The Lions That Failed To Roar - Again
28/06/09 21:59 Filed in: Sport
Yesterday’s failure by
the British and Irish Lions to close out the second
test, having led for most of the match, handed the
series to South Africa. They will play the third test
next Saturday for pride alone. Should they lose, it
will be the second series whitewash in a row for
Britain and Ireland’s elite. If this happens, then
surely there will have to be a major reassessment of
how future Lions tours are undertaken.
As it stands, the host union holds all the trump cards. They are playing at home, are an established side with players all well used to one another, and are in the middle of their season. In contrast, the Lions play every Test match away, have only six weeks or so to gel together as a team, and are at the end of their season. This is where the problems lie.
Rugby is a team game, with each player having a defined role. Successful teams are those which have an established core of players with plenty of experience playing alongside one another. Some of these players may be better players than others, but in the end the team should be more than just the sum of its parts. It takes more than just a talented squad of players and a top class coaching outfit to create a Test-standard team from scratch. And it certainly takes more than six weeks to achieve it. It’s not just the fact that they have to play one of the Tri-Nations teams each tour. You could try the same experiment with an equivalent squad from the Southern Hemisphere and they would have a hard time beating the best teams in Europe in Dublin, Paris, London or Cardiff.
When the Lions get on the plane to cross the equator every four years, they will have just finished a gruelling season. The Magners League, Guinness Premiership and the Six Nations will all have taken their toll. Chances are they have had to peak twice in the course of the season already, for club/province and country. And now, when they should be thinking about heading off on their summer holidays, they have to peak once more as they face one of the top three Test sides in the world. Let’s face it, they’re knackered! Look at how many of the squad have picked up injuries so far. There is only so much punishment the human body can take, even elite athletes such as the Lions players. Summer tours should be for development sides and emerging players, not high-octane, full-on Test matches played by top players with 35-odd matches under their belts that season.
The last Lions Tour win was in 1997 in South Africa. Professionalism was in its early days, and the game was very different to what it is now. Looking at the way things are going, that feat is highly unlikely to be repeated any time soon. As I said back in 2005, the IRFU should have a long, hard think about its participation in future tours. Our pool of world-class players is just too small to risk them being injured.
As it stands, the host union holds all the trump cards. They are playing at home, are an established side with players all well used to one another, and are in the middle of their season. In contrast, the Lions play every Test match away, have only six weeks or so to gel together as a team, and are at the end of their season. This is where the problems lie.
Rugby is a team game, with each player having a defined role. Successful teams are those which have an established core of players with plenty of experience playing alongside one another. Some of these players may be better players than others, but in the end the team should be more than just the sum of its parts. It takes more than just a talented squad of players and a top class coaching outfit to create a Test-standard team from scratch. And it certainly takes more than six weeks to achieve it. It’s not just the fact that they have to play one of the Tri-Nations teams each tour. You could try the same experiment with an equivalent squad from the Southern Hemisphere and they would have a hard time beating the best teams in Europe in Dublin, Paris, London or Cardiff.
When the Lions get on the plane to cross the equator every four years, they will have just finished a gruelling season. The Magners League, Guinness Premiership and the Six Nations will all have taken their toll. Chances are they have had to peak twice in the course of the season already, for club/province and country. And now, when they should be thinking about heading off on their summer holidays, they have to peak once more as they face one of the top three Test sides in the world. Let’s face it, they’re knackered! Look at how many of the squad have picked up injuries so far. There is only so much punishment the human body can take, even elite athletes such as the Lions players. Summer tours should be for development sides and emerging players, not high-octane, full-on Test matches played by top players with 35-odd matches under their belts that season.
The last Lions Tour win was in 1997 in South Africa. Professionalism was in its early days, and the game was very different to what it is now. Looking at the way things are going, that feat is highly unlikely to be repeated any time soon. As I said back in 2005, the IRFU should have a long, hard think about its participation in future tours. Our pool of world-class players is just too small to risk them being injured.
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Fathers Day
21/06/09 22:06 Filed in: Dadage
Things have been a
little quiet here at UnLaoised Central over the last
week. I’m working on a couple of projects, one of
which I will be making public here before long.
