Ireland v England. Saturday, February 2nd.

[artaneboy]

4 of the Irish front five play for Leinster.
4 of the English front five play for Saracens.
About even with James Ryan giving us a slight edge.
We could be watching a preview of the Saracens v Leinster HEC final in a few months time.

Possibly. McCall is a much better coach than EJ and all the pressure is on him this weekend so I guess, with his named team, is to just beat the cr@p out of us and hope to steamroll a try or two before 50 mins.
Agree about Ryan giving us an edge but furlong also gives us an edge over sinclair imo.
Daly is a weak spot at FB...don't like the guy but he is a very good winger...not a FB.
If we contain for the first 20 mins or so, we have this game comfortably..it could open up in the last 20 for us to notch up a BP. So much quality in our lineup compared to the bish-bash-bosh they have.

On the contrary, I think the backs are picked to stretch us out wide- and the pack to give them the ball to do that. They could do it too.

And Jones is a better coach than McCall; a bit of a Mourinho in being a three-year max lad now- but a very good coach with a record with several teams beyond the Ulster man.

[Oldschool]

4 of the Irish front five play for Leinster.
4 of the English front five play for Saracens.
About even with James Ryan giving us a slight edge.
We could be watching a preview of the Saracens v Leinster HEC final in a few months time.

Possibly. McCall is a much better coach than EJ and all the pressure is on him this weekend so I guess, with his named team, is to just beat the cr@p out of us and hope to steamroll a try or two before 50 mins.
Agree about Ryan giving us an edge but furlong also gives us an edge over sinclair imo.
Daly is a weak spot at FB...don't like the guy but he is a very good winger...not a FB.
If we contain for the first 20 mins or so, we have this game comfortably..it could open up in the last 20 for us to notch up a BP. So much quality in our lineup compared to the bish-bash-bosh they have.

On the contrary, I think the backs are picked to stretch us out wide- and the pack to give them the ball to do that. They could do it too.

And Jones is a better coach than McCall; a bit of a Mourinho in being a three-year max lad now- but a very good coach with a record with several teams beyond the Ulster man.

It's well known that the way to beat Ireland is to test our defence out wide.
Garry Ringrose minimises this weakness.
Eddie Jones will have identified this.
However Joe has selected Henshaw which will provide some extra defencive insurance.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Why do you like that they've picked that back row RTB? Look pretty good to me!

Had they selected Lawes, it would have been an indication that they believed they could attack our line-out and also allow Lawes a few shots on Murray (after the pass) coming through the line-out. Played two very inexperienced (in 6N) players at flanker places big responsibility for defensive organisation on Billy V. Both Curry & Mercer are playing with packs who tend to dominate by physical set pieces. They will not have that luxury against the Irish pack.

Thanks!

Yeah that's fair enough. I haven't seen much of Wilson (presume Mercer was a typo) but from what I saw in November and a couple of the European games he's a really solid player and despite being versatile he's a proper 6, think there's a really nice balance to it. Funnily enough the biggest question mark I'd have is around Billy V, he's been good since coming back from injury but certainly nowhere near his best and one of the podcasts mentioned that he's been minding his arm when going into contact. If he puts that to the back of his mind and kicks on then he'll be great as usual, but if not then we can target him.

[Ruckedtobits]

No Jack is a surprise, I guess he hasn't been performing consistently enough.

He was blowing fairly heavy when he came of last week. Match fitness i'd say is an issue

Omitting Kearney & McGrath is a strong message to the Squad that unless you're playing to your top level, there's somebody else in the queue. Killer's scrum technique goes illegal too often. Whether that's voluntary or when he comes under pressure remains to be seen. He's a decent carrier but rarely looks for supporting runners.

Leaving out Kearney serves another purpose for Joe, giving him the opportunity to see can Henshaw fulfill the role that Kearney does and possibly add to it. In my view, Larmour, Conway nor Addison have filled those boots in the way that Joe wants and so the search goes on, although he's probably also working on each of those players to get them to where he wants them.

