Barry Daly

[leinsterforever]

The reality is that rugby fans generally vastly overestimate the sprinting capability of rugby players. People bandied about a 100m time of 10.8 for Thom Evans, who Margot Wells hailed as the fastest rugby player she'd ever coached. When he tried his hand at athletics, he was a long way off that standard. This from Wikipedia:

"In 2012, Evans, coached by Margot Wells, kick-started his athletic campaign competing in indoor competitions and finished fourth in the Scottish Senior Championships with a personal best of 7.20 for the 60m. During the outdoor season, he ran personal bests of 11.26 for the 100m and 23.14 for the 200m respectively. However, by the end of the season, Evans decided that he would not continue with athletics choosing instead to pursue an acting career."

I mean, maybe those times would be competitive at European level... ...in women's competition...

Isles is a track athlete who came to rugby. Expecting people who haven't spent years training specifically to run sprints to get anywhere near 10 seconds flat is delusional.

A lot of these times that we hear players are supposedly capable of have been hand-timed by friends on grass or that type of thing. I once timed myself running 60m in 6.35s on a beach in Donegal. Does that make me the 60m WR holder? Or is it more likely that I paced out the distance wrong, had a big wind behind me or started the stopwatch too late and stopped it too early? Times mean virtually nothing unless they're done properly by officials at a track

[Peg Leg]

The slow motion vids today showed barry daly and adam byrne running at pace whilst everyone else on screen navigated through the treacle.

[hugonaut]

The reality is that rugby fans generally vastly overestimate the sprinting capability of rugby players. People bandied about a 100m time of 10.8 for Thom Evans, who Margot Wells hailed as the fastest rugby player she'd ever coached. When he tried his hand at athletics, he was a long way off that standard. This from Wikipedia:

"In 2012, Evans, coached by Margot Wells, kick-started his athletic campaign competing in indoor competitions and finished fourth in the Scottish Senior Championships with a personal best of 7.20 for the 60m. During the outdoor season, he ran personal bests of 11.26 for the 100m and 23.14 for the 200m respectively. However, by the end of the season, Evans decided that he would not continue with athletics choosing instead to pursue an acting career."

I mean, maybe those times would be competitive at European level... ...in women's competition...

Isles is a track athlete who came to rugby. Expecting people who haven't spent years training specifically to run sprints to get anywhere near 10 seconds flat is delusional.

A lot of these times that we hear players are supposedly capable of have been hand-timed by friends on grass or that type of thing. I once timed myself running 60m in 6.35s on a beach in Donegal. Does that make me the 60m WR holder? Or is it more likely that I paced out the distance wrong, had a big wind behind me or started the stopwatch too late and stopped it too early? Times mean virtually nothing unless they're done properly by officials at a track

Interesting post. Have you seen this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc-e129SBb4

I'm not sure if you follow NRL at all, but Jarryd Hayne and Greg Inglis in particular are huge names [and outstanding players] in league, and Hayne played as a kick returner with the 49ers in the NFL. Josh Morris wouldn't be up there in the pantheon with those two, but is a long time NSW State of Origin player and multiple season Kangaroo as a centre/wing.

Lachie Turner wins it with a 11.10 time, with his amateur clubmate from Eastwood finishing in second at 11.15.

The thing that struck me is that Turner's 11:10 looks fast! Not to be sniffed at at all. I had a mate in school who won the U15 [Junior] All Ireland Schools 100m [this was about twenty years ago!] with an 11.3, and he was an absolute flyer.

[leinsterforever]

The reality is that rugby fans generally vastly overestimate the sprinting capability of rugby players. People bandied about a 100m time of 10.8 for Thom Evans, who Margot Wells hailed as the fastest rugby player she'd ever coached. When he tried his hand at athletics, he was a long way off that standard. This from Wikipedia:

"In 2012, Evans, coached by Margot Wells, kick-started his athletic campaign competing in indoor competitions and finished fourth in the Scottish Senior Championships with a personal best of 7.20 for the 60m. During the outdoor season, he ran personal bests of 11.26 for the 100m and 23.14 for the 200m respectively. However, by the end of the season, Evans decided that he would not continue with athletics choosing instead to pursue an acting career."

I mean, maybe those times would be competitive at European level... ...in women's competition...

