Re: The Rugby Thread

[ormond lad]

What does everyone think of Ferris being cited?
I'm not surprised to be honest. In the context of how ridiculous the Davies tackle was, I think the commissioner has no choice. They can't very well come out with the no tolerance line and then say that Ferris has no case to answer.

I reckon Ferris will get 2-4 weeks for not taking care. By the letter of the law he put his waist above his head. He never had a good hold of him, and should have taken more care.

He might have been ok, had the week that's in it not required a strong message on tip tackles from the governing body. Davies should have the book thrown at him. It was an off-the-ball incident because he didn't like the competition at the break down from Ryan.

Donnacha Ryan could be in line for a start at 6 if Ferris is banned

Doubt he would put Ryan at Six against a very mobile French back row. It will be O'Brien to 6 and O'Mahoney or Jennings to 7 i'd say

Jennings hasnt a hope of being in 22 unless their is several more injurys, not international standard IMO
Misconception that donnacha ryan is to slow. He'd do fine against that french backrow
Wouldnt like to give O Mahony a first international start in paris, one of the toughest places around to get your first international start

There is far more chance of O'Brien moving to 6 and Jennings coming in than Ryan starting at 6. I agree that Jennings isn't up to this level either but Donnacha Ryan is not up to playing 6 at test match level either. I would throw O'Mahoney in but doubt it will happen

Ryan is up to playing 6 at international level, may struggle against a backrow as good as the backrow likely to line up for the french this weekend but o mahony would struggle more than Ryan considering its his first cap and his lack of experience in general in pro rugby

[Real Kerry Fan]

This is cool and I found meself straight away!

http://tag.huggity.com/fanpic/004-2012-aviva/

You just need to explain to the wife why the person sitting in "the brothers seat" is wearing UGGS, skinny jeans and has long blonde hair

You sitting nesxt to Parouisa?

[hurlingguru]

At the moment I don't think Heaslip is up to the mark. It would be a courageous move to drop him but O'Brien to 8 and bring in O'Mahony.

[bocerty]

Brian McLaughlin to leave job as Ulster coach and move to Academy

Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin will leave the job at the end of the season and take up a role in the club's Academy, it was confirmed on Tuesday.

Ravenhill chiefs have decided not to renew McLaughlin's contract and to bring in a new team boss.

"I'm disappointed because I feel I haven't finished the job yet - I would like to be going on further but that is not the case," said McLaughlin.

"There is never a good time to get news like this and I have to deal with it."

"I believe we have the players and the present coaching team are more than good enough.

"I don't see it as a sacking, I see it as a move sideways."

McLaughlin succeeded Australian Matt Williams in 2009.

The former head of PE at Belfast school RBAI is in his third season as Ulster coach and has guided them to the Heineken Cup quarter-finals for the last two.

Last season the former Ireland skills coach also steered Ulster to the Pro12 play-offs.
Continue reading the main story

“I am in no doubt the squad and my coaching staff will do me proud and make sure I leave this job successfully”

Brian McLaughlin Ulster coach

The stunning 41-7 victory over Leicester in mid-January was further evidence of a team in the ascendancy.

"I'm grateful to the Ulster Branch for offering me the safety net of another contract, but I'm a little bit disappointed I am having to use the safety net quite so quickly," added McLaughlin.

"I have the rest of the season to consider with the huge challenge ahead in the PRO12 and Heineken Cup.

"I am in no doubt the squad and my coaching staff will do me proud and make sure I leave this job successfully, and I am looking forward to my new role.

"I believe I have taken the team forward and they have progressed, and I'm disappointed not to be able to continue in the job."

David Humphreys, Ulster Director of Rugby, praised McLaughlin for his achievements as coach.

"In professional sport there are long-term and short-term objectives and as part of our long-term strategy we are making a change to our head coach position," said Humphreys.

"There's no doubting what Brian has achieved in his tenure as Head Coach over the past two and a half years and we hope that there is more to come this season as we prepare for the Heineken Cup quarter-final and push for a play-off place in the PRO12.

