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Ireland 2020/2021
- Betty Swallocks
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I wonder is this the first ever time we have had seven players named in an Irish squad, only one less than Munster, and three more than Ulster.
And quite a few of them could feature in the 23 against Italy too. Bundee is an automatic starter at 12. KM will either start 9, or understudy Murray at 21. Jack Carty is likely to be given the No22 jersey. If Henderson is banned for his recent red card, then it's possible Quinn Roux might start, and certain that either he or Ultan D will bench at No19. Dave Heff stands a really good chance of starting this game or shadowing Kelleher from the bench at No16, while Finlay Bealham is playing better than John Ryan at the moment and could also be in the 23.
So possibly up to 6 of the 23 vs Italy to be Connachtmen.
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- Sol_ie
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Good show for our lads Connacht lads today - shame neither Jack nor Kieran got to show their stuff, but our forwards got to finish the game out quite nicely. Heff looked solid with the throws, Finlay threw the weight around a good bit, Ultan solid. Bundee was usual ball of energy.
That was some offload from POM, eh?
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- Sol_ie
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Team for Nations Cup up now. Finlay, Ultan, Dave Heff, Quinn, Bundee, Marms part of the extended squad. Fair play to them all!!
Feel bad for Jack, but reckon it'll be a chance for him to show his class for us.
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- Sol_ie
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Loose Head Healy Kilcoyne
Hooker Heffernan Herring Kelleher
Tight Head Furlong O'Toole Porter
Second Row Beirne Dillane Henderson Roux Ryan
Back Row Connors Doris O'Mahony Ruddock Stander van der Flier
Scrum Half Casey Gibson Park Murray
Fly Half Burns Byrne Sexton
Centre Aki Farrell Henshaw McClosky Ringrose
Back Three Conway Daly Earls Keenan Larmour Lowe
Congrats to Heff, Ultan, Quinn and Bundee.
Heart goes out to the lads that should've gotten the shout - Jack and KM especially.
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- Bazzo
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I'd be raging if I was Carty. Every criticism levelled at him he comes back and proves them wrong and he still gets snubbed. Without doubt the best performing 10 in Ireland right now, not even called into the squad.
I just hope we can hold on to him when he knows he's not going to get the recognition he deserves from Ireland.
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- Sol_ie
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At this stage there's a good few of our lads that must feel that they're never going to get a look in no matter how hard and well they play. I couldn't begrudge a single one of them for taking a cheque from French or English sides. Loyalty goes both ways, and when the national side ignores you in favour of much more pedestrian (or past it) players you'd have to think that makes a decision to stay a little bit harder.
(Same goes for John Cooney, btw. I'd be 100% fuming if I were an Ulster supporter. Sure, his run of form hasn't been stellar as of late but he has been cruelly overlooked again and again)
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- overstrander
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I think Marmion and Carty can both feel hard done by. I also think that Heff is quite lucky...
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- Sol_ie
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You'd have to feel sorry for Finlay at the same time. He's been played out of position for Ireland.
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- ShaneM
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Agree with the above. I think Marms, Jack & Finley have been shafted. Finley playing some great rugby at THP.
Tom Daly has been playing very well of late too. Paul Boyle must be close (Along with Coombes from Munster)
Personally not happy with the makeup of the Irish squad. They have picked too many players out of form/coming back from Injury and more importantly relying on an injury prone 35yr old no.10 who will not be at the next World Cup .
Saying that our lads didn't do themselves any favours with our perfomances of late. All they can do is concentrate on provincial matters and hope for a late call up
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- Bazzo
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If only Ireland had a 10 whose touchfinders were always on the money. Somebody with crazy footballing skills.
O'Mahony... Well... Yep.
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- Sol_ie
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It's mad isn't it? JGP didn't look great out there. I though Sexton and Murray had solid games overall, actually. Problem is that when eventually they do get dropped there'll be no nailed on successor who will have started multiple games, come on at 60. It'll be starting from scratch. Mental. Not just if Jack is the man to get the nod (although he should be).
I do feel for POM, moment of sheer stupidity that was more the losing of the game than the final kick. Red totally deserved tho.
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- phatguerilla
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its a funny one because on the one hand he/I can't complain about the red, but if he isn't moving his left arm, ie, if its pinned to his side, probably not even a penalty - totally down to 'optics' imo. At the same time probably a silly idea to even try to clear out Beard(?) at that point?
Is Madigan injured/been in poor form? If it can't be Jack then I would prefer someone with his experience to be coming on rather than Burns, but even JGP and Byrne as a pair on the bench would be preferable to Burns imo. ABB basically, just never been impressed by him.
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- thehoneybadger
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Invalid consumer key/secret in configuration
Team named. What is the logic in naming Craig Casey ahead of Marmion/McGrath/Cooney? I hope I'm wrong but we could be in for a proper beating tomorrow. Burns and Lowe also very lucky to start. I won't even bother discussing Carty not being near the squad.
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- Sol_ie
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the most positive spin I can put on it that it's an attempt to blood a young, exciting SH. I can see the sense in it taken on its own if it had been planned from day 1. Clear just a plan of circumstance.
Glad that Cooney has been called up - you've got to think that his ability to cover 9 and kick helps him.
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- phatguerilla
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thehoneybadger wrote: Invalid consumer key/secret in configuration
Team named. What is the logic in naming Craig Casey ahead of Marmion/McGrath/Cooney?
Clearly wasn't any real logic to it in the end as he was unused! Am I the only one surprised by the amount of positive praise there was for the set piece? I know it is in comparison to last year (which I can't remember but must have been horrendous). There was one lineout where porter lifted a jumper on his own (badly) and the try came from a failed lineout, and there was an attempt to recreate scotlands trick lineout but with henderson as the runner rather than henshaw who would have been more suitable?
Its really hard for me to not get really down on the team/performances so far this season, there's very very little to get excited about in this team. Feels like we're right back to the last days of Kidney.
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- ShaneM
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Agree with you @phatguerilla, a lot of Gra for Paulie!!! Just off hand, there was multiple times that Beirne was just turfed into the Air and penalised for making contact.
The set-piece has improved from last year (Not hard). Attack no so much
ATM, I think it is good that we do not have other players called up as there seams to be something wrong in the national setup. We are so stagnant and to me there is no enjoyment in watching the national team at the mo.
Hopefully that can change, but this panel they picked doesn't do it for me
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