the Scotland game

watched this in the cracking atmosphere of York's only Irish pub, good game but disappointing from Ireland really, however didn't deserve the win.

I have always had my doubts about Sexton and today's shambolic kicking performance proves how much we need O'Gara still - for the points.

Kidney made a bit of a horlicks of it keeping Sexton on the field for so long - we needed the calmness and experience of O' Gara at vital stages of the game particularly after half time.

That said our ball handling and line-outs were not up to the usual high standard - all in all a disappointing year after last years massive high.

precisely bocerty, maybe Sexton could bring more to our moving play, but having a good points kicker is crucial, well essential. If we'd had ROG for the penalties Sexton missed today then we'd have won the game. In today's rugby points come from penalties - I see no point in a fly half who can't kick goals.

SamiPremier08 wrote:precisely bocerty, maybe Sexton could bring more to our moving play, but having a good points kicker is crucial, well essential. If we'd had ROG for the penalties Sexton missed today then we'd have won the game. In today's rugby points come from penalties - I see no point in a fly half who can't kick goals.

in fairness to the lad Sami he is still learning his trade and he has a big pair of boots to fill with the legacy of ROG luming large. Sexton had improved greatly and made a great run for the first try but i would have thought Kidney should have known today would have been a day for kicking and ROG should have entered the fray much earlier.

Sextons misses appeared to have a knock on effect on the rest of the men in green

I appreciate that but why are we letting him learn his trade in the triple crown game. ah well in some you lose some

SamiPremier08 wrote:I appreciate that but why are we letting him learn his trade in the triple crown game. ah well in some you lose some

When would you rather he learnt it - next year's World Cup? Ireland have to persevere with Sexton, as O'Gara no longer has the legs and is no menace in attack. Good man for last 15 minutes, but not if yo are talking about scaring the opposition.

And who says the fly-half has to kick goals? John Eales was a lock, Percy Montgomery a full-back and Sterling Mortlock a centre. While in rugby league Kevin Sinfield & Craig Fitzgibbon are both loose forwards.

Thomas Clarke wrote:

SamiPremier08 wrote:I appreciate that but why are we letting him learn his trade in the triple crown game. ah well in some you lose some

When would you rather he learnt it - next year's World Cup? Ireland have to persevere with Sexton, as O'Gara no longer has the legs and is no menace in attack. Good man for last 15 minutes, but not if yo are talking about scaring the opposition.

And who says the fly-half has to kick goals? John Eales was a lock, Percy Montgomery a full-back and Sterling Mortlock a centre. While in rugby league Kevin Sinfield & Craig Fitzgibbon are both loose forwards.

I'm not arguing that Sexton doesn't need the match experience, I just feel that if we wanted to win today we should have played someone who can kick goals. Sexton has had plenty of games this championship, no harm leaving him out for the last one

Now you need to understand that Rugby is not American football, and it is not all about the goal kicker and the quarterback.

Kidney made a horlicks by deciding to pla a very open game and persevering with it when it was not working.

The one time it clearly worked was when SEXTON tore Scotland apart and Ireland scored SEVEN points. The two kicks he missed are worth SIX points.

Can't see O'Gara tearing Scotland apart for the seven pointer.

So sexton was chosen to participate in an open game plan.

However Ireland were murdered in the scrum, the line out and the loose, and only for a try saving tackle from SEXTON would have been 21-7 down.

So anyone could see that we needed plan b, keep it tight and hope.

hence the introduction of O'Gara. He kicked two good scores but scotland were suddenlky pouring through a large hole in the Irish defence as we still struggled in key areas.

So I suspect if Dan Carter had started at number 10 Ireland would still have l;ost because Scotland were the better team.

Yes, Sexton refused two kicks at goal, to kick to touch, because that is where we have scored most of our tries from. Not today as Scotland dominated the lineout to the extent that Best began throwing to his own side, leading to a scrum, where we got destroyed.

Now NONE of the above is SEXTON's fault. He was not in the line out or scrum.

Kidney erred by sticking with the open game plan when it was not working.

