Team of the championship.

[All Blacks nil]

Joe's replacement of Murray yesterday was similarly questionable but did not prove costly.

Murray was brilliant yesterday for 50 minutes but then he started kicking the ball away all the time, even in their half. Bringing on Reddan was a brave and ultimatley correct call.

[Morf]

Brown
Huget
Burrell
Darcy
Trimble
Sexton
Care

Healy
Best
Ross
Launchbury
Lawes
POM
Robshaw
Heaslip

I was tempted to put Harltey at hooker but I just STRAIGHT UP DON'T LIKE THE GUY.

[Donny B.]

Joe's replacement of Murray yesterday was similarly questionable but did not prove costly.

Murray was brilliant yesterday for 50 minutes but then he started kicking the ball away all the time, even in their half. Bringing on Reddan was a brave and ultimatley correct call.

Murray kicked the ball three times in the second half

48 mins a box/clearance kick from restart of Sexton's try from centre of pitch, result :knocked on by Picamoles in aerial battle for possession with Trimble. perfect decision (quite obviously a Joe exit strategy)and execution.
53 mins a box/clearance kick from restart of Sextons penalty , result: knocked on by Picamoles in aerial battle for possession with R Kearney. again perfect execution of Joe'sexit strategy
58mins a box kick off driving maul omn Ireland 10 metre line.resulta poor kick, too long,France counter

Murray's game had hardly disintergrated after one poor kick, he had a few less effective shorter box kicks in the first half but to say he began kicking the ball away is a bit inaccurate. Another viewing is in order nethinks

It most certainly is, for you anyway. You missed the kick at 56.53, a pointless grubber when Ireland were in a good position to attack. Dulin retrieved it and sent back a huge clearance kick which left us back in our own half.

To be fair (cause we are actually capable of that on this site), he was far from the only one. Sexton and Kearney also put in stupid kicks too when we were trying to protect our lead rather than finishing the game off.

[Morf]

NZ have been years at perfecting making better decisions when they are fatigued.

It's going to be some process to get near them in that regard.

The process has started and we've seen the benefits already.

[All Blacks nil]

Joe's replacement of Murray yesterday was similarly questionable but did not prove costly.

Murray was brilliant yesterday for 50 minutes but then he started kicking the ball away all the time, even in their half. Bringing on Reddan was a brave and ultimatley correct call.

As brave and ultimately as correct as Gatland's call during the summer.
The result is surely not the only criteria by which you would judge a team selection or substitution.

[Donny B.]

Murray was brilliant yesterday for 50 minutes but then he started kicking the ball away all the time, even in their half. Bringing on Reddan was a brave and ultimatley correct call.

As brave and ultimately as correct as Gatland's call during the summer.
The result is surely not the only criteria by which you would judge a team selection or substitution.

Well done son, lose the argument so change the conversation! Classic misdirection.

[suisse]

11 D Kearney

Tried to let that pone slip under the radar, ey?

Kearney's asbolute undroppability from left wing is baffling. "It will be interesting to see if he keeps his place at Leinster

[offshorerules]

11 D Kearney

Tried to let that pone slip under the radar, ey?

Kearney's asbolute undroppability from left wing is baffling. "It will be interesting to see if he keeps his place at Leinster

Yeah, I'd love an explanation for that one.

[Cianostays]

1-15: Healy, Best, Ross, Launchbury, Lawes, PO'M, Henry, Vuinipola, Care, Sexton, North, 36, Burrell, Huget, Brown.

[Oldschool]

15 Brown
14 Huget
13 Burrell
12 Roberts
11 D Kearney
10 Farrell
9 Care
8 Morgan
7 Henry
6 O Mahony
5 Lawes
4 Launchbury
3 Ross
2 Best
1 Healy

Unlucky omissions
!2x3, Wood Hartly
Trimble, Sexton, Murray,O'Connell , Toner
Falateau
Furlo
No Scots
Dulin

Coach - Lancaster with Joe a close second.
Both made mistakes, Lancaster's substitution of Care v France costing them a subsequent Grand Slam and Joe's decision not to use the driving maul certainly cost Ireland a chance of winning v England and a possible grand slam. Lancaster wins on their head to head record.
Dishonourable mention for Scott Johnson.