Isles is a track athlete who came to rugby. Expecting people who haven't spent years training specifically to run sprints to get anywhere near 10 seconds flat is delusional.

A lot of these times that we hear players are supposedly capable of have been hand-timed by friends on grass or that type of thing. I once timed myself running 60m in 6.35s on a beach in Donegal. Does that make me the 60m WR holder? Or is it more likely that I paced out the distance wrong, had a big wind behind me or started the stopwatch too late and stopped it too early? Times mean virtually nothing unless they're done properly by officials at a track

Interesting post. Have you seen this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc-e129SBb4

I'm not sure if you follow NRL at all, but Jarryd Hayne and Greg Inglis in particular are huge names [and outstanding players] in league, and Hayne played as a kick returner with the 49ers in the NFL. Josh Morris wouldn't be up there in the pantheon with those two, but is a long time NSW State of Origin player and multiple season Kangaroo as a centre/wing.

Lachie Turner wins it with a 11.10 time, with his amateur clubmate from Eastwood finishing in second at 11.15.

The thing that struck me is that Turner's 11:10 looks fast! Not to be sniffed at at all. I had a mate in school who won the U15 [Junior] All Ireland Schools 100m [this was about twenty years ago!] with an 11.3, and he was an absolute flyer.

My brother is a big league fan, so I know about Hayne and Inglis and the Morris brothers. I don't really watch the sport myself but I have seen a few highlights videos of the likes of Shaun Johnson and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

Yeah, I have seen that video. 11.10 actually is very respectable for a non-specialised 100m runner. A lot of decathletes run that sort of time. Top 100m runners are so fast that people have been conditioned to think that 11 seconds is slow. But it isn't! It's very fast for someone who isn't training for sprinting and sprinting alone.

[Morf]

There's also speed that's harder to measure like being able to change direction faster ie being a jinky runner. That's underrated imo but some players have it. Ben Smith would be a good example. He might not be breaking any sprint records yet he is very difficult to catch.

run in a straight line is great and all but it's more about acceleration, ability to change speeds etc.

As in McKenzie arcing around for his try v SA without seeming to decelerate at all?

[curates_egg]

The reality is that rugby fans generally vastly overestimate the sprinting capability of rugby players. People bandied about a 100m time of 10.8 for Thom Evans, who Margot Wells hailed as the fastest rugby player she'd ever coached. When he tried his hand at athletics, he was a long way off that standard. This from Wikipedia:

"In 2012, Evans, coached by Margot Wells, kick-started his athletic campaign competing in indoor competitions and finished fourth in the Scottish Senior Championships with a personal best of 7.20 for the 60m. During the outdoor season, he ran personal bests of 11.26 for the 100m and 23.14 for the 200m respectively. However, by the end of the season, Evans decided that he would not continue with athletics choosing instead to pursue an acting career."

I mean, maybe those times would be competitive at European level... ...in women's competition...

Isles is a track athlete who came to rugby. Expecting people who haven't spent years training specifically to run sprints to get anywhere near 10 seconds flat is delusional.

A lot of these times that we hear players are supposedly capable of have been hand-timed by friends on grass or that type of thing. I once timed myself running 60m in 6.35s on a beach in Donegal. Does that make me the 60m WR holder? Or is it more likely that I paced out the distance wrong, had a big wind behind me or started the stopwatch too late and stopped it too early? Times mean virtually nothing unless they're done properly by officials at a track

Interesting post. Have you seen this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc-e129SBb4

I'm not sure if you follow NRL at all, but Jarryd Hayne and Greg Inglis in particular are huge names [and outstanding players] in league, and Hayne played as a kick returner with the 49ers in the NFL. Josh Morris wouldn't be up there in the pantheon with those two, but is a long time NSW State of Origin player and multiple season Kangaroo as a centre/wing.

Lachie Turner wins it with a 11.10 time, with his amateur clubmate from Eastwood finishing in second at 11.15.

The thing that struck me is that Turner's 11:10 looks fast! Not to be sniffed at at all. I had a mate in school who won the U15 [Junior] All Ireland Schools 100m [this was about twenty years ago!] with an 11.3, and he was an absolute flyer.