Anyways, today was Fathers Day, and I got all the necessary spoiling. Breakfast in bed, and a card made by Aoife (with a little help from her Mum). This afternoon, we headed off to Birr Castle to have a stroll around the gardens there. We had been there before two years ago, but on that occasion it lashed rain. Thankfully this time it stayed dry, and very enjoyable it was too.
Anyways, today was Fathers Day, and I got all the necessary spoiling. Breakfast in bed, and a card made by Aoife (with a little help from her Mum). This afternoon, we headed off to Birr Castle to have a stroll around the gardens there. We had been there before two years ago, but on that occasion it lashed rain. Thankfully this time it stayed dry, and very enjoyable it was too.
Altamont Gardens
14/06/09 21:34 Filed in: Photos
We spent a very
agreeable afternoon today at Altamont Gardens near Tullow, Co Carlow. It
rained on the way there and on the way back home,
but thankfully it was nice and sunny while we were
there.
I’m often up and
down the N80, and so had been aware of Altamont
Gardens for some time, without actually knowing what
was there. I was leafing through a Fáilte Ireland
guide to the South East last week and saw an entry
for it, so I suggested to Herself that we should go
there some Sunday. Usually this sort of thing gets
filed by us under “Must Do - Sometime” and then gets
forgotten about. But today at 11 o’clock, with the
sun shining, I mentioned it again. So off we went.
I’m not a keen gardener by any stretch of the imagination, but even my uncouth eye was impressed by the gardens here. There is an enormous collection of plants and flowers, arranged along borders and plots through which there are gravelled walkways, all of which is impeccably kept. The house looks like it is in need of some serious tlc, but it is a beautiful building.
I have put together a small album of photos from our visit, which you can see here.
Late lunch afterward at the Lord Bagenal Inn in Leighlinbridge rounded off a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon.
Altamont Gardens location:
I’m not a keen gardener by any stretch of the imagination, but even my uncouth eye was impressed by the gardens here. There is an enormous collection of plants and flowers, arranged along borders and plots through which there are gravelled walkways, all of which is impeccably kept. The house looks like it is in need of some serious tlc, but it is a beautiful building.
I have put together a small album of photos from our visit, which you can see here.
Late lunch afterward at the Lord Bagenal Inn in Leighlinbridge rounded off a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon.
Altamont Gardens location:
Wouldn't You Just Luv It?
12/06/09 22:58 Filed in: Sport
| General
Nonsense
Imagine…
It’s the knock-out stage of the Champions League 2010. Manchester United have been drawn against Real Madrid. First leg in the Bernebeu ends in a 0-0 draw. Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t play against his former club in that match because he’d, I don’t know, broken his suntan or something.
Second leg in Old Trafford, and Ronaldo is back to full fitness and ready to face his old comrades. United are one up as the clock ticks over 90 minutes and we go into injury time. Thirty seconds to go, Real make a break up the field, and just as Ronaldo crosses into the penalty area, Wayne Rooney tries to put in a tackle. No contact is made, but true to form Ronaldo hits the deck clutching his knee in apparent agony. Penalty given. Ronaldo leaps to his feet and sends the United keeper the wrong way. He wheels away, kissing the badge on his shirt. There is no time left. Real go through on away goals.
If I had £80 million of my own to spare, I’d nearly pay it just to see that…
It’s the knock-out stage of the Champions League 2010. Manchester United have been drawn against Real Madrid. First leg in the Bernebeu ends in a 0-0 draw. Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t play against his former club in that match because he’d, I don’t know, broken his suntan or something.
Second leg in Old Trafford, and Ronaldo is back to full fitness and ready to face his old comrades. United are one up as the clock ticks over 90 minutes and we go into injury time. Thirty seconds to go, Real make a break up the field, and just as Ronaldo crosses into the penalty area, Wayne Rooney tries to put in a tackle. No contact is made, but true to form Ronaldo hits the deck clutching his knee in apparent agony. Penalty given. Ronaldo leaps to his feet and sends the United keeper the wrong way. He wheels away, kissing the badge on his shirt. There is no time left. Real go through on away goals.
