Remember Pythagoras this is Russ you are interacting with. Normal rules are out the window. Just keep that clip from Billy Madison in mind when dealing with him.pythagoras wrote:
Easy one Russ. We'd just do what we did in the noughties, provide the bulk of the irish side.
Irish Provincial Teams Poor Form in Sooper Dooper Cup
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Re: Irish Provincial Teams Poor Form in Sooper Dooper Cup
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Re: Irish Provincial Teams Poor Form in Sooper Dooper Cup
I think Munster are doing grand. If we were in their shoes I'd be happy enough.
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Re: Irish Provincial Teams Poor Form in Sooper Dooper Cup
I reckon that there was far more than player power involved in the binning of Anscombe.pythagoras wrote:Fair enough, OAK.
Well done on the financial front, better than we're doing anyway!
If it's true that player power did for Anscombe then that could be about the biggest problem ye have.
Not sure what you're talking about Russ (as usual). Ye've bought in as many foreign imports as anyone else I'd say.
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Re: Irish Provincial Teams Poor Form in Sooper Dooper Cup
The man was a liability and as soon as his minder was gone.........Rooster wrote:I reckon that there was far more than player power involved in the binning of Anscombe.pythagoras wrote:Fair enough, OAK.
Well done on the financial front, better than we're doing anyway!
If it's true that player power did for Anscombe then that could be about the biggest problem ye have.
Not sure what you're talking about Russ (as usual). Ye've bought in as many foreign imports as anyone else I'd say.
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Re: Irish Provincial Teams Poor Form in Sooper Dooper Cup
This, very much this.Shan wrote:.
The more money that flows into France especially the harder it will be to compete. Time for the IRFU to have an effective review with input from all the stakeholders in Irish Rugby. I suspect that one learning which would / should come out of that is our policy in relation to NIQ's. The standard in that space currently is dreadful. Only Pienaar could be considered international standard and we really need every one of them to be. The IRFU have dollars. It would be in everyone's interest to ensure those dollars are being spent on a double strategy of boosting our own academies and locking in on top class NIQ talent....while ensuring that talent meets with our actual needs rather than bringing in guys in positions we are already well catered for.
I was going to make a point about starting to positively discriminate in terms of NIQs ie if they aren't genuinely international class or starting to peak over that hill (Brad Thorn even now for example) they should not sign for a province.
I personally wouldn't have signed any of Ulster's current NIQs at the moment bar obvious Ruan. The rest are decent but their not really good, or better sill great.
Worth noting beyond the issue of NIQs-Ulster still hadn't produced a decent back five forward since Henderson and before him Pollock/Faloon. That's bloody pathetic folks....
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Re: Irish Provincial Teams Poor Form in Sooper Dooper Cup
Agree with some of the sentiments here, clearly the coaches at the 'big 3' provinces so far aren't impressing which is a big factor this year, injuries certainly at Ulster has been another.
I think we are having a problem with getting enough quality Irish qualified players either through our academies or from overseas and the only realistic way of addressing that is through the academies. Even when we are producing players they struggle to get game time at a sufficient level, the Ravens up here appears to be almost treated with contempt by the senior coaches rather than giving the team adequate preparation. I think we either need to work out how to give the Ravens more meaningful games that young players get exposed to a higher level of rugby, rejig the AIL into some sort of provincial teams to increase it's quality, or team up with say tier 2 teams in England or France where we send young players to develop.
We have had the golden generation with BOD and POC and unfortunately we aren't getting enough players of sufficient quality coming through.
As for the NIQ spots, they need to be top quality or not at all, the likes of Ludik up here who is clearly a good player I don't think is sufficiently better than the next best local player to be considered a good signing imo.
I think we are having a problem with getting enough quality Irish qualified players either through our academies or from overseas and the only realistic way of addressing that is through the academies. Even when we are producing players they struggle to get game time at a sufficient level, the Ravens up here appears to be almost treated with contempt by the senior coaches rather than giving the team adequate preparation. I think we either need to work out how to give the Ravens more meaningful games that young players get exposed to a higher level of rugby, rejig the AIL into some sort of provincial teams to increase it's quality, or team up with say tier 2 teams in England or France where we send young players to develop.
We have had the golden generation with BOD and POC and unfortunately we aren't getting enough players of sufficient quality coming through.
As for the NIQ spots, they need to be top quality or not at all, the likes of Ludik up here who is clearly a good player I don't think is sufficiently better than the next best local player to be considered a good signing imo.
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Re: Irish Provincial Teams Poor Form in Sooper Dooper Cup
I had to look up Billy Madison but now I'll never think of Russ as anyone else, it's imprinted.Shan wrote:Remember Pythagoras this is Russ you are interacting with. Normal rules are out the window. Just keep that clip from Billy Madison in mind when dealing with him.pythagoras wrote:
Easy one Russ. We'd just do what we did in the noughties, provide the bulk of the irish side.
Ah shur god love him!
Re: Irish Provincial Teams Poor Form in Sooper Dooper Cup
Kidney would never be allowed backpythagoras wrote:Easy one Russ. We'd just do what we did in the noughties, provide the bulk of the irish side.Russ wrote:Considerpythagoras wrote:Fair enough, OAK.
Well done on the financial front, better than we're doing anyway!
If it's true that player power did for Anscombe then that could be about the biggest problem ye have.
Not sure what you're talking about Russ (as usual). Ye've bought in as many foreign imports as anyone else I'd say.
Leinster being on a solid financial footing, so being allowed 7 niqs.
Munter, who can't afford the water charges, can only have 2
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Re: Irish Provincial Teams Poor Form in Sooper Dooper Cup
I remember saying years ago that our NIQs needed to be top class and not just squad fillers. No problem with fillers everyone needs them but if you are bringing in players they need to be top drawer and ones that will at least help try to bridge the gap to competing in Europe. We will never sign the McCaws of this world but we managed to get Ruan and haven't built on that yet..
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Re: Irish Provincial Teams Poor Form in Sooper Dooper Cup
Sounds like a kiwi Brian Clough then!Once a Knight wrote: a loose cannon on the fringes of the NZ system with a fondness for the sauce and a predisposition to losing his mobile at key times.
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Re: Irish Provincial Teams Poor Form in Sooper Dooper Cup
Precisely, we were brad pitt thenUlsterNo9 wrote:Kidney would never be allowed backpythagoras wrote:Easy one Russ. We'd just do what we did in the noughties, provide the bulk of the irish side.Russ wrote:Considerpythagoras wrote:Fair enough, OAK.
Well done on the financial front, better than we're doing anyway!
If it's true that player power did for Anscombe then that could be about the biggest problem ye have.
Not sure what you're talking about Russ (as usual). Ye've bought in as many foreign imports as anyone else I'd say.
Leinster being on a solid financial footing, so being allowed 7 niqs.
Munter, who can't afford the water charges, can only have 2
Carnage