Wallabies v Ireland

[Scarfman]

Did they win that day?

 

[Lee Grant]

No - lost by 6 penalties to 3.

Had to look it up. It's interesting that Flatley was on the bench and Herbert played 12 - on a rainy day in Dublin??? It beggars belief looking back, doesn't it?

It's why I would like Barnes to be fit and healthy again for Saturday's game, if a magic wand was available for the purpose. Murrayfield has been no desert in recent weeks either, come to think of it. We'd better have our kicking game right at 10, 12 and even 9 for the next couple of weeks - and taking the high ball cleanly will be at a premium as it was in 2002.

 

[RugbyReg]

Is 1984 the last time we played all 4 on one tour?

yes, I believe it is.

Another factor this weekend, possibly being overlooked by us and underplayed by others. This is BOD's 100th test! First ever Irishman to do so. Great achievement and quite an signicant one too.

 

[Lee Grant]

He's bloody champ and has survived the rigours of 10 years at the top and the harping of critics that he is past his best so many times that one wonders if the criticisms were acutally valid when made. We are not the only ones who rush to drop stars after a momentary drop of form.

He and Horan are the most intelligent players I ever saw though that factors in the higher frequency of watching modern players more than earlier players such as Edwards, Catchpole and Gibson who were also rugby smart as were several All Blacks.

Mentioning Horan and him in the same sentence reminds me, again, that I always thought that he should be playing 12 and not 13. At 12 he would have got the ball in his hands more in his career. He would have had to kick the ball more there but he is a pretty good kicker when he has to be.

If he is a great rugby player he would also be a great league player. Can you imagine him as the left or right centre in the 13 man game and the wider spaces between players, and beating his man all the time - and the backing up of the ball carrier??


Well done BOD but I wish you all the luck that George Smith had on his 100th gig.

 

[Newb]

Another factor this weekend, possibly being overlooked by us and underplayed by others. This is BOD's 100th test! First ever Irishman to do so. Great achievement and quite an signicant one too.

not excited to hear that. we don't need for him to have additional motivational reasons. i'd expect him to stand up in a big way in his 100th test. that being said, big congrats to him!

 

[Grandmaster Flash]

No - lost by 6 penalties to 3.

Had to look it up. It's interesting that Flatley was on the bench and Herbert played 12 - on a rainy day in Dublin??? It beggars belief looking back, doesn't it?

Interesting team actually; Burke went from 13 to 15, Mortlock from the wing into 13, Finegan from 6 to the second row (and disclocated his shoulder in the game IIRC?), and a 22-year-old Adam Frier started in like his 2nd test.

AUSTRALIA: M Burke; W Sailor, S Mortlock, D Herbert, S Staniforth; S Larkham, G Gregan (capt); T Kefu, G Smith, M Cockbain, D Giffin, O Finegan, P Noriega, A Freier, N Stiles. Replacements: B Cannon, B Darwin, J Harrison, D Croft, C Whitaker, E Flatley, M Giteau.

 

[PaarlBok]

Yeah, it's true. PB will love this - I'll go on record as saying that I think Kaplan cheats us.

:lmao: Only see this now. At least you know what to get on saturday. Kaplan is on good form and hope he'll blow to help the Springbokke cause. We need you lot to beat the Iere, knock them off their pedal before we get them.

 

[TheRiddler]

AUSTRALIA: M Burke; W Sailor, S Mortlock, D Herbert, S Staniforth; S Larkham, G Gregan (capt); T Kefu, G Smith, M Cockbain, D Giffin, O Finegan, P Noriega, A Freier, N Stiles. Replacements: B Cannon, B Darwin, J Harrison, D Croft, C Whitaker, E Flatley, M Giteau.

Bugger me, tearing up with nostalgia. What we could do now with players such a Burke, Kefu, Finegan and Noreiga - and Harrison on the bench. More tissues please nurse....

 

[PaarlBok]

Heavy rain is being forecast for Friday and Saturday. Can you finish putting the roof over Croke Park by Thursday night T78?

I wish we had Berrick Barnes for the rainy day but most of all I would like consistency of physical effort for 80 minutes as we had, more or less at HQ. Oz has flagged in the last 20 minutes in most games since the start of 3N and if they had a good 80 minutes, such as in Perth against the Boks you could almost guarantee that it wouldn't be there the game after.

Let's hope we can back up in physicality at Croke Park.

Genia is your secret weapon Lee. Elsom's Ierland experience will come in handy.

 

[Biffo]

Genia is your not-so-secret weapon. Elsom's Ireland experience will come in handy, Jim Williams' more so.

Fixed.

 

[PaarlBok]

Genia have to play around the scrums and rucks and with his forwards if it rains. He surely look like a strong ball carrier type of scrummy. That is if it is a rainy match. If not wide game should do the trick.

 

[Thomond78]

Heavy rain is being forecast for Friday and Saturday. Can you finish putting the roof over Croke Park by Thursday night T78?

