Ireland v France ***Team Pg 7***

[Makka]

Would you expect anything else from DK? We know his hands not politically tied and his affinity leans toward Munster. He'd never swap TOL and DOC out, which we know should happen on current form. I'm not surprised in any way by his cronyism. Besides these two players, i'm hopeful we can take FRA on - I think we can score tries against them if we take the unforced errors out of our game.

[Broken Wing]

The team picks itself? Really. On what possible grounds is DO'C ahead of Cullen?

He had a good game against Italy last week.
It's another marginal call but Cullen wasn't exactly on fire in a few games coming up to the international 6N window.

Of course DO'C was setting the world alight in the games leading up to the international window.

He may have had a good game by his standard but that just shows how little he usually does. It was a bullsht call last week and it's a bullsht call this week too.

[slum]

Upsides: Jamie's back. Jennings might get to play some Italians this week.

It sickens me to think what these players might achieve if they had a decent coach. It'll be a long 4 years to the next World Cup.

Kidney out.

i srsly doubt that Jennings will be released. if Heaslip were to pull out at the last minute/during the captains run they'd need him to warm the bench.

[slum]

Upsides: Jamie's back. Jennings might get to play some Italians this week.

It sickens me to think what these players might achieve if they had a decent coach. It'll be a long 4 years to the next World Cup.

Kidney out.

i srsly doubt that Jennings will be released. if Heaslip were to pull out at the last minute/during the captains run they'd need him to warm the bench.

[Comer Toes]

Hold on a second, I'm a firm Kidney-sceptic, but at the end of the day he's stuck his head in the sand at scrum-half but you can't dispute the rest of the team. Some of the over-reactions are a bit pathetic lads.

Yellow carded Leamy forces the inform No. 7 out of the squad? Should be Wallace on the bench- Three ball carriers is not a good combo IMO.
Wallace on the bench instead of Trimble? (no cover for Back 3)
France consistently scored off smooth lineout takes and the best Irish defensive line-out operator is on the bench?

This teamsheet is the least ambitious of what he could have done. Form means nothing to his coaching staff.

If he was to pick a team on form 7 of the starting team should not be there. ( half the team )

Best - Cronin should start
Doc - Leo should start
Wallace- Jenno should start
TOL - Reddan
Darcy -McF ( proved he can take on big runners vs clermont )
Trimble on the Wing
Luke - Duffy at FB..

I would only have one of those starting (Leo). Form is one thing to be taken into consideration. Peak ability/ raw talent is another (DOC & TOL were on the lions selection). Team strategies/ balance is another. Consistency of combinations is another element. If we were picking a form XV everyweek you'd have new faces the whole time and the likes of Johnny Murphy, ihumph, MOD, Wilkinson, Barker could end up playing the French.

[Leinsterman]

The team picks itself? Really. On what possible grounds is DO'C ahead of Cullen?

He had a good game against Italy last week.
It's another marginal call but Cullen wasn't exactly on fire in a few games coming up to the international 6N window.

Of course DO'C was setting the world alight in the games leading up to the international window.

He may have had a good game by his standard but that just shows how little he usually does. It was a bullsht call last week and it's a bullsht call this week too.

You're ignoring the bit where I said it was a MARGINAL CALL?

Two players not in top form so you pick Cullen for the sake of change?

[Sincero]

our only chance is if france don't turn up.

Looking at that team, I might join them.

(Seriously, is there a source on that? I can't believe someone as biased, pig-headed and parish-pump provincial as this Corkonian gobsheen would dare to select O'Leary after last week... never mind the rest. Disgusting)

I think Boss should have replaced TOL, with stringer to bench but there were worse than TOL last week let's not forget... "Disgusting" is the Irish taxpayers paying for bank bailout, not the selection of 1 mediocre SH over 3 other mediocre options.

Let's not do the bankers discussion- stick to sport, which is supposedly a welcome diversion from the state of economic screwedness.... we get into our state of rugby screwedness.

