Search results

Maitland hasn't really improved in Scotland either. Still a very poor defender as are all of the Scotland back 3. I agree with you I'd take Visser over him any day. He may also be poor defensively but he's a born finisher. There's plenty of wing talent around. The problem is that their either...

With the lack of cover in the squad I've a feeling there are going to be a few holidays interrupted and some hurried travel arrangements to Aus for at least a couple of players who probably should have been picked in the first place.

Apart from the obvious, he's also been in absolutely terrible form this year. Wouldn't be anywhere near my top 10 of wing picks for the Lions, shouldn't even be in the England squad on this years form let alone the Lions.

If I was taking someone to cover centre and flyhalf then Madigan is streets ahead of anyone else atm imho. There's normally 1 or 2 bolters on the tour and I'd love him to be one of them. From an Irish perspective it would also mean that some of the other young flyhalves will get game time on the...

Kiss will be in charge of the summer tour of US and Canada. Hope that Schmidt gets the final call on whether Kiss is retained or not. Link may not be coming to Ireland but it looks like another Aussie might be, Matt O'Connor currently at Leicester has apparently been lined up by Leinster to be...

Munster really made a game of the 2nd half but Clermont deserved the win and their place in the final. The bulk of the Munster team today are young guys and they'll get another shot in the next few years.

They really dominated the first half. However if Munster had scored there right at the end of the half it could have been a different story. Clermont still big favourites to make the final. Munster will need every ounce of POC's inspirational leadership.

I'd add Madigan to the list of guys having a very good game too. He's made some excellent breaks. Necewa's try was a thing of beauty really well work especially the 1-2 with Sexton before he went over. Heaslip has had his best game in a very long time. Biarritz were close in the first half...

The backrow for the Lions is so competitive for the Lions that it would be crazy to name any of the captain. It's one area where some fantastic players are going to miss out even on getting on the plane. For me it's not about where Warburton, Robshaw or Heaslip are good players, on their day...

It's a fantastic squad to have but they need to win it to be right up there. Similar to Munster and Leinster who I would have considered as very good HEC sides until they lifted the trophy. They may rectify that this year but obviously myself and a fair few other Irish guys hope that they don't...

Andy Powell tweeted it was the best tackle Cipriani had made all season.

Not sure if the Tahs changing their name would get them anymore supporters. One thing I can say for sure is if they went down that road of rebranding themselves they would have a least 1 less supporter.

With regard to Archer he may not have played a huge part in Muster's HEC campaign this year but still him being out weakens the match day squad. Also he misses out on the experience of a big semi final away from home. Just going through the build up, prep on the day, experiencing the hostile...

It's a loss to rugby but the guy is taking a step down to follow his dream, got to respect that. Hope he tears it up in American Football.

Tahs are going well in recent weeks I'd like to see Cheika keep faith with the guys who have been delivering. So Barnes should probably come onto the bench when he's fit. Then if anyone's form dips he's ready to claim back a starting spot. If not then he provides great cover from the bench.

You should always ensure that your rules are not loaded before cleaning or bending them to avoid this scenario. On a serious note I find this debate fascinating. One part of me wants to see all the best players involved in the Lions tests as to me that's the most important thing about the...

Completely agree one of the biggest challenges facing Rugby, not only in Australia but globally, is how to correctly manage growth in the game. Rugby is currently at a crossroads and needs smart guys with vision in development roles. Globally Rugby is still a small sport when compared to...

Schmidt has been talking yesterday about how he's clashed with the IRFU on a number of occasions. He said he hasn't been offered the job but he is meeting the IRFU either today or tomorrow and he'll probably know more on Friday. He definitely won't be a yes man for the IRFU if he does take the...

I don't know if Smith will play against us but he certainly should be in the mix. Any contractual stuff should be easy to sort out pretty quickly if Deans want him in his squad. The only reason for the contractual stuff to be an issue would be as an easy out for either Deans or someone at the...

Would be excellent if Schmidt too over for Ireland, if he's given a free hand in terms of his coaches and support staff. I hate it when a Union tries to put a dream team together and ends up with guys all pulling in different directions. If Schmidt does take the post I hope that Leinster could...