six nations
A Good Day's Work
13/03/10 22:01 Filed in: Sport
A few minutes into
the match today, I got the impression that Ireland
were going to win without too much difficulty. They
picked off a Welsh lineout with ease, and shortly
afterwards turned them over at a ruck. And from
then on, steadily, they took complete control of
the match. When scoring opportunities arose they
took them - three absolute peaches of tries. None
of them were easy five-metre run-ins. Both Keith
Earls and Tomás O’Leary had to get through goal
line tackles in order to ground the ball.
There were several areas of the game that brought great satisfaction. We owned the lineout. Our defence was excellent. We showed great commitment at the breakdown and won some very useful ball there. This was despite referee Craig Joubert’s attempts to impose the rules of rugby league on our tacklers. On the debit side, some of our kicking was wayward, with a few touchfinders going out on the full. The scrum was ropy as usual. Also, the Anointed One’s record with the placed ball was unimpressive today. He missed a penalty and all three conversions. The media will overlook this and instead focus on the late drop goal he scored. But he left nine points on the table. If that was ROG, he would be mauled by the press.
The Championship finishes next week when Scotland come to Dublin for the last Six Nations match at Croke Park. Next season, the new Aviva Stadium at Lansdowne Road will be open. If we beat Scotland next Saturday, our Six Nations Croke Park record will be P10 W8 D0 L2. Not bad at all.
There were several areas of the game that brought great satisfaction. We owned the lineout. Our defence was excellent. We showed great commitment at the breakdown and won some very useful ball there. This was despite referee Craig Joubert’s attempts to impose the rules of rugby league on our tacklers. On the debit side, some of our kicking was wayward, with a few touchfinders going out on the full. The scrum was ropy as usual. Also, the Anointed One’s record with the placed ball was unimpressive today. He missed a penalty and all three conversions. The media will overlook this and instead focus on the late drop goal he scored. But he left nine points on the table. If that was ROG, he would be mauled by the press.
The Championship finishes next week when Scotland come to Dublin for the last Six Nations match at Croke Park. Next season, the new Aviva Stadium at Lansdowne Road will be open. If we beat Scotland next Saturday, our Six Nations Croke Park record will be P10 W8 D0 L2. Not bad at all.
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The Taffies Are Coming
12/03/10 23:07 Filed in: Sport
Six Nations is back
again this weekend, and for Ireland this means the
visit of Wales to Croke Park. One comment often
made of the Six Nations these days is that any of
the top four could beat any of the others on any
given day, and this is especially true of Ireland
and Wales. Last season’s encounter in Cardiff was
the Grand Slam decider for Ireland, and if Stephen
Jones’s last minute penalty had taken even a
slightly different trajectory, we would still be
waiting for the elusive Grand Slam.
Wales claim to have no fear of Croke Park, having won the only other time the sides met at GAA HQ. That was on the way to their second Grand Slam in four years.
Ireland come into this the more settled of the two sides. They start the game with the same side that started against England. Wales are missing their captain Ryan Jones, as well as prop Gethin Jenkins. That said, there is some serious quality in this Welsh side, with the likes of Martyn Williams, Shane Williams and Jamie Roberts all starting. The outhalf battle between the seasoned Stephen Jones and the up and coming Jonathan Sexton and will be interesting to watch as well.
We should win tomorrow, as it’s a home tie and we have a more settled side. It could all go wrong though, as the Welsh are good at upsetting the applecart. However, I’m calling a narrow home win.
One thing that disappointed me all week was the lack of inflammatory remarks from Warren Gatland. Instead it was all about how great BOD was, getting his 100th cap, etc. Come on Wazza, we need a few of your verbal hand grenades, just to get the blood fired up, like.
In the meantime, you may have heard Jonathan Davies on the Last Word call BOD one of the best British players of the last decade. If you missed it, you can download the clip here.
Wales claim to have no fear of Croke Park, having won the only other time the sides met at GAA HQ. That was on the way to their second Grand Slam in four years.
Ireland come into this the more settled of the two sides. They start the game with the same side that started against England. Wales are missing their captain Ryan Jones, as well as prop Gethin Jenkins. That said, there is some serious quality in this Welsh side, with the likes of Martyn Williams, Shane Williams and Jamie Roberts all starting. The outhalf battle between the seasoned Stephen Jones and the up and coming Jonathan Sexton and will be interesting to watch as well.
We should win tomorrow, as it’s a home tie and we have a more settled side. It could all go wrong though, as the Welsh are good at upsetting the applecart. However, I’m calling a narrow home win.
One thing that disappointed me all week was the lack of inflammatory remarks from Warren Gatland. Instead it was all about how great BOD was, getting his 100th cap, etc. Come on Wazza, we need a few of your verbal hand grenades, just to get the blood fired up, like.
In the meantime, you may have heard Jonathan Davies on the Last Word call BOD one of the best British players of the last decade. If you missed it, you can download the clip here.
Bowe Brace Seals It For Ireland
27/02/10 22:32 Filed in: Sport
Back in the day when
I was living in England, the Monday after an
Ireland-England Five Nations match was usually a
day to keep the head down. Back then, the Chariot
was in its pomp, and it was a rare occasion where
we managed to stop its progress. These days though,
it’s different. We go into this tie as favourites,
and have won six of the last seven.
We won today despite several factors. We won despite the fact that England had the ball for most of the game. We won despite the fact that the ref was in hometown mode, and we got shag all off him for the whole game. We won despite the fact that we lost our talismanic captain to an incident of friendly fire on the 70th minute. We won despite the fact that Sexton had a mare with the boot.
But whatever the possession and territory stats show, the important stats were those that showed we scored three tries to one, and ended the game four points to the good. Possession and territory count for very little if you don’t have anything to show for it at the end of the day. We were there for the taking for long periods of the game, but we weren’t taken. However, when our chances came, we pounced on them. Our three tries came from our wing men, and Tommy Bowe’s second one in particular will live long in the memory. O’Connell claims it from the lineout, down to O’Leary, out to Bowe, who runs an exquisite line to get in under the posts.
I’m still struggling to understand just how England managed to have their try awarded. There is a convention relating to TMO decisions whereby if you can’t see it, you can’t give it. No replay showed a clearcut grounding of the ball by an English hand, and even the ref (who probably had the best view of all) was surprised when the TMO came back to recommend awarding the try.
After today, we are third in the table, with two wins from three. Our points difference is inferior to England, so they stay ahead of us for now. Assuming France beat them in Paris (and I honestly can’t see otherwise), we should finish second, providing we can do the business over Wales and Scotland at home. We are the only ones left who can win the Triple Crown (not that it means much these days anyway.)
The company I work for now has an office in London. I’ll try to resist being smug in my emails on Monday. That resistance could be futile.
We won today despite several factors. We won despite the fact that England had the ball for most of the game. We won despite the fact that the ref was in hometown mode, and we got shag all off him for the whole game. We won despite the fact that we lost our talismanic captain to an incident of friendly fire on the 70th minute. We won despite the fact that Sexton had a mare with the boot.
But whatever the possession and territory stats show, the important stats were those that showed we scored three tries to one, and ended the game four points to the good. Possession and territory count for very little if you don’t have anything to show for it at the end of the day. We were there for the taking for long periods of the game, but we weren’t taken. However, when our chances came, we pounced on them. Our three tries came from our wing men, and Tommy Bowe’s second one in particular will live long in the memory. O’Connell claims it from the lineout, down to O’Leary, out to Bowe, who runs an exquisite line to get in under the posts.
I’m still struggling to understand just how England managed to have their try awarded. There is a convention relating to TMO decisions whereby if you can’t see it, you can’t give it. No replay showed a clearcut grounding of the ball by an English hand, and even the ref (who probably had the best view of all) was surprised when the TMO came back to recommend awarding the try.
After today, we are third in the table, with two wins from three. Our points difference is inferior to England, so they stay ahead of us for now. Assuming France beat them in Paris (and I honestly can’t see otherwise), we should finish second, providing we can do the business over Wales and Scotland at home. We are the only ones left who can win the Triple Crown (not that it means much these days anyway.)
The company I work for now has an office in London. I’ll try to resist being smug in my emails on Monday. That resistance could be futile.
Twickers
26/02/10 22:28 Filed in: Sport
After the
disappointment of Paris two weeks ago, Ireland look
to get their Six Nations campaign back on track
against England in Twickenham tomorrow.
Our record against England has been very good in recent years, and we have only lost to them once in the six times the teams have met since England won the World Cup in 2003. Two of those wins have been at Twickenham.
Neither team has gotten off to a great start in this year’s Championship. Our first outing, against Italy in Croke Park, was over as a contest by half time, and Ireland just stopped playing in the second half. Then we were slaughtered by France in the next match. England have won both of their matches so far, but have looked far from convincing.
Ireland have four changes in the starting XV from the side that lost to France. Jerry Flannery is out due to suspension and Rob Kearney is injured, so they are replaced by Rory Best and Geordan Murphy respectively. ROG makes way for Jonathan Sexton (I don’t buy this bullshit that ROG was ‘dropped’ - Kidney has to invest in Sexton so that he has two competent out-halves for the World Cup), and Donncha O’Callaghan replaces Leo Cullen in the second row. There has been some media commentary suggesting that Cullen had done enough in the first two games to retain his place. Cullen is a good player, and is of course the captain of the current Heineken Cup champions. His lineout work was very good in the two games he played, and he nicked a good few opposition throws. But Donners is a better option in the loose, at the breakdown and just being a menace to the opposition.