If I had £80 million of my own to spare, I’d nearly pay it just to see that…
Heineken Cup Draw & Other Stuff
09/06/09 20:58 Filed in: Sport
Despite the presence of an Italian team in Munster’s pool, this will once again be a tough assignment for the two-time Heineken Cup Champions and current Magners League champions. Perpignan are the current Top 14 champions, and Northampton won the Challenge Cup this season. However, in comparison to recent seasons, it is somewhat more favourable.
Meanwhile in South Africa, Ireland lost another Lion. Stephen Ferris has been ruled out of the rest of the tour after suffering a knee injury, and his place has been taken by Welsh captain Ryan Jones. Ferris joins a growing list of Irishmen who have been forced out of the tour, either through injury or suspension. So far, along with Ferris we have lost three Munstermen - Tomás O’Leary, Jerry Flannery and Alan Quinlan, and with Gordon D’Arcy joining the squad, the Irish contingent has gone down from 14 to 11.
Election Wrap Up
08/06/09 21:23 Filed in: Politics
The counting is pretty
much done and dusted and the results in. So how
did my
predictions for the Euros stand up?
Dublin: I had Mary Lou retaining her seat at the expense of Eoin Ryan. In fact neither of them retained their seats, and Joe Higgins snuck in for the final seat. Two out of three.
East: McGuinness, Childers and Aylward. 3/3.
South: Crowley and Kelly x 2. 3/3 again.
North West: Not yet formally declared, but it will be Gallagher, Higgins and Harkin. 3/3 again.
That makes 11 out of 12. Dammit, it’s a pity FaceTheBall.com doesn’t do elections.
The big story across both elections is of course the hammering taken by Fianna Fáil and the Greens. FF lost a pile of seats at a local level and their MEP in Dublin. The Greens were wiped off the map in Dublin and only managed to win three local authority seats. Their two Euro candidates, Senators Deirdre de Burca and Dan Boyle both performed dismally. If there was a general election tomorrow, it would be hard to see a single Green TD retain their seat.
There are a couple of other stories worth noting too. Loopertas disappeared in a puff of smoke overnight. Never before has so much money been spent on so inept a campaign. Caroline Simons could only manage a paltry 3.3% in Dublin, while Raymond O’Malley managed 1% more in East. Declan Ganley benefitted from the dearth of Galway-based candidates from the major parties to gain a respectable 13.7% first preference share in North West. Sadly for him, that wasn’t enough, and so he went to the presiding officer to point out that some of his votes may have been allocated to another candidate. As it turned out, he had actually benefitted from the error, and his raising the issue cost him about 3000 votes. He conceded defeat earlier this evening and promised to bow out of politics. With his going, hopefully that is the last we will see of Loopertas on the Irish political scene.
Incidentally, in their initial blaze of glory phase, they claimed they were on course to win over 100 seats across Europe. They managed one.
The other story is Sinn Féin. This election was tailor made for a protest party like SF. Mid-term, hugely unpopular government - just the sort of situation where Sinn Féin could and should profit. What happened? They hit the buffers, that’s what. Their share of first preferences was almost identical to 2004, they made no gains in council seats, and failed to win any European seat. The party brass will have to look closely at what happened, particularly in Dublin. They lost four council seats in the capital and their golden girl Mary Lou McDonald lost her European seat. If she had lost the seat to Eoin Ryan, that could be explained away by the fact that Dublin had gone from four seats to three, but they both lost out to Joe Higgins. SF should have been able to mop up the disaffected voters in Dublin, especially those from the left, but instead these voters put their trust in Labour, the Socialist Party and the Ideology Before Reality Alliance. Add to the fact that SF lost a TD in 2007, and this is a party that is going nowhere fast.
So overall, it was a satisfactory result, especially in the Euros. Only one anti-Lisbon candidate got elected MEP, and the two that were there both lost out. By and large, we have a group of MEPs that are actually interested in representing our interests in Europe, and are supporters of the European ideal.
Contrast this to the UK, from where 13 UKIP and two British National Party MEPs will soon be booking their flights to Strasbourg.
At least we haven’t got that to contend with.
