6 Nations 2013

Keltoi

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So the 6 nations are starting up soon and I personally cant wait.

France are the obvious favourites but England had a good autumn internationals especially with the win over the all blacks and could be a good challenge this year. For my own team Ireland we're missing some of our big players with the likes of Paul O Connell out and Im not holding out much hope for the tournament but I'd still expect 2 wins against the italians and the scots. We should beat the welsh and have the better fixture list with England and France at home so if luck goes our way we could nick the triple crown. Fingers crossed we stay injury free particularly in the front row as Cian Healy has been great lately for Leinster.
 
It will definitely be the most interesting 6 Nations in a few years imo. I think you could make case for all of France, England, Wales and Ireland to win. Also the Lions tour after this so players will want to impress.
 
Should be an entertaining 6 Nations this time round alright. O'Connell out injured is a big blow to Ireland, Heaslip getting the captaincy ahead of O'Driscoll was an interesting decision by Kidney too but I can see why he made it, O'Driscoll is at a stage of his career now where he needs to focus entirely on his game and could probably do with out the added burden of being captain as well. If Ireland could manage a win against the Welsh in Cardiff (tall order) it would do them the power of good confidence wise for the English and French games at the Aviva.
 
Not sure O'Connell has been at the top of his game for a while though while O'Callaghan seems to be having a pretty decent spell of form so I'm not sure the injury will affect whatever chances we have too badly.

I think what backs are selected will be very interesting. Gilroy was very impressive in the Autumn internationals but can't hold down a regular spot for Ulster and Zebo is another exciting young player. Then you've got Fitzgerald looking very good in the handful of appearances he's made for Leinster since coming back from injury. I hope at least one or two of these get some decent opportunities to impress.
 
No idea how this one's going to go. Wales and Ireland haven't been great lately France are France and I don't know if England can carry on the good form.

Can't wait.
 
I really think that the 6 nations more open than ever, gone are the days that it was wither france or england picking it up. Italy are the clear weakest team but even they on their day can get a result.
 
OPening game against Wales in Cardiff and if that is lost then the rest of the tournament will be a damp squib.

Ireland are too erratic and Kidney seems to have lost the fans so the home atmosphere's are crap. That and the fact that you have the new breed of Irish rugby fans who are frankly embarrassing. So are two home games against France and England will be very tough.
 
Here is my tupennies worth.
Heaslip getting the captaincy is a mistake. He has been poor for a couple of season's now.
The front row options are AT LAST looking very good.
O'Connell is on the mend but with DOC, Ryan and McCarthy we should be good in the second row.
The backrow has quality and qaulity cover at 6 and 7 even with Ferris injured. Hope Henry gets a run and O'Brien stays away from 7, something he is not. More of the same from POM also.
The midfield has been a problem without BOD. As much as I love Earls and hope he realises his early potential he did not play well at 13 in the AIs. He was good in last years 6N but was very lateral and sloppy with his passing in November.
Darcy has been crap for years and then has a great AI series. Weird. Is there more to come from him?
Murray has been awesome lately.

If all the pieces fall together. Maybe.
 
Lynott said:
Here is my tupennies worth.
Heaslip getting the captaincy is a mistake. He has been poor for a couple of season's now.
The front row options are AT LAST looking very good.
O'Connell is on the mend but with DOC, Ryan and McCarthy we should be good in the second row.
The backrow has quality and qaulity cover at 6 and 7 even with Ferris injured. Hope Henry gets a run and O'Brien stays away from 7, something he is not. More of the same from POM also.
The midfield has been a problem without BOD. As much as I love Earls and hope he realises his early potential he did not play well at 13 in the AIs. He was good in last years 6N but was very lateral and sloppy with his passing in November.
Darcy has been crap for years and then has a great AI series. Weird. Is there more to come from him?
Murray has been awesome lately.

If all the pieces fall together. Maybe.
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What do you think about the wings? With Bowe out for the tournament I'm not sure I could name one player that will definitely start there. Imo Trimble, Gilroy, McFadden, Fitzgerald and Zebo could all stake a claim and it's not impossible that Earls could see some minutes out there as well.
 
Heffo said:
What do you think about the wings? With Bowe out for the tournament I'm not sure I could name one player that will definitely start there. Imo Trimble, Gilroy, McFadden, Fitzgerald and Zebo could all stake a claim and it's not impossible that Earls could see some minutes out there as well.
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I've always liked Fitzgerald personally the grandslam campaign he was brilliant. Zebo's in good form with a hatrick for munster last week but Trimble will probably get the go ahead.

Out of interest does anyone know do protestants up north support the all ireland rugby team?
 
Lynott said:
OPening game against Wales in Cardiff and if that is lost then the rest of the tournament will be a damp squib.