Eh - no. Next question?

BBC charts for the Atlantic here. http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/13000 Already had thundery downpours here today, so those occluded fronts are really screwed up. It's going to be chucking on tomorrow and Friday, and I'd bet on Saturday too, from experience and looking at that chart.

There's a poofball WC qualifier on on Saturday night, btw, so the pitch is more than likely going to be compressed and cut up to some extent. Nice.

 

[Scotty]

These conditions could go either way in respect to Quade Cooper. If he can continue to play within himself, and not get frustrated when things aren't going the Wallabies way, then his long passing and quick jinking could catch a few opposition defenders with difficulty in changing direction and taking off quickly.

Strangely enough I'm more concerned about Ashley Cooper at fullback. We need a stronger kicking game from our full back in these conditions, and apart from the I believe he has a tendency to lose his feet when the ground is a bit wet (that hit and spin move he does). He will have to be precise with the boot, and direct in attack.

Elsom has a real opportunity here to use his reputation, that doesn't hold as strongly in the southern hemisphere as it does in Ireland, to make an impact early and create some doubt in the Irish defenders minds.

I'm looking forward to the clash of Ioane and O'Driscoll. A major test for Digby, and I think he is up for it, but his inside man better give good support (which is why Giteau should be defending there mostly).

 

[Biffo]

Elsom has a real opportunity here to use his reputation, that doesn't hold as strongly among a few posters to TYS as it does in Ireland, to make an impact early and create some doubt in the Irish defenders minds.

Fixed.

 

[Spook]

Croke has a far better drainage system than Lansdowne though which is often like a swimming pool. Surface shouldn't cut either. It's a good pitch.

 

[Thomond78]

Croke has a far better drainage system than Lansdowne though which is often like a swimming pool. Surface shouldn't cut either. It's a good pitch.

Croke PARK. Croke was a bishop.

Lansdowne ROAD. Lansdowne are a club.

You're right on the differences in the drainage, as Croke Park isn't on the flood plain of the Dodder (water table in LR is about a metre under the surface). But the pitch is notoriously slippy, even at the best of times, and the concerts there this year rightly buggered up the pitch. After pissing rain, it could well be iffy.

 

[Spook]

Croke has a far better drainage system than Lansdowne though which is often like a swimming pool. Surface shouldn't cut either. It's a good pitch.

Croke PARK. Croke was a bishop.

Lansdowne ROAD. Lansdowne are a club.

You're right on the differences in the drainage, as Croke Park isn't on the flood plain of the Dodder (water table in LR is about a metre under the surface). But the pitch is notoriously slippy, even at the best of times, and the concerts there this year rightly buggered up the pitch. After pissing rain, it could well be iffy.

Us Dubs call the stadium Croke.

 

[macg101]

I recently read an article on the BBC's rugby page which mentioned a player management scheme used by the Irish to cut down injuries. The article forgot to provide details.

Does anyone know anything about this programme?

Hi,

Aim of the Irish system is to reduce the number of games our top players play in this season and to a lesser extent next season, with a view to actually turning up for a World Cup with some gas left.

Since the IRFU owns Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Connacht it has put a cap in place on the number of games the Irish squad players can play, particularly the likes of BOD and ROG who will be pushing on a bit come the World Cup. In effect you are less likely to see BOD and the likes of Paul O'Connell play any pointless games.

Gradually as we come to the 2011 WC dates we should see an increase in game time for the top players.

Personally I think we are getting ahead of ourselves, but frankly getting bullied around the park by minnows again isn't my idea of a cup of tea.

 

[Thomond78]

Croke has a far better drainage system than Lansdowne though which is often like a swimming pool. Surface shouldn't cut either. It's a good pitch.

Croke PARK. Croke was a bishop.

Lansdowne ROAD. Lansdowne are a club.

You're right on the differences in the drainage, as Croke Park isn't on the flood plain of the Dodder (water table in LR is about a metre under the surface). But the pitch is notoriously slippy, even at the best of times, and the concerts there this year rightly buggered up the pitch. After pissing rain, it could well be iffy.

Us Dubs call the stadium Croke.

Now, if you'd said Croker, that would have been believable. Especially if you'd arrived in fifteen minutes late and had the start of the game delayed so you could have another pint in the Big Tree.

But as is; epic fail.

 

[Thomond78]

Irish team named:

Ireland: Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster), Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster), Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster), Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster), Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster), Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin/Munster), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster), John Hayes (Bruff/Munster), Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster), Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster), David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster), Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)

Replacements: Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht), Tom Court (Malone/Ulster), Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster), Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster), Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster), Jonathan Sexton (St.Mary's College/Leinster), Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)

We've got to get Seán Cronin back from the Weshties next season... :nta:

Cullen on the bench is a statement of intent, btw; we're going hard and ugly. Mind you, God love poor oul' Leo, but with a face like a melted bucket, he doesn't have much choice on the latter... :lmao: