The Official Irish Rugby Thread

[nelly sham]

Is this a world cup team?

Barely a Senior Cup Team.

Lowe still there.
Farrell looked at once, in a dead rubber game.
No new backrows looked at.
No new 8 looked at.
No second row looked at.

Osborne thrown in at 15 when he could have had a few run outs at center. You can bet your life he wouldn't have started in the center for this game either.

 

[knockfiarna]

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[How bad boy]

Barely a Senior Cup Team.

Lowe still there.
Farrell looked at once, in a dead rubber game.
No new backrows looked at.
No new 8 looked at.
No second row looked at.

Osborne thrown in at 15 when he could have had a few run outs at center. You can bet your life he wouldn't have started in the center for this game either.

Does Timoney count? He's only got 6 caps. That said, he's already 30 years old...

 

[Coogee]

Barely a Senior Cup Team.

Lowe still there.
Farrell looked at once, in a dead rubber game.
No new backrows looked at.
No new 8 looked at.
No second row looked at.

Osborne thrown in at 15 when he could have had a few run outs at center. You can bet your life he wouldn't have started in the center for this game either.

disappointing that Edogbo and Ahern didn't get a look in. Also if I was Jimmy O Brien i'd be livid with hansen brought in at 15 after 6 weeks out. Surely o Brien at full back and Hansen on the bench would have made more sense.

And I hope to god the likes of Izuchuckwu and McCarthy are fit for the six nations because the idea of watching James Ryan plod though another six nations is depressing.

 

[Coogee]

Paddy McCarthy as an alternative to Porter at Loosehead might be the only positive in terms of blooding new players out of the 4 games.

I'm not convinced by Tommy O Brien either. I think Balcounne if he can stay fit is a better prospect.

 

[How bad boy]

disappointing that Edogbo and Ahern didn't get a look in. Also if I was Jimmy O Brien i'd be livid with hansen brought in at 15 after 6 weeks out. Surely o Brien at full back and Hansen on the bench would have made more sense.

And I hope to god the likes of Izuchuckwu and McCarthy are fit for the six nations because the idea of watching James Ryan plod though another six nations is depressing.

Ryan has really gone downhill, happens with lads who are big at a young age.

Playing Edogbo would be Prendergast levels of nuts. Ahern deserves more caps in fairness. Fierce unlucky with injury, but he'll get his chance

 

[Coogee]

Ryan has really gone downhill, happens with lads who are big at a young age.

Playing Edogbo would be Prendergast levels of nuts. Ahern deserves more caps in fairness. Fierce unlucky with injury, but he'll get his chance

I don't think that throwing a promising lock on the bench could do the same harm as what we have seen from Prendergast. I guess with the nearly 2 years out of the game maybe he needs to shine in red before getting a chance in green but that hasn't stopped plenty of the Leinster youngsters getting a shot in the last few seasons.

Ahern unlucky with injury the last two seasons.

 

[jeepers]

Ahern unlucky with injury the last two seasons.

He's been unlucky with injuries for a lot longer than two years. It might be a really negative view, but i think at this stage, we're not likely to see Ahern really fulfilling his potential. He seems the type of player who never gets a decent run without injury. On top of that, he's had a few concussions recently, at least one of which was in training. Something is not right at the moment.

I met a guy from Ulster (although living in Dublin) a few years ago on holiday. He was more of a GAA man, but he was talking about the type of athletes that we're producing now, that you never saw years ago, and referenced Ryan Baird. I told him he'd seen nothing yet, and went on about Tom Ahern, who he'd never heard of. I'd say he still hasn't.

 

[nelly sham]

There's quite a few second rows around now that will need a look at over the next two seasons. The lads at Connacht, Aherne if he wants to play there, Edogbo and O Connell.

The lads at Leinster, Mangan is one but I forget the other lad will probably get the caps but they're not great at all. Ironically enough, they're limited in game time by RG!

 

[keamoresouth]

Italy 0-0 Boks after 30 minutes in Turin. Boks down to 14, 2nd red card in as many weeks