Dave wrote:
Shan, you are starting to sound like a bakebooker! We know Russ well, let him vent for now, he's hurting. We all are.
That hurts Dave.
Seriously though I actually am feeling a tad unhappy with myself as I don't like appealing in that manner. I f-cking hate reading 100 times on a thread though "I hope my team loses". Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh damned fecking emotion. I am a failure and consequently have the comfort that I am therefore a human being. That is a positive I shall cling to.
It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.
Shan wrote:So the word is that Payne will be named at 13 v Italy. Russ will be delighted.
Didn't Thornley say it would be Henshaw?
Not sure about Thornley. I got it from someone who has given me correct info before, but he could very well be wrong, especially considering the fecker is a Leinsterman of all things.
It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.
Once a Knight wrote:I'm not hurt in the least. I just marvel that someone who against marginal opposition looks ok at provincial level at 13 starts at 13 when he can't tie down that position in his province.
Shan, we used to hear lots about Ulster players needing HEC experience and needing to be "first choice" in their province. It's odd how that doesn't apply to Kiwi imports.
For what it's worth, I think he's picked the wrong 13 but he's a genius and I'm not. I can only think Payne is being tried against weaker opposition at the start of the 6Ns to see what he's got because he was injured early in the AIs.
I can completely understand where you are coming from. It seems on face value to be inexplicable that a guy who is not the best 13 in Ulster can manage to be named for Ireland. It appears that Joe can see something which is not evident when Payne has played at 13 for Ulster.
I don't know what it is. I love rugby and have done so for nearing 35 years but I am not a 6n or HEC winning coach. I don't pretend to be able to read every little thing in the game and to be able to see what a player can offer given a different playing environment. Joe made selections last year that were widely questioned by supporters up and down the island. He won the 6n and beat two of the Top 3 teams in the world later. I'll take some headscratchers in return for success again. If it goes wrong for him his selection decisions will be ripped apart, and worse for him his team will lose. One has to believe that a winner like this is selecting logically, even if we struggle to always see that logic.
It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.
Once a Knight wrote:I'm not hurt in the least. I just marvel that someone who against marginal opposition looks ok at provincial level at 13 starts at 13 when he can't tie down that position in his province.
Shan, we used to hear lots about Ulster players needing HEC experience and needing to be "first choice" in their province. It's odd how that doesn't apply to Kiwi imports.
For what it's worth, I think he's picked the wrong 13 but he's a genius and I'm not. I can only think Payne is being tried against weaker opposition at the start of the 6Ns to see what he's got because he was injured early in the AIs.
I can completely understand where you are coming from. It seems on face value to be inexplicable that a guy who is not the best 13 in Ulster can manage to be named for Ireland. It appears that Joe can see something which is not evident when Payne has played at 13 for Ulster.
I don't know what it is. I love rugby and have done so for nearing 35 years but I am not a 6n or HEC winning coach. I don't pretend to be able to read every little thing in the game and to be able to see what a player can offer given a different playing environment. Joe made selections last year that were widely questioned by supporters up and down the island. He won the 6n and beat two of the Top 3 teams in the world later. I'll take some headscratchers in return for success again. If it goes wrong for him his selection decisions will be ripped apart, and worse for him his team will lose. One has to believe that a winner like this is selecting logically, even if we struggle to always see that logic.
Joe made selections last year that Munter questioned
Nobody else
Joe will make selections again this year that Munter will wrongly question
Once a Knight wrote:I'm not hurt in the least. I just marvel that someone who against marginal opposition looks ok at provincial level at 13 starts at 13 when he can't tie down that position in his province.
Shan, we used to hear lots about Ulster players needing HEC experience and needing to be "first choice" in their province. It's odd how that doesn't apply to Kiwi imports.
For what it's worth, I think he's picked the wrong 13 but he's a genius and I'm not. I can only think Payne is being tried against weaker opposition at the start of the 6Ns to see what he's got because he was injured early in the AIs.
I can completely understand where you are coming from. It seems on face value to be inexplicable that a guy who is not the best 13 in Ulster can manage to be named for Ireland. It appears that Joe can see something which is not evident when Payne has played at 13 for Ulster.
I don't know what it is. I love rugby and have done so for nearing 35 years but I am not a 6n or HEC winning coach. I don't pretend to be able to read every little thing in the game and to be able to see what a player can offer given a different playing environment. Joe made selections last year that were widely questioned by supporters up and down the island. He won the 6n and beat two of the Top 3 teams in the world later. I'll take some headscratchers in return for success again. If it goes wrong for him his selection decisions will be ripped apart, and worse for him his team will lose. One has to believe that a winner like this is selecting logically, even if we struggle to always see that logic.
Bit like an argument for there being a god really.
NEVER MOVE ON. Years on, I cannot ever watch Ireland with anything but indifference, I continue to wish for the imminent death of Donal Spring, the FIRFUC's executioner of Wee Paddy & Wee Stu, and I hate the FIRFUCs with undiminished passion.
He may be a genius but he has got this one very wrong, IMO. As far as I can see, the only people on the entire island who think Payne is a better 13 than Cave are Joe and..........well, Payne, presumably.
Even if he had picked Fitzgerald, who isn't as good as the entire population of Leinster seem to believe, I could see some kind of logic to it, but this? No feckin' way, Jose!
To be honest, the only way I can see of rationalising this decision goes along the lines of, "Well, Henshaw and Payne only got one chance to play together against the Saffers before Payne sustained his life-threatening foot injury and missed half the Ulster season. Therefore it's a good thing to give them another match or two together to finally discard the idea or before Payne ladders his stockings again."
And, before you start, Shan - Come on Ireland. I hope you stuff the five gear tank drivers!
Once a Knight wrote:I'm not hurt in the least. I just marvel that someone who against marginal opposition looks ok at provincial level at 13 starts at 13 when he can't tie down that position in his province.
Shan, we used to hear lots about Ulster players needing HEC experience and needing to be "first choice" in their province. It's odd how that doesn't apply to Kiwi imports.
For what it's worth, I think he's picked the wrong 13 but he's a genius and I'm not. I can only think Payne is being tried against weaker opposition at the start of the 6Ns to see what he's got because he was injured early in the AIs.
I can completely understand where you are coming from. It seems on face value to be inexplicable that a guy who is not the best 13 in Ulster can manage to be named for Ireland. It appears that Joe can see something which is not evident when Payne has played at 13 for Ulster.
I don't know what it is. I love rugby and have done so for nearing 35 years but I am not a 6n or HEC winning coach. I don't pretend to be able to read every little thing in the game and to be able to see what a player can offer given a different playing environment. Joe made selections last year that were widely questioned by supporters up and down the island. He won the 6n and beat two of the Top 3 teams in the world later. I'll take some headscratchers in return for success again. If it goes wrong for him his selection decisions will be ripped apart, and worse for him his team will lose. One has to believe that a winner like this is selecting logically, even if we struggle to always see that logic.
Bit like an argument for there being a god really.
If Joe can make a decent international centre out of Payne I think he should be canonised.
That would be up there with parting seas and burning bushes mind.
This just proves the point that Paynes selection 13 for Ulster was being dictated from Dublin. The performance of Cave in the games while Payne was injured has shown up Paynes inadequacies in that position pretty clearly, yet here we are with him starting at 13 for Ireland.
Also, when is Joe's Leinster lovefest going to come to an end? The ammount of decidedly average Leinster is the squad is a joke.
