Final assignment: Iere

[PaarlBok]

So on we go and what a big appointment lying ahead. They dont come easier in NH rugby then this one.

Pretty disappointed with the tour thus far but a one point win will settle the disappointment.

Snor have a lot of options going in this test. Probably the most worried area is in the midfield and scrum. The Iere will hit us hard in the midfield and hope he'll get it right with his selections. Scrumming I suppose a bit easier breathing after the France and Italy test.

My pick
15 Kirshner. Finally he settle here.
wings: Habana & JP (waiting for his big one)
Midfield: Mossie & Meisiekind
10 Morne 9 FdP
8 Kankowski
7 Schalk
6 Brussouw
Locks : Matfield Bakkies
Fromtrow: CJ/Smit/BJ

Bench: Beast/Bismarck/Bekker/Rossouw/Pienaar/Houhaardt
That bench will deliver a knockout punch.

 

[Blue]

Crap tour but I think fatigue and poor selection of the second stringers can be blamed. France were simply too good.

Kirchner does a holding job I reckon until someone else comes through like Jantjes?

Adi Jacobs should never, ever don the jersey again. he has been horrible but its not his fault. He just isn't a 12 and he is too small.

Kankowski has had enough chances. He is a good S14 player but disappears in test rugby. Start Danie R at 8 and bring Johnson off the bench, else bring Deysel on later in game with Brussow or Schalk to 8.

Front row is damn obvious. It almost brought a tear to my eye when Smit moved back to 2 and BJ came on. Next scrum Beast climbed all over CastroG for the simple fact that BJ allowed him and Smit to attack the opposing TH side. DID YOU READ THIS PUPPET?

 

[PaarlBok]

The one thing that worked well for the Bokke on saturday for the first time all year was their impact players. Maybe a good thing to give Bekker (ipo Matfield), Danie in 7 (ipo Schalk) the start. Its been a long season and a bench including the likes of Beast, Bismarck, Matfield & Schalk maybe just the right tonic to end the season on a high. Thought Danie & Bekker went quite well on saturday.

You give up way to quick on Kirschner. He started bad in that 3rd BIL test but sure start to settle now in the 15 jersey. Same with Kankowski, myself thought they had better then average tests against the Italians. The same goes for Meisiekind, 26 tests before his first test try. This three players start to look confident now and need to start and build on it.

 

[Blue]

The one thing that worked well for the Bokke on saturday for the first time all year was their impact players. Maybe a good thing to give Bekker (ipo Matfield), Danie in 7 (ipo Schalk) the start. Its been a long season and a bench including the likes of Beast, Bismarck, Matfield & Schalk maybe just the right tonic to end the season on a high. Thought Danie & Bekker went quite well on saturday.

You give up way to quick on Kirschner. He started bad in that 3rd BIL test but sure start to settle now in the 15 jersey. Same with Kankowski, myself thought they had better then average tests against the Italians. The same goes for Meisiekind, 26 tests before his first test try. This three players start to look confident now and need to start and build on it.

Irish back row is big. We need size to counter them. Kanko is too lightweight.

Start with Bekker I reckon. Matfield made solid impact when he came on.

Play with Deysel, Brussow and Daniesaurus to start and bring Schulk on.

Play a 5/2 bench.

50 minutes in we bring on Matfield, Bismarck and Burger.

The Irish press is crying like little girls that the Boks are bullys. Very well then. Let's bully them.

I GURANTEE the Irish will have some sort of foul play to cry about after the game, win or lose.

The NH crybaby mantle is firmly in Irish hands. They are putting the Welsh to shame.

Will BOD get away with another high shot? He did for the Lions. We can be sure he'll have a go at one.

If the Boks can lift mentally and get anywhere near the intensity they shows against the ABs this year they should beat the Irish. Whether they have it in them remains to be seen.

 

[PaarlBok]

:lmao: Also saw thai bully boy Ierse rantings. They are just copying the French lot. Also interesting that both teams have the Heineken Cup and S14 champions included.

Pretty much going on between the two teams in the last couple of years.

That quick tape penalty DickHeadson allowed last time we visited, OGara costing the BIL their series , exct, exct.

Pretty sure the Bokke will give it their best shot in the last roll of the dice. Win or lose they had a fantastic year and would love to end on a high.

 

[BillyWebb]

:lmao: Also saw thai bully boy Ierse rantings. They are just copying the French lot. Also interesting that both teams have the Heineken Cup and S14 champions included.

Pretty much going on between the two teams in the last couple of years.

That quick tape penalty DickHeadson allowed last time we visited, OGara costing the BIL their series , exct, exct.

Pretty sure the Bokke will give it their best shot in the last roll of the dice. Win or lose they had a fantastic year and would love to end on a high.

Paul Honiss was the ref that allowed O'Garish to take a quick tap.
He did eventually apologise and admit a f-up.