If we can get quality possession and get the backs moving, it should be a good day for Ireland. If their forwards frustrate us, it could end up as a terrible game, all pullin’ and dhraggin’.
Tomorrow also marks a magnificent achievement by one of Ireland’s greatest servants over the last decade. John Hayes will make his 100th Test appearance for Ireland,
which is a
phenomenal record for a prop. You know those great
lineout steals that Paul O’Connell does, where he
soars majestically into the air and comes away with
the opposition ball? That’s as much about John
Hayes as it is about Paul O’Connell, as he is the
man lifting O’Connell. In the picture here
(courtesy of Willie Joe) he’s hoisting Leo Cullen at
the lineout by himself. Cullen is 111kg, or 17st
6lb in the old money. Remember Jean de
Villiers’s try for Munster against Perpignan in
the away game? That wouldn’t have happened if
John Hayes hadn’t hit that ruck and turned the
ball over. John Hayes operates under the radar.
He’s never won a Man of the Match award, and
would probably be mortified if he did. He
doesn’t seek the limelight. He wasn’t even at
the reception in Dublin last year to welcome
home the Grand Slam winning team. He will hate
all the attention he gets tomorrow, and would
probably prefer if his 100th cap was treated
exactly the same as the 99 that came before it.
So, let’s call it. Yes we should, and I believe that we will. Not by much, but a win all the same.
Our record against England has been very good in recent years, and we have only lost to them once in the six times the teams have met since England won the World Cup in 2003. Two of those wins have been at Twickenham.
Neither team has gotten off to a great start in this year’s Championship. Our first outing, against Italy in Croke Park, was over as a contest by half time, and Ireland just stopped playing in the second half. Then we were slaughtered by France in the next match. England have won both of their matches so far, but have looked far from convincing.
Ireland have four changes in the starting XV from the side that lost to France. Jerry Flannery is out due to suspension and Rob Kearney is injured, so they are replaced by Rory Best and Geordan Murphy respectively. ROG makes way for Jonathan Sexton (I don’t buy this bullshit that ROG was ‘dropped’ - Kidney has to invest in Sexton so that he has two competent out-halves for the World Cup), and Donncha O’Callaghan replaces Leo Cullen in the second row. There has been some media commentary suggesting that Cullen had done enough in the first two games to retain his place. Cullen is a good player, and is of course the captain of the current Heineken Cup champions. His lineout work was very good in the two games he played, and he nicked a good few opposition throws. But Donners is a better option in the loose, at the breakdown and just being a menace to the opposition.
If we can get quality possession and get the backs moving, it should be a good day for Ireland. If their forwards frustrate us, it could end up as a terrible game, all pullin’ and dhraggin’.
Tomorrow also marks a magnificent achievement by one of Ireland’s greatest servants over the last decade. John Hayes will make his 100th Test appearance for Ireland,
So, let’s call it. Yes we should, and I believe that we will. Not by much, but a win all the same.
Slam Dunk
15/02/10 23:23 Filed in: Sport
As has often been the
case before, Ireland’s ambitions for glory have
been buried in a French graveyard. We can’t have
any complaints. France were just imperious on
Saturday, and as much as we may hate losing to
them, we just gotta take it on the chin and move
on.
There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the aftermath of this match. Some seem to think that we are back to the wilderness days as a result. We lost one game, our first in fifteen months. Granted, we were stuffed 33-10, but the way France played on Saturday, any team facing them would have come away with a similar hiding.
All too often we have taken some serious punishment in Paris. Having beaten them there in 2000 and again back in Dublin in 2001, they crushed us 44-5 in 2002. In 2006, they were out of sight by half time, and were leading 43-3 when Ireland eventually realised that they had a game to play. We came back with four unanswered tries, but still ended up 12 points short. Two years ago, it was a closer affair, but we still lost 26-21.
So where do we go from here? Well, to Twickenham, of course - hopefully to get our campaign back on track. Our chances of winning the Championship are remote now, as France are in the driving seat and look like going all the way to a Grand Slam. I reckon that this defeat gives Declan Kidney an opportunity to do some forward planning. The World Cup is a little over 18 months away, and several of our first-choice players are the wrong side of thirty. Now is the time to start developing a bit more depth to the squad, and bringing lads in from the fringes in order to give them some big match experience. You’d never know, we might end up winning the rest of the matches anyway.
Not even the most wide-eyed follower of Ireland could have expected the wins to keep on coming ad infinitum. While it was disappointing to lose on Saturday, it could have been worse, like if Stephen Jones had converted that last minute penalty in Croke Park last season to pull the Grand Slam from under our noses. Whatever happens now, we can look back at 2009 and see an unbeaten Irish team with a Grand Slam won. No-one can take that achievement from us, not even the French.
There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the aftermath of this match. Some seem to think that we are back to the wilderness days as a result. We lost one game, our first in fifteen months. Granted, we were stuffed 33-10, but the way France played on Saturday, any team facing them would have come away with a similar hiding.
All too often we have taken some serious punishment in Paris. Having beaten them there in 2000 and again back in Dublin in 2001, they crushed us 44-5 in 2002. In 2006, they were out of sight by half time, and were leading 43-3 when Ireland eventually realised that they had a game to play. We came back with four unanswered tries, but still ended up 12 points short. Two years ago, it was a closer affair, but we still lost 26-21.
So where do we go from here? Well, to Twickenham, of course - hopefully to get our campaign back on track. Our chances of winning the Championship are remote now, as France are in the driving seat and look like going all the way to a Grand Slam. I reckon that this defeat gives Declan Kidney an opportunity to do some forward planning. The World Cup is a little over 18 months away, and several of our first-choice players are the wrong side of thirty. Now is the time to start developing a bit more depth to the squad, and bringing lads in from the fringes in order to give them some big match experience. You’d never know, we might end up winning the rest of the matches anyway.
Not even the most wide-eyed follower of Ireland could have expected the wins to keep on coming ad infinitum. While it was disappointing to lose on Saturday, it could have been worse, like if Stephen Jones had converted that last minute penalty in Croke Park last season to pull the Grand Slam from under our noses. Whatever happens now, we can look back at 2009 and see an unbeaten Irish team with a Grand Slam won. No-one can take that achievement from us, not even the French.
Six Nations 2010
06/02/10 22:38 Filed in: Sport
I normally do a
preview of the Six Nations every year, but with the
new little fella making his debut last weekend, I
didn’t get a chance this time around.
The show kicked off this afternoon, with 2009 Grand Slam Champions Ireland facing Italy at Croke Park. Nobody really expected a shock here, and indeed none came. Ireland had it sewn up by half time, but a spirited display by the Azzurri in the second half prevented the match from turning into a rout. In the end Ireland ran out 29-11 winners.
This was followed by England entertaining Wales at Twickenham. Two years ago, Wales won this fixture 26-19, which set them on their way to their second Grand Slam on the decade. It was not to be this time around. After a really desperate, forgettable first half, play opened up after the break. England finished the stronger, winning 30-17. France and Scotland meet in Edinburgh tomorrow.
This year sees Ireland play two away games and the other three at home. To someone unfamiliar with the competition, this might be seem to be a favourable season for Ireland, but of course, it isn’t. The two away games are against France and England. In recent times, we have had a very good record against England, and have only lost once to them since 2004 and beaten them five times. Tellingly though, the last time we were beaten by them was the last time we were in Twickenham.
France is a different story. From 1972 to 1999, we lost every single game against them. We beat them in 2000, 2001 and 2003, and then lost five in a row to them (plus two World Cup games) until we finally got the better of them in Croke Park last year. Our next game is in Paris, and this is the game upon which our Six Nations chances rest. If we can beat them, then I think we have every chance of retaining the title and with it a second Grand Slam.
There will be a lot of criticism of Ireland’s display today, but I’m not too worried at this stage. It was the first match of the tournament, so you can expect that all the moves might not come off. Also we were missing some stalwarts of the first team, notably Marcus Horan and Donncha O’Callaghan. I expected Leo Cullen to have a better game than he did, and Rob Kearney will want to forget today for ever. Also, sometimes inferior opposition just try to close the game down, and that’s what Italy did today. They never looked like being able to create anything,and their try came from an Irish mistake. We will know better how good this Ireland side are once they take to the field in Paris next weekend and face a top class outfit.
So how will we do? As I said, it all depends on next week. If we win, the championship is there for the taking. If we don’t, we might still sneak it (along with a Triple Crown) providing France slip up along the way.
Winning the Grand Slam last year was a superb achievement. Retaining it would be even more so. As well as having to go and win in Paris and London, every other team in the competition will be looking to bring us down a peg or two. If Ireland can retain the title this year, they will truly go down in history as one of the greatest sports teams from this island to have ever taken the field.
Greatness awaits. Let’s hope our men have it within them to grasp it.
The show kicked off this afternoon, with 2009 Grand Slam Champions Ireland facing Italy at Croke Park. Nobody really expected a shock here, and indeed none came. Ireland had it sewn up by half time, but a spirited display by the Azzurri in the second half prevented the match from turning into a rout. In the end Ireland ran out 29-11 winners.