Ireland are too erratic and Kidney seems to have lost the fans so the home atmosphere's are crap. That and the fact that you have the new breed of Irish rugby fans who are frankly embarrassing. So are two home games against France and England will be very tough.
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I'm very pessimistic of our chances without BOD.
 
Heffo said:
What do you think about the wings? With Bowe out for the tournament I'm not sure I could name one player that will definitely start there. Imo Trimble, Gilroy, McFadden, Fitzgerald and Zebo could all stake a claim and it's not impossible that Earls could see some minutes out there as well.
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I think we will start with Trimble and Earls depending on BODs fitness. I would not be happy about it but I think Kidney would go for the safe, experienced option.
I personally think if Earls is going to be BODs replacement then he should only play on the wing if there is no other option. He has to stop being a jack-of-all-trades master of none.
I'd like to see Trimble and Zebo with Gilroy as cover. I think they are all more electric than McFadden, who could be cover for 12.
 
Think France and England have to be seen as favourites, however the Welsh will be there or thereabouts.

Scotland, well, I wasn't a fan of Scott Johnson prior to his interim appointment however he's come across quite well in interview and he appears to be picking players on form rather than reputation which was one of Robinson's big problems. Doubt we'll get anything in Paris or at Twickenham, but our home games are all winnable. Be interesting to see how Tim Visser and Sean Maitland fare on the wings and what Johnson does at half back.
 
Can't see us defending the 6 Nations, too much upheaval, too many out of form players and still too naive generally in the latter stages of matches.
 
Keltoi said:
It does seem as though we fall apart without him. It makes me wonder about 09 and the grandslam, we're we that good or was it a case of other teams around us improving a lot?
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We were very good in the 00s and if it wasn't for this ridiculous mental block that we have against the French we would have had maybe two more GSs.

If Ireland had the mental strength and dare I say arrogance in the 00s that England have, we would have had a couple of wins over NZ, a few more over SA and Aus a couple more GSs and maybe a semi final WC place or two. WE had the payers.
 
Sexton gone to Racing Metro at the end of the season, is this a good or bad move in terms of the irish international team? On one had its less playtime with his Ireland teammates at club level but on another he could expand his personal game.
 
Keltoi said:
Sexton gone to Racing Metro at the end of the season, is this a good or bad move in terms of the irish international team? On one had its less playtime with his Ireland teammates at club level but on another he could expand his personal game.
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I heard a snippet on the radio but the gist was that part of the deal was the FAI would allow him to continue to represent Ireland.

Fair play to him. I know Leinster fans will be pissed, but these guys have a short career and they don't earn anything like the money footballers get.
 
Irwinwastheking said:
I heard a snippet on the radio but the gist was that part of the deal was the FAI would allow him to continue to represent Ireland.

Fair play to him. I know Leinster fans will be pissed, but these guys have a short career and they don't earn anything like the money footballers get.
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Yes, yes I am pissed. fecking Sexton the cnut.
 
Racing Metro can pay him more than what Leinster or the IRFU can (reportedly in the region of 700,000 euros per year). Hard to blame a lad playing a sport that could finish for him at anytime or even if he plays until his mid thirties or whatever isn't all that long heading off to try and earn as much as he can while he can.

Wouldn't be surprised now if he does well out there and I'd imagine he will if this move doesn't open the floodgates for other Irish players to head off to France where the money is. If that does happen the days of the Irish teams competing at a high level in the Heineken Cup etc will surely come to an end and that would disappointing enough.
 
If the flood gates do indeed open to France for Irish players then the level of Irish rugby and the IRFU are fecked.
 
Great move for Sexton and great move for Irish rugby. The more players we can get playing for top level teams the better.
Madigan now has a chance to play 10 for Leinster with Sexton playing 10 for Racing. Now we have the option of two 10s who are starters for their tems. Hopefully Jackson will tie down the 10 at Ulster.

The Irish setup with only four teams often means you have a starter and an understudy. This is problematic as players do not get a chance to step up and prove themselves and put pressure on the International Jersey.

If Sexton stayed at Leinster, whould Madigan ever have got a run in Europe at 10?
 
My wife bought the Sunday Times today and I had a quick browse through the 6 nations preview. It is usually a load of cack with Stephen Jones creaming over England and having ireland for the wooden spoon so i usualyy do not pay much attention to it.
Today however Sean fitz had the feckin' cheek to say Ireland are in trouble as we have too many Kiwi's and S Africans in key positions.
Now is he talking about at the clubs or in the National team, because if it is the latter then he is talking absolute bollox.
Strauss and Bent are about it in the squad, no?
 
Lynott said:
My wife bought the Sunday Times today and I had a quick browse through the 6 nations preview. It is usually a load of cack with Stephen Jones creaming over England and having ireland for the wooden spoon so i usualyy do not pay much attention to it.
Today however Sean fitz had the feckin' cheek to say Ireland are in trouble as we have too many Kiwi's and S Africans in key positions.
Now is he talking about at the clubs or in the National team, because if it is the latter then he is talking absolute bollox.
Strauss and Bent are about it in the squad, no?
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Isnt Zebo south african or something too?
 
