1st choice Ireland team at World Cup

[Golf Man]

Its become quite the thing at the moment for some Leinster fans to completely diss POM - don't really understand why. Maybe its to deflect from Toner (given that Henderson could theoretically take either spot) but it seems he has ust become a target, without any real basis - ie Toners stats will be cr@p but he is intrinsic to our game plan, POMs stats not stellar and he's doing nothing - theres always some wh'll have this aproach

Correct. Toner & POM both had sh!t games and both are under pressure. Some Leinster fans can't accept Toner isn't playing well. All Munster fans can't accept POM isn't playing well.

Again with the horseshit - POM hasn't been great but has been nowhere near as bad as Toner and very importantly the blindsides we've seein the warm ups are Murphy, Conan and POM x 2 (poss a little bit of tiome for Ryan there as well) - Conan isn't in the squad and Murphy isn't an option for 6.

Meanwhile Toner has had two starts and been poor in both (stand out poor w2ith Bowe v England) We have seen Hederson with two starts and Ryan with 1 start and two good sub appearances. Some Leinster fans are seeing a Toner shaped problem and filling it with POM

[Fireworks]

POM's doing very little?? He hasn't completed 2 games of pre season yet and done fine in both games.
Whats with your fixation about tackle count?

In the last two 6 nations combined, Ireland conceded 105 points (56 + 49).
Next best is England with 165, Wales 172, France 201


Why compare POM with Tom Wood? They're playing different roles in different teams against different team. Usually the opposition has a high tackle count against Ireland because Ireland are fairly predictable, especially in these warm up games. Remember Luke Charteris against Ireland in the 6 nations.
And POM has been in most 'team of the 6 nations' in the last 2 tournaments.
http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/s ... 85853.html
http://www.balls.ie/rugby/comparing-leq ... ent/117149

Its become quite the thing at the moment for some Leinster fans to completely diss POM - don't really understand why. Maybe its to deflect from Toner (given that Henderson could theoretically take either spot) but it seems he has ust become a target, without any real basis - ie Toners stats will be cr@p but he is intrinsic to our game plan, POMs stats not stellar and he's doing nothing - theres always some wh'll have this aproach

There is an issue with Toners form at the moment but there is also an issue with a few other players including POM. I think you are getting a little too sensitive about a munster player being called in to question on a Leinster fan board.

If Toner does not start I can see it being Ryan that replaces him and hot Henderson as what I saw from Henderson was the flash but not the grunt that needs doing by the row. The issue for POM is that his form has not great and the skills shown by Henderson are those of a backrow. We could extend this to say that Bowe is in serious danger of not even making the 23 against the minnows as he is not at the races and there are enough other options. I do think however that he important enough to us to be given the minnow games to play himself in to form.

The biggest call of all would be not selecting POC and I do think that the miles are starting to show. I would have him on my sheet every day and I hope he can find something at the bottom of that well.

[leinster4life13]

POM is like Robshaw, without the tackle count, utterly average when it comes to international blindsides, he's only in the team as he is clearly a Schmidt man, ditto Toner, Bowe, he's not going to drop any of them unless we are on the eve of the French game and their form is still nowhere.

[FLIP]

Toner has had one bad game. POM has been awful in all of them.

[simonokeeffe]

Ive noticed in a few (international) games that he seems completely spent/worn out/not effective with time left on the clock

Still a class player but like the way Ross has 50 or 60 in him POM has 65 or 70, maybe due to the amount of knocks he seems to take

[olaf the fat]

Saying POM is rubbish is like Munster fans saying Heaslip is no good.

We have 2 "handy" games before Italy, players are finishing an unusual pre season. Few are really at test standard now.

Give it time, plus it's great we do have players putting pressure on guys who were definite starters in the last 6Ns.

[FLIP]

Saying POM is rubbish is like Munster fans saying Heaslip is no good.

One is borne out of evidence, the other out of spite. Totally different.

[Golf Man]

Saying POM is rubbish is like Munster fans saying Heaslip is no good.

One is borne out of evidence, the other out of spite. Totally different.

Spite was a word that came to mind when I saw your posts on the topic

[RoboProp]

Saying POM is rubbish is like Munster fans saying Heaslip is no good.

One is borne out of evidence, the other out of spite. Totally different.