This was followed by England entertaining Wales at Twickenham. Two years ago, Wales won this fixture 26-19, which set them on their way to their second Grand Slam on the decade. It was not to be this time around. After a really desperate, forgettable first half, play opened up after the break. England finished the stronger, winning 30-17. France and Scotland meet in Edinburgh tomorrow.
This year sees Ireland play two away games and the other three at home. To someone unfamiliar with the competition, this might be seem to be a favourable season for Ireland, but of course, it isn’t. The two away games are against France and England. In recent times, we have had a very good record against England, and have only lost once to them since 2004 and beaten them five times. Tellingly though, the last time we were beaten by them was the last time we were in Twickenham.
France is a different story. From 1972 to 1999, we lost every single game against them. We beat them in 2000, 2001 and 2003, and then lost five in a row to them (plus two World Cup games) until we finally got the better of them in Croke Park last year. Our next game is in Paris, and this is the game upon which our Six Nations chances rest. If we can beat them, then I think we have every chance of retaining the title and with it a second Grand Slam.
There will be a lot of criticism of Ireland’s display today, but I’m not too worried at this stage. It was the first match of the tournament, so you can expect that all the moves might not come off. Also we were missing some stalwarts of the first team, notably Marcus Horan and Donncha O’Callaghan. I expected Leo Cullen to have a better game than he did, and Rob Kearney will want to forget today for ever. Also, sometimes inferior opposition just try to close the game down, and that’s what Italy did today. They never looked like being able to create anything,and their try came from an Irish mistake. We will know better how good this Ireland side are once they take to the field in Paris next weekend and face a top class outfit.
So how will we do? As I said, it all depends on next week. If we win, the championship is there for the taking. If we don’t, we might still sneak it (along with a Triple Crown) providing France slip up along the way.
Winning the Grand Slam last year was a superb achievement. Retaining it would be even more so. As well as having to go and win in Paris and London, every other team in the competition will be looking to bring us down a peg or two. If Ireland can retain the title this year, they will truly go down in history as one of the greatest sports teams from this island to have ever taken the field.
Greatness awaits. Let’s hope our men have it within them to grasp it.
I Told You So!
19/04/09 21:17 Filed in: Sport
A few weeks
ago,
I wondered aloud as to why the Six Nations was
unique among major rugby competitions in not using
the bonus points system. I attempted to answer my
own question by pointing out that if such a system
was in place, a team could win the Grand Slam yet
not win the Championship.
Now it would appear that I my reasoning was correct, as The SundayTribune asked the very same question recently. From the “Against The Head” column in today’s paper:
Now it would appear that I my reasoning was correct, as The SundayTribune asked the very same question recently. From the “Against The Head” column in today’s paper:
Bonus-points system gets a grand slam
After calling for the bonus-points system to be introduced into the Six Nations championship, the Tribune has been put in its box following a communiqué from John MacGovern. With a firm grasp of both basic maths and commonsense, John has gently reminded us why bonus points would not be suitable for the championship in its current format. A country could win the Grand Slam with five victories and no bonus points (20 points), but could still end up losing the championship to someone with four wins including four try-scoring bonus points and one losing bonus point (21 points). Extremely unlikely, but possible. So the bonus-points system is out unless the championship is played on a home and away basis which isn't going to happen anytime soon.
I don’t
know if John MacGovern is involved in the running
of the Six Nations, or is from the IRFU or is just
a regular Joe Soap like me. Or indeed, he may be a
reader of UnLaoised and saw my post from 24 March!
Why Are There No Bonus Points In The Six Nations?
24/03/09 22:06 Filed in: Sport
The
above question was one that raised its head
recently in conversation.
A win in the Six Nations earns the winner two points in the table, a draw earns one point each and a loss leaves the beaten team empty-handed. Most of the major rugby tournaments in the world now use a bonus point system, including the Tri-Nations. Under this system, a win earns four points, a draw earns two, and a loss earns none. However, a team that scores four or more tries, or loses by less than seven points earns a bonus point. It incentivises teams to aim for tries rather than just going for penalties or drop goals, and it also gives teams that are ten points or so behind on the scoreboard something to play for in the last minutes of a game. It works very well in the pool stages of the Heineken Cup, and Munster in particular are masters at using it to their advantage.
So why is it not used in the Six Nations? I was thinking about it today as I was stuck in traffic, and I think I have come up with an answer.
Imagine for a moment that there are two unbeaten teams facing up to one another in a Grand Slam decider on the last day of the Six Nations. Team A has gained a four-try bonus point in each of their previous four matches, while Team B hasn’t gained any. If Team B were to win that match, they would win the Grand Slam, but if Team A secured a losing bonus point, they would win the Championship by virtue of having earned one more point in the table than Team B. (Team A would have 21 points while Team B would have 20.)
I readily admit that it’s an outside chance that a situation like this would actually happen, but it is a plausible possibility.
A win in the Six Nations earns the winner two points in the table, a draw earns one point each and a loss leaves the beaten team empty-handed. Most of the major rugby tournaments in the world now use a bonus point system, including the Tri-Nations. Under this system, a win earns four points, a draw earns two, and a loss earns none. However, a team that scores four or more tries, or loses by less than seven points earns a bonus point. It incentivises teams to aim for tries rather than just going for penalties or drop goals, and it also gives teams that are ten points or so behind on the scoreboard something to play for in the last minutes of a game. It works very well in the pool stages of the Heineken Cup, and Munster in particular are masters at using it to their advantage.
So why is it not used in the Six Nations? I was thinking about it today as I was stuck in traffic, and I think I have come up with an answer.
Imagine for a moment that there are two unbeaten teams facing up to one another in a Grand Slam decider on the last day of the Six Nations. Team A has gained a four-try bonus point in each of their previous four matches, while Team B hasn’t gained any. If Team B were to win that match, they would win the Grand Slam, but if Team A secured a losing bonus point, they would win the Championship by virtue of having earned one more point in the table than Team B. (Team A would have 21 points while Team B would have 20.)
I readily admit that it’s an outside chance that a situation like this would actually happen, but it is a plausible possibility.
Face The Ball - Week Five
22/03/09 22:45 Filed in: Sport
FaceTheBall.com
Last week of the rugger this week and I came into it in 22nd place overall.
I can’t imagine too many got the Italy-France score bang on, but other than that, I did OK. I finished 16th overall, which is a decent result.
There were some low scores in the GAA this week, mainly because of the three draws. This is one thing about the scoring system that needs to be looked at, I reckon. You can predict the winner and be out by 50 points, yet you will still earn points for correctly predicting the winner. However, if you predict a team to win by a single point and the match ends in a draw, you get nothing. Of course, if you predict a draw and the game ends in a one point win for either team you get nothing either. So you need to be pretty confident of a draw before predicting it, as it’s all or nothing.
Here’s my scorecard:
That leaves me 307th in the overall standing, and of course, in my by now customary 29th place out of 29 in the Green And Red mini-league.
Last week of the rugger this week and I came into it in 22nd place overall.
I can’t imagine too many got the Italy-France score bang on, but other than that, I did OK. I finished 16th overall, which is a decent result.
There were some low scores in the GAA this week, mainly because of the three draws. This is one thing about the scoring system that needs to be looked at, I reckon. You can predict the winner and be out by 50 points, yet you will still earn points for correctly predicting the winner. However, if you predict a team to win by a single point and the match ends in a draw, you get nothing. Of course, if you predict a draw and the game ends in a one point win for either team you get nothing either. So you need to be pretty confident of a draw before predicting it, as it’s all or nothing.
Here’s my scorecard:
That leaves me 307th in the overall standing, and of course, in my by now customary 29th place out of 29 in the Green And Red mini-league.
Destiny Fulfilled
21/03/09 22:35 Filed in: Sport
Can
you imagine if Stephen Jones had nailed that last
penalty?
Or if ROG had missed that drop at goal?
It was moments
like those that contributed to the drama of
Ireland’s first Grand Slam win in 61 years, and our
first Championship in 24. Before this Six Nations
started, I would have been happy with a
Championship win, with or without a Grand Slam. But
as this weekend approached, it was all or nothing.
A loss to Wales by fewer than 13 points would have
delivered us the title, but it would have been a
hollow victory. The men taking the pitch today were
thinking along the same lines. They wanted their
Grand Slam and their names in the history books,
and by Christ, no-one was going to stop them.
Ireland were easily the better team on the day, but their indiscipline almost cost them the prize. This is somewhat ironic, because up to now, their discipline was nigh on impeccable. In the first game against France, they conceded only two penalties all match. Today it was almost ten times that, and several of them were in the Irish half, this allowing Stephen Jones & Co to capitalise. Thankfully, the only attempt by Gavin Henson to have a go at the dead ball came up short.
This is a great day for many. For Declan Kidney, who took this bunch of outrageously talented players and moulded them into a winning force. He also magnanimously paid tribute to Eddie O’Sullivan. For Brian O’Driscoll, who was our player of the tournament. For Paul O’Connell, who simply was his awesome self. For Ronan O’Gara, who managed to exorcise some of his demons, though more need to be worked on. For John Hayes, whose 94 caps for Ireland finally bring some tangible reward. And of course, for all the rest of the squad, their coaches and the backroom staff.
