Ireland:
- all you bullshitters need to understand that your nonsense of "things up sleeves" was always just nonsense
- COYBIB Schmidt for his entire existence as Ireland coach has been informed mainly by his experience as a Mexican and much as he is a fine coach, his selection has been blighted by his reliance on what worked with him at the RDS.
- if he is finally prepared to forgoe his comfort blanket and dump the likes of Bob for a better player, then that is to be welcomed and Bob could take his now exposed brother with him, maybe they could go and look cool elsewhere, perhaps in some manly poses on Grinder.
- third place awaits unless Wales blow it on Sunday
Ulster
- it is gratifying to see that many of you are catching up to what I said some six weeks or more ago, to wit, that despite some awful early performances, many of the tougher games are out of the way and this league is winnable from here.
- iHumph, the notion that he should ever play again is risible. This is not American football, you do not bring on the kicking team, you must play 14 on 15 if you include him. The much maligned Rum'n is absolutely correct in pointing out the knock on influence in how the team manage situations to accommodate his presence,
- "but its not fair on Olding"
bullshite, if he needs to play 10 for a few weeks, I see nothing written here that overrides the necessity of not having a flake that may squander the opportunity of the next few months. - We need to understand that 5 if our current best players are all centres. Do we just want 2 of them to play? We need to use what we have to best effect which 100% means Olding should be 10 until Paddy returns. If you doubt that I suggest you look at the Treviso game once more, look at the utter ballix of a performance delivered by Humphreys and study the match from when Olding moved to 10. Unless you are an idiot, the scales will fall from your eyes and you will be like thon boy on the road to Damascus, light will be seen.
- if and when those 5 centres are all available my thinking is that McCloskey currently has earned first dibs on 12, and with Payne our best 15 by a distance (with all respect to Ludik) that is where he is most effective for Ulster, leaving Cave as 13 and in my view Olding is perfect, for now until he is fully back to settled form, as the man you use from the bench against tiring teams or as injury dictates. That leaves the admirable Luke to contest the 23 shirt with Ludik and Scholes but of course, should all be fit there will be rotation.
- predictions are always prone to make assholes out of predictors, to those espousing no hope of success in Glasgow or Swansea, I have nothing to say but this:
Payne, Trimble, Cave, McCloskey/Olding, Gilroy, Jackson, Pienaar, Williams, Henry, Henderson, Franco,O'Connor/Tuohy, Herbst, Best,McCall.
Black/Warwick, Herring, Lutton, O'Connor/Tuohy, Diack, Wee-p, Olding/Humphreys, Marshall/Ludik/Scholes
And you are telling me that team would have absolutely no chance of winning and barely a hope of a bonus point? Away and ride yer haund big lad. That team may never be available but something close to it is pretty much the best equipped team in the league, it's then down to having the balls to win big games. A bigger question for my money.
- a very fine friend has offered the solution to Ulster's first half tardiness. Les needs to give his halftime talk before the match. Simple.
Now that those matters are cleared up, don't be afraid to ask for any clarifications on these or other matters of import.
