RWC: IRE v FRA (POOL D) Mon 12th@2:45am

[mxyzptlk]

Jeez that is some cost - looks like its all over for Paulie and O'Mahony. Can't see O'Brien pulling on a jersey again for a few weeks. Any news on Sexton?

 

[mxyzptlk]

What on earth was he thinking, how can he think it wouldn't get picked up.

Pape was holding him back. But I thought you were all "this is a contact sport!" Going soft? Oh wait -- it's Ireland, different story, I forgot.

He'll be cited.

(p.s. Only two more kicks from hand than Australia had against Wales.)

 

[the plastic paddy]

Weeks ban for Seanie, I should think. Hopefully my instinct that POM is not all that bad, Nor Sextoid will temper Paulie finishing his career the wrong way. That was a proper dismantling, anyway, accuracy from 1-23. Just tucking into the third bottle of wine after a cracking lunch, Gwan Ireland!!!!!

 

[mxyzptlk]

Obviously POC is gone but to be fair he hasn't been in the best of form recently and Henderson is for me the best in form lock in the RWC along with De Jager.

Y'know, I ain't mad at Toner. He wasn't a game-breaker, but he provided a lot of ruck support (helped POM get one of his turnovers), did his set piece well, and got some go-forward ball when needed.

 

[mxyzptlk]

 

[BabyBlueElephant]

Even if SOB is cited, that'd spur this team on. I don't know what it was like on TV but at this game today I seen the passion of Thomond park and the clinicalness of Leinster, not that I condone bringing club rugby into international game debates.

Argentina will be very tough next week, Ireland are already wrote off, maybe they don't know too much about Schmidt.

 

[Dan54]

True BBE, I think Argies will be tougher next week than most giving them credit for. And don't think the ABs are going to lose anymore sleep over playing France than anyone else, it's knockout stage so you just have to beat whoever in front of you!

 

[aeneas]

That was a cracking game of rugby. Well done you Irish supporters, completely deserved victory. That injury to O'Connell looked bad though.

What's up with the total lack of midfield penetration with the French? Fofana is one of my favourite players.

 

[Bardon]

Fofana never seems to play well with Bastareaud. PSA won't drop Bastareaud and one of the most tallented centres in Europe continues to be wasted so that a crash ball merchant can drive beyond the gain line and get turned over.

 

[the plastic paddy]

True BBE, I think Argies will be tougher next week than most giving them credit for. And don't think the ABs are going to lose anymore sleep over playing France than anyone else, it's knockout stage so you just have to beat whoever in front of you!

Ireland know plenty enough about Argentina not to take next week even close for granted. Can't be bothered to punctuate that sentence, apologies.

 

[the plastic paddy]

Fofana never seems to play well with Bastareaud. PSA won't drop Bastareaud and one of the most tallented centres in Europe continues to be wasted so that a crash ball merchant can drive beyond the gain line and get turned over.

And be sat on his Arse defensively by a player of Henshaw's quality.

 

[Quick Hands]

A collective shudder was felt down Kiwis' spines as they face the daunting task of playing the French, smarting from a drubbing at the hands of the Irish a week before.

You could not script it any better

Barnes to ref.

 

[the plastic paddy]

Barnes to ref.

Now that would be brilliant, mainly because it would mean he isn't reffing Ireland.

 

[mxyzptlk]

And be sat on his Arse defensively by a player of Henshaw's quality.

I was going to say I thought Ireland's centers had something to say about how much Fofana was going to get through the lines, but Bardon's also right. A little from column A, a little from column B.

 

[the plastic paddy]

Keeping Henshaw and Murray in Ireland after today is going to be a mother and father of a job. The way Murray took control when Sexton went off was different class to anything I have seen from an Irish 9.

 

[mxyzptlk]

Keeping Henshaw and Murray in Ireland after today is going to be a mother and father of a job. The way Murray took control when Sexton went off was different class to anything I have seen from an Irish 9.

Did you see the feature the42.ie did on Murray? Gets into a lot of the technical work he focuses on. Looks like it all came together today.

 

[the plastic paddy]

Did you see the feature the42.ie did on Murray? Gets into a lot of the technical work he focuses on. Looks like it all came together today.

I did but thank you anyway, he is an absolute Rolls Royce of a player, always seems to be cruising with not a bead of sweat on him, good looking, intelligent, bastard!?!? Bit of talk on MF that Sexton might actually have been concussed but can't see it myself.

 

[mxyzptlk]

One of the other angles of SOB's dig on Pape isn't pretty.

Word is there's possibly another angle that shows what the horse Pape was doing that may have triggered SOB's punch. Sounds like it could be a Gonzalo Jara-type thing, but no real details yet.

 

[Blue]

Even if SOB is cited, that'd spur this team on. I don't know what it was like on TV but at this game today I seen the passion of Thomond park and the clinicalness of Leinster, not that I condone bringing club rugby into international game debates.

Argentina will be very tough next week, Ireland are already wrote off, maybe they don't know too much about Schmidt.

Interesting that Irish fans laud the foul play of O'brien like it was some heroic act yet they will bleat like slaughtered goats if any opposition players even look sideways at any of theirs.

It's a punch. No place in the game. He would be lucky it it is a week. Punches usually get between 2 and 4 in the real world, sometimes more.

Anyway without POC, OM and O'B the Argie pigs are going to be hard to contain.

 

[mxyzptlk]

Bit of talk on MF that Sexton might actually have been concussed but can't see it myself.

Don't think he's concussed, at all. Maybe some bruised ribs, and it looked like maybe a groin pull -- you could see him pull up after a kick. Schmidt said since they were already in the QFs, they decided not to risk him any further and took him off.


I'm really curious to see how this will stand to them, losing some of their biggest names and then arguably playing better. Their confidence should get a nice boost.