But not only that, this is a great day for the grassroots of Irish rugby - the clubs, the schools and everyone who has nurtured the talent over the years. Great rugby players and teams don’t just drop from the sky. Talent has to be identified and developed. We are a small nation and rugby is at best the third (and it might even be the fourth) most popular team sport. But we have been blessed with a truly golden generation of Irish rugby players, and we even ask why it took so long for them to realise their potential. We should count ourselves lucky that we have had such a confluence of talent at this point in time. That the two most prestigious trophies in European rugby are now in Irish trophy cabinets (well, metaphorically at least), shows that Irish rugby punches well above its weight.
Sixty-one years. The last time Ireland won a Grand Slam, the second world war had finished only three years earlier. The Irish team that beat Wales to win the Grand Slam at Ravenhill in 1948 stood for God Save The King as their national anthem. The Republic of Ireland didn’t exist. The moon landings were 21 years away. Elvis hadn’t even entered the building, never mind left it.
We should savour this and enjoy it. We may not see too many more in our lifetime.
Or if ROG had missed that drop at goal?
Ireland were easily the better team on the day, but their indiscipline almost cost them the prize. This is somewhat ironic, because up to now, their discipline was nigh on impeccable. In the first game against France, they conceded only two penalties all match. Today it was almost ten times that, and several of them were in the Irish half, this allowing Stephen Jones & Co to capitalise. Thankfully, the only attempt by Gavin Henson to have a go at the dead ball came up short.
This is a great day for many. For Declan Kidney, who took this bunch of outrageously talented players and moulded them into a winning force. He also magnanimously paid tribute to Eddie O’Sullivan. For Brian O’Driscoll, who was our player of the tournament. For Paul O’Connell, who simply was his awesome self. For Ronan O’Gara, who managed to exorcise some of his demons, though more need to be worked on. For John Hayes, whose 94 caps for Ireland finally bring some tangible reward. And of course, for all the rest of the squad, their coaches and the backroom staff.
But not only that, this is a great day for the grassroots of Irish rugby - the clubs, the schools and everyone who has nurtured the talent over the years. Great rugby players and teams don’t just drop from the sky. Talent has to be identified and developed. We are a small nation and rugby is at best the third (and it might even be the fourth) most popular team sport. But we have been blessed with a truly golden generation of Irish rugby players, and we even ask why it took so long for them to realise their potential. We should count ourselves lucky that we have had such a confluence of talent at this point in time. That the two most prestigious trophies in European rugby are now in Irish trophy cabinets (well, metaphorically at least), shows that Irish rugby punches well above its weight.
Sixty-one years. The last time Ireland won a Grand Slam, the second world war had finished only three years earlier. The Irish team that beat Wales to win the Grand Slam at Ravenhill in 1948 stood for God Save The King as their national anthem. The Republic of Ireland didn’t exist. The moon landings were 21 years away. Elvis hadn’t even entered the building, never mind left it.
We should savour this and enjoy it. We may not see too many more in our lifetime.
Believe
16/03/09 22:16 Filed in: Sport
So it
all comes down to Saturday. Eighty minutes to
bridge the gap between 1948 and 2009. An
opportunity for Jack Kyle and the other surviving
members of Ireland’s last Grand Slam winning side
to finally hand the baton over and retire.
Jeremy Guscott reckons we’re going to choke. No doubt there will be a succession of pundits lining up between now and teatime on Saturday explaining exactly why Ireland will throw away their best ever shot at the Grand Slam. I only hope George Hook is one of them, because he normally gets it wrong. Personally, I couldn’t give a shit what any of them say, because we are going to win not just the Championship, but the Slam as well.
“But, but, but… we have to play Wales, the defending Grand Slam champions in Cardiff. Surely, we haven’t got a hope? I mean, Wales are a top class side.”
The only thing that Wales have going for them next week is that we are playing them in Cardiff. In order to retain the Championship, they have to beat us by 13 points. I’m not underestimating the Welsh, but we should be able to beat them. They have some good players, but ours are better. They have a good coach, but ours is better. They are drawn from a collection of Welsh clubs and provincial teams that Irish teams beat for fun in the Magners League and Heineken Cup.
The current Irish squad are sick to their back teeth of being known as nearly men. They know that they threw away a Grand Slam in 2007. Sometimes it happens in sport that the finest player of a generation can go through his career without winning top honours. If this fate should befall Brian O’Driscoll, then it will be one of rugby’s tragedies. This season has seen Ireland’s captain regain his form of old, and he has been unquestionably the outstanding Irish player of the Six Nations. This, in a season where we have seen players like John Hayes, Paul O’Connell, Donncha O’Callaghan, Stephen Ferris and David Wallace play the best rugby of their careers for province and country. In addition we have seen the raw talents of players like Jamie Heaslip, Luke Fitzgerald, Tommy Bowe and Rob Kearney being honed into devastating effect. And of course, we have witnessed to comeback of the season, where Peter Stringer has forced his way back into the national team.
There is one simple reason why Ireland have been in such good form this season - the coach. Declan Kidney would appear to take the approach that if you are good enough to pull the green of Ireland on over your head, then you must know a thing or two about the game of rugby football. Rather than imposing a top-down approach, he would appear to foster a regime that allows players the space to bring their best to the table and allow them to develop their own game plan among themselves. Anyone who doesn’t fulfill his side of the bargain will have to deal with not only the wrath of the coach, but that of his colleagues as well. In other words, it’s all built on trust of one another. The ultimate team approach.
In looking forward to Saturday, we must also take the Munster factor into account. In the four matches so far, eight of the starting fifteen were Munster players. It is likely to be a similar proportion again on Saturday. Every single one of those Munster players has a Heineken Cup medal, and most of them have two. Both of them were won at the Millennium Stadium and both were won under the tutelage of Declan Kidney. The spine of this team is made up of winners, not chokers. Alongside them is the finest player ever to don a green No 13 shirt. On Saturday, Brian O’Driscoll and the rest of the non-Munster contingent will be honorary Munstermen, and buy into the winning philosophy.
Now, of course it will not be an easy match. The permatanned sunshine boys will ask serious questions of our defensive capabilities, and we will have to contend with genuine game breakers like Martyn Williams, Shane Williams and Tom Shanklin. Cool heads will be required, especially if Wales get in front. However, I expect Ireland to be able to contain the Welsh threat, and when the time comes, just close the deal out.
Of course, I may be wrong in this assessment. But even if I am wrong, come Saturday night, I will not be embarrassed. The title of this post is “Believe” not “I Can See The Future”. I believe that Ireland will win the Grand Slam on Saturday. If we go about our lives not believing in our own capabilities, how can we expect others to believe in us?
Jeremy Guscott reckons we’re going to choke. No doubt there will be a succession of pundits lining up between now and teatime on Saturday explaining exactly why Ireland will throw away their best ever shot at the Grand Slam. I only hope George Hook is one of them, because he normally gets it wrong. Personally, I couldn’t give a shit what any of them say, because we are going to win not just the Championship, but the Slam as well.
“But, but, but… we have to play Wales, the defending Grand Slam champions in Cardiff. Surely, we haven’t got a hope? I mean, Wales are a top class side.”
The only thing that Wales have going for them next week is that we are playing them in Cardiff. In order to retain the Championship, they have to beat us by 13 points. I’m not underestimating the Welsh, but we should be able to beat them. They have some good players, but ours are better. They have a good coach, but ours is better. They are drawn from a collection of Welsh clubs and provincial teams that Irish teams beat for fun in the Magners League and Heineken Cup.
The current Irish squad are sick to their back teeth of being known as nearly men. They know that they threw away a Grand Slam in 2007. Sometimes it happens in sport that the finest player of a generation can go through his career without winning top honours. If this fate should befall Brian O’Driscoll, then it will be one of rugby’s tragedies. This season has seen Ireland’s captain regain his form of old, and he has been unquestionably the outstanding Irish player of the Six Nations. This, in a season where we have seen players like John Hayes, Paul O’Connell, Donncha O’Callaghan, Stephen Ferris and David Wallace play the best rugby of their careers for province and country. In addition we have seen the raw talents of players like Jamie Heaslip, Luke Fitzgerald, Tommy Bowe and Rob Kearney being honed into devastating effect. And of course, we have witnessed to comeback of the season, where Peter Stringer has forced his way back into the national team.
There is one simple reason why Ireland have been in such good form this season - the coach. Declan Kidney would appear to take the approach that if you are good enough to pull the green of Ireland on over your head, then you must know a thing or two about the game of rugby football. Rather than imposing a top-down approach, he would appear to foster a regime that allows players the space to bring their best to the table and allow them to develop their own game plan among themselves. Anyone who doesn’t fulfill his side of the bargain will have to deal with not only the wrath of the coach, but that of his colleagues as well. In other words, it’s all built on trust of one another. The ultimate team approach.
In looking forward to Saturday, we must also take the Munster factor into account. In the four matches so far, eight of the starting fifteen were Munster players. It is likely to be a similar proportion again on Saturday. Every single one of those Munster players has a Heineken Cup medal, and most of them have two. Both of them were won at the Millennium Stadium and both were won under the tutelage of Declan Kidney. The spine of this team is made up of winners, not chokers. Alongside them is the finest player ever to don a green No 13 shirt. On Saturday, Brian O’Driscoll and the rest of the non-Munster contingent will be honorary Munstermen, and buy into the winning philosophy.
