Italy V Ireland (Rome 6Nations 2015)

[paddyor]

What we need from the outhalf in this game is solid game management and a strong temperament. Madigan has been chopped and changed a lot - he's suffered from the utility player curse. He's a confidence player and he's had a few games that looked like a player with less than full confidence. The missed placekicks and touchfinders recently are kicks he would nail in his sleep when he's ticking nicely.

Keatley is a very even-tempered guy. You won't get a 9/10 test-level performance from him, but you won't get worse than a 5/10. You know and he knows he'll be solid. He might not be error-free or miss-free, but he'll stay composed and he'll keep things moving forward. All Ireland needs to avoid is getting rattled and we'll get over the line in Rome. Keatley is not likely to get rattled and the other players will determine by how much we can win.

We'll kick a lot for territory - and we need Keatley for that - but Joe will have some Italy-specific wrinkles to open them up or find gaps. That's where we'll find out about IK, will he identify the opportunities in the game to spring those little Joe surprises and will he execute?

I'd say Zanni & Parrisse will be running at him from the off. So I'm hoping Murray will be carrying some of the load in the tactical kicking & the back row will do a bit of baby sitting.

I think they'll be looking to put pressure on Murray. Worked well for Clermont. Disrupt the service at 9 put pressure on the 10.

[simonokeeffe]

forecast is good which suits us, 11 degress, neglible wind, couple of showers

[StrangeButBlue]

O'brien injured in warm up

[DartVader]

cr@p! SOB out TOD in. Pulled hammer in warmup!

[Eristic]

Trying to watch the game in New Zealand.
Anyone have a link in English?
I'm currenty watching it in Itialian
http://arrlinks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/italy.html

[Eristic]

Trying to watch the game in New Zealand.
Anyone have a link in English?
I'm currenty watching it in Itialian
http://arrlinks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/italy.html

Found one
http://www.stream2watch.me/sports/rugby ... ive-stream

[Blue not red blood]

Nervous start from Keatley.
needs to do the next few things simple

[Dave Cahill]

Billy Bigbollix lucky to stay on the pitch there

[Peg Leg]

Savage strength from Ross there

[Peg Leg]

Why are we looking for contact instead of gaps?

[Eristic]

Why are we looking for contact instead of gaps?

Everything is coming off Murray, Keatley is only being used for kicking.
Murray is executing his passing and kicking well but it's predictable and the Italians are lining up in numbers within 5m of each ruck(Often boardering on offside).
We haven't moved the point of contact and we're only making ground through poor Italian fielding of box kicks.
Maul good, everything else average.
We're certainly giving nothing away other than we like kicking the ball and we've only one playmaker.
Frustrating to watch.

[The Anathemata]

Murray ring rusty and taking on too much. He understandably has little or no confidence in Keatley. Front 5 doing very well. back-row, less so - getting blown out at the breakdown at times.

The lack of continuity at 10/12/13 is telling. Back 3 having to come looking for work. We need to stay maintain a minimum 8 point lead. I can see us conceding a sloppy try in broken field.

[Peg Leg]

The team isn't far off what I would have gone for, but when I see it written down on the screen it just reeks of 80 minutes of garryowens and box-kicks. As I said somewhere else, needs must. Rome in game 1 when you're down a few guys is the place to just keep it simple and trust your superior ability and coaching. But I'm not looking forward to the game as much as I probably should. Has boring written all over it.

So wise

[Oldschool]

Why are we looking for contact instead of gaps?

Everything is coming off Murray, Keatley is only being used for kicking.
Murray is executing his passing and kicking well but it's predictable and the Italians are lining up in numbers within 5m of each ruck(Often boardering on offside).
We haven't moved the point of contact and we're only making ground through poor Italian fielding of box kicks.
Maul good, everything else average.
We're certainly giving nothing away other than we like kicking the ball and we've only one playmaker.
Frustrating to watch.

Murray is playing the way he did a few years ago.
Slow loopy passing. Stop the cr@p.
Anam has the rights of it

[Oldschool]

The team isn't far off what I would have gone for, but when I see it written down on the screen it just reeks of 80 minutes of garryowens and box-kicks. As I said somewhere else, needs must. Rome in game 1 when you're down a few guys is the place to just keep it simple and trust your superior ability and coaching. But I'm not looking forward to the game as much as I probably should. Has boring written all over it.

So wise

Yeah a very static drudge fest.

[Dave Cahill]

Ireland are playing exactly like Leinster played in the Aviva games against Munster under Schmidt. Win the match but give nothing away for the European games coming up. Same here, win the match but reveal nothing to the opposition video analysts

[Peg Leg]

Think the jones/fitz decision looks a bad one now. Need a spark in the center, zebo coming in to look for traffic is f%~k all use if we need to be going wide.

[The Anathemata]

TOD just can't compete at this level. Got blown out of it there. Ulster in the HEC QF all over again.

[Blue not red blood]

score here and we could run awsy with it hopefully

[Peg Leg]

Some effort from the support