I tend to agree with him that england are too cocky tbh, but maybe thats just because I'm Irish :lol:

I remember a few years back and they came to Dublin for the last game of the championship going for the grandslam. They were so confident and cocky, had 100,000 t-shirts made with "grandslam England" on it and even had this tv ad made. Beating them that day felt great :D
 
Irish Squad for Saturday

15 - Rob Kearney (Leinster);
14 - Craig Gilroy (UIster),
13 - Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster),
12 - Gordon D’Arcy (Leinster),
11 - Simon Zebo (Munster);
10 - Jonathan Sexton (Leinster),
9 - Conor Murray (Munster);
1- Cian Healy (Leinster),
2 - Rory Best (Ulster),
3 - Mike Ross (Leinster),
4 - Donnacha Ryan (Munster),
5 - Mike McCarthy (Connacht),
6 - Peter O’Mahony (Munster),
7 - Seán O’Brien (Leinster),
8 - Jamie Heaslip (Leinster).

Seán Cronin (Leinster), Dave Kilcoyne (Munster), Declan Fitzpatrick (Ulster), Donncha O’Callaghan (Munster), Chris Henry (Ulster), Eoin Reddan (Leinster), Ronan O’Gara (Munster), Keith Earls (Munster).

OK. The wings look exciting. Darcy better continue his form from the AIs or he has to be replaced and out of the squad for good.

My biggest worry here is O'Brien. He has been schooled by the Welsh in the last two meetings with them. He has one trick which is to put his head down and run and that plays into an excellent Welsh backrow's hands.
O'Brien if he must play should be at blindside however I would have him on the bench against Wales and have Henry at 7.
 
Keltoi said:
I dont really watch much club rugby and when I do its usually Leinster, what are Gilroy and McCartney like? Only seen Gilroy once or twice and havent seen McCartney...
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Gilroy is phenominal, an incredible talent. Seems to be impossible to take down. He's quite small but is electric and spins out of tackles for fun.

McCarthy is very good. Strong as an ox. SA arrived to Dublin in November raving about some new enforcer they had in the ranks. McCarthey flattened him from a standing position with this lad running at him. I mean really flattened him. It was an amazing feat of power. He and Ryan form an excellent second row.

Henry is awesome. One of the best N Hemisphere 7s around. He's actually the most in form of all NH 7s. He should be starting with O'Brien on the bench. I think Kidney is leaning to the media pressure he gets from the capital here.

Fitzpatrick came on for Bent the other night and steadied the scrum in the hallowed tight head position. Hopefully Ross stays fit but I am much happier seeing Fitspatricjk on th bench than Bent.

Ulster are the form Irish team and some of their players are world beaters at the moment. They should have a few more numbers in the 15 and 22
 
Tuilagi is out of the Scotland game hopefully back for Ireland. Great to see Billy Twelvetrees get a chance though, one of the best young centres in England.
 
England 15 for Scotland - Goode, Ashton, Barritt, Twelvetrees, Brown, Farrell, BYoungs, Marler, TYoungs, Cole, Launchbury, Parling, Wood, Robshaw and Morgan

Bench: Hartley Vunipola Wilson Lawes Haskell Care Flood Strettle
 
The only game in doubt is us Vs the Welsh and it's a case of two teams with no form hoping for a spark. Whoever wins this one will challenge though.
 
Ireland to beat Wales. The other two will be won at a canter. A French guy at work said he's worried about this game. ffs. I know the Italians are strongest at the start usually and tail off as the tournament takes its toll, but that should worry the likes of Scotland, not France.
 
God I hope we win today, an in form Ireland for this six nations would be great. Much needed considering the form of late.
 
Can someone explain to me (without getting all political) how there is an Ireland team in Rugby (rather than Rep of Ireland)?

Are there any other sports where the island of Ireland competes as one nation?
 
Unfortunately the reason is partly political duffer. Quite simply when the free state was formed in the Republic and the 6 counties in the North did not form part of the republic the IRFU at the time simply decided they wanted to keep a unified structure thats the reason as to why there is only one Irish rugby team.

There is still the occasional moaning when it comes to anthems, if a test match is played in the republic (which it usually is) then Irelands call is played alongside Amhran na bhfiann which tends to piss off some of the northerners. If a test match is played in Belfast (which it rarely ever is these days) then they prefer to have God save the queen being played alongside Irelands call which tends to piss off some in the south. I believe in 2007 that God save the queen being played was rejected by the IRFU and only Irelands call is played and from what I understand Ireland has only played one game up North since 1954 which was against Italy in 2007.

At least thats how I understand things anyway.
 
Whoever loses this game between Ireland and Wales is in for a very long six nations.
 
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