I love how Donncha Ryan seeks out Jordi straight after. There's a man who knows the heartbreak of a bad injury. Top bloke.
Wasn't so long ago that the concensus was that the game was up for DR. His injury, can't remember what it was now, had a lot of people assuming his career was over. And now you see him there in that video, on the first Irish team to beat the All Blacks in a full blown international. He lived in the shadow of POC and DOC for so long.
Should give great hope to Jordi and anyone else struggling through injury.
You know I'm going to lose,
And gambling's for fools,
But that's the way I like it baby, I don't want to live FOREVER!
I love how Donncha Ryan seeks out Jordi straight after. There's a man who knows the heartbreak of a bad injury. Top bloke.
Wasn't so long ago that the concensus was that the game was up for DR. His injury, can't remember what it was now, had a lot of people assuming his career was over. And now you see him there in that video, on the first Irish team to beat the All Blacks in a full blown international. He lived in the shadow of POC and DOC for so long.
Should give great hope to Jordi and anyone else struggling through injury.
Have always been a fan of Ryan's and it was great to see a real nuts and bolts players being involved in such an historic win.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall who's the greatest player of them all? It is Drico your majesty.
I read somewhere that the odds on the game were even money on Ireland with 24 points.
I can't remember any game since Joe took over where we have been beaten by 24 points or more.
No doubt someone knows better.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall who's the greatest player of them all? It is Drico your majesty.
Was making that point on Sat morning, but a mate of mine in the biz pointed out that such odds are a function of how much laid at that point and how much Bookie was able to lay-off.
According to him, the odds only reflect the Bookies view of the contest more than 24-36 hours out from k.o. on day of game, it is all about "balancing the book" or reducing the exposure.
johng wrote:Yep we only pass Wales. How the fock are we behind Wales? 3 beltings in Nz v a win in SA
It won't be tight for long. Wales are on a downward trajectory while it's looking like the start of a new golden generation for Irish rugby.
That might sound arrogant but at some stage the pro12 dominance will filter up to the international stage and it looks like happening now.
I think the win against the ABs will give the team a massive boost psychologically, which will help performances.
Brassy language!
I think that you're headed in the right direction though. Both the strategic and tactical approach of the Welsh side at test level have failed to markedly progress since the [very impressive] 2011-12 period, and the players carrying them out have gotten older, slower and more injury-prone. It's not that they have a disadvantageous age profile across the team; in fact, a number of them were younger than I thought they were. However, they debuted so early and have played so much rugby than a good bit of tread has been worn off the tyres.
This sounds pretty much bonkers but, by my count, George North - at 24 years old – has played in 171 pro matches [source: http://www.itsrugby.co.uk/player-19797.html ], starting all but four of them. The 25 year old Talupe Faletau has played in 173, starting 156 of them [including 60 of 61 tests in five seasons - source: http://www.itsrugby.co.uk/player-18585.html]
When you take into account that Warburton, JJV Davies, North, Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams have all struggled with serious injuries over the last two seasons, and Jamie Roberts is always in and out, you can see why they're in a bit of a slump.
Got to watch the game again and the accuracy we played at during that game was the highest I think I've ever seen from an Irish side. Definitely the highest when playing a higher ranked team.
Ireland NZ for me is the biggest game in the calendar, only a RWC final would be bigger. So to finally win and not have it be such an albatross is the biggest gift that rugbyy in this country could give to a fan like me. So proud, so impressed, so f%~king relieved.
I would say 13 or 14 out of the starting 15 made no material bad decisions at all in the entire game, which is incredible. They obviously all made an error or two, but the decisions we took under pressure and the execution level was really stratospheric for Irish Rugby.
The intensity we played at was higher than theirs for 70 out of 80 minutes.
Add intensity and execution and you bring pressure to opponents. You make good decisions bringing them pressure and they make worse decisions under pressure and you get opportunities. You attack opportunities with accuracy and intensity and you get scores.
That's basically the classic rugby formula we adopted and it was a beautiful success. What's even better is that it's totally repeatable, in that it didn't overly rely on individual moments of magic, lucky calls, the bounce of the ball to win by a score etc.
But I don't see it being repeated successfully in Lansdowne Rd. When we put them under pressure, we got them to make errors and give up penalties in big numbers. We turned those into points brilliantly.