All this is true but it is also true that you almost never run more than 40 metres in a rugby match flat out, so comparisons with sprint athletics are not very useful.
What counts for rugby is burst and acceleration. In that sense, it makes much more sense to use the m/sec measurement. A pacy winger can use their pace by initially burning a defender over 5-10 metres. If they do that, generally there is no real chasing down possible, so you really only need to sprint at top speed for 20 metres.
The flipside is also that fast track sprinters may not necessarily be able to turn that into speed as a rugby player. Track sprinting focuses as much on the upper body as the legs; and you can't really use your upper body if you are holding a big size 5 egg, unless you have massive, massive hands.

So, if what Isa says is true then Daly is still pretty effectively fast as a rugby player. He just shouldn't get any delusions about becoming a track sprinter. Whoever advised Evans to do that was not very helpful. He could just as easily have tried boxing, like Rio Ferdinand. Top level sports are specialised.

[neiliog93]

I remember hearing 11 seconds was Denis Hickie's 100 metre time as timed in Leinster training. Anything under 12 seconds is good for a rugby player, anything under 11.5 is outstanding. If you're doing it in under 11 seconds, you're a freak (Tonderai Chavanga, Alesana Tuilagi, Lomu, Rupeni Caucau, Ngwenya, Isles, etc).

[Laighin Break]

The lad had a pretty great game today!

[jimbobjoe]

I think he's here to stay. Far more than just a squad player too.

[neiliog93]

Great pace, a natural finisher and solid under a high ball. He's not massive by the standards of modern wingers but he has enough size and power to be competitive in collisions in both defence and attack. Looks better than A.Byrne at the moment, even if Adam arguably has a higher ceiling of potential ability.

[ronk]

He’s developed his game and is holding his place in the team on merit.

Be great if he continues at this pace.

[Logorrhea]

Thought that was one of the most complete wing displays Ive seen, aside from those that Isa puts in day in day out. It was close to perfect. Defensively solid (including some perfect defensive reads), offensively active, good hands, good pace and a great finish. Thought he played a key roll in a big win today.

[Dave Cahill]

Just a squad player - just because a guy plays well in the European cup against one of the most expensively assembled squads in the competition it doesn't mean he's a patch on guys who were driven out of the club who have shown how good they are in the championship

[leinsterforever]

Just a squad player - just because a guy plays well in the European cup against one of the most expensively assembled squads in the competition it doesn't mean he's a patch on guys who were driven out of the club who have shown how good they are in the championship

Would probably have been lost to Leinster Rugby if it wasn't for Nucifora's 7's programme

[simonokeeffe]

Bit of a turn that our 6n winning wing duo of DK and Trimble cant make a squad at provincial level now

Danger is if he doesnt like kicking his heels behind Lowe he might be off. No23 gets interesting...

[curates_egg]

Whoever on here was questioning his defence got a pretty good response today.
The best I have seen him but it was a very complete performance: fast, agile and deceptively strong in attack, technically good in the tackle, seems to make very good decisions in attack and defence.
One swallow doesn't make a summer and all that...but if that is going to be a regular performance level from him, we're lucky to have him. Tell Lowe to save the air fare.

[Dave Cahill]

He's not a patch on Darren Hudson and Sam Coughlan Murray.

[Dave Cahill]

Just a squad player - just because a guy plays well in the European cup against one of the most expensively assembled squads in the competition it doesn't mean he's a patch on guys who were driven out of the club who have shown how good they are in the championship

Would probably have been lost to Leinster Rugby if it wasn't for Nucifora's 7's programme

Would probably have played for Leinster earlier if it wasn't for Nucifora's 7's programme

[leinsterforever]

Just a squad player - just because a guy plays well in the European cup against one of the most expensively assembled squads in the competition it doesn't mean he's a patch on guys who were driven out of the club who have shown how good they are in the championship

Would probably have been lost to Leinster Rugby if it wasn't for Nucifora's 7's programme

Would probably have played for Leinster earlier if it wasn't for Nucifora's 7's programme

Doubt it. 7s seems to have been the catalyst that propelled him to new heights. I'm open to correction, but I don't think he was involved in the Leinster set-up at all between his Ireland U20 days and when he started honing his talents playing 7s.

[Dave Cahill]

Doubt it. 7s seems to have been the catalyst that propelled him to new heights. I'm open to correction, but I don't think he was involved in the Leinster set-up at all between his Ireland U20 days and when he started honing his talents playing 7s.

15th of November can't come soon enough.