Now, of course it will not be an easy match. The permatanned sunshine boys will ask serious questions of our defensive capabilities, and we will have to contend with genuine game breakers like Martyn Williams, Shane Williams and Tom Shanklin. Cool heads will be required, especially if Wales get in front. However, I expect Ireland to be able to contain the Welsh threat, and when the time comes, just close the deal out.
Of course, I may be wrong in this assessment. But even if I am wrong, come Saturday night, I will not be embarrassed. The title of this post is “Believe” not “I Can See The Future”. I believe that Ireland will win the Grand Slam on Saturday. If we go about our lives not believing in our own capabilities, how can we expect others to believe in us?
Face The Ball - Week Four (Rugby)
15/03/09 21:39 Filed in: Sport
Good
result this weekend - I had all three winners. I
just got the margins of victory badly wrong for two
of them. But then, so did everyone else. Who would
have predicted that Wales would huff and puff to
beat Italy, and that England would blow France to
kingdom come at Twickers? I’m up 33 places in the
overall leader table to 22nd.
It's Tantalisingly Close
14/03/09 22:45 Filed in: Sport
Ireland’s
hard-earned win over Scotland today means that the
Six Nations championship is now Ireland’s to lose.
Should England beat France tomorrow (which I reckon
they will), then it will be a straight two-horse
race between Ireland and Wales for the title.
However, Wales will have to win by 13 points to
retain the title, while we can afford to lose by
12. Any win by Ireland gives us the Grand Slam.
Ever since the win over England, Declan Kidney was keen to stress that the Scotland match was not a foregone conclusion. And he was right - Ireland were made to work hard for that win, and had to come from behind to do it. Scotland won the first half decisively, and Ireland were forced to compete for scraps. We were 12-9 down going into the break, and it could just as easily have been 19-9.
But, Munster-like,
Ireland came out in the second half and just took
control of the match. Discipline was vastly
improved, ball-retention was much better, and
crucially, Ireland upped the pace to a level that
Scotland simply couldn’t match. The Irish try was
reminiscent of Stringer’s try for Munster in the
Heineken Cup Final of 2006. Off a set-piece, the
scrum-half spotted a gap and just galloped through
it. Sadly, this time he didn’t make the line, but
he was able to offload to Jamie Heaslip who did.
(Incidentally, I reckon Heaslip will get his hole
kicked severely for his inexcusable showboating
before he scored. Save your celebrations until the
points show up on the board, Jamie.)
There were excellent performances from several Irish players. Peter Stringer - what can we say? Out of favour at both Munster and Ireland, and he comes back with a Man of the Match display. He has to start against Wales. John Hayes was immense as ever. Rory Best was solid in the scrum and was bang on in every lineout. POC and DOC were untouchable, as ever. Ferris and Wallace were their destructive best. ROG packed his kicking boots today, contributing 17 of the total of 22. He’s now the highest scorer in the history of the Six Nations. O’Driscoll continued the return to his imperious best with a magnificent display, both offensively and defensively. The other four backs had good solid games too.
Earlier today, Wales had to dig themselves out of a hole to get past Italy in Rome. A late Tom Shanklin try spared their blushes. Had they lost, and if England were to beat France tomorrow, then Ireland would have had the title in the bag by tomorrow evening. But they didn’t, so we won’t. Wales are well known for their poster-boy, fake-tanned showboaters, but their two most effective players are the least flashy - Martyn Williams and Tom Shanklin. The latter in particular must rue the fact that his career coincided with that of Brian O’Driscoll, as if it hadn’t been so, then Shanklin would be the first choice outside centre for the Lions in both 2005 and 2009. Both Shankiln and Williams will start next week, as will the other Williams - Shane - and all three have potential to do us some serious damage.
But that’s for another day. Let’s celebrate today’s win and get behind the lads to go to Cardiff and finish the job.
Coming soon - Ireland, Munster and the Millenium Stadium Effect.
Ever since the win over England, Declan Kidney was keen to stress that the Scotland match was not a foregone conclusion. And he was right - Ireland were made to work hard for that win, and had to come from behind to do it. Scotland won the first half decisively, and Ireland were forced to compete for scraps. We were 12-9 down going into the break, and it could just as easily have been 19-9.
There were excellent performances from several Irish players. Peter Stringer - what can we say? Out of favour at both Munster and Ireland, and he comes back with a Man of the Match display. He has to start against Wales. John Hayes was immense as ever. Rory Best was solid in the scrum and was bang on in every lineout. POC and DOC were untouchable, as ever. Ferris and Wallace were their destructive best. ROG packed his kicking boots today, contributing 17 of the total of 22. He’s now the highest scorer in the history of the Six Nations. O’Driscoll continued the return to his imperious best with a magnificent display, both offensively and defensively. The other four backs had good solid games too.
Earlier today, Wales had to dig themselves out of a hole to get past Italy in Rome. A late Tom Shanklin try spared their blushes. Had they lost, and if England were to beat France tomorrow, then Ireland would have had the title in the bag by tomorrow evening. But they didn’t, so we won’t. Wales are well known for their poster-boy, fake-tanned showboaters, but their two most effective players are the least flashy - Martyn Williams and Tom Shanklin. The latter in particular must rue the fact that his career coincided with that of Brian O’Driscoll, as if it hadn’t been so, then Shanklin would be the first choice outside centre for the Lions in both 2005 and 2009. Both Shankiln and Williams will start next week, as will the other Williams - Shane - and all three have potential to do us some serious damage.
But that’s for another day. Let’s celebrate today’s win and get behind the lads to go to Cardiff and finish the job.
Coming soon - Ireland, Munster and the Millenium Stadium Effect.
Changes For Ireland
11/03/09 22:44 Filed in: Sport
I was
away last night, and so only now have the chance to
write about the team announcement for Saturday’s
Six Nations match against Scotland.
Most commentators were expecting that Declan Kidney would stick with the same starting fifteen as the previous three matches. The only change that might have been predicted was Gordon D’Arcy coming in for Paddy Wallace. But no-one saw four changes coming. Rory Best will replace Jerry Flannery at hooker, Denis Leamy comes in at No 8 in place of Jamie Heaslip, Tomás O’Leary makes way for Peter Stringer at scrum-half, and D’Arcy gets the inside centre spot in preference to Wallace.
Why change? It’s not as if any of these guys underperformed in the three matches of the campaign. Indeed Jamie Heaslip was awarded RBS Six Nations Man of the Match by the BBC in the game against France. One thing is for sure, this is not a case of first team players being replaced by second string for an “easy” match. For a start, the players coming in are the equal of those making way. And secondly, Scotland at Murrayfield is never an easy fixture.
What Kidney has done is to let his squad know that everyone has a chance. When you have two players vying for the same jersey, with absolutely nothing to separate them in terms of ability, then it is only fair that both get the chance to show what they are worth. In some cases there are marginal differences in skills, and it is knowing which games require which skills that makes Kidney such a good coach.
One problem we have had of late has been slow ball coming back from the ruck. While Tomás O’Leary is an excellent tactical player and a superb defensive option, Peter Stringer is brilliant at getting fast ball out. His distribution skills also helps in getting the outside backs onto the ball at pace, and that extra millisecond he gives to O’Gara and the three-quarters can make all the difference between them breaking the line or being swallowed up in a tackle.
The Heaslip/Leamy call must have kept Kidney awake at night. Both are immense at the breakdown and are highly effective ball carriers. There is absolutely nothing between them. While some might say that it is a blow to Heaslip to be on the bench, it has been the same for Leamy for the previous three games. We can’t have two No 8s in the starting XV, so one has to make way.
As I said, it will not be an easy game. Many times in the past, Ireland have come to Murrayfield with the expectation of a walkover in the minds of supporters and media alike, only to be subjected to a grueling 80 minutes. Ireland need to keep their defensive discipline as intact as in the previous three matches. They also need to keep their overall discipline in check and not concede any penalties within kicking range, as Chris Paterson is at full-back for Scotland, and he doesn’t miss too many.
Ireland should win this, but even though the Irish team would be considered the better prepared and more settled, they will have to face the intangible force of Scottish passion and pride. We’re in for a bumpy one.
Most commentators were expecting that Declan Kidney would stick with the same starting fifteen as the previous three matches. The only change that might have been predicted was Gordon D’Arcy coming in for Paddy Wallace. But no-one saw four changes coming. Rory Best will replace Jerry Flannery at hooker, Denis Leamy comes in at No 8 in place of Jamie Heaslip, Tomás O’Leary makes way for Peter Stringer at scrum-half, and D’Arcy gets the inside centre spot in preference to Wallace.
Why change? It’s not as if any of these guys underperformed in the three matches of the campaign. Indeed Jamie Heaslip was awarded RBS Six Nations Man of the Match by the BBC in the game against France. One thing is for sure, this is not a case of first team players being replaced by second string for an “easy” match. For a start, the players coming in are the equal of those making way. And secondly, Scotland at Murrayfield is never an easy fixture.
What Kidney has done is to let his squad know that everyone has a chance. When you have two players vying for the same jersey, with absolutely nothing to separate them in terms of ability, then it is only fair that both get the chance to show what they are worth. In some cases there are marginal differences in skills, and it is knowing which games require which skills that makes Kidney such a good coach.
One problem we have had of late has been slow ball coming back from the ruck. While Tomás O’Leary is an excellent tactical player and a superb defensive option, Peter Stringer is brilliant at getting fast ball out. His distribution skills also helps in getting the outside backs onto the ball at pace, and that extra millisecond he gives to O’Gara and the three-quarters can make all the difference between them breaking the line or being swallowed up in a tackle.
