Ali Birch

[Rooster]

Good luck to Ali and hope it goes well for him.
Floreat Armachia

[bootlaced]

So another old style 7 moves away,good luck lad.

[fuzzylogic]

Have to say, this is not one of our "young players" I am concerned about leaving.

He does look good at AIL level, but I dont think he will ever cut it with the big boys. He does not understand that for a back row forward at professional level he is quite small. In the AIL he can get away with mixing it up physically and trying to bully people through better training and conditioning, but when it comes to Ulster he tries to use the same tactic in the Rabo and it doesnt work.

Maybe a season or two in England where the forward battle seems to be more apparent my might start using his head a little more and develop like many on here expected.

[Hans Indaruck]

Shame to lose a promising young talent

There seems to be a misconception about just how "young" Birch is, though; not significantly younger than David Pocock or Sam Warburton and nearly a year older than Justin Tipuric, for example.

I think this is a good move for the guy - I hear good things about his performances in the AIL but has never stood out for Ulster. The Championship seems a good level for him to play more regularly. Good luck to him.

'Young' is a relative term - I regard Stefan Terblanche as a young player!!

[connachtexile]

Willie Faloon has being voted the Connacht Fans Player of the Year (and no you can't have him back). It's a shame we couldn't take Birch off your hands as well, with Johnny O'Connor retiring we need another 7 and I think Birch has the potential with more gametime to be a really good 7. He'd also be playing in Ireland which would increase his chances of International prospects (if any) and he'd be playing in the Rabo which is a higher quality then the English Division 1. That said good luck to him at Titans.

[Amiga500]

He'd also be playing in Ireland which would increase his chances of International prospects (if any)

I think they are practically zero.

Tommy O'Donnell has looked really impressive this season and would definitely be well above Birch in the international pecking order in both talent and age. Strange that as an in-form Munster-man he didn't get a look in with Deccie in charge.

[ColinM]

Strange that as an in-form Munster-man he didn't get a look in with Deccie in charge.

He only met 50% of the selection criteria

[rumncoke]

Sorry Tommy o Donnell is definitely not International standard very much a physical backrow but nearly as slow as PoM with fewer brain cells .

His style of play suits the Munster game all grunt no guile if he gets the ball he does the first thing that comes in to his head with little awareness of better options.

[Amiga500]

He only met 50% of the selection criteria

[Russ]

Sorry Tommy o Donnell is definitely not International standard very much a physical backrow but nearly as slow as PoM with fewer brain cells .

His style of play suits the Munster game all grunt no guile if he gets the ball he does the first thing that comes in to his head with little awareness of better options.

His central contract is being announced next week


After all, Munster got dumped out in the semi finals, so the IRFU need to make them happy

[Deckard]

Sorry Tommy o Donnell is definitely not International standard very much a physical backrow but nearly as slow as PoM with fewer brain cells .

His style of play suits the Munster game all grunt no guile if he gets the ball he does the first thing that comes in to his head with little awareness of better options.

unaccustomed though I am to leaping to the defence of a Munsterman, I am compelled to here - he has been arguably the most-improved Irish player this year! 12 months ago he was being thoroughly taken to the cleaners by Fez and Henry, but he has come on in leaps and bounds, and if he is anything it's not slow!! He is greased lightning! And he seems to have added a bit more power to his frame, and a bit more nous to his play. Fair play to him, he has been the opposite of POM - little hype, come in under the radar, and actually has produced the goods in big games this season.

[Rooster]

I reckon TOD is a better player than POM now.

[Big-al]

He's in better form anyway.

An impressive season from him no doubt

[connachtexile]

TOD's problem is that he doesn't have the Cork Con Mafia hyping him to the world every two seconds. It's only going to get worse now that O'Gara's gone to. I rate him and while I rate Henry ahead of him he could be a decent back-up.