When they put us under pressure, which was really only during a concentrated spell, we conceded scores in rapid succession without them needing penalties or glaring errors to do it.
In the next test, it's very very unlikely the penalty and error count from NZ will be as high, even if we bring the same intensity and accuracy. So we'll have to create some opportunities they way that they did during their brief resurgence, with pace and attacking skill. We'll need a few personnel changes to achieve that. Not many, but a few. I don't "fear the All Black backlash" so much as I recognise that an error count that high is an outlier for the ABs. So when we try to make our decisions better than theirs again, I hope the opportunities they yield are clean line breaks as well as penalties and opponent errors. Then we can repeat this thing and really shock the rugby world.
A few bits and bobs. Our attacking maul has quite a few new twists to it which look like giving us a nice edge. Kudos to Easterby and Co for the innovation.
Murray rightfully got huge credit for his performance. But on rewatching one guy beat him to motm in my book. Henshaw was incredible. His intensity, workrate, skill, athleticism, stamina, strength and smarts combined were above every other player on the pitch. Very impressed with everyone, but Best, Furlong, Ryan, Toner, Heaslip, Sexton and Zebo join the other two in being just about flawless. Dillane put in a serious sub cameo too.
We've discovered that possession rugby suits us and if that continues, it means much better continuity between the provincial playing style and the Irish one. That alone should make us better. A lot nicer to watch too.
jezzer wrote:Got to watch the game again and the accuracy we played at during that game was the highest I think I've ever seen from an Irish side. Definitely the highest when playing a higher ranked team.
Ireland NZ for me is the biggest game in the calendar, only a RWC final would be bigger. So to finally win and not have it be such an albatross is the biggest gift that rugbyy in this country could give to a fan like me. So proud, so impressed, so f%~king relieved.
I would say 13 or 14 out of the starting 15 made no material bad decisions at all in the entire game, which is incredible. They obviously all made an error or two, but the decisions we took under pressure and the execution level was really stratospheric for Irish Rugby.
The intensity we played at was higher than theirs for 70 out of 80 minutes.
Add intensity and execution and you bring pressure to opponents. You make good decisions bringing them pressure and they make worse decisions under pressure and you get opportunities. You attack opportunities with accuracy and intensity and you get scores.
That's basically the classic rugby formula we adopted and it was a beautiful success. What's even better is that it's totally repeatable, in that it didn't overly rely on individual moments of magic, lucky calls, the bounce of the ball to win by a score etc.
But I don't see it being repeated successfully in Lansdowne Rd. When we put them under pressure, we got them to make errors and give up penalties in big numbers. We turned those into points brilliantly.
When they put us under pressure, which was really only during a concentrated spell, we conceded scores in rapid succession without them needing penalties or glaring errors to do it.
In the next test, it's very very unlikely the penalty and error count from NZ will be as high, even if we bring the same intensity and accuracy. So we'll have to create some opportunities they way that they did during their brief resurgence, with pace and attacking skill. We'll need a few personnel changes to achieve that. Not many, but a few. I don't "fear the All Black backlash" so much as I recognise that an error count that high is an outlier for the ABs. So when we try to make our decisions better than theirs again, I hope the opportunities they yield are clean line breaks as well as penalties and opponent errors. Then we can repeat this thing and really shock the rugby world.
A few bits and bobs. Our attacking maul has quite a few new twists to it which look like giving us a nice edge. Kudos to Easterby and Co for the innovation.
Murray rightfully got huge credit for his performance. But on rewatching one guy beat him to motm in my book. Henshaw was incredible. His intensity, workrate, skill, athleticism, stamina, strength and smarts combined were above every other player on the pitch. Very impressed with everyone, but Best, Furlong, Ryan, Toner, Heaslip, Sexton and Zebo join the other two in being just about flawless. Dillane put in a serious sub cameo too.
We've discovered that possession rugby suits us and if that continues, it means much better continuity between the provincial playing style and the Irish one. That alone should make us better. A lot nicer to watch too.
+1.
Totally agree with your excellent post. I would add one further comment. Confidence is the most ephemeral element in the locker of any sportsman or team. No Coach has ever claimed to know how to give his players confidence. The main dividend from a victory secured in the manner that we beat NZ is the extraordinary boost in confidence that every player will experience. How that confidence is spent, or invested, is one of the challenges that Joe and his coaching team will be working on this week.