Kidney consistently makes the same mistakes he made last time out, and many his spitting image predecessor made. Look at this again- no cover in the back three save shifting the back line into a total horse's c**t. RO'G will be lined up to come on at '60 even though he was the weak link in offence and defence in Paris last year, and has been exploited by the French in every game for the past dozen... 11 year of this. (Sure, even after he grabbed the headlines with the DG, 20 seconds later Zanni ran straight over him last week, and it's only thanks to Leo making his tackle that we're still in with a shout). Whatever you think about what o'Gara might add, both he and Walace benched together makes no sense- it should be one or the other. Now we're bare at the back, just like Paris last year... where I froze my nuts off watching a terrible selection of an amazing crop of players run out and play out-dated tactics.... sunrise... sunset... sunrise.... sunset. Nothing changes! How is this man employed?

To the lads saying O'Leary was the only call... that's just not correct. Cullen is on cracking form, and in last year's defeat when he actually got in he dismantled the French line-out. He should have been in. As should Casey, but that ship has sailed. Now we've two locks underperforming for various reasons... the same two from the past ten years, sewn into their jerseys. And O'Connell isn't even jumping, yet he's nailed on to start??? O'Callaghan doesn't contest. And if Heaslip weren't back we'd be looking at a one-jumper line-out. Feck, if our J5s put out a team with that problem that I'd be raging...

Otherwise: Jennings was a call -v- Wallace. The latter has been playing well, but we're left unbalanced at the back-row now. Johnny O'Connor in there would make more sense than Wallace. Someone to mess things up for them- instead we decide, of all the teams in the world, sure the French won't hurt us with clean ruck ball. Great!

Trimble was a call on either wing, as he's been in cracking form, and saying he must not be fit is only your best guess. And there are other calls in there (admittedly, I wouldn't have made them myself, so will omit).

But there's a lot in there, and a lot that we've seen with our own eyes doesn't work. It's not a case of 'oh, this could be a good idea in a mad way'. No. Sorry. We know exactly the flaws of this selection, and Kidney has done nothing to address them.

[dod]

If he was to pick a team on form 7 of the starting team should not be there. ( half the team )

Best - Cronin should start
Doc - Leo should start
Wallace- Jenno should start
TOL - Reddan
Darcy -McF ( proved he can take on big runners vs clermont )
Trimble on the Wing
Luke - Duffy at FB..[/quote]

I would only have one of those starting (Leo). Form is one thing to be taken into consideration. Peak ability/ raw talent is another (DOC & TOL were on the lions selection). Team strategies/ balance is another. Consistency of combinations is another element. If we were picking a form XV everyweek you'd have new faces the whole time and the likes of Johnny Murphy, ihumph, MOD, Wilkinson, Barker could end up playing the French.[/quote]

So was Andy Powell .. That proves nothing

[Comer Toes]

Of course DO'C was setting the world alight in the games leading up to the international window.

He may have had a good game by his standard but that just shows how little he usually does. It was a bullsht call last week and it's a bullsht call this week too.

You're ignoring the bit where I said it was a MARGINAL CALL?

Two players not in top form so you pick Cullen for the sake of change?

LM, you'll have to let the mob leave off steam. I was a lot more riled up in the November series by selections and performances. I was actually quite heartened by a lot of things last Saturday compared to the rubbish we saw in November. DOC was good by any standards. I guess it's the compound effect of an on-going 1 or 2 calls that is driving people into such a frenzy, but if you take a step back from it, and apply some perspective, then TOL is the only one that jumps out as the guy that doesn't deserve to be there.

[silly punt]

What does it take to get dropped?

well if you wear a blue jersey you must be twice as good as the guy in red who is in the team.. just sack him now before he makes a fool of us at the world cup..

Lads we are all getting a bit carried away here, yes TOL was poor last week, but the worst player on the pitch last week was Darce and nobody on here has dared to question his selection....

[johng]

Hold on a second, I'm a firm Kidney-sceptic, but at the end of the day he's stuck his head in the sand at scrum-half but you can't dispute the rest of the team. Some of the over-reactions are a bit pathetic lads.

Completely agree.
The only other call would be Wallace/Jennings to start.
O'Brien covers 7 if Wallace goes off so Jennings loses out.
Trimble must not have recovered enough to play.
Bar that, the team picks itself.

I would have Duffy ahead of Wallace. OR a not quite fit Trimble.

Lose Leamy, not Jeno.

Lose TOL, for sure. Could he not get some much needed gametime at Treviso v Munster.

[Golf Man]

- One shocking decision, obviously TOL, which makes no sense whatsoever
- One bad decision - Wallace on bench, unless Trimble isn't fit enough
- One or two arguable - