JJJ said:
Haven't seen it mentioned, but 3 games in 3 weeks in HK, Twickers and Croke Park must surely have had an effect on us in the final 20 mins. Irish supporters keep banging on about how rusty they were (which is fair enough) but we could've been fresher even if you discount that this is the end of our season. I think Deans really should've brought on some fresh legs in Smith during that period. Palu isn't that great at playing 80mins (or 70) at a consistent level even when he isn't coming off a layoff.
Point to remember is that it's also a Lions year for us. Which royally fucks up everyone on it up until Christmas. They play an extra two months of full-bore rugby on top of a full season, no proper pre-season, and come back into the game late. Injuries didn't help either; Flannery, Ferris and O'Leary are all only just back from injuries picked up on or before the Lions (O'Leary pulped his ankle in April; was at the match, and it was sickening to watch). I think Flannery's played three games since May; O'Leary, maybe four? :nta:
Certainly, not good for being up to match speed at any level, still less test speed. Two weeks, and I reckon we'll be much closer to where we should be.
Btw, nice to see ROG starting to get his head straight again.
