Irish AI Squad

[Spiffsson]

The surprise is Toners selection I thought Treadwell would have started with Toner on the Bench to strengthen the line out if it started to stutter.

But 13 changes from last week shows Joe recognises 5 mins caps from the bench is no guarantee of International experience and fails to provide any basis of assessing any player's international potential.

Dave Kearney is a known but is basically the only back with International experience be he ever so wanting as a player but defensively he is a serious set up from Byrne .

Unfortunately Larmour lacks experience at Pro14 level and IMO is the best of the Leinster would be wingers although he would like to be a centre .

Nice to see McCloskey get a cap along with Farrell and while with Ringrose Henshaw and Payne and Ali it appears there is ample cover the fact is centres occupy an area of the pitch where injuries are plentiful because the channels are frequently subject to attack by heavy back rows coming at pace and players like Sonny Boy .









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I would say the best of the would be Lieinster wings is Barry Daly. Clocked as the fastest man on the squad, big, good footwork and a nose for the try line. I think the would have been on the Ireland AI training squad if he wasn't injured.

[Russ]

Dave Kearney head over heals at being guaranteed 3 tries to his tally against a bankrupt nation

PS that would double his try total!

How does a winger with a try scoring record of less than 1 every 5 games even get a pro contract?

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He is prolific compared to Luke Fitzgerald. He made his debut in 2006, scored 2 against Italy in 2009 and finally added another try in a world cup warm up in 2015 and then low and behold he finally scored one that mattered, a great try against the Argies in the RWC quarter-final. Of course, another dick, Shinnerboots missed the chance to put Ireland ahead and having been let off the hook, the Argies were like Fit in the Falklands and kicked Irelands D4 butts.

I'll tell you another interesting Fitzchube 35 cap career fact & "maybe-fact". In an era when Ireland has been comparatively successful, he is probably one of very very few Irish players who played a substantial number of games but has a losing record. In fairness to him, he didn;t play as many games against tier 2 teams as most. 35 caps 4 tries eh?

Makes Daverage feel like Stockcube that does

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[rumncoke]

Gilroy is just back fro
m injury but should be in the mix as he is a better prospect than Dave


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[BaggyTrousers]

For clarity, I'd hate my above intervention to be taken as a sign of giving a tinkerswank, I don't, I'm just doing my duty of corrected Russ, he can play fast and loose with facts.

I hope Tonga slaughter the Paddybastards.

Oh aye, thon big lump Farrell beside big lump Stu is outrageous, Farrell has been uniformly shyte any time I've seen him for Munster this season. Not that I give the slight's fairy's fart.

[Russ]

For clarity, I'd hate my above intervention to be taken as a sign of giving a tinkerswank, I don't, I'm just doing my duty of corrected Russ, he can play fast and loose with facts.

I hope Tonga slaughter the Paddybastards.

Oh aye, thon big lump Farrell beside big lump Stu is outrageous, Farrell has been uniformly shyte any time I've seen him for Munster this season. Not that I give the slight's fairy's fart.

Nothing i said was factually incorrect

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[Shan]

I hope Tonga slaughter the Paddybastards.

When is that match on?

As for this weekend's game - it hardly matters who Ireland have selected if looking at the game in isolation. There is no excuse for not winning as we please. If looking more longterm then Kearney is not a selection one would make and neither is Toner. The experience argument is a bit meh, especially in relation to Kearney. Mostly his experiences have been of him not being good enough. Don't see what that adds.

[Shan]

Oh aye, thon big lump Farrell beside big lump Stu is outrageous, Farrell has been uniformly shyte any time I've seen him for Munster this season. Not that I give the slight's fairy's fart.

Neither of them would realistically get anywhere near the team against any decent team if we had a full deck to select from. However in this game they should get away with it. Farrell is terrible though on all evidence thus far. McCloskey is at least somewhat useful as a battering ram. If he was around in the early 90's he'd probably have 20 caps by now but he'd not be any better than he is because of them.