England 7, Ireland 6.
Ireland won the championship so you've got it wrong from the start numbers wise.
For example.
Toner was the outstanding lock of the 6Ns. You only had to look at the damage that Lawes did in a couple of games to realise that he was very quiet against us. Toner had him in his pocket.
Undoubtedly BOD should have got the 13 jersey, not because of he was the best 13 but because of the significance of this season for him. In addition he got two MOMs (Whether you like it or not). In fact none of the candidates for the 13 jersey stood out so going for Burrell was less than gracious of you.
Kearney was good but not worthy of a place in the team of the championship tbh.
Those two changes would give us 7, given we are the champions and deservedly so, that would be more representative.
Without doubt Care was the best SH but Marchenaud had a pretty good championship too.
Sexton was very inconsistent and Murray's box kicking is simply awful.
Joe has a problem with his HBs and he's going to have to sort it out. If we take it as read for example that Murray is a poor box kicker then there are at least two options. Change the part of the game plan that requires him to do so much of the box kicking or change the player. I would go with the former because I think Murray is already a much better player under Joe's influence.
I think Sexton has a major role in this. He should be demanding the ball from Murray in those tight defensive situations.
Mentally Sexton is struggling. I saw him nail a peno against Montpellier at the death to gain a draw in a HEC match. That was huge pressure kick with the locals making so much noise you couldn't hear yourself and yet he just stroked it over. In the three big, tight games this season he's tightened up. It's nothing to do with ability it's obviously a mental thing.
And before anyone accuse me of madness. Here's part of my answer in advance.
Just because I'm mad doesn't mean I'm stupid.
Cross field kick in last 10 minutes or so against NZ.
Dodgy chip kick against England from inside his own 22.
Another dodgy chip kick against France.
All giving away cheap possession in games that are on a knife edge. That is a no no.
I think all the marginal players that Joe has selected have performed well above the expectations that most fans would have had of them.
My pre championship prediction was Ireland to finish third based on the fact that it was a new coach, new team and new tactics.
Joe over achieved, won the Championship and came very close to a GS so how you arrived at Lancaster (Who had home advantage against Joe, which is surely worth more than three points) I'm not quite sure.
How and ever - A decent post AB0 and not too far off a decent championship team just not the best.
PS Morgan didn't have to do a whole lot to get his spot, Jamie really needs to pull up his socks.

[hugonaut]

Coach - Lancaster with Joe a close second.
Both made mistakes, Lancaster's substitution of Care v France costing them a subsequent Grand Slam and Joe's decision not to use the driving maul certainly cost Ireland a chance of winning v England and a possible grand slam. Lancaster wins on their head to head record.
Dishonourable mention for Scott Johnson.

I think there's a much stronger and more obvious argument to be made for Schmidt than Lancaster, i.e. Schmidt won the championship.

Beyond that, he took a team that had won one game and finished fifth in last year's championship, and turned them into a team that won four games and the championship itself. Lancaster finished second last year with four wins, and second this year with four wins. The improvement he brought this year has been significant, but nowhere near the scale of Schmidt's job. England won four games [and the championship] in 2011 under Johnson, four games in 2012 under Lancaster, four games in 2013 and four games in 2014.

Ireland won three games in 2011, two games in 2012 and one game in 2013 … then four games [and the championship] in 2014.

Our try tally of 16 is the highest of all teams in the tournament [along with the England 2009 side] since the 2007 championship, when we scored 17. We conceded the least tries and the fewest penalties of any team in the competition this season. I think most reasonable people see it as an open-and-shut case.

[Peg Leg]

If Vunipola managed to stay fit he'd get the 8 Jersey. Like a reliable William's.

[All Blacks nil]

11 D Kearney

Tried to let that pone slip under the radar, ey?

Kearney's asbolute undroppability from left wing is baffling. "It will be interesting to see if he keeps his place at Leinster

Yeah, I'd love an explanation for that one.

I was wondering when someone might pick me up on that.
A little bit of humour.
Having said that there was no outstanding left winger in the tournament. North played half the tournament in the centre, but was good v Scotland.
Realistically to pick a championship best team, you would be putting Trimble on the left wing to accommodate one of the two outstanding wings in the tournament. However that option had been so roundly condemned as disruptive to the system that I was afraid to suggest it. Especially if Joe is to coach this team.
I think you all do Joe a disservice by intimating that his system is so inflexible that Trimble, a 23 time starting left wing for Ireland, could not have been considered in the position. When Bowe made his eye catching return, Trimble was the only potential fall guy considered on this forum so as to preserve the"system".
Trimble's championship performances and his experience on both wings, fullback and centre for Ireland make him an integral part of at the very least the MD23 and the team itself in the next 18 months. McFadden's entitlement to the 23 jersey might even be threatened
Dulin could also be accommodated there.
Sarto grabbed both opportunities well v England and Ireland his score v Ireland well finished from a distance with "defenders" to beat
But Kearney lit up the tournament for me and cannot be left out. You can have your tryscoring, game breaking wingers, but can they do what Daverage does?

