ConnachtCows wrote:

Mark Mostyn wrote:

ConnachtCows wrote: Fergus McFadden has been drafted into the Irish squad to replace Tommy Bowe.

And with that, I am giving up on this Irish team. So frustrating, and predictable.

Ah he's not going to get near the team, he's just there to train, I'd say Joe picked him because he knows the systems, no point in bringing in Byrne or Sweetnam for 4 days if they're going to be lost in training and nowhere near the match team anyway

Except those 4 days could be hugely beneficial to these young players. Let them get familiar with the systems. Let them bring some new energy to the squad. Let them show up the untouchables within the squad. Could be the kick up the arse a huge amount of the Irish players need.
McFadden will bring nothing.

If this was 2 weeks ago I'd be right with you, I just don't think it's possible for a young lad to come into the squad and pick up Joe's systems in a matter of days, and I'm sure the players and coaches would rather focus on getting prep right for England than helping a young lad get to know the systems. I was disappointed that the likes of Byrne didn't make the first squad but now isn't the time to bring them in.

In any case it's a marginal call and hardly worth giving up on your national team.

I don't mean to pick an argument with you it just really irritates me that when we win a couple of games the narrative from Irish fans (and to an extent the media) is that we are great and all the players are world class and that Joe is the best coach in the world and you can't say anything in any way negative about team Ireland. Then we lose a few games and all of a sudden we're rubbish, the players are useless, Joe hasn't a clue, etc etc. There's no in between at all

salmson wrote:

ConnachtCows wrote: Fergus McFadden has been drafted into the Irish squad to replace Tommy Bowe.

And with that, I am giving up on this Irish team. So frustrating, and predictable.

Years ago my neighbour bought a load of mountain sheep for some reason. They jumped up on the wall with one bound to see what was happening if they heard a car, they turned up anywhere and everywhere. They were more like fluffy mountain goats, and they didn't last long.

One day I was shooing them out of the garden through the wood fence (two planks with a gap in between) when my then 2 year old son came running round the corner doing his best sheepdog impersonation and the blasted things tore off back to their field in a panic.

One of the sheep misjudged her leap and smacked into one of the planks instead of hopping between them. She decided the best thing to do was to back up a bit and run harder at the fence, pretty much knocking herself out. I suspect if she's still alive that sheep is coaching the Ireland attack.

Mark Mostyn wrote:

ConnachtCows wrote: Fergus McFadden has been drafted into the Irish squad to replace Tommy Bowe.

And with that, I am giving up on this Irish team. So frustrating, and predictable.

Ah he's not going to get near the team, he's just there to train, I'd say Joe picked him because he knows the systems, no point in bringing in Byrne or Sweetnam for 4 days if they're going to be lost in training and nowhere near the match team anyway

Except those 4 days could be hugely beneficial to these young players. Let them get familiar with the systems. Let them bring some new energy to the squad. Let them show up the untouchables within the squad. Could be the kick up the arse a huge amount of the Irish players need.
McFadden will bring nothing.

ConnachtCows wrote: Fergus McFadden has been drafted into the Irish squad to replace Tommy Bowe.

And with that, I am giving up on this Irish team. So frustrating, and predictable.

Ah he's not going to get near the team, he's just there to train, I'd say Joe picked him because he knows the systems, no point in bringing in Byrne or Sweetnam for 4 days if they're going to be lost in training and nowhere near the match team anyway

ConnachtCows wrote: Fergus McFadden has been drafted into the Irish squad to replace Tommy Bowe.

And with that, I am giving up on this Irish team. So frustrating, and predictable.

Years ago my neighbour bought a load of mountain sheep for some reason. They jumped up on the wall with one bound to see what was happening if they heard a car, they turned up anywhere and everywhere. They were more like fluffy mountain goats, and they didn't last long.

One day I was shooing them out of the garden through the wood fence (two planks with a gap in between) when my then 2 year old son came running round the corner doing his best sheepdog impersonation and the blasted things tore off back to their field in a panic.

One of the sheep misjudged her leap and smacked into one of the planks instead of hopping between them. She decided the best thing to do was to back up a bit and run harder at the fence, pretty much knocking herself out. I suspect if she's still alive that sheep is coaching the Ireland attack.

Fergus McFadden has been drafted into the Irish squad to replace Tommy Bowe.

And with that, I am giving up on this Irish team. So frustrating, and predictable.

RoadRunnerR1 wrote: Well Just in case anyone thought Joe was going to hold his hands up scream "Mea Culpa" and finally take one for the team, he's decided to hang Jackson out to dry and leave him holding the can.

www.the42.ie/analysis-joe-schmidt-paddy-...017-3283511-Mar2017/

Hmm, that's a bit harsh isn't it? Sure, it's a mistake - and a vital one - but hardly the only or worst mistake made in that passage of play. Why not single out Robbie for giving away two penalties, one of which prevented a sure try? Or better yet, why not opt for the Kidney style of saying nothing at all, saving it for the dressing room.

(and sometimes you'd think the journalist is out shilling for pageviews, but given it's Murray Kinsella I doubt it.)