Kearney could come back in, even if Henshaw plays well. But RK must now play every game at his top form. Joe handed out the message in November than even Conor Murray wasn't irreplaceable. Now, Rob Kearney and Jack McGrath are getting the same message. Tough calls, but thems the cards.

[olaf the fat]

Seems like an English selection that could really work and cause us problems. They have seriously powerful ball carriers again at 8 & 13, hence Bundee & Henshaw both starting to hopefully counter that threat.

On the other hand - what a mix of power/speed/footwork we have 10 - 15, has the makings of a great game.

[Oldschool]

Taking a simplistic approach to how this game could go.
The sum of the parts are greater than the whole.
This is mainly about cohesiveness and Ireland are likely to have the advantage here.

Which team and coach is most likely to achieve this? - Joe

Belief and trust in their systems and themselves
Which team and coach is most likely to achieve this?
This is 50/50 - The natural instinct for the English is to have belief in themselves and this is a huge natural advantage.
Joe has had to work hard on this aspect for the Irish players and has succeeded in large part but it's a learned habit rather than instinct.

Do the parts equal or balance out against the other team - on balance Ireland probably have an advantage here but it's not acroos the board.

Which team will be most affected by the weather conditions - neither if the forecast is correct.

Which team will react to home advantage - neither, England generally react to a hostile environment if the coach has done his job, Eddie has this sorted.

The unknown or unknowns.
Injuries - Are any players carrying significant injuries.
Form - Tell us the gos.
Gambles - Will Henshaw pull it off at FB, the same goes for Daly.

[Blueberry]

Not worried (bar the usual jitters) can't see anyway
England can win this one........allez irlande....

[CiaranIrl]

The main reason I'm worried is that we have a recent trend of starting the 6N badly. France. Last year shouldn't have required that drop goal, and before that we lost to Scotland in the opening game. We need to hit top gear from minute 1 to win this

[Peg Leg]

The main reason I'm worried is that we have a recent trend of starting the 6N badly. France. Last year shouldn't have required that drop goal, and before that we lost to Scotland in the opening game. We need to hit top gear from minute 1 to win this

Share this trepidation but hoping the venue will make a difference

[CiaranIrl]

The main reason I'm worried is that we have a recent trend of starting the 6N badly. France. Last year shouldn't have required that drop goal, and before that we lost to Scotland in the opening game. We need to hit top gear from minute 1 to win this

Share this trepidation but hoping the venue will make a difference

Actually on top of those from the last two years, we drew with Wales in a terrible game at home three years ago. Ugh, my trepidation grows...

[LeRouxIsPHat]

This is England though,it's physically impossible for us to be sluggish.

[Ruckedtobits]

As anybody who has been out and about in any of South Dublin's Parks this beautiful Saturday will realise, the undersoil heating in the Aviva had better be in full working order today. Although we in the East have been lucky enough to avoid the worst of the snow and ice experienced elsewher on the island, and exstensively on the neighbouring island, our overnight frost during the past three days has left grass surfaces and pitches like corrugated concrete.

Indeed, I watched several groups of young players take to fields and park spaces this morning only to abandon their efforts after minutes, realising that safety and ball control were emperilled on the available spaces.

Go luck Ireland and let's hope technology is in full working order.

[leinsterlover73]

Hello gentlemen,I am living in Scandinavia and I am looking for a stream of the Ireland game.I can't make it to the Irish Pub as I am laid up in bed with flu. Thanks in advance.
PS. Is the game on Rte?

[neill_m]

Hello gentlemen,I am living in Scandinavia and I am looking for a stream of the Ireland game.I can't make it to the Irish Pub as I am laid up in bed with flu. Thanks in advance.
PS. Is the game on Rte?

ITV probably your best bet. I am a tech dinosaur so others can advise the finer details. TV3 now show the 6N.

