The UAFC

damianmcr wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 9:11 pm It's drunk me off this whole thing even more today.

It was always going to be this way, I take no pleasure from calling it a few years back. None of the younger outhalves are even close to the required level. Munster and Leinster have unearthed a couple of very green, might be good for a lash in the pro14 level youngsters. Other than you've got Burns, Carty and Byrne. Pure dung and none of them will make it at this level.

Jackie Brown wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 9:21 pm

damianmcr wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 9:11 pm It's drunk me off this whole thing even more today.

It was always going to be this way, I take no pleasure from calling it a few years back.

It was and FIRFU

Sexton plays in a contact avoidance mode but the game is such if you lose a back row forward then you can not avoid having to play a defensive role as a 10 and the fact is you will get injured more often tackling than running with the ball .

The current crop of hopefuls unfortunately have only basics to be pro 14 average and Carberry hasn’t played for at least 18 months and the nature of his injury being ankle doesn’t guarantee he will be the same player he was and he might have to adopt a totally different approach

Personally I'd love to see Jackson picked for the Lions and Shamrocks

Just to see the reaction -- on suemePaddy all 10 cows and few self-righteous bulls

rumncoke wrote: ↑Mon Feb 08, 2021 1:35 pm Personally I'd love to see Jackson picked for the Lions

We all would I suspect.

Snipe Watson wrote: ↑Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:04 pm

rumncoke wrote: ↑Mon Feb 08, 2021 1:35 pm Personally I'd love to see Jackson picked for the Lions

We all would I suspect.

I seriously think he will play for Ireland again, there being no realistic option. Unless he really sparkles, there are too many options in the other nations to give him a fighting chance of the Lions. He'd need to be very special to push Farrell and Russell out although Biggar's not up to much.

Garland is maverick and Russell is a bit of a rebel which is the reason he went to France given lions tours are now shorter with fewer games I don’t know if Russell would be Garlands choice .

Farrell and Bigger a too similar in style and tend to be better kickers than passers of the ball . Both play well to a script and lack the initiative to vary the game .

In some respects I think Paddy would have a better chance playing for the lions than Ireland and has the coaching team at London Irish who could make it happen in Kidney and yer man .

Plus Biggar is tom kite.

Judy Garland called up Russell as cover on the last tour Rum.

Got some minutes off the bench against the 'Canes.

As long as the IRFU maintain the rule of 'don't play in Ireland, don't play for Ireland' then PJ would seem to be very unlikely to play in (national) green again. He wasn't in the same position as Sexton when he went to France (i.e. the fully incumbent no. 10) and as noted elsewhere on this thread it's also very unlikely that any national coach would want his no. 10 to be at the whim of French or English clubs. So, to play for Ireland again, one of the four provinces has to take him on....

It would appear that Leinster and Munster don't need to with their current options: whatever one might think of those options, they're doing reasonably well with them at present. Connacht seem to be happy with Carty, although perhaps lighter on the back-up ? And Ulster have both Burns (hey, the starting Irish no 10 don't you know ?) and Madigan along with the likes of Lowry. All of whom are good enough to play the group games in the current Pro14 (pre-SA teams) and EPRC. Letting Johnston go must tell you that Dan McF and Petrie think they've got it sufficiently covered to do without another no. 10. As DHarper has pointed out the QF's and onwards are a different thing entirely, but that's perhaps only 2 or 3 games a year/every other year....

Thus irrespective of the hailstorm that might come their way, it will be held that there's currently no room at any Irish inn for PJ so why even bother to think about it ? It's a province's responsibility to get him a game anyway.... and PJ will be deemed to be too old in about 3 years anyway (post-RWC 2023).

Gareth Steenson never wore a green shirt beyond u21 but went on to achieve a fair bit in the game (scoring more points than Sexton to date as well) and was well-paid for it too no doubt. And even Exeter being the no.1/no. 2 side in England for the past 5 or so years under a great coach didn't change the IRFU's mind....

Exeter v London Irish on Saturday 4:15pm KO BT Sport Extra 2.

Neill_M wrote: ↑Fri Feb 12, 2021 1:14 pm Exeter v London Irish on Saturday 4:15pm KO BT Sport Extra 2.

That should be interesting - wouldn't surprise me to see PJ ending up there. Baxter is great at prolonging careers (e.g. Thomas Waldrom). And to see how Baxter/Ali Hepher have further developed Jonny Gray since he left Glasgow... Finn Russell or PJ ??

Hairy vest or westdr there is a substantial difference between Pro14 and international level.

Mistakes are highlighted and shortcomings in a players skill set become evident quickly .

Bar Sexton I don’t think there is one out have who can run into a pass and distribute the ball thereafter.

It actually says more about the quality of Irish out halfs when Billy Burns is considered no 2 to Sexton .

In my book were there is a will there is a way and rules are for the obedience of fools and guidance of wise men .

Letting Johnston go possibly says more about Johnston than Ulster — given Burns and Madigan’s status in game time for Ulster and Lowry’s potential to cover full back and out half ( if the worst happened ) during a game — Johnston is relying on injuries for a bench call never mind a game — if he wants quality game time his only option was a move out of Ulster a position not unlike Steenson.
That being the position I wish him well .

Baggy called it Rumspeak and he's not far wrong. It consists of repetition, mis-understanding and complete b*x. However as others have said there is sometimes the odd nugget amongst it all albeit never quite where Rum thinks it is.... and today's one is 'where there is a will, there is a way'.

In respect of PJ, there is no will and thus no way. Added to that, the very neat Catch-22 of 'not playing in Ireland ? Can't pick him then' will serve everyone at IRFU and Ulster's purpose quite neatly for the next 3 years or so.