The Heaslip/Leamy call must have kept Kidney awake at night. Both are immense at the breakdown and are highly effective ball carriers. There is absolutely nothing between them. While some might say that it is a blow to Heaslip to be on the bench, it has been the same for Leamy for the previous three games. We can’t have two No 8s in the starting XV, so one has to make way.
As I said, it will not be an easy game. Many times in the past, Ireland have come to Murrayfield with the expectation of a walkover in the minds of supporters and media alike, only to be subjected to a grueling 80 minutes. Ireland need to keep their defensive discipline as intact as in the previous three matches. They also need to keep their overall discipline in check and not concede any penalties within kicking range, as Chris Paterson is at full-back for Scotland, and he doesn’t miss too many.
Ireland should win this, but even though the Irish team would be considered the better prepared and more settled, they will have to face the intangible force of Scottish passion and pride. We’re in for a bumpy one.
FaceTheBall - Week Three (Rugby)
05/03/09 22:54 Filed in: Sport
Forgot
to post this at the weekend. Better late than
never, I suppose. Further slippage in the Six
Nations table, mainly because I tipped Italy to
beat Scotland. I did, however, get the France-Wales
result spot on. Down to 55th now. Oh, for the heady
days of sixth in the table.
I’ll have to sit down and study the form for the next round of the GAA. I have serious ground to make up.
I’ll have to sit down and study the form for the next round of the GAA. I have serious ground to make up.
We Live To Fight Another Day
28/02/09 22:43 Filed in: Sport
Before
this match, Declan Kidney said that this would be a
determined England team, who wouldn’t come here
just to make up the numbers. He was right. They
were determined, but he omitted to mention that
they were also the dirtiest shower of fuckers ever
to wear the white of England.
Two yellow cards in this game, ten overall in the last four games: that record speaks for itself. England’s indiscipline was the cause of their downfall today. They lived offside and got away with it for most of the match. There was an obvious campaign to nobble Brian O’Driscoll, and he was the victim of two disgraceful fouls, where both offenders should have been yellow-carded.
But Ronan O’Gara’s wayward kicking performance could have cost us the match. As the teams lined up for the anthems, I got the impression that ROG looked nervous and jumpy, and it quickly became clear that he had the yips. I can’t ever remember as poor a performance from him with the boot.
When Ireland beat France, they showed that they could beat a team with flair and skill. When they beat Italy, they showed that they wouldn’t be derailed by a team whose only approach was to frustrate them. Today, they showed that they could beat a dirty team.
Two more to go. Scotland in Edinburgh will be another turgid affair, and Ireland will be forced to get down into the mud to come through it.
Come on Ireland - it’s in your hands, you can do it.
Two yellow cards in this game, ten overall in the last four games: that record speaks for itself. England’s indiscipline was the cause of their downfall today. They lived offside and got away with it for most of the match. There was an obvious campaign to nobble Brian O’Driscoll, and he was the victim of two disgraceful fouls, where both offenders should have been yellow-carded.
But Ronan O’Gara’s wayward kicking performance could have cost us the match. As the teams lined up for the anthems, I got the impression that ROG looked nervous and jumpy, and it quickly became clear that he had the yips. I can’t ever remember as poor a performance from him with the boot.
When Ireland beat France, they showed that they could beat a team with flair and skill. When they beat Italy, they showed that they wouldn’t be derailed by a team whose only approach was to frustrate them. Today, they showed that they could beat a dirty team.
Two more to go. Scotland in Edinburgh will be another turgid affair, and Ireland will be forced to get down into the mud to come through it.
Come on Ireland - it’s in your hands, you can do it.
France Right Back In It
27/02/09 22:57 Filed in: Sport
France’s 21-16 win
over Wales in Paris tonight brings Les Bleus right
back into the mix. Had they lost tonight, their
championship season was over, but a superb
performance saw them overcome a determined Welsh
side.
This was the result Ireland wanted. We are now the only unbeaten side in the Six Nations, and as such our championship destiny is in our own hands.
This was the result Ireland wanted. We are now the only unbeaten side in the Six Nations, and as such our championship destiny is in our own hands.
The Weekend's Rugby
26/02/09 22:04 Filed in: Sport
A big
weekend is coming up in the Six Nations, and one
that could have a decisive bearing on who wins the
championship and who gets the wooden spoon.
This will also be the first time that a Six Nations match has been played on a Friday night. France and Wales get the weekend’s action underway under the lights of Stade de France in Paris tomorrow night. This is a crucial match that could go someway to shaking out a potential also-ran from the title race. If Wales win, France are effectively out of the hunt, as they will have lost two games. Wales will overcome Italy in the next round and head home to Cardiff to meet our lads, looking to claim the first ever back-to-back Grand Slam of the Six Nations era. However if they lose in Paris, France are right back in it, and they could claim the championship if one or more of the home nations do a number on Ireland.
This should be a
cracking match, as both teams will be there to play
rugby, not piss around like Scotland or Italy. Yet
again, Marc Lievremont has gone for a new half-back
combination, with Morgan Parra coming in at
scrum-half and Benoit Baby (normally a centre)
making his international out-half debut. For some
bizarre reason, Sebastien Chabal is starting in the
second row, even though he was comprehensively
outplayed in that position in the Irish match.
Still it could have been worse, and Lievremont
could have copied his Italian counterpart Nick
Mallet and started him at scrum half. The way the
new half-back combinations keep coming our way, I
wouldn’t be surprised to see this happen. Maybe he
would be partnered with Sylvain Marconnet.
What France need to do is to play right in the Welsh faces. They need to get their tackles in early and hard in order to prevent an offload before contact. Force them into rucks and slow the ball up. Better still, they need to hang onto possession, as the speed merchants in the Welsh back line can do serious damage.
France were also hampered by the fact that several of their first team players were involved in club duties last weekend, and nine of those took part in the high-octane Toulouse-Clermont Auvergne Top 14 clash last Sunday. Wales, in contrast, allowed all their main players to spend quality time with their sunbeds last weekend.
Still, going to Paris for a result will be tough for the Taffs, and France have the extra motivation of knowing that their championship season depends on the result of this match. It’s a tough one to call, but I’m going for Les Bleus. Maybe it’s hope over logic, but we need France to knock the stuffing out of Wales and soften them up before we get them on the last weekend.
The following day at 15.00, Scotland host Italy at Murrayfield. As I pointed out before, Italy have beaten Scotland four times in the Six Nations. A victory for the Azzuri tomorrow and the win count over the ten championship matches played since 2000 will be even-stevens between the two sides. It would also mark a three in a row for the Italians. Scotland haven’t beaten Italy in the championship since 18 March 2006, although they did beat them in the pool stages of the 2007 World Cup, 18-16 in St-Etienne. Again it’s a hard one to call, but Scotland look marginally more shambolic, so I’m going Italy for this one.
So we will have had the entrée on Friday night, the soup on Saturday afternoon, and the main course at 17.30 that evening. Ireland v. England in Dublin is always a fantastic fixture. Back in 1973, Irish fans stood and applauded England as they ran out on to the Lansdowne Road turf, the same pitch Scotland and Wales had refused to come to the year before as a result of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Ireland won that day, and at the post match dinner, England captain John Pullin got another standing ovation when he remarked “England may not be a very good team, but at least we showed up.”
Who can forget “Protocolgate” in 2003, when Martin Johnson & Co faced down the IRFU officials and refused to budge from the position they had taken on the red carpet before meeting Mary McAleese? The Irish team had to take up their positions off the carpet, and poor Mary got her shoes muddy during her walkabout. England had that match won before a ball was kicked.
Then there was 2007, when Ireland put in the performance they should have put in against France two weeks earlier. They beat a poor English side out the gate that day, their fourth win over the World Champions in a row.
Make no mistake, this will be a tough game. England may be in rag order at the moment, but they don’t roll over. Even though they lost against Wales two weeks ago, they came away from Cardiff with their dignity intact, having put in a credible performance. They did themselves no favours during the week by insinuating that Wales had “gotten to” referee Jonathan Kaplan before the match. Ireland need to soak up the pressure that they will inevitably encounter and keep cool heads. The half-backs need to be more selective with their kicking, as sometimes in the first two matches, they simply handed possession back to the opposition and were then forced to defend. Solid defence is all well and good, but if you don’t have the ball, you can’t score. I hope we will see a measured, patient display from Ireland, defending well, keeping their discipline and ready to pounce when the opportunity arises. Ireland are the more settled, experienced, confident and better coached of the two sides, so we should see a home win.
This will also be the first time that a Six Nations match has been played on a Friday night. France and Wales get the weekend’s action underway under the lights of Stade de France in Paris tomorrow night. This is a crucial match that could go someway to shaking out a potential also-ran from the title race. If Wales win, France are effectively out of the hunt, as they will have lost two games. Wales will overcome Italy in the next round and head home to Cardiff to meet our lads, looking to claim the first ever back-to-back Grand Slam of the Six Nations era. However if they lose in Paris, France are right back in it, and they could claim the championship if one or more of the home nations do a number on Ireland.
What France need to do is to play right in the Welsh faces. They need to get their tackles in early and hard in order to prevent an offload before contact. Force them into rucks and slow the ball up. Better still, they need to hang onto possession, as the speed merchants in the Welsh back line can do serious damage.