Well Just in case anyone thought Joe was going to hold his hands up scream "Mea Culpa" and finally take one for the team, he's decided to hang Jackson out to dry and leave him holding the can.

www.the42.ie/analysis-joe-schmidt-paddy-...017-3283511-Mar2017/

This subs thing is very odd, we used to criticize Deccie for it all the time, and I feel like Joe was using his bench tactically early in his tenure. Is it too reductive to suggest that it is a sign of a coach running out of ideas? People (somewhat rightly) mocked Jones for calling his bench finishers but that's how every good coach uses the bench and Joe was using his bench as finishers in the past, but not any more. Joe did a lot of good work following Kidney, brought the team up to a new level of attention to detail, obviously won two championships, blooded a lot of new players so he shouldn't have a problem finding players he trusts to play, but a lot of that work is going to be undone if he doesn't trust his own system any more but also doesn't see what the next step is.

Shelflife wrote: For me the use of the subs bench is bizarre.

I think we all struggle with this. An obviously damaged Murray is better than a fit Marmion. What can you say.? I do think it getting to the point where Joe has to answer the questions. Take for example a facile win against Italy. A real opportunity to blood players within the 6 nations. But no, he didn't do it. So it is not a squad of 40 but a team of 15.

Some good points well made , in particular to the make up of the back row. Losing 3 line outs in crucial positions really put a lot of good work down the drain.

For me the use of the subs bench is bizarre, Subs are there to be used, the days of subs being there to just to cover injuries is long gone. We brought on 4 subs in the 79th min--- when the game was lost and effectively over. Let's be honest Marmion wouldn't have come on until this time either had Murray not being injured. In effect we had 3 impact subs , Wales had 8, straight away we are on the back foot in this regard.

I also think that awarding 4 caps in the 79th min cheapens the International cap.

sea_point wrote:

dobby wrote: Now I could post a diatribe about Rory's lineout throwing, Toner's simple lack of impact these days and much more but I feel somewhat pacified with Sunday TV viewing of Dancing with the Stars. Figure Joe would finally break out and find his inner self on such a show. Certainly more entertaining than Friday

You could but it would be irrelevant really. The major issue is playing Stander & SOB against a back-row with two open sides, and then only having PO'M another blindside as the direct replacement when you have Hendo who can cover blindside anyway on the bench also..

Once the oppo make their tackles against those two, all momentum is dead, you need balance in the backrow and either Stander or O'Brien should have been balance by a natural forager of which Ireland actually have loads even allowing for Josh VanDerFliers injury, Leavy or Tommy O'Donnell would offer more competition at the breakdown.....

It was a huge gamble by Schmidt against Tipuric and Warburton, that didn't remotely come close to paying off (O'Brien for example made 12 runs for 6 metres) . If the forwards aren't making a dent and get the oppo on the back foot, then the backs have no chance. We were too obvious in attack as a result, and after the first twenty when we dominated Wales were comfortable in defense.....

Well said seapoint. We have a gameplan, it may not be the most exciting gameplan, but fundamental to that gameplan is our backrow dominating the game. Rory did not help the situation, Toner is truly ineffective these days, but our backrow is hugely critical to the gameplan. And Joe chose badly. We can all be critical about the Kearney/earls/zebo axis but in in reality they are irrelevant to the current team strategy. Of course we might like to see TOH at fullback, we might like to see adam byrne on the wing, but fundamentally they would have no effect, They simply are irrelevant to the gameplan. That plan is focused and you are right, Joe made poor decisions this weekend. This is his gameplan, he honestly should have known better 

dobby wrote: Now I could post a diatribe about Rory's lineout throwing, Toner's simple lack of impact these days and much more but I feel somewhat pacified with Sunday TV viewing of Dancing with the Stars. Figure Joe would finally break out and find his inner self on such a show. Certainly more entertaining than Friday

You could but it would be irrelevant really. The major issue is playing Stander & SOB against a back-row with two open sides, and then only having PO'M another blindside as the direct replacement when you have Hendo who can cover blindside anyway on the bench also..

Once the oppo make their tackles against those two, all momentum is dead, you need balance in the backrow and either Stander or O'Brien should have been balance by a natural forager of which Ireland actually have loads even allowing for Josh VanDerFliers injury, Leavy or Tommy O'Donnell would offer more competition at the breakdown.....

It was a huge gamble by Schmidt against Tipuric and Warburton, that didn't remotely come close to paying off (O'Brien for example made 12 runs for 6 metres) . If the forwards aren't making a dent and get the oppo on the back foot, then the backs have no chance. We were too obvious in attack as a result, and after the first twenty when we dominated Wales were comfortable in defense.....

dobby wrote: Now I could post a diatribe about Rory's lineout throwing, Toner's simple lack of impact these days and much more but I feel somewhat pacified with Sunday TV viewing of Dancing with the Stars. Figure Joe would finally break out and find his inner self on such a show. Certainly more entertaining than Friday

:huh:

Now I could post a diatribe about Rory's lineout throwing, Toner's simple lack of impact these days and much more but I feel somewhat pacified with Sunday TV viewing of Dancing with the Stars. Figure Joe would finally break out and find his inner self on such a show. Certainly more entertaining than Friday

dobby wrote: Any news on autumn internationals this year. Who might we be playing?

Between the 2014/15 and 2016/17 seasons we've had Aus visiting twice, SA once and NZ once (not counting Chicago as a visit even though it might as well have been a home match), so I'd guess SA and NZ or SA and Arg as the tier 1 visitors based on the usual rotation.