My changes would be the FR that finfished the Italy test i.e. Beast, Smit, BJ with Bismarck and Wian du Preez / CJ as cover.
I'd start Danie at 8, with Kanko on for the last 25 minutes or so where his speed around the park can help.
And Olivier at 12 instead of Jacobs.

 

[PaarlBok]

Oops got the refs cocked up, feel like yesterday.

Oh well there are lots of nice selections head aches now, lets hope they get it right. I am still worried about the Iere midfield challenge. A Deysel, Pakslae and Brussouw will be a grunted one but Schalk do give a bit of insurance in the midfield defensive area. He'll probably start in 7. He and Brussouw in tandem at the breakdowns sure will add some steel.

 

[Thomond78]

I GURANTEE the Irish will have some sort of foul play to cry about after the game, win or lose.

The NH crybaby mantle is firmly in Irish hands.

You know, I'm trying to think of a moment in the last year when we've gone complaining to the IRB about the Italians being naughty and scrummaging better than us; or, perhaps more pertinently, about conspiracy in the media; or when we've gone onto the pitch wearing "Ceart do" armbands; and I really can't think of one.

People in glasshouses shouldn't throw naartjies, Blue.

 

[macg101]

Heres hoping both teams don't lose a player long term from this match! Rediculous bad blood being stirred up. Were not helping ourselves by doing so! In fairness its not coming from the players or management on either side, certainly not publicly anyway!

Should be a good game, Im hoping we get parity in the scrum (which reflects where the Irish scrum is right now). Our loose forwards have a major job to do to match the SA back row. It would help to take Brussow out of the game.

I think the South Africans will be dissappointed with the two defeats to club opposition, they should have the character to fight through the tiredness, but obviously its been a long road since the start of the Lions tour.

O Gara couldn't have returned to form in more timely of fashion, the back line is in serious form coming into this game, its up to him to get it moving.

 

[Hugonaut]

Pretty sure the Bokke will give it their best shot in the last roll of the dice. Win or lose they had a fantastic year and would love to end on a high.

Exactly – it should be a cracking, physical game. Really looking forward to it!

I wouldn't be too upset about what a bunch of hacks write to fill space in the Sunday papers. More worth worrying about is the truly dreadful weather conditions that are currently holding sway in Ireland and are forecast to be hanging around for the best part of the week. The worst flooding and some of the highest winds I can remember going back more than a decade, really disastrous stuff. You can see some images on http://www.irishtimes.com/

I don't imagine for a second that the game will be called for an unplayable pitch, rather that the conditions will lead to some compromised rugby.

 

[Blue]

I GURANTEE the Irish will have some sort of foul play to cry about after the game, win or lose.

The NH crybaby mantle is firmly in Irish hands.

You know, I'm trying to think of a moment in the last year when we've gone complaining to the IRB about the Italians being naughty and scrummaging better than us; or, perhaps more pertinently, about conspiracy in the media; or when we've gone onto the pitch wearing "Ceart do" armbands; and I really can't think of one.

People in glasshouses shouldn't throw naartjies, Blue.

I recall the Kiwis complaining about the Italians. What does that have to do with us? If we did I never saw it.

Naartjies in glass houses are fine. Be careful of all the spit and tears flying around though or soon you wonlt be able to see out the windows.

But hey, I expected there to be a good old cry about the Lions tour and Schalk's antics. But the Bully boy story? C'mon man that just pathetic.

 

[PaarlBok]

People in glasshouses shouldn't throw naartjies, Blue.

Naartjies in glass houses are fine.

Speaking about naartjies, is it a SA fruit only or do you find them elsewhere?

Myself receive my bombartment of them in my army days visiting Loftus. Always sort of feel like a food waste those Brute supporters selling it by the 1000s and still green. Think a ripe naartjie will add a bit more spice when landing on the target.

Snor's reply to this bully stories
superrugby

'Beergate' raises its frothy head

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers suggested that the Irish players probably didn’t like South African beer as the controversy over the refusal by British & Lions players to share drinks with the Springboks earlier this year became a hot topic of debate.

Bok skipper John Smit revealed in his newly released autobiography that an invitation to the Lions to share drinks after the first two tests was declined.

De Villiers was asked whether it had ensured that there was bad blood between the teams prior to Saturday’s match against Ireland at Croke Park. He downplayed the situation.

“The bad blood thing is something you guys [the UK and Irish media] came up with,” De Villiers said at a press conference. “We extend an invitation to every team after a game to come join us in the dressing room for a beer. The Lions never accepted. Maybe they don’t like South African beer.

“There was nothing extraordinary that happened on the field that would warrant this ‘bad blood’ thing. Most reports have been overhyped. The media over here [in Ireland and Britain] are just looking for things to pick at.”

There was also a suggestion that the match would be especially physical, but De Villiers again dismissed those claims.

“The physical thing is something that’s also blown out of proportion,” De Villiers. “You show me a rugby game that’s not physical. If you took physicality out of it, what would the game be?

