Wallabies v Ireland, Saturday 16th June, 8.00pm, AAMI Park, Melbourne

[Quick Hands]

One important truth emerges from last night and Ireland's recent very impressive provincial and Test form:

The ridiculous notion that Australian rugby is 'simply destined' to degrade into a tiny code here as 'we have to compete with NRL and AFL and so however we manage ourselves we're going to slowly fade downwards' is devastated by the key facts underpinning the sustaining and recent resurgence of Irish rugby as:

Population of the country Ireland: 4.8m - where rugby has to compete with soccer and Gaelic football (go to the Irish Times site and you'll see these codes on average get more coverage than rugby)
Population of Sydney alone: 5.4m, population of Australia: 24.5m.

So, how does Irish rugby with similar code-to-code contests as in Australia, relatively speaking, do so well with a population just 19.5% the size of Australia's?

- Centralised system for the entire code
- Competently managed IRFU
- All-levels rugby skills development and coaching focus
- Consistently aiming for the attainment of coach recruitment excellence at all elite coaching levels
- Sound policies for selecting and developing young players through club to elite levels

That is, a sound institutional framework for running the code, aligned with competent management of rugby skills, player development life cycle and elite coaching excellence.

Indeed RH, a point I've made a number of times. Although, you have forgotten to include Hurling which also has a higher participation rate than rugby in Ireland - making rugby the 4th most popular winter team sport in the country.

EDIT:

The 2017 All Ireland Hurling final drew 82,300 to Croke Park, with a TV audience of 1.1 million on RTE.

The All Ireland Gaelic Footbal final drew 82,243 to Croke Park, with a TV audience of 1.3 million on RTE.

 

[Up the Guts]

Indeed RH, a point I've made a number of times. Although, you have forgotten to include Hurling which also has a higher participation rate than rugby in Ireland - making rugby the 4th most popular winter team sport in the country.

EDIT:

The 2017 All Ireland Hurling final drew 82,300 to Croke Park, with a TV audience of 1.1 million on RTE.

The All Ireland Gaelic Footbal final drew 82,243 to Croke Park, with a TV audience of 1.3 million on RTE.

What's hurling involve? Who can down the most Guinness without spewing?

 

[K974]

What's hurling involve? Who can down the most Guinness without spewing?

Fastest most skilful field game in the world
If you haven't Seen it heck it out
Rugby is a distant 4th ireland its popularity has grown hugely but playing numbers not at the same rate
The turn around in Irish fortunes is due to the centralised management of everything
David nuifocra the australian guy, deserves a lot of credit been with the IRFU for prob 5years now
He blocked Stephen Moore move to Munster as there would have been too many non Irish qualified hookers in the system this policy is now paying dividends

A good example is the hooker who played last night wouldn't have come thru at Munster of Moore signed

 

[Quick Hands]

What's hurling involve? Who can down the most Guinness without spewing?

It's like a cross between hockey and rugby.

 

[K974]

It's like a cross between hockey and rugby.

Like rugby it's changed a lot since the 60's , some of the recent all ireland finals on you tube would be worth a watch if you haven't seen it before

 

[naza]

Anyone else notice how often Ireland players were binding onto the ball carrier before the tackle is made ? Was incessant and also a massive reason they got go forward.
I assumed it was illegal as its no different to forming an uncontested maul but came across this https://theblitzdefence.wordpress.com/2018/02/25/irelands-forwards-and-pre-binding-on-carriers/

 

[cyclopath]

Anyone else notice how often Ireland players were binding onto the ball carrier before the tackle is made ? Was incessant and also a massive reason they got go forward.
I assumed it was illegal as its no different to forming an uncontested maul but came across this https://theblitzdefence.wordpress.com/2018/02/25/irelands-forwards-and-pre-binding-on-carriers/

Yes, I noticed. Hey, naza!

 

[RugbyReg]

Yes, I noticed. Hey, naza!

Yep. Me too. Also made it bloody hard for us to contest the ball on the ground as those support players simply continued on the clean out.

 

[drewprint]

Yep. Me too. Also made it bloody hard for us to contest the ball on the ground as those support players simply continued on the clean out.

Or flopped, thus sealing the ruck off.

 

[K974]

I come on this website cos I live in australia and have a big interest in the wallabies but obviously not when playing ireland but also to get a different opinion on things because I mostly r ad Irish and uk sites , I like to seee Both sides of it

What i said Earlier and starting to find so frustrating about rugby is the constant blaming about the referee . A quick read of Irish sites and media will show you the uproar , about how we not only beat australia but the referee there is huge complaining about the referee . They believe he was shocking

Plenty posters here and complaining from an Australian angle which is fine, but it's interesting to see the polar opposite veiws, a read of an Irish site is interesting to see how different the opinion is

It's seems in the last 5-8 yrs that every single game if it's not a 30+ margin comes down to complaining about the ref
I think it's becoming a scourge on the game as it's

Even now when we have won we are Complaning again that only the ref kept oz in it

Its every team every country After nearly every game

Australia by 20+ next week

 

[RedsHappy]

