Fitzgerald, a talent of BODesque proportions to Anthony Horgan is perhaps the cruellest insult I have seen on here in a long time!
Comparing a BMW with a Skoda.
It is a fair point about using Bowe in the centre though, he has as much experience playing there as Fitz does. I am confident enough about Fitzgerald in the centre though. Hes a big enough lad and with those skills you should be alright 8/10 times
[quote=“dancarter”]Stick to the WUMMING on AFR tipptops.
As an internet legend may say
you are embarrassing yourself here[/quote]
What did I miss?
[quote=“dancarter”]
It is a fair point about using Bowe in the centre though, he has as much experience playing there as Fitz does. I am confident enough about Fitzgerald in the centre though. Hes a big enough lad and with those skills you should be alright 8/10 times[/quote]
I’d put P Wallace in the centre before Bowe if we’re using experience as a yardstick, Wallace didnt embarass himself in the Summer tour and is a far better 12 than 10.
Fair point. I dont think Il ever really have full faith in Wallace though. An interesting topic but I think he is a case study for career mismanagement by the IRFU. As talented probably as Fitz and Earls and just shunted around the positions.
Too loyal to Ulster by half, should have bailed and got his career back on track elsewhere a la Reddan, Frank Murphy, Jennings etc
Hope that Kidney does not select Girv at full back, it would be a retrograde step of massive proportions.
Also, I do not buy into the fact of not playing younger players against the All Blacks for fear of ruining their confidence. Bull. If they are good enough to have an international contract they are good enough to face anybody, and they way things are at the moment, there are better all-blacks playing against our young players in the HEC than they will face on Saturday. I hope he takes a chance and gives it a right lash with the young lads.
Fair enough, Wallace hasnt earned the full faith yet, but a lot of that wasn’t down to him as you say. To be fair to Wallace he tried to go abroad and was all set for France until the Union stepped in and mugged him, single defining moment of his career that one I felt.
In this Bowe/Ledge argument, Paddy would trump them both imo, anyone who survives the caketin with his reputation enhanced deserves credit.
[quote=“HangBlaa”]
Also, I do not buy into the fact of not playing younger players against the All Blacks for fear of ruining their confidence. Bull. If they are good enough to have an international contract they are good enough to face anybody[/quote]
Has NOBODY heard of John McWeeney!!!
Ya, but you are labouring the point! McWeeney was a converted backrow if I recall correctly (?) and just wasnt good enough, even if he had made his debut against Italy!! Saw him playing in the Kinsale 7s a few years ago and he was outstanding.
My point is that he was too raw to be used against the AB’s. I would argue that whatever kind of player he could have been was destroyed by being tossed in against the AB’s raw, it was a shocking call, akin to all those who floundered in Paris on their debuts back in the day.
Just because a fella shows potential you don’t toss him straight in against the lions.
yeah, all time top try scorer in the AIL. Played all his career with Marys, and picked up a cap under Ashton I think when they were hammered by the all-blacks, but thats at least 10 years ago, and to be fair after that McWeeney had played a lot of games and scored plenty of tries for Leinster.
Think i read somewhere that he won a schools cup with Dennis Hickey. McWeeney was a second row at that stage. He had a fair amount of pace.