Totally agree with your excellent post. I would add one further comment. Confidence is the most ephemeral element in the locker of any sportsman or team. No Coach has ever claimed to know how to give his players confidence. The main dividend from a victory secured in the manner that we beat NZ is the extraordinary boost in confidence that every player will experience. How that confidence is spent, or invested, is one of the challenges that Joe and his coaching team will be working on this week.
Fully agree. And that confidence can have a VERY lasting effect if it can be built on. Sporting dynasties are often born out of teams burying a hoodoo and using it as a springboard for success after success. If that team has a great coach, even better. Ask the NE Patriots, who were a jokeshop outfit before they wrestled control of their division and their coach guided them to 4 superbowls and countless playoff wins.
Totally agree with your excellent post. I would add one further comment. Confidence is the most ephemeral element in the locker of any sportsman or team. No Coach has ever claimed to know how to give his players confidence. The main dividend from a victory secured in the manner that we beat NZ is the extraordinary boost in confidence that every player will experience. How that confidence is spent, or invested, is one of the challenges that Joe and his coaching team will be working on this week.
Fully agree. And that confidence can have a VERY lasting effect if it can be built on. Sporting dynasties are often born out of teams burying a hoodoo and using it as a springboard for success after success. If that team has a great coach, even better. Ask the NE Patriots, who were a jokeshop outfit before they wrestled control of their division and their coach guided them to 4 superbowls and countless playoff wins.
I hinted above at one player not making great decisions and that player, for me, was Trimble. He put in a huge shift like everyone and made some bonecrunching tackles, but he didn't have the same clarity of thought in the heat of battle that just about everyone else did. Run instead of pass, pass instead of run, a chip straight to an opponent, poor positioning as the sweeper that leaked the try in the corner. Nothing egregious, but he looked the only Irish player on the pitch who was not fully on it. CJ and Kearney made a couple of errors but they also made some really crucial plays.
He's also one of the guys you'd have to look to sacrifice if it's true that we'll need a little more stardust in our game to win a second test against a tightened up NZ team. If Earlsy gets through Canada firing on all cylinders, I think it's a no-brainer - even given the size of the NZ wingers. Too much stardust (eg Cronin, Dillane, VDF, RIngrose, Gilroy...) and we start getting too inexperienced and too light for fronting up under pressure. VDF struggled with the physicality of the game and didn't get to show off his link play, but he does have it in the locker. He should stick. Seanie might be worth a bench spot versus NZ on his play so far, maybe Canada will sharpen up the blades a bit in the meantime. Ringrose is a real punt. I really didn't like Payne in attack again at the weekend, though he was absolutely terrific in defence. Kearney was improved in attack, a mixed bag in defence, stellar as a leader and a dominant presence in the aerial battle. How Ringrose responds in Canada will be somewhat helpful, but given he didn't get one minute in Chicago, I'm 99% sure Payne and Kearney are staying where they are.
Will dropping Earls into the XV be enough to give us more chances at getting behind the ABs? I doubt it, but I don't see any real alternatives. TOH is superficially interesting as a 15 but makes a lot of headscratching decisions. Too raw for me. You couldn't take Best out of the front row for Cronin. Healy is looking good, but will he really give you enough of a carrying threat to make you want to drop McGrath? Dillane is an option, but NZ will have two world class locks coming back in.
I would probably play Payne at 15 and take that punt on Ringrose. Earls on the wing and everything else as you were. But Joe won't do it. Payne and Kearney are nailed on and for good reason in many respects. There's definitely something to the idea that when Kearney plays well (or make a few key "statement" plays), Ireland responds as a team. Hard to pass up on for a guy who popped his cherry a week previously. I'd still do it, though.
I'm no fan of Trimble but I thought he was excellent last week. Defensively spot on for a number of crucial tackles - 3 in the second half that ended dangerous attacks from NZ. He also made a few decent breaks and had very good hands throughout the game stepping through a gap and delivering a lovely offload to Murray(I think) in the first half.
Trimble's main weakness is his barge-like turning ability so NZ would be smart to kick behind if Kearney isn't paying attention - sometimes we forget that Kearney is still one of the best in the world at positional selection. Earls' main weakness is his head on defending which plays into right NZ's hands - the risk is not worth the reward here. I really can't see Joe changing Trimble for Earls.