I come on this website cos I live in australia and have a big interest in the wallabies but obviously not when playing ireland but also to get a different opinion on things because I mostly r ad Irish and uk sites , I like to seee Both sides of it

What i said Earlier and starting to find so frustrating about rugby is the constant blaming about the referee . A quick read of Irish sites and media will show you the uproar , about how we not only beat australia but the referee there is huge complaining about the referee . They believe he was shocking

Plenty posters here and complaining from an Australian angle which is fine, but it's interesting to see the polar opposite veiws, a read of an Irish site is interesting to see how different the opinion is

It's seems in the last 5-8 yrs that every single game if it's not a 30+ margin comes down to complaining about the ref
I think it's becoming a scourge on the game as it's

Even now when we have won we are Complaning again that only the ref kept oz in it

Its every team every country After nearly every game

Australia by 20+ next week

Yep. Nearly every Wallaby loss now = extensive ref whinging/ref bashing, it’s a mark of our decline, not of our better insight.

The slow death of the doctrine of responsibility of outcome by the person or team creating it.

Someone else is now always to blame. The newly forged victims of the failure of the other. We don’t just fail ourselves.

 

[Slim 293]

Shiggins does not represent all of Australia.........

 

[K974]

I don't think it's just an Australian thing , it's same everywhere every team

 

[KOB1987]

Except when we’re talking about NZ it’s generally not suggested that the refs are one sided, more that they are either inept, spend too much time looking at replays, or ruin the spectacle by blowing it up too often


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cyclopath]

As a fan, I complain as much as anyone in the heat of the moment if I think the ref "missed" something that disadvantages my team - it's human nature. Different to blaming the ref for a loss. I haven't seen too many Aus fans claiming the ref lost us that one!
It's the inconsistencies that bug me the most. How many obstruction calls have we seen this year from a maul forming from a lineout? Apart from 1 last night, I struggle to recall many others, if any. And it happens all the time. Players cleaning out beyond the ruck or loitering on the wrong side - so variably officiated. It's not helped when the commentators often have very poor understanding of the laws. Kafer carrying on last night about the YC to the Irish guy knocking the ball out of Phipps' hands being a harsh call. Hard to think of a better example of a professional foul. Marto or Kearns (they morph into 1 gibbering monotone) going on about the YC for the collapsed maul. Same thing. Then there's the issue of high / dangerous tackles.

 

[Derpus]

They did eventually get pinged for sealing off, towards the end of the game if i recall. Which is weird because it didn't seem to be any different to what they'd been doing all night. The Irish seemed as confused.

 

[Derpus]

Yep. Nearly every Wallaby loss now = extensive ref whinging/ref bashing, it’s a mark of our decline, not of our better insight.

The slow death of the doctrine of responsibility of outcome by the person or team creating it.

Someone else is now always to blame. The newly forged victims of the failure of the other. We don’t just fail ourselves.

We definitely bash our fair share of refs. But it's a universal phenomenon and is aided by the sheer quantity of questionable decisions that occur these days. I think the TMO situation has really put a magnifying glass on ref calls.

The TMO raises the expected standard for decisions, by allowing complete accuracy (in theory) when used. It's therefore an outrage when a ref misses a call the TMO would not have. Where as, in the past, the ref botching calls was just part of the game. Thus the inevitable expansion of the TMO's responsibilities as the refs rely on it more and more.

Problem is, this fucks up the game for a viewer. They should just ditch it. Accept there will be bad calls but accept it as a necessary sacrifice for an entertaining, flowing game.

It's curious that the increased use of TMO's doesn't seem to have increased the accuracy or consistency of the refs at all, when it should in theory.

 

[Derpus]

At the risk of breaking board etiquette: are you high?


Reaching out to interfere with the halfback's collection of the ball when you are at the bottom of the ruck flat on your back is quite simply cheating. It's not a grey area penalty like the 4 point stance, or a questionable side entry penalty, or the even more questionably 'sealing off' penalties when the opposition isnt really committing, or the difference between a genuine intercept attempt and a knock-down. It was a deliberate breach of the rules to gain an advantage, inside his own 22.

Yeah, I know, all sorts of stuff goes on in the ruck, but when you get caught taking the piss like that it's gotta be a yellow every time.

How would dropping Hooper help us at the breakdown? I'm pretty sure his breakdown involvements top the table regularly. He's actually quite effective, particularly at securing our own ball.

 

[Up the Guts]

How would dropping Hooper help us at the breakdown? I'm pretty sure his breakdown involvements top the table regularly. He's actually quite effective, particularly at securing our own ball.

The referee also told Hooper that he wasn't going to yellow card a player for repeated infringements immediately because Hooper had got them under control when the penalties got out of hand earlier. How about that for referee management.

 

[Quick Hands]

The referee also told Hooper that he wasn't going to yellow card a player for repeated infringements immediately because Hooper had got them under control when the penalties got out of hand earlier. How about that for referee management.

If I was an Irish fan, I'd be complaining about no Aussie being carded, despite 3 warnings for goal line infringements. If roles were reversed, there would have been plenty of complaints on this thread.