Dublin: I had Mary Lou retaining her seat at the expense of Eoin Ryan. In fact neither of them retained their seats, and Joe Higgins snuck in for the final seat. Two out of three.
East: McGuinness, Childers and Aylward. 3/3.
South: Crowley and Kelly x 2. 3/3 again.
North West: Not yet formally declared, but it will be Gallagher, Higgins and Harkin. 3/3 again.
That makes 11 out of 12. Dammit, it’s a pity FaceTheBall.com doesn’t do elections.
The big story across both elections is of course the hammering taken by Fianna Fáil and the Greens. FF lost a pile of seats at a local level and their MEP in Dublin. The Greens were wiped off the map in Dublin and only managed to win three local authority seats. Their two Euro candidates, Senators Deirdre de Burca and Dan Boyle both performed dismally. If there was a general election tomorrow, it would be hard to see a single Green TD retain their seat.
There are a couple of other stories worth noting too. Loopertas disappeared in a puff of smoke overnight. Never before has so much money been spent on so inept a campaign. Caroline Simons could only manage a paltry 3.3% in Dublin, while Raymond O’Malley managed 1% more in East. Declan Ganley benefitted from the dearth of Galway-based candidates from the major parties to gain a respectable 13.7% first preference share in North West. Sadly for him, that wasn’t enough, and so he went to the presiding officer to point out that some of his votes may have been allocated to another candidate. As it turned out, he had actually benefitted from the error, and his raising the issue cost him about 3000 votes. He conceded defeat earlier this evening and promised to bow out of politics. With his going, hopefully that is the last we will see of Loopertas on the Irish political scene.
Incidentally, in their initial blaze of glory phase, they claimed they were on course to win over 100 seats across Europe. They managed one.
The other story is Sinn Féin. This election was tailor made for a protest party like SF. Mid-term, hugely unpopular government - just the sort of situation where Sinn Féin could and should profit. What happened? They hit the buffers, that’s what. Their share of first preferences was almost identical to 2004, they made no gains in council seats, and failed to win any European seat. The party brass will have to look closely at what happened, particularly in Dublin. They lost four council seats in the capital and their golden girl Mary Lou McDonald lost her European seat. If she had lost the seat to Eoin Ryan, that could be explained away by the fact that Dublin had gone from four seats to three, but they both lost out to Joe Higgins. SF should have been able to mop up the disaffected voters in Dublin, especially those from the left, but instead these voters put their trust in Labour, the Socialist Party and the Ideology Before Reality Alliance. Add to the fact that SF lost a TD in 2007, and this is a party that is going nowhere fast.
So overall, it was a satisfactory result, especially in the Euros. Only one anti-Lisbon candidate got elected MEP, and the two that were there both lost out. By and large, we have a group of MEPs that are actually interested in representing our interests in Europe, and are supporters of the European ideal.
Contrast this to the UK, from where 13 UKIP and two British National Party MEPs will soon be booking their flights to Strasbourg.
At least we haven’t got that to contend with.
Election Update
07/06/09 21:53 Filed in: Politics
The first count is in
for the East constituency, and as expected
Mairéad
McGuinness has romped home (as she did in 2004), and
is the first candidate to be deemed elected across
the whole country. Nessa Childers of Labour came in a
very creditable second and pushed Fianna Fáil’s Liam
Aylward into third place on first preferences. The
second Fine Gael candidate, John Paul Phelan, took
fourth place. Thomas Byrne of Fianna Fáil is fifth,
followed by the two Sinn Féin candidates in sixth and
seventh, while Raymond O’Malley of Loopertas could
only manage eighth.
There was no Green candidate in this constituency this time around, and it looks like Nessa Childers was the beneficiary of their absence. Almost all of the other parties flatlined, but Labour’s 5% increase in vote matched almost exactly what Mary White of the Greens won in first preferences in 2004. Mind you, the way the Greens have been performing overall in both the locals and the Europeans, it could be argued that the presence of a Green candidate this time out would have made little difference in any case.
So it’s looking like Childers will take the seat left vacant by Fine Gael’s Avril Doyle, and Aylward will hold his for Fianna Fáil.