France were also hampered by the fact that several of their first team players were involved in club duties last weekend, and nine of those took part in the high-octane Toulouse-Clermont Auvergne Top 14 clash last Sunday. Wales, in contrast, allowed all their main players to spend quality time with their sunbeds last weekend.
Still, going to Paris for a result will be tough for the Taffs, and France have the extra motivation of knowing that their championship season depends on the result of this match. It’s a tough one to call, but I’m going for Les Bleus. Maybe it’s hope over logic, but we need France to knock the stuffing out of Wales and soften them up before we get them on the last weekend.
The following day at 15.00, Scotland host Italy at Murrayfield. As I pointed out before, Italy have beaten Scotland four times in the Six Nations. A victory for the Azzuri tomorrow and the win count over the ten championship matches played since 2000 will be even-stevens between the two sides. It would also mark a three in a row for the Italians. Scotland haven’t beaten Italy in the championship since 18 March 2006, although they did beat them in the pool stages of the 2007 World Cup, 18-16 in St-Etienne. Again it’s a hard one to call, but Scotland look marginally more shambolic, so I’m going Italy for this one.
So we will have had the entrée on Friday night, the soup on Saturday afternoon, and the main course at 17.30 that evening. Ireland v. England in Dublin is always a fantastic fixture. Back in 1973, Irish fans stood and applauded England as they ran out on to the Lansdowne Road turf, the same pitch Scotland and Wales had refused to come to the year before as a result of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Ireland won that day, and at the post match dinner, England captain John Pullin got another standing ovation when he remarked “England may not be a very good team, but at least we showed up.”
Who can forget “Protocolgate” in 2003, when Martin Johnson & Co faced down the IRFU officials and refused to budge from the position they had taken on the red carpet before meeting Mary McAleese? The Irish team had to take up their positions off the carpet, and poor Mary got her shoes muddy during her walkabout. England had that match won before a ball was kicked.
Then there was 2007, when Ireland put in the performance they should have put in against France two weeks earlier. They beat a poor English side out the gate that day, their fourth win over the World Champions in a row.
Make no mistake, this will be a tough game. England may be in rag order at the moment, but they don’t roll over. Even though they lost against Wales two weeks ago, they came away from Cardiff with their dignity intact, having put in a credible performance. They did themselves no favours during the week by insinuating that Wales had “gotten to” referee Jonathan Kaplan before the match. Ireland need to soak up the pressure that they will inevitably encounter and keep cool heads. The half-backs need to be more selective with their kicking, as sometimes in the first two matches, they simply handed possession back to the opposition and were then forced to defend. Solid defence is all well and good, but if you don’t have the ball, you can’t score. I hope we will see a measured, patient display from Ireland, defending well, keeping their discipline and ready to pounce when the opportunity arises. Ireland are the more settled, experienced, confident and better coached of the two sides, so we should see a home win.
FaceTheBall - Week Two
15/02/09 22:44 Filed in: Sport
Week Two of
FaceTheBall can be summed up thus - solid
performance in the rugby and as for the GAA,
well the less said about that the better…
I got all three winners in the rugby (not too difficult, I will readily concede), but lost points by overestimating France’s winning margin over Scotland and underestimating Ireland’s margin over Italy. I’m now 24th in the overall standings (down from sixth last week), out of a field of 231 players.
Rugby results:
As for the GAA, all I can offer in my defence is that I know shag-all about it, and my predictions are pure pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey guesswork. Also, Willie Joe assures me that NFL results were all over the shop this weekend, and no-one scored well. Nonetheless, I am 29th out of 29 in the Green and Red mini-league, and 240th out of 329 in the overall competition. Must do better next round.
I got all three winners in the rugby (not too difficult, I will readily concede), but lost points by overestimating France’s winning margin over Scotland and underestimating Ireland’s margin over Italy. I’m now 24th in the overall standings (down from sixth last week), out of a field of 231 players.
Rugby results:
As for the GAA, all I can offer in my defence is that I know shag-all about it, and my predictions are pure pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey guesswork. Also, Willie Joe assures me that NFL results were all over the shop this weekend, and no-one scored well. Nonetheless, I am 29th out of 29 in the Green and Red mini-league, and 240th out of 329 in the overall competition. Must do better next round.
Italy 9 - 38 Ireland
15/02/09 21:16 Filed in: Sport
I always think it’s
the mark of a good team to be able to win even when
you’re not playing well. Ireland did that today in
Rome, in a tough physical encounter with the
Azzuri. Perhaps the final score flattered them a
bit, but if you had offered Declan Kidney a
29-point, five tries to nil win on Sunday morning,
he would have snapped it out of your hand.
The tone for the match was set after 46 seconds, when Rob Kearney was felled with a clothesline tackle worthy of a Hanna Barbera cartoon. The culprit, Kearney’s opposite number Andrea Masi was yellow carded on the spot. But the incident showed that for all the beauty that Rome has to offer, precious little would be on show for the duration of this match. This was an ugly encounter, and nothing like the enthralling show of free-flowing rugby we had seen in Croke Park last weekend. Three players were yellow-carded - along with the aforementioned Masi, Ronan O’Gara and Salvatore Perugini also spent ten minutes in the sin-bin.
To be fair to the Italians, they did their level best to disrupt the Irish game plan. They slowed ball up at the ruck and never let Ireland develop a rhythm. The match was littered with indiscipline on both sides, and the pea in Chris White’s whistle must have been a lot smaller by the end of the proceedings. The scrum was a mess all through the game, the two front rows unable to bind effectively enough to ensure a steady scrum. Why Chris White allowed this to go on, I don’t know. Normally the ref calls the two front rows out and gives them a stern talking to and threatens cards, and if that doesn’t work, carries out that threat. But today, he just allowed the messing to continue.
Ireland took their tries well. The first came from an intercept by Tommy Bowe,
who ran through
a tackle on his own 22 all the way to the Italian
line. He was hauled down just short of the line,
but his strength and momentum got him over. It was
well taken, and he could easily have lost control
of the ball before grounding it. Number two was the
result of a patient, multi-phase build-up in the
Italian 22 which sapped the energy of the Italian
defenders. Once they were sufficiently softened up,
Jamie Heaslip offloaded to Luke Fitzgerald who
scampered over for his first international try.
Six minutes into the second half, and Ireland had registered another seven pointer. Jamie Heaslip barged through the Italian line and almost got over by himself. The ball was recycled until it found its way into the arms of David Wallace, five metres out. Nothing was going to stop him from this distance, and indeed nothing did. The half wore on with Ireland making precious little progress. But at least they held their defensive composure and improved their discipline, and Italy didn’t have any opportunity to register points at all in the second half. Try number four came from a lost lineout in the Italian 22. An attempt to clear Italian lines gave Luke Fitzgerald the opportunity to take a quick throw in. An exchange of passes with Gordon D’Arcy ensued and Fitgerald doubled his international try tally. A couple of minutes later, Brian O’Driscoll was in under the posts, after having intercepted a wayward Italian pass just outside the 22, and running in inopposed. Bryan Habana would be proud of such a try.
The doom and gloom merchants will have plenty to say about Ireland’s shortcomings in the next few days, but I think we should remind ourselves about the positives from today’s match:
To expect Ireland to be able to play exhibition rugby every time they take the field is unreasonable. Good teams often find themselves dragged down to the level of inferior opposition, as that opposition has nothing to offer except infringement and disruption. So it was today. Ireland struggled to find their rhythm against an Italian side that more than likely knew before the match had even started that they were not going to win today. All they could hope to do was disrupt Ireland’s game plan.
England next in Croker. Bring ‘em on.
The tone for the match was set after 46 seconds, when Rob Kearney was felled with a clothesline tackle worthy of a Hanna Barbera cartoon. The culprit, Kearney’s opposite number Andrea Masi was yellow carded on the spot. But the incident showed that for all the beauty that Rome has to offer, precious little would be on show for the duration of this match. This was an ugly encounter, and nothing like the enthralling show of free-flowing rugby we had seen in Croke Park last weekend. Three players were yellow-carded - along with the aforementioned Masi, Ronan O’Gara and Salvatore Perugini also spent ten minutes in the sin-bin.
To be fair to the Italians, they did their level best to disrupt the Irish game plan. They slowed ball up at the ruck and never let Ireland develop a rhythm. The match was littered with indiscipline on both sides, and the pea in Chris White’s whistle must have been a lot smaller by the end of the proceedings. The scrum was a mess all through the game, the two front rows unable to bind effectively enough to ensure a steady scrum. Why Chris White allowed this to go on, I don’t know. Normally the ref calls the two front rows out and gives them a stern talking to and threatens cards, and if that doesn’t work, carries out that threat. But today, he just allowed the messing to continue.
Ireland took their tries well. The first came from an intercept by Tommy Bowe,
Six minutes into the second half, and Ireland had registered another seven pointer. Jamie Heaslip barged through the Italian line and almost got over by himself. The ball was recycled until it found its way into the arms of David Wallace, five metres out. Nothing was going to stop him from this distance, and indeed nothing did. The half wore on with Ireland making precious little progress. But at least they held their defensive composure and improved their discipline, and Italy didn’t have any opportunity to register points at all in the second half. Try number four came from a lost lineout in the Italian 22. An attempt to clear Italian lines gave Luke Fitzgerald the opportunity to take a quick throw in. An exchange of passes with Gordon D’Arcy ensued and Fitgerald doubled his international try tally. A couple of minutes later, Brian O’Driscoll was in under the posts, after having intercepted a wayward Italian pass just outside the 22, and running in inopposed. Bryan Habana would be proud of such a try.