But O'Gara is finished, anyone who saw the 2007 World Cup, the Lion's Tour, Ireland V Wales last year when we won the Grand slam despite ROG, and his nighmare against the All Black's in 2009 already knows this.

A great servant, but not any more. No-one is worth a place on a team for goal kicking alone.

Was there - tired - bad end - very hard to reason a lot of what happened. More later.

patrique wrote:But O'Gara is finished, anyone who saw the 2007 World Cup, the Lion's Tour, Ireland V Wales last year when we won the Grand slam despite ROG, and his nighmare against the All Black's in 2009 already knows this.

A great servant, but not any more. No-one is worth a place on a team for goal kicking alone.

Great post Paddy...on the money all round. This mistake will come back to haunt Kidney...FFS it's common knowledge ROG wouldn't tackle a good dinner, Sexton offers size, poundage, pace, youth and vision....ROG, a great, great servant, but no team in any code, today, can afford the luxury of carrying a kicker, place ball merchant..
Kidney to consider his position I think, bad, bad call on an emerging talent, whereas the pair of jumpers were proving harder to find than Osama Bin Laden....That Best lad has no future at darts anyhow..
The pack, as a whole, were routed in every facet, lineout, scrummaging, in the loose, whereas, we had, what was the best back-row in the world going into the game, came out of it destroyed.... Bull Hayes...gone...POC...leadenfooted...DOC..over the hill....Healy...not up to it agin' cunning props like Murray...

Where is Brian Cody when you want him....

I'd agree with all that Patrique & Boxty said. Sexton is the least of Ireland's problems, having been cleaned out up front by France, England and now Scotland.

In fairness to Best his throwing went to pieces once the line out was getting murdered, and he then began to compensate with pressure on the throw...........

Would agree with the last few posts there myself, Sexton's kicking wasn't the losing of the game and likewise had O'Gara been on from the start it wouldn't have made much difference. Sexton made the first try and there's a good chance O'Gara would have landed the two kicks Sexton missed, so hardly the big difference in the teams. The losing of it was up front, where we were simply bullied by the much hungrier Scottish players. The "Killer B's" of Glasgow destroyed our own much-vaunted backrow, and similarly the first-class Scottish line-out made a show of ours. Changes had to be made here but weren't, Cullen and Cronin couldn't have done any worse than their counterparts on the field. There were a few bad decisions made near the end which killed any hope of us stealing the game(and it would have been robbery), but at the end of the day we were crap and Scotland fully deserved the win. Just because they only had one point going into the game yesterday doesn't mean they're no good, if they any bit of luck at all this championship they could well have lifted the Triple Crown.

Yes, Sexton has a bit to go in terms of improving his kicking but he's shown what he can do in open play, and that's exciting. It's a confidence issue, and he'll sort that out in time.

The lineout problems were with the Number 2 - nothing else. He was throwing all over the place. Geordan Murphy is nowhere near an international full back - watch his 'tackle' for the Scots try! Kearney needs to wise up a bit too - but he has the potential. The Bull is gone and has been for a long while now. A great man but his time is up. I though O'Callaghan was quite good yesterday to be honest - while I thought Heaslip had a very quiet game - as did Wallace who started well and faded. I think these two (and Ferris) are really suffering with these new interpretations of the breakdown. Wallace's game is founded on something he cannot do any more - its crazy! Whoever is coaching Sexton needs his **** kicked. He is making the same mistake with every miss - dragging it left. Its like the yips in golf and surely a good kicking coach could get to the bottom of it? That said I agree with TC and was saying it yesterday - it doesn't have to be the Number 10 that kicks.

What must not be overlooked is that Scotland beat Australia in the Autumn and were unlucky to lose to Argentina late in that game. Everybody was tipping Scotland to be the darkhorse, but for a collapse against Wales they could have won that one, they were disappointing against Italy a team they really should be beating, they drew with England and only lost to France by 9 points.

I was disappointed that Ireland didn't win the triple crown yesterday but we can't complain we've had great recent success. Maybe we overachieved the last number of years and aren't as good as what we think we are?

you may be right Clash.

just seen one of the pools for the world cup next year: Georgia with Argentina, England and Scotland. Could be very interesting.