"We are aiming to make Ulster Rugby a leading force in European rugby and to do that we need to develop our Academy system and elite player pathway.

"Brian has a proven record and a genuine interest in this area and this role offers him an opportunity to shape the future of Ulster Rugby. Our youngsters will benefit enormously from his experience."

Humphreys added that Ulster are in "negotiations and discussions" with a number of candidates for the coaching post.

this one has been lingering about for a few weeks and finally Ulster Rugby top brass have come clean on their plans for next year. This is a massive kick in the nuts for McLaughlin who was making some progress with the Ulster team. He obviously hasnt the right profile for these guys who in my view are getting ahead of themselves - its ok bringing in a new guy with perhaps more experience but he comes with his own baggage and an ego as big as some of the players he is tasked with managing.

McLaughlin was a local lad and had the respect of the players the new man might not think like that at all. Another example of what happens nice guys in sport all to often.

[ormond lad]

At the moment I don't think Heaslip is up to the mark. It would be a courageous move to drop him but O'Brien to 8 and bring in O'Mahony.

Heaslip is playing quite well at the moment, not like a traditional 8 but more as an openside which is good especially when you have ferris and O'Brien at 6 and 7. He turnovers the ball the most leaving Fez and SOB to go on the rampage with ball in ahnd

[Parouisa]

At the moment I don't think Heaslip is up to the mark. It would be a courageous move to drop him but O'Brien to 8 and bring in O'Mahony.

Heaslip was as good as anyone on Sunday.

[Parouisa]

Ulster looking at Cheika and Schmidt in Leinster - and McGann to a lesser extent at Munster - and deciding that the grass is greener. Next guy won't come as cheaply as McLaughlin I'm guessing. Be nice to see Conor O'Shea back in Ireland though doubt very much it'll be this job at this time.

[Parouisa]

Very good article from Alan Quinlan in today's Irish Times - and one I agree wholeheartedly with. After about 20 mins on Sunday I turned to the guy with me at the game and mentioned that the body language of our players was worrying - they looked hesitant, looked like they were waiting for someone else to make something happen. Just seemed to have no confidence in what they were doing.

______________________________________________________________

FROM THE BLINDSIDE: Even if we had beaten Wales (while playing badly) we would still be left with the problem of why it’s so hard to translate outstanding provincial form to the Six Nations, writes ALAN QUINLAN

THE WORST thing about losing to Wales on Sunday was that the biggest difference between the teams wasn’t ability. It was mindset. Wales just seemed to gel a lot better.

They’ve had the upper hand over Ireland for a few games in a row now and a big reason is that when those Welsh players put on the jersey, they have an air of confidence and enthusiasm about them that the Irish players don’t.

That hasn’t always been the case in the past for Ireland and it won’t always be that way in the future. But right now, that’s how it looks.

Wales played with more certainty than the Irish lads. You can’t see any sign of baggage around them because they seem assured in nearly all the plays they attempt. There’s an obvious confidence in them at the minute that looks like it’s been with them their whole lives, like it’s been bred into them as Wales rugby players.

Irish players have had to work hard to get to that point because confidence is something that just doesn’t come naturally to us as a country.

Everybody knows we don’t deal with high expectations that well. It restricts us sometimes and makes us nervous. We go into our shell a little bit and maybe don’t take the game-breaking risks that we would otherwise. Wales weren’t lacking in that ability to try something out of the ordinary on Sunday and they haven’t been lacking it against us for a couple of years now.

We can scratch our heads forever wondering why it is that we’re better underdogs than favourites but what I’m more interested in is the nitty-gritty of what that leads to.

It was very clear on Sunday the Welsh mentality was different to Ireland’s. You could see they totally believed they should be coming to Dublin and leaving with a win, regardless of all the injuries they had and regardless too of the fact most of them would have lost to Irish sides in the Heineken Cup since the World Cup. None of that bothered them and they came out and played with freedom. Whereas Ireland just looked out of sorts. They were disjointed and hesitant and they deservedly lost the game as a result.

