Ireland vs France

[Bart S]

Luke Marshalls brain cells are all that worry me, looked like they got jumbled up a bit

More worried after the game about Eoin Reddan's condition as it looked like a nasty one. Anyone hear any update on him?

Broken leg just above the ankle and expected to be out for 3 months.

Possible call up for beagle next week? Would actually be a good game to have him on the bench.

[pythagoras]

McCarthy - was he on the pitch? Didn't see him once.

I saw him knock on

Kearney did well.

I saw him give McFadden a hospital pass

[ruckover]

Possible call up for beagle next week? Would actually be a good game to have him on the bench.

I reckon Kidney will have Boss on the bench before Marshall.

[Bart S]

I thought beagle was in the squad ahead of Boss these days? It's for a bench spot, so if he was ahead of him then it makes sense for him to be called up.

I thought Murray had a decent game actually and certainly helped Jackson by taking a lot on, especially in the first half., His pass is never going to be the slickest but for what he can do, he did pretty well. Was very surprised when he was taken off.

Thought Luke Marshall had another solid game and really looks at home at this level. He's a confident player anyway but I'm sure these past couple of games he's had will only be of benefit to Ulster in terms of his development.

Whilst he didn't have a particularly bad game I still don't think McFadden looks the part as an international winger.

[ruckover]

McFadden isn't a winger. He said himself that he much prefers centre, but somehow he still ends up stuck on the wing for club and country.

[lw7]

Jackson - great game. Glad to see him back to form and kicking well again - I'd love to see him start against Italy even if Sexton's back.

Yes PJ put together a solid performance especially in the first half.
The more creative Madigan should be given meaningful time @ 10 off the bench in Rome (if Sexton not involved).

[AndyB]

I thought PJ and Murray were playing well together. Why Murray was swapped for Reddan I have no idea.
Also why Ryan was subbed and not McCarthy was a mystery.
Trouble was France had to come good some time in the game and Ireland couldn't keep them out.

[big mervyn]

Trouble was France had to come good some time in the game and Ireland couldn't keep them out.

Might have kept them out if Jamie hadn't decided to give a team talk while France were getting on with taking the pen.

[Snipe Watson]

Trouble was France had to come good some time in the game and Ireland couldn't keep them out.

Might have kept them out if Jamie hadn't decided to give a team talk while France were getting on with taking the pen.

Nah yer talkin out yer spout there Merv. He was just barking at the team as he should. 4 players couldn't stop Picamoles.

[rumncoke]

When I say the conditions must say I for one was glad Trimble hadn't been picked High balls and a variable wind are not Trimbles strong point .

Mcfadden I thought did OK for a player who is not a winger .

Mccarty is not an International player his mind was at least a minute behind the game . a sort of a " he's passed to me -- I think i was meant to be running before I caught the ball -- at least I caught it this time . before I was tackled ." Big enough yes but --

Excluding the above the forwards put in a hard shift with some performing better than others and those who failed have no recognised alternative.


Ireland seem to be able to play a good first 40 then the opposition wise up and there is no plan B and they tire themselves out banging on at plan A.

Murray kicked well if a little long but not exessively his problem is if he's going to pass either from base it is short and slow to a forward standing still or he runs laterally before feeding the backs and takes yards out of the width of the pitch.

No backline will score with a scrum half who runs laterally before passing. the width is lost and the angle of attack is wrong but given the weather it was never going to be a game of passing out wide .

Not that sure about the kick and chase at the end by Earls that it was shoulder to shoulded or blocking because the french player failed to run straight but rather across Earls path which to me is blocking if he had run staight and used the shoulder fine but he didn't.

Having seen Gilroy push his opposite number to touch down its a grey area has to what is and what is not allowable other than actually holding a player going for the ball and if that is the only offence which can be committed then no try is/was the proper call.

Everybody is on how bad the French are the fact is they are a team an outhalf away from being good but the fact that Wilkenson and Hook and now Sexton are playing in France basically makes a statement that the French at the moment don't have an outhalf at club level.

NoC should head to France .

But I really wonder what backline will play next week.

Is Sexton fit will Gilroy be fit how bad is Marshall was and is BoD concussed .

Carton House will be full of strangers

[fuzzylogic]

by AndyB » Sat Mar 09, 2013 11:58 pm

Also why Ryan was subbed and not McCarthy was a mystery.

Ryan has been carrying a back injury for the past few weeks - mystery solved.

[bazzaj]

I think that French side was shocking and the worst I have ever seen play us.
Their tactics and selections are increasingly bizarre and I actually started to feel sorry for Michelak towards the end of the game the way he was being treated.
They are good players but are clearly rudderless and the buck should stop with Saint-Andre.

As for Ireland the reason why could we not beat them once again as in the Scotland game was the small margins.
No problem with the first half as we were tactically spot on and played with an intensity to match.
Then the second half errors creep in through knock ons and silly penalties under no pressure which were keeping the French in it.
Twice we ignored a clear overlap where we could have scored, in the same passage of play.
Eventually a sliced kick to touch that should have been launched from Kearney again under no pressure, handed the French easy possession and territory in our 22 that lead to their try.

Individually Murray had the most influence on the game for good and bad reasons, in conditions that should suit his style.
His tactical kicking and defence were first class but I would like to reitorate that his primary function as a 9 is to get the ball to his 10 as quickly and effectively as possible in order to give as much time and space for the line to get moving.
Someone could not work out why we had no line breaks in the backs and this is the main reason.
A prime example of this was in the first half when we had that driving maul from the line out.
The backs want the ball when we are on the move forwards and the defence is jogging backwards, which would have been as good front foot ball as you could ever wish for.
Instead Murray waits till the momentum stops then waits a further 5 seconds for the forwards to create a pod and the momentum is gone and we have slow ball from quick.
No good.

In summary another mixed bag from Ireland but I would like to point out that we are a team that should have been in transition after the last world cup but are in fact doing it at least a year too late.
Changes will now have to be wholesale now instead of a filtering process as it should have been, so I have accepted where we are and I am not overly disappointed.
The real positive to take is that the youngsters are showing that they can cope at this level and the penny has dropped eventually for DK but I fear his ship has long sailed.

[big mervyn]

4 players couldn't stop Picamoles.

You might well be right there Snipe, but it looked to me as if we'd collectively switched off and weren't even considering the quick pen which was criminal, especially given the time on the clock.

[skiboo]

Lots of positives in the game for instance line outs and defence but backs were never ever going to score from a passing move due to a combination of the weather and Murrays shocking slow pass. However his style was on the mark for the day but on dry ground his look arround, pick up, four steps to the left or right then a loop pass requires an exceptional out half to get the backs moving.
Having watched the game yesterday I am amazed the so called media experts failed to see,comment or discuss the difficulty Ireland had in the scrum where they were destroyed and by the end of the game the front row were clearly exhausted and were injuries waiting to happen. Maybe some of our in house experts would like to comment on the front row and what appeared to me to be a lack of grunt coming from the second row and back row.

[fuzzylogic]

by rumncoke » Sun Mar 10, 2013 12:40 am

Mccarty is not an International player his mind was at least a minute behind the game . a sort of a " he's passed to me -- I think i was meant to be running before I caught the ball -- at least I caught it this time . before I was tackled .

Paul O'Connell has made himself one of the best in the world over the past 7 or 8 years playing like this. At least 3 or 4 times a game he likes to take the ball standing at first receiver, static and loses the team ground every time!