6N 2020

[mid ulster maestro]

Not going to happen Merv.

[Bobbievee]

Janny with a trademark missed pen and then unforgivably misses touch with a pen in his own 22 and less than 30 secs on the clock.

I see your intuitive and unbiased rugby analysis is spot on as usual.
Sexton 19 Scotland 0

Those points wete all pretty much regulation but he did alright overall. Would have been up there with Hogg if Scot had scored before HT mind.

I am only moderately biased against the forces of the FIRFU btw. I reserve my harshest unjustified criticism for the Lionels.

Merv
And you were gentlemanly enough not to point out my typo
Scotland did score a few more than Nil!

[waggonsroll]

BBC reporting Cooney going to miss out again. It reminds me of the old ad jingle - Murray mints, Murray mints the no need to hurry mints!

[justinr73]

He'll still be playing when he's eating Werther's Original.

[Shan]

IRFU is paying Sexton and Murray a combined approx €1.6m per year. Murray will be first choice for this year and next year. Cooney will possibly start the Italy game and AF will be able to pretend he made a selection decision.

[rumncoke]

My take would be Cooney gets to start against the English with Byrne at out half -- because Sexton's injured , both have a torrid game , with the English back row lying offside 90% of the match -- thus justifying the selection of Murray and Sexton for the first two home games.

Ireland's problem at the moment is both Murray and Sexton's games, at scrum half and out -half, are known, if not too well known -- and the Irish Centres have forgotten how to and when to pass. Two years ago Stockdale was scoring trys -- for 18 months the wings have hardly received a pass from a centre and have spent the game chasing box kicks they have no chance of competing for due to shepherding and blocking because the kick has been telegraphed.

The Irish midfield 9-10 and 12 are stale with little to bring to the party that has not been seen before it's not that the musical score is wrong-- its that band can't play it.

[Bobbievee]

Rumn
Nail on the head! Danger is that there will be pressure on the provinces to play the same way, box kicking ad infinitum.
Remember Phil Bennet's philosophy; " whilst we have possession of the ball, no matter where we are on the pitch, we are on the attack."
Why kick it to the opposition, with at best a 50/50 chance of regaining it?

[GLENN CORNICK]

BBC reporting Cooney going to miss out again. It reminds me of the old ad jingle - Murray mints, Murray mints the no need to hurry mints!

i believe the jingle actually ran "the too good to hurry mints" ; there is an irony in there re Conor's continued selection.

[justinr73]

Apparently Luke Fitz though Stander was gash and that Ryan should have been MOTM.

[Dublin4]

The general consensus down here is that Cooney should be starting in order to speed up play. Hopefully he will get to come on a bit earlier this week.

Sexton is looking fine and took his try very well. In fairness, Murray was part of that move.

[justinr73]

You'd kind of expect Murray to be part of the move.

it was good of the ref to rush out of the defensive line to create a bit of a gap.

[big mervyn]

His position as Finance Minister looks to be under threat

[rumncoke]

Bobbievee

Nothing wrong with box kicking if it is executed properly and in fact a perfect means to take the pressure off your forwards when trying to get out of your own half of the pitch as demonstrated by South Africa in the World Cup final.

But a totally hopeless tactic when telegraphed and making the following catch uncontested. The chasing players must have a better than 80% chance of contesting or tackling the catcher before he can pass the ball anything less it is kicking away possession and frequently insufficiently within the opposition half for comfort (ie any penalty conceded is a sure 3 point deficit.) Murray's box kicking is now too telegraphed .

Re Sexton -- Sexton in my book is fragile and to a large extent too aware of the fact to play to his best ability -- if Jackson was not in the wilderness -- Sexton would be playing second fiddle from the bench. Non of the current possibles have either the experience or ability to start an international unfortunately .

Thus the Irish backline is stuck with a half back partnership with both players playing below their best.

The consequence is that the Irish backline is devoid of ideas of how to score because the ball never gets to the wings the welsh backline have the ability and do know how to score . Thus it could be a 3 trys to 2 victory to the Welsh in my book

N.B the Irish forwards may enough possession in the Welsh 22 to score 2 trys

[solidarity]

Good column by Stevie Ferris here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/51373918

[big mervyn]

Good column by Stevie Ferris here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/51373918

Well written. All his own work?