You’d think we’d be okay with the favourites tag by now but we still struggle with it at national level. The provinces have overcome that problem through the years but even though a lot of the same players are involved, you’re talking about two different levels. With your province, it’s a more natural situation. You’re that bit more partisan, that bit more us-against-the-world. There’s more forgiveness between guys who see each other every day, a bit more togetherness.

Whereas international rugby can sometimes weigh players down. The Heineken Cup is a brilliant competition and the standard of rugby in it is phenomenal week-in, week-out. But when you leave it and go into camp for Ireland, you know straight away that you’re stepping onto a much bigger stage. Not only that, you’re leaving the comfort of the team-mates you see and work with every day. If that means you lose even just a couple of per cent of the confidence you have in yourself, you’re automatically something less than the player you were with your province.

It doesn’t happen to everybody but anyone who’s been inside an international squad has seen it. A guy who’s normally laughing and joking back home can sometimes have less to say for himself among a group of lads he only meets up with a few times a year. The stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, there are more people going to be watching come match day.

And when Ireland are favourites, it gives an added weight to the whole thing. Mistakes will feel like a bigger deal because people are expecting you not to make them against a team you should be beating. So you’re more careful and you take fewer risks. If you go into your shell even just a little bit, you shy away from trying things that you normally would for your province. You don’t mean to but it happens. Next thing you know, the game is over and you’ve let it pass you by.

On Sunday, I felt too many of the Ireland players were waiting for somebody else to do something. The bit of expectation the whole country had beforehand seemed to translate itself to nerves on the pitch. Maybe we’re all guilty of expecting success because the provinces have been doing so well and maybe that didn’t help them. Or maybe the only way to go was down after what had been achieved in the Heineken Cup. One way or the other, the team looked restricted in some way. It was as if they were playing with the handbrake on.

People will say we only lost by a last-minute penalty but that’s not the point. It just wasn’t a good performance. The decision against Stephen Ferris was 100 per cent wrong in my opinion but even if Wayne Barnes hadn’t made that call, it would still have been a disappointing display from Ireland. Sometimes you get out of a game by the skin of your teeth and if Ireland had managed to get away from a backs-against-the-wall match like that, it would have set them up for the rest of the competition. But they still wouldn’t have played well and we would still be left with this problem of why it’s so hard to translate outstanding provincial form to the Six Nations.

The other side of that coin is that these Welsh players were able to turn very patchy Heineken Cup performances into an away win that they totally deserved. Once they pulled on the jersey, they became cocky – and I say that with respect and even a good bit of admiration. Of course they’re cocky in a Wales jersey – as I said here last week, they come from a country that believes it deserves to be at the top table.

And their mentality was expressed by the certainty they had when they were in possession. They ran right at Ireland, right down the players’ throats. They didn’t care that they were underdogs. Or if they did, it was only because they were pissed off that people would think of them that way given how good they’d been in the World Cup. So they cut loose and played positively while the Ireland players struggled to get into the game.

I wouldn’t blame the Irish management for what happened. I’ve heard people say it’s down to a conservative management and all that kind of thing but that’s not what stood out against Wales. This defeat was down to the players. They needed to step up and take control, demand the ball and make plays that wouldn’t be expected of them. They just didn’t do it enough.

It wasn’t a time to be nervy and unsure, it was a time to express themselves and bring the confidence that they’d had with their provinces along with them. They just looked far too shackled and uneasy and unwilling to take a chance. I don’t mean they should have been flinging the ball around every time they got on it, just that they needed to lift the tempo and force the issue.

A Six Nations match goes by so quickly and if you’re overly careful and you wait for something to happen, it’s gone before you know it. These players didn’t get where they are today by letting others take responsibility. All their rugby lives, from schools level all the way up to the Lions, they’ve stood out because they’re the ones who’ve been prepared to go and do it when others have been hesitating. What has made them exceptional is being willing to put their hands up and say, “I’m the man here – give me the ball”.