[Ruckedtobits]

For years I've wondered about the twin enigmas of sporting success, confidence and belief. With them, success is always possible and failure not even countenanced. Without them, every doubt is magnified, every risk doubled and even what should be automatic becomes difficult.

Last night's game between France and Wales was a case in point. France started with an outlook to deliver their Game Plan of strong aggressive carrying and off-loading and for 30 minutes it looked as though they had refound the recipe of success. But Parra's goal-kicking, in particular, coupled with the absence of any fundamental confidence, only served to remind them of the importance of that key ingredient.

Despite trying to stick to the script, which was designed to beat their opponents AND recover that famous French flair and confidence, the unfortunate reality is that France have lost belief in themselves and don't know where to find it.

Contrast that with Wales. Although unable to control any aspect of their game and 0-16 in arrears away from home, they remained confident that they could win the game and duly delivered.

IMO, that's also the greatest difference between the sides in the Aviva today. The Irish Squad and Management, whilst fully acknowledging the difficulty in the challenge they face, are totally confident in their ability to overcome it and believe that their well-prepared efforts will deliver victory.

I believe they are rightly justified in their outlook.

[leinsterlover73]

Hello gentlemen,I am living in Scandinavia and I am looking for a stream of the Ireland game.I can't make it to the Irish Pub as I am laid up in bed with flu. Thanks in advance.
PS. Is the game on Rte?

ITV probably your best bet. I am a tech dinosaur so others can advise the finer details. TV3 now show the 6N.

Thank you Neill_m ,Much appreciated. I am in my sixties and I am a dinosaur in more ways than one! Definitely not a 'techie' either. Thanks again.

[CiaranIrl]

Hello gentlemen,I am living in Scandinavia and I am looking for a stream of the Ireland game.I can't make it to the Irish Pub as I am laid up in bed with flu. Thanks in advance.
PS. Is the game on Rte?

ITV probably your best bet. I am a tech dinosaur so others can advise the finer details. TV3 now show the 6N.

Thank you Neill_m ,Much appreciated. I am in my sixties and I am a dinosaur in more ways than one! Definitely not a 'techie' either. Thanks again.

http://www.myp2p.biz/rugby

http://real-tv-sport.com

http://livetv.sx/enx/search/?team=ireland

Try one of those.closer to kick off time. If you've never used a dodgy stream, be careful: Download NOTHING, give permission to nothing, close all pop ups. When ads cover the screen, patiently and carefully close each ad when you find the tiny X. You'll inevitably open pop ups, close them. With a bit of patience, you'll get a stream up eventually.

[leinsterlover73]

ITV probably your best bet. I am a tech dinosaur so others can advise the finer details. TV3 now show the 6N.[/quote]
Thank you Neill_m ,Much appreciated. I am in my sixties and I am a dinosaur in more ways than one! Definitely not a 'techie' either. Thanks again.[/quote]

http://www.myp2p.biz/rugby

http://real-tv-sport.com

http://livetv.sx/enx/search/?team=ireland

Try one of those.closer to kick off time. If you've never used a dodgy stream, be careful: Download NOTHING, give permission to nothing, close all pop ups. When ads cover the screen, patiently and carefully close each ad when you find the tiny X. You'll inevitably open pop ups, close them. With a bit of patience, you'll get a stream up eventually.[/quote]
That's great Ciaran,many thanks for that!

[Peg Leg]

Also BBC 1, download hola and set your location to England. Once you've done so you can visit the bbc website and watch on their live player.
Delete hola when you're finished with it though.
To download hola, just google search. Its very easy to install and use. The BBC player is handy too.

[FLIP]

Also BBC 1, download hola and set your location to England. Once you've done so you can visit the bbc website and watch on their live player.
Delete hola when you're finished with it though.
To download hola, just google search. Its very easy to install and use. The BBC player is handy too.

Match is only on ITV in the UK