[jean valjean]

Oh aye, thon big lump Farrell beside big lump Stu is outrageous, Farrell has been uniformly shyte any time I've seen him for Munster this season. Not that I give the slight's fairy's fart.

Neither of them would realistically get anywhere near the team against any decent team if we had a full deck to select from. However in this game they should get away with it. Farrell is terrible though on all evidence thus far. McCloskey is at least somewhat useful as a battering ram. If he was around in the early 90's he'd probably have 20 caps by now but he'd not be any better than he is because of them.

Ulster have 3 13s better than Farrell sitting twiddling at the minute (albeit one hasn't played all year). He is a 12 all day long. Can't help but feel joe has paired them together so that both can be universally dumped after this game.

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[BR]

I hope Tonga slaughter the Paddybastards.

When is that match on?

Baggy doesn't care.

[Dave]

Oh aye, thon big lump Farrell beside big lump Stu is outrageous, Farrell has been uniformly shyte any time I've seen him for Munster this season. Not that I give the slight's fairy's fart.

Neither of them would realistically get anywhere near the team against any decent team if we had a full deck to select from. However in this game they should get away with it. Farrell is terrible though on all evidence thus far. McCloskey is at least somewhat useful as a battering ram. If he was around in the early 90's he'd probably have 20 caps by now but he'd not be any better than he is because of them.

Using McCloskey as a battering ram is not using the best of his skills. Allow him to play his natural game: off-loading/line breaking. He is most effective when he varies his game. He has had terrible coaching for two years and used wrongly as a bludgeon.

Henshaw is a good player but better as a full back imho. Bundee is good too and they work well as a centre pairing. I would say they are solid at international level but not amazing at the same time.

[rumncoke]

By the time players make Pro rugby they shouldn't need individual coaching-- period , what is necessary is familiarity with players you are playing with and time on the training ground rather than time in the gym.

If you passing needs to improve practice passing if your kicking needs to improve practice kicking , but if by the time your a pro you don't know which shoulder to run at or how ,and when to throw a dummy pass then somebody somewhere has seriously F-cked Up.

Coaching isn't about teaching individual players at pro level it about trying to ensure they play as group or team that they can play a number of roles in attack and defence .

These players are not the school under 12s or mini rugby players they are 23 - 30 + years old.

They play to patterns or orders for about 90% of time on the pitch waiting for a mismatch or error by the opposition .

Kearney seldom plays badly because he plays to orders but in the same breath by doing so he seldom stars, but then in International rugby is seldom a game for stars but the result depends on the team who make the fewest mistakes.

As for Farrell at Munster by take would be remember its Munster -- Munster centres seldom catch the eye but at the same time Munster seldom lose that fact says something.

[Dave]

Horseshit

[Shan]

Ulster have 3 13s better than Farrell sitting twiddling at the minute (albeit one hasn't played all year). He is a 12 all day long. Can't help but feel joe has paired them together so that both can be universally dumped after this game.

You may be correct. Though being better than Farrell only means they are better than hopeless.

I suspect Farrell is selected as a reward for returning to Ireland. Fair enough I guess in a fairly pointless game but there's lots of players who never got capped for Ireland who always played in Ireland and were better than Farrell will ever be. That seems wrong. Another reason for me to dislike the IRFU brass.

[Shan]

Using McCloskey as a battering ram is not using the best of his skills. Allow him to play his natural game: off-loading/line breaking. He is most effective when he varies his game. He has had terrible coaching for two years and used wrongly as a bludgeon.

Henshaw is a good player but better as a full back imho. Bundee is good too and they work well as a centre pairing. I would say they are solid at international level but not amazing at the same time.

It's up to him to show what he can bring. I'd be more to happy to see him deliver more than I believe he is capable of. If he does that, even in this second rate game, then he should be given another chance to show he can do it against decent opposition. Ball is in his court.

[Shan]

Baggy doesn't care.

Feck Baggy. He's only a ballix.