But that was missing on Sunday. Not from all of them but from enough of them to make a difference. I looked at some of them from the stand and they were playing with the head down, not screaming for the ball, not looking to step outside themselves. It was as if too many of them were telling themselves to just do the basics well, hoping that would be enough. They lacked the energy and enthusiasm to go and blow the game open. It’s not like they don’t have it in them.

There were periods where Ireland upped the tempo and showed what they could do. When Bradley Davies got his second try, Ireland responded well and dominated for the next while, ending up with Tommy Bowe going over in the corner. But in the final 10 minutes, when Wales were behind and Ireland should have been closing the game out, we just looked a bit passive and stand-offish. We invited them onto us and they seemed to make ground with every run.

Right through the game, I thought Ireland fell into the trap of falling back on structure. With the amount of individual talent they have on the team, there should have been more lads making big plays and grabbing their moment. Even our defence seemed more based on safety of numbers than any massive hits or huge aggression. Wales did a fine job of recycling the ball but would they have been able to keep doing it if the intensity of the defence that we saw against Australia in the World Cup had been repeated? I doubt it.

Ireland need to get back to that this weekend in Paris. Their body language has to be right from the minute they step on the pitch for the warm-up. No more standing off, no more waiting for others. They have to be aggressive from the off – start a row or make a huge tackle in the first few minutes. Find that spark and leave the passive stuff behind. Show us something. Show that will and desire that has them where they are. There’s no reason why they can’t do it.

They know themselves they had a bad day at the office on Sunday. They’ll go to Paris after a week where everyone has been down on them with a chance to turn it around in the one place where a win would mean more than it would anywhere else. Beat France in France and nobody will remember the Wales game.

Who’s going to put their hand up?

[Real Kerry Fan]

.Who’s going to put their hand up?



[/quote]

[Parouisa]

.Who’s going to put their hand up?

[/quote]

Jaysus - you read it RKF! Put your hand up - you closet fan!

[Real Kerry Fan]

.Who’s going to put their hand up?

Jaysus - you read it RKF! Put your hand up - you closet fan![/quote]

I also read some of the death columns but that does not make me a fan

[Parouisa]

I also read some of the death columns but that does not make me a fan

No - you were just checking was your own in it!!

[The Puke]

Ferris is cleared and rightly so

[The Puke]

Two changes Ryan and Earls in O'Callaghan and McFadden out

[ormond lad]

Two changes Ryan and Earls in O'Callaghan and McFadden out

I wish Ryan was starting but o callaghan still is

http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/25581.php
IRELAND Team & Replacements (v France, RBS 6 Nations Championship 2012, Stade de France, Saturday, February 11th, kick-off 9pm/8pm Irish time):

15 - Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
14 - Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
13 - Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
12 - Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
11 - Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
10 - Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
9 - Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)

1 - Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
2 - Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
3 - Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
4 - Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
5 - Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster) Captain
6 - Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)
7 - Sean O'Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)
8 - Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)

Replacements:
16 - Sean Cronin (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
17 - Tom Court (Malone/Ulster)
18 - Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)
19 - Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)*
20 - Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
21 - Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
22 - Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)

[Parouisa]

Kidney is never going to make any changes unless he is forced to.

[Parouisa]

If it happened here we'd be the laughing stock of Europe. Imagine building a modern stadium with no undersoil heating. Ah, the French. Bummer of a night for sports fans between fog and ice.

[OMAR]

The bit I'm really struggling with is - given that they have had cold weather for the best part of a fortnight did anyone think to test to see what the pitch would be like without covers at 9.00 pm on any of the preceeding ten nights plus.

[Real Kerry Fan]

Jaypers the rugby boys are afraid of a bit of frost.

[Real Kerry Fan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6CupMpthy8&feature=player_detailpage

[ormond lad]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6CupMpthy8&feature=player_detailpage

And?????
Whats your point of posting that video?Like there is some good and bad tackles in that video

[Real Kerry Fan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lBl5_IQjdI&feature=player_detailpage

[Real Kerry Fan]

Derrytresk are angels

[ormond lad]

Derrytresk are angels

Good for you

[Real Kerry Fan]

Sorry ormond just thought things were very quiet lately. No offence to anybody.

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