There are close calls all round in the other constituencies. Will Joe Higgins hold off Mary Lou McDonald and take Eoin Ryan’s seat in Dublin? Can Alan Kelly elbow ahead of Toiréasa Ferris in the South and take Kathy Sinnott’s seat? Will Declan Ganley deliver the shock result of the night and land the third seat there for Loopertas? We shall have to wait and see.
In the locals, here in the Emo LEA of Laois County Council, Fine Gael won two seats (Tom Mulhall and James Deegan), Fianna Fáil won one (Ray Cribbin) and independent candidate Paul Mitchell held his seat.
The best election coverage is to be found on all the main media outlets, and also IrishElection.com
There was no Green candidate in this constituency this time around, and it looks like Nessa Childers was the beneficiary of their absence. Almost all of the other parties flatlined, but Labour’s 5% increase in vote matched almost exactly what Mary White of the Greens won in first preferences in 2004. Mind you, the way the Greens have been performing overall in both the locals and the Europeans, it could be argued that the presence of a Green candidate this time out would have made little difference in any case.
So it’s looking like Childers will take the seat left vacant by Fine Gael’s Avril Doyle, and Aylward will hold his for Fianna Fáil.
There are close calls all round in the other constituencies. Will Joe Higgins hold off Mary Lou McDonald and take Eoin Ryan’s seat in Dublin? Can Alan Kelly elbow ahead of Toiréasa Ferris in the South and take Kathy Sinnott’s seat? Will Declan Ganley deliver the shock result of the night and land the third seat there for Loopertas? We shall have to wait and see.
In the locals, here in the Emo LEA of Laois County Council, Fine Gael won two seats (Tom Mulhall and James Deegan), Fianna Fáil won one (Ray Cribbin) and independent candidate Paul Mitchell held his seat.
The best election coverage is to be found on all the main media outlets, and also IrishElection.com
Muddy Puddles
05/06/09 22:05 Filed in: Dadage
The Elections
03/06/09 21:42 Filed in: Politics
It seems like we have
been living with those wretched election posters
forever, so it’s comforting to know that they will
all be gone by Friday week. The local and European
elections aren’t quite as meaty as a general
election, but there has been some drama along the way
nonetheless.
Polls up to now have pointed to a potentially disastrous election for Fianna Fáil. They stand to lose several council seats and at possibly one Euro seat as well. If, as the polls suggest, they end up in second or even third place in terms of votes won, it will be a huge boost for the opposition parties. However, it will matter not a jot, as the coalition will still have a majority in the Dáil. Can you imagine Brian Cowen appearing on the steps of Government Buildings on the evening after the count, announcing a general election because he feels that the government no longer have the confidence of the people? No, me neither.
The only way this government could fall is if FF lose Dublin South and the Greens decide to walk. That is unlikely too (the Greens walking, that is - FF probably will lose D South), as John Gormley and his colleagues know that they will be annihilated in the ensuing election. Fianna Fáil will never be shamed into calling an election if they can still cobble the numbers together. Their arses are much too comfortable in their ministerial Mercs.
Much as I feel I should take part in the national witch-hunt against the government parties, I am going to resist. As anyone who would have been reading this blog at the time of the Lisbon Treaty campaign will know, I was and remain a staunch supporter of the notion that passing the Treaty is vital for both Ireland and the EU. I cannot see why it would be in Ireland’s interest to elect MEPs who are hostile to the EU, whether they be from Sinn Féin, Libertas or independents like Joe Higgins in Dublin or Kathy Sinnott in South. Therefore, in the Euro poll, my preferences will go to pro-Lisbon Treaty candidates and parties only. And that will include Fianna Fáil.
In the locals, I admit that I am still somewhat undecided. Local politics are very different to national, and I know that there are some very fine candidates available from all parties and also standing as independents. While I would never countenance voting for an independent candidate in a general election, I have no such qualms when it comes to local elections. Of all the candidates I have met since the campaign began, one independent here in Port has impressed me most and will probably get my Number 1. I will continue well down the ballot paper for my subsequent preferences.
So, some predictions for the Euros:
East: Mairéad McGuinness, Liam Aylward and Nessa Childers
Dublin: Pronsias de Rossa, Gay Mitchell and Mary Lou McDonald just pipping Eoin Ryan for the third.