Spite was a word that came to mind when I saw your posts on the topic

https://youtu.be/SFo2uiwjIJQ

[simonokeeffe]

Our dream of a team of Sean O'Brien's is one step closer, as the IRFU muck up the squad pics

[munster#1]

Ha ha, following on from the 6 nations, where the english press persisted with having the over rated Pom in the 6nations team of the week.
Now they are again stating that pom is the 34th best rugby player in the world, 3rd best irish player behind sexton and poc.

How dare they talk up an irish player that we love to talk down and crucify at every opportunity. Where do they get off telling us that an irish international, selected constantly by joe schmidt, is one of the top players in the world?
We, the real irish fans know better than the press and joe.

[Logorrhea]

While I wouldn't for a second suggest that POM is rubbish, his form hasn't been great over the past few games. Same can be said for Sexton, Bowe, Best and I'd suggest the entire feckin pack. Our pack has been fairly passive and people are desperate to bring Henderson in.

Munster fans see Toners missed tackle as a sign of poor form and want Henderson in. Everyone else see's POM's position as being in jeopardy due to poor form, but I think that poor form is more a reflection of the general malaise that's affecting the entire pack. When the pack performs, POM will look better. There are no rights and no wrongs, just fans wanting the best for their preferred players. Either way, I'd suggest you stop pretending to be objective and sit back to see what Joe does.

Personally I have a feeling he'll keep Henderson on the bench and/or use him to protect POC.

[Logorrhea]

double post

[hugonaut]

Ha ha, following on from the 6 nations, where the english press persisted with having the over rated Pom in the 6nations team of the week.
Now they are again stating that pom is the 34th best rugby player in the world, 3rd best irish player behind sexton and poc.

How dare they talk up an irish player that we love to talk down and crucify at every opportunity. Where do they get off telling us that an irish international, selected constantly by joe schmidt, is one of the top players in the world?
We, the real irish fans know better than the press and joe.

Priceless. The English press are infallible judges of rugby now, are they?

[Oldschool]

Ha ha, following on from the 6 nations, where the english press persisted with having the over rated Pom in the 6nations team of the week.
Now they are again stating that pom is the 34th best rugby player in the world, 3rd best irish player behind sexton and poc.

How dare they talk up an irish player that we love to talk down and crucify at every opportunity. Where do they get off telling us that an irish international, selected constantly by joe schmidt, is one of the top players in the world?
We, the real irish fans know better than the press and joe.

Priceless. The English press are infallible judges of rugby now, are they?

You'd really have to ask Ian Robertson (IIRC) or a certain welsh man by the name of Jones to get a definitive answer.

[munster#1]

Ha ha, following on from the 6 nations, where the english press persisted with having the over rated Pom in the 6nations team of the week.
Now they are again stating that pom is the 34th best rugby player in the world, 3rd best irish player behind sexton and poc.

How dare they talk up an irish player that we love to talk down and crucify at every opportunity. Where do they get off telling us that an irish international, selected constantly by joe schmidt, is one of the top players in the world?
We, the real irish fans know better than the press and joe.

Priceless. The English press are infallible judges of rugby now, are they?

Hardly. Sure they had some nobody named sir Ian mc something and Austin healy picking the team. What the hell would they know about rugby?

Nowhere near as good as the waffle on demented mole.

[paddyor]

Ha ha, following on from the 6 nations, where the english press persisted with having the over rated Pom in the 6nations team of the week.
Now they are again stating that pom is the 34th best rugby player in the world, 3rd best irish player behind sexton and poc.

How dare they talk up an irish player that we love to talk down and crucify at every opportunity. Where do they get off telling us that an irish international, selected constantly by joe schmidt, is one of the top players in the world?
We, the real irish fans know better than the press and joe.

When did he feature in the Torygraphs "Digby Ioane" Top 100 from earlier in the year?

[FLIP]

The Telegraph is an awful rag of a paper which worships at the altar of the Aviva Premiership and rates bosh and angry face over actual skill.

[hugonaut]

Nowhere near as good as the waffle on demented mole.

Yeah, we don't do a lot of "Top 100 Players In The World" lists on the blog. Can't imagine why!

[Ruckedtobits]

Nowhere near as good as the waffle on demented mole.

Yeah, we don't do a lot of "Top 100 Players In The World" lists on the blog. Can't imagine why!

Cheap, inaccurate, shot munster#1. IMO, Demented Mole produces well-based factual pieces of insightful writing that we don't see often enough. It's very rarely opinionated without hard stats to back up the viewpoint. The comments it attracts from a widely based audience seems to bear this view out