[Oldschool]

If Vunipola managed to stay fit he'd get the 8 Jersey. Like a reliable William's.

Ah come on PL, even my aunt knows better than that.

[Donny B.]

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,2588 ... 87,00.html

Heaslip, Healy, Ross, Sexton, Henry on Planet rugby's team of the tournament. I presume Munster fans will be launching a boycott campaign?

[fourthirtythree]

Here's the accenture stat based one and a bunch of pundits after

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugb ... 14-6840318

Mike Brown, Andrew Trimble, Brian O'Driscoll, Gordon D'Arcy, Jonny May, Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray, Cian Healy, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Mike Ross, Devin Toner, Alun Wyn Jones, Peter O'Mahony, Chris Robshaw, Dave Denton,

Couple of interesting things: everybody picked Care I think, but both the stats and all the pundits agree on Sexton. It really is only in Ireland that there is any debate about whether he is good enough.

[blockhead]

Nominations for Player of the 6 Nations.

BROWN, MIKE(ENGLAND)
CARE, DANNY (ENGLAND)
DENTON, DAVID(SCOTLAND)
DULIN, BRICE (FRANCE)
FALETAU, TAULUPE (WALES)
FARRELL, OWEN (ENGLAND)
GHIRALDINI, LEONARDO (ITALY)
HEALY, CIAN (IRELAND)
HEASLIP, JAMIE (IRELAND)
HUGET, YOANN (FRANCE)
KEARNEY, ROB(IRELAND)
O’DRISCOLL, BRIAN (IRELAND)
ROBSHAW, CHRIS (ENGLAND)
SEXTON, JONATHAN (IRELAND)
TRIMBLE, ANDREW (IRELAND)
WARBURTON, SAM (WALES

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Toner should be on that list too for me.

Also thought Henry was better than both Robshaw and Warburton. Warburton didn't start against Italy and was anonymous against us, think his form is being overrated although he did finish very strongly. Big fan of Robshaw and he had an excellent tournament but thought he was very even with Henry until Saturday when our man was outstanding against France so I'd say he shades it very slightly.

[All Blacks nil]

Nominations for Player of the 6 Nations.

BROWN, MIKE(ENGLAND)
CARE, DANNY (ENGLAND)
DENTON, DAVID(SCOTLAND)
DULIN, BRICE (FRANCE)
FALETAU, TAULUPE (WALES)
FARRELL, OWEN (ENGLAND)
GHIRALDINI, LEONARDO (ITALY)
HEALY, CIAN (IRELAND)
HEASLIP, JAMIE (IRELAND)
HUGET, YOANN (FRANCE)
KEARNEY, ROB(IRELAND)
O’DRISCOLL, BRIAN (IRELAND)
ROBSHAW, CHRIS (ENGLAND)
SEXTON, JONATHAN (IRELAND)
TRIMBLE, ANDREW (IRELAND)
WARBURTON, SAM (WALES

Only one winner in my opinion

Mike Brown of England sensational with two bona fide (with all due respect to BOD ) MOTM awards.
543 metres, 11 clean breaks, 27 defenders beaten, 6 offloads, 4 tries and 2 assists
A breathtaking campaign

[Vamos los azules]

Nominations for Player of the 6 Nations.

BROWN, MIKE(ENGLAND)
CARE, DANNY (ENGLAND)
DENTON, DAVID(SCOTLAND)
DULIN, BRICE (FRANCE)
FALETAU, TAULUPE (WALES)
FARRELL, OWEN (ENGLAND)
GHIRALDINI, LEONARDO (ITALY)
HEALY, CIAN (IRELAND)
HEASLIP, JAMIE (IRELAND)
HUGET, YOANN (FRANCE)
KEARNEY, ROB(IRELAND)
O’DRISCOLL, BRIAN (IRELAND)
ROBSHAW, CHRIS (ENGLAND)
SEXTON, JONATHAN (IRELAND)
TRIMBLE, ANDREW (IRELAND)
WARBURTON, SAM (WALES

Only one winner in my opinion

Mike Brown of England sensational with two bona fide (with all due respect to BOD ) MOTM awards.
543 metres, 11 clean breaks, 27 defenders beaten, 6 offloads, 4 tries and 2 assists
A breathtaking campaign

For me Brown would be very hard done by if he didn't get the award. He was one of the best, if not the best player on the pitch in each match he played. Consistently performing at a level that I must admit I had no idea he was capable of.