“If anyone loses they are going to be disappointed, and they’re going to feel great if they win. We don’t all have the same mental approach though, and so some people will move on right away after a loss, while some may take two or three days to recover.”

Impressive Paarl style from our coach :yay

 

[Blue]

"There was nothing extraordinary that happened on the field."

Hahah. Classic Snor.

Let the bleating begin.

Irishmen passing on free beer. I've seen it all.

 

[rustycruiser]

I GURANTEE the Irish will have some sort of foul play to cry about after the game, win or lose.

The NH crybaby mantle is firmly in Irish hands.

You know, I'm trying to think of a moment in the last year when we've gone complaining to the IRB about the Italians being naughty and scrummaging better than us; or, perhaps more pertinently, about conspiracy in the media; or when we've gone onto the pitch wearing "Ceart do" armbands; and I really can't think of one.

People in glasshouses shouldn't throw naartjies, Blue.

Shouldn't you be busy joining a march to the French Embassy in Dublin to protest the Hand of Frog?

 

[PaarlBok]

Iere Team
Ireland Team (v South Africa, Croke Park, Saturday November 28th, k.o. 16.30 South African time)

15 - Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
14 - Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
13 - Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster) (capt)
12 - Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)
11 - Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
10 - Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
9 - Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin/Munster)

1 - Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
2 - Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)
3 - John Hayes (Bruff/Munster)
4 - Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
5 - Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
6 - Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)
7 - David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)
8 - Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)

Replacements:
16 - Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht)
17 - Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
18 - Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster)
19 - Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster)
20 - Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster)
21 - Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
22 - Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)

 

[PaarlBok]

I dunno the Iere that well, but surprise not to see OGara & Stringer starting. Make sense if they want to play a wide game against the Bokke and try and hit the midfield. The weather obvious will be important and just have a feeling if it is a wet game I am glad to have FdP & Morne on my side.

 

[Thomond78]

I GURANTEE the Irish will have some sort of foul play to cry about after the game, win or lose.

The NH crybaby mantle is firmly in Irish hands.

You know, I'm trying to think of a moment in the last year when we've gone complaining to the IRB about the Italians being naughty and scrummaging better than us; or, perhaps more pertinently, about conspiracy in the media; or when we've gone onto the pitch wearing "Ceart do" armbands; and I really can't think of one.

People in glasshouses shouldn't throw naartjies, Blue.

Shouldn't you be busy joining a march to the French Embassy in Dublin to protest the Hand of Frog?

Christ, no. I'm with Roy de Boy on that one; suck it the fuck up.

Oom, O'Leary has been the starting scrum-half for a year now. Would have been out on the Lions and probable test starter but for pulping his ankle three days after selection. Delighted to see Stringer back on the bench ahead of Reddan, who was gash against Fiji.

Sexton is the new kid, 24, expressly put in there to see how he goes.

Cullen deserves to be on the bench. Think an NH version of Bakkies as regards the way he plays, but with a face like a melted bucket. Cronin is the new up-and-coming hooker; from Limerick, playing in Connacht, will be coming home next contract time, no question about it. Good to see a Weshtie there, mind. Mushy Buckley gets the nod on the basis of a storming 20 minute cameo against Fiji, and it's a bit harsh on Tom Court; will be interesting to see what happens.

Heaslip is the problem, because he's a lazy show-pony. But for Leamy having injured his ankle doing Heaslip's work for him last Saturday, he'd have started, no question. Expect to see Leamy and O'Gara on.

 

[macg101]

Stringer is a surprise to make the bench, I thought Reddan would have been a cert given that he had a decent game against Fiji.

O Leary starts because he's a big scrumhalf and quite physical (he was selected for the Lions, but got injured beforehand. It looks as if Kidney thinks that if we are losing the game up front (likely), then he can bring on Stringer to get quicker ball (quicker hands than O Leary).

O Gara is a shock as everyone would have thought Kidney would have gone for experience. However Sexton is the future and we need to give him a go at this stage before O Gara's legs go, rather than try to blood him when we have no other options.

Other than that the only other 50 50 was Darcy versus Wallace, I think again that Kidney wants quicker ball out to our strength out wide.

 

[macg101]

"Delighted to see Stringer back on the bench ahead of Reddan, who was gash against Fiji."

I had to look at that again cause I thought Reddan was decent if not good.... then like a old nightmare it came back to me.... constant flashbacks of Reddan laying on the floor trying to pick the ball up from Heaslips laces, scrum after scrum...... maul after bloody maul... so I can see where your coming from

 

[Thomond78]

"Delighted to see Stringer back on the bench ahead of Reddan, who was gash against Fiji."

I had to look at that again cause I thought Reddan was decent if not good.... then like a old nightmare it came back to me.... constant flashbacks of Reddan laying on the floor trying to pick the ball up from Heaslips laces, scrum after scrum...... maul after bloody maul... so I can see where your coming from

Don't worry. The pain fades. I find punching the living shit out of a Jamie Heaslip doll - "It showboats! It manages to go backwards picking up off an advancing scrum!" - does wonders...