The doom and gloom merchants will have plenty to say about Ireland’s shortcomings in the next few days, but I think we should remind ourselves about the positives from today’s match:
- We scored five tries and conceded none.
- Our defence was rock-solid.
- Discipline in the second half was excellent, with no opportunity offered to Italy to score from penalties.
- ROG was wearing his kicking boots.
- Our winning margin, away, was better than England’s at home. And they were playing an Italian team with a flanker playing scrum-half.
- We finish round two on top of the table.
To expect Ireland to be able to play exhibition rugby every time they take the field is unreasonable. Good teams often find themselves dragged down to the level of inferior opposition, as that opposition has nothing to offer except infringement and disruption. So it was today. Ireland struggled to find their rhythm against an Italian side that more than likely knew before the match had even started that they were not going to win today. All they could hope to do was disrupt Ireland’s game plan.
England next in Croker. Bring ‘em on.
Face the Ball
12/02/09 21:21 Filed in: Sport
I should have blogged
about this before now, but anyway.
I was introduced to FaceTheBall.com by my good friend Willie Joe of Green and Red.
FTB is a site
where users can predict the winning margins of
teams in matches in various GAA and rugby
competitions. Each prediction is awarded points
based on whether the user got the winning team
right (or indeed called a draw), and by how closely
they predicted the winning margin. Once the round
of matches is completed a league table of users is
published on the site. Groups of users can create
their own mini-league, and WJ invited me to join
his Green and Red mini-league.
The first round of predictions was for the opening games in Divisions One and Two of the NFL. I’m no GAA expert, so I only managed 79 points and finished up in 213th place in a field of 224. In the Green & Red Mini-League, I’m 27th out of 29. My predictions and the actual results were as follows:
Division One
Tyrone to beat Dublin by four points (they won by two) - 28 points
Mayo to beat Derry by one point (they lost by two) - no points
Galway to beat Westmeath by three points (they won by five) - 28 points
Donegal to beat Kerry by two points (they lost by eight) - no points
Division Two
Wexford and Armagh to draw (Armagh won by 13) - no points
Fermanagh to beat Monaghan by two (they lost by five) - no points
Cork to beat Meath by two (they won by nine) - 23 points
Laois to beak Kildare by one (they lost by seven) - no points
I had better luck in the rugby last weekend. Mind you there were only three matches and two of those were odds-on, sure-fire predictable.
I had:
England by 23 over Italy (they won by 25) - 48 points
Ireland by four over France (they won by nine) - 45 points
Wales by 17 over Scotland (they won by 13) - 46 points
That gave me 139 points, and sixth place in a field of 224. There are another eight matches in the NFL Divisions 1 and 2 this weekend, as well as three more Six Nations game.
If you’re signed up for FaceTheBall, my handle there is Tommy Joe, the name I use on Green and Red
I was introduced to FaceTheBall.com by my good friend Willie Joe of Green and Red.
The first round of predictions was for the opening games in Divisions One and Two of the NFL. I’m no GAA expert, so I only managed 79 points and finished up in 213th place in a field of 224. In the Green & Red Mini-League, I’m 27th out of 29. My predictions and the actual results were as follows:
Division One
Tyrone to beat Dublin by four points (they won by two) - 28 points
Mayo to beat Derry by one point (they lost by two) - no points
Galway to beat Westmeath by three points (they won by five) - 28 points
Donegal to beat Kerry by two points (they lost by eight) - no points
Division Two
Wexford and Armagh to draw (Armagh won by 13) - no points
Fermanagh to beat Monaghan by two (they lost by five) - no points
Cork to beat Meath by two (they won by nine) - 23 points
Laois to beak Kildare by one (they lost by seven) - no points
I had better luck in the rugby last weekend. Mind you there were only three matches and two of those were odds-on, sure-fire predictable.
I had:
England by 23 over Italy (they won by 25) - 48 points
Ireland by four over France (they won by nine) - 45 points
Wales by 17 over Scotland (they won by 13) - 46 points
That gave me 139 points, and sixth place in a field of 224. There are another eight matches in the NFL Divisions 1 and 2 this weekend, as well as three more Six Nations game.
If you’re signed up for FaceTheBall, my handle there is Tommy Joe, the name I use on Green and Red
It's As You Were For Italy
11/02/09 21:26 Filed in: Sport
Declan Kidney
announced his starting fifteen and replacements for
Sunday’s match against Italy in Rome, and it’s the
same as that which started against France in Croke
Park last Saturday.
Team is as follows: 15 Kearney, 14 Bowe, 13 O’Driscoll, 12 P Wallace, 11 Fitzgerald, 10 O’Gara, 9 O’Leary. 1 Horan, 2 Flannery, 3 Hayes, 4 O’Callaghan, 5 O’Connell, 6 Ferris, 7 D Wallace, 8 Heaslip. Replacements: 16 Best, 17 Court, 18 O’Kelly, 19 Leamy, 20 Stringer, 21 D’Arcy, 22 Murphy.
This is a match that Ireland should win quite comfortably. Italy lost to a very poor England team last Saturday, going down 36-11 at Twickenham. A lot of that defeat can be attributed to Italian coach Nick Mallet’s bizarre decision to play flanker Mauro Bergamasco as scrum-half. Last year, still suffering from the post-World Cup hangover, a very cagey Ireland huffed and puffed to a 16-11 win over Italy in Croke Park. The year before, Ireland ran in eight tries en route to 51-24 win. Unfortunately, they let Roland de Marigny in for a late Italian try, which handed the Championship to France on points difference. (Of course, this wasn’t really the reason we lost the Championship to France that year, it was because we lost to France in Croke Park.)
This is the tenth season that Italy have competed in the Six Nations. Ireland have beaten them in the nine previous meetings:
2000 60-13, Dublin
2001 41-22, Rome
2002 32-17, Dublin
2003 37-13, Rome
2004 19-3, Dublin
2005 28-17, Rome
2006 26-16, Dublin
2007 51-24, Rome
2008 16-11, Dublin
Italy beat Ireland three times between 1995 and 1997, and came uncomfortably close to doing so again at Ravenhill in 2007 in a World Cup warm-up.
Some interesting factettes about Italy’s Six Nations participation:
As Father Ted might have said: “The Italians - a great bunch of lads.”
Team is as follows: 15 Kearney, 14 Bowe, 13 O’Driscoll, 12 P Wallace, 11 Fitzgerald, 10 O’Gara, 9 O’Leary. 1 Horan, 2 Flannery, 3 Hayes, 4 O’Callaghan, 5 O’Connell, 6 Ferris, 7 D Wallace, 8 Heaslip. Replacements: 16 Best, 17 Court, 18 O’Kelly, 19 Leamy, 20 Stringer, 21 D’Arcy, 22 Murphy.
This is a match that Ireland should win quite comfortably. Italy lost to a very poor England team last Saturday, going down 36-11 at Twickenham. A lot of that defeat can be attributed to Italian coach Nick Mallet’s bizarre decision to play flanker Mauro Bergamasco as scrum-half. Last year, still suffering from the post-World Cup hangover, a very cagey Ireland huffed and puffed to a 16-11 win over Italy in Croke Park. The year before, Ireland ran in eight tries en route to 51-24 win. Unfortunately, they let Roland de Marigny in for a late Italian try, which handed the Championship to France on points difference. (Of course, this wasn’t really the reason we lost the Championship to France that year, it was because we lost to France in Croke Park.)
This is the tenth season that Italy have competed in the Six Nations. Ireland have beaten them in the nine previous meetings:
2000 60-13, Dublin
2001 41-22, Rome
2002 32-17, Dublin
2003 37-13, Rome
2004 19-3, Dublin
2005 28-17, Rome
2006 26-16, Dublin
2007 51-24, Rome
2008 16-11, Dublin
Italy beat Ireland three times between 1995 and 1997, and came uncomfortably close to doing so again at Ravenhill in 2007 in a World Cup warm-up.
Some interesting factettes about Italy’s Six Nations participation:
- Italy won their first ever Six Nations match, beating Scotland 34 - 20 in Rome.
- In their nine seasons in the Six Nations, Italy have ended up with the wooden spoon six times.
- Three of those wooden spoons saw them lose all their matches.
- Their best ever finish was fourth in 2007.
- They have only ever beaten two other teams in the competition, Scotland (4 times) and Wales (twice + one draw).
- 2007 was the only season where they managed more than one win, when they beat both Scotland and Wales.
- Their biggest ever win was against Scotland in 2007, by 37 points to 17.
- Their biggest ever loss was to England in 2001, scoring 23 points and conceding 80.
- Ireland’s biggest winning margin over Italy was 60-13 in 2000.
- The first time they ever avoided an away defeat was in 2006, when they drew 18-18 with Wales in Cardiff.
- The following year, they bettered that, beating Scotland at Murrayfield, 37-17.
- They have only once suffered a whitewash. In 2004, they lost 25-0 to France in Paris.
As Father Ted might have said: “The Italians - a great bunch of lads.”