South: Brian Crowley, Séan Kelly (taking Colm Burke’s seat), and either Alan Kelly or Toireasa Ferris taking Kathy Sinnott’s seat. (What was that? Call it? OK then - Kelly - just.)
North-West: Pat “da Cope” Gallagher, Jim Higgins and Marian Harkin.
What I would like to see:
Eoin Ryan prevail in Dublin over Mary Lou McDonald.
Kathy Sinnott to be told by the people of Munster that her services are no longer required.
Libertas to be humiliated.
Polls up to now have pointed to a potentially disastrous election for Fianna Fáil. They stand to lose several council seats and at possibly one Euro seat as well. If, as the polls suggest, they end up in second or even third place in terms of votes won, it will be a huge boost for the opposition parties. However, it will matter not a jot, as the coalition will still have a majority in the Dáil. Can you imagine Brian Cowen appearing on the steps of Government Buildings on the evening after the count, announcing a general election because he feels that the government no longer have the confidence of the people? No, me neither.
The only way this government could fall is if FF lose Dublin South and the Greens decide to walk. That is unlikely too (the Greens walking, that is - FF probably will lose D South), as John Gormley and his colleagues know that they will be annihilated in the ensuing election. Fianna Fáil will never be shamed into calling an election if they can still cobble the numbers together. Their arses are much too comfortable in their ministerial Mercs.
Much as I feel I should take part in the national witch-hunt against the government parties, I am going to resist. As anyone who would have been reading this blog at the time of the Lisbon Treaty campaign will know, I was and remain a staunch supporter of the notion that passing the Treaty is vital for both Ireland and the EU. I cannot see why it would be in Ireland’s interest to elect MEPs who are hostile to the EU, whether they be from Sinn Féin, Libertas or independents like Joe Higgins in Dublin or Kathy Sinnott in South. Therefore, in the Euro poll, my preferences will go to pro-Lisbon Treaty candidates and parties only. And that will include Fianna Fáil.
In the locals, I admit that I am still somewhat undecided. Local politics are very different to national, and I know that there are some very fine candidates available from all parties and also standing as independents. While I would never countenance voting for an independent candidate in a general election, I have no such qualms when it comes to local elections. Of all the candidates I have met since the campaign began, one independent here in Port has impressed me most and will probably get my Number 1. I will continue well down the ballot paper for my subsequent preferences.
So, some predictions for the Euros:
East: Mairéad McGuinness, Liam Aylward and Nessa Childers
Dublin: Pronsias de Rossa, Gay Mitchell and Mary Lou McDonald just pipping Eoin Ryan for the third.
South: Brian Crowley, Séan Kelly (taking Colm Burke’s seat), and either Alan Kelly or Toireasa Ferris taking Kathy Sinnott’s seat. (What was that? Call it? OK then - Kelly - just.)
North-West: Pat “da Cope” Gallagher, Jim Higgins and Marian Harkin.
What I would like to see:
Eoin Ryan prevail in Dublin over Mary Lou McDonald.
Kathy Sinnott to be told by the people of Munster that her services are no longer required.
Libertas to be humiliated.
TMI Alert
03/06/09 21:22 Filed in: General
Nonsense | Sport
Whenever a sportsman or
woman cries off for medical reasons, the press
release is usually a bit vague, and for good reason.
If someone is feeling a bit under the weather, it’s
nobody’s business but their own. He “has the flu” or
“is suffering from a viral infection”, or something
similarly vague.
This obviously doesn’t apply to Pakistani cricket players. When fast bowler Shoaib Akthar couldn’t report for duty at the World Twenty20 tournament, the Pakistani Cricket Board were somewhat candid about the condition that was keeping him out of the action. From the Guardian:
This obviously doesn’t apply to Pakistani cricket players. When fast bowler Shoaib Akthar couldn’t report for duty at the World Twenty20 tournament, the Pakistani Cricket Board were somewhat candid about the condition that was keeping him out of the action. From the Guardian:
"The medical board has reported that Shoaib Akhtar was suffering from genital viral warts and the wound needs further care and treatment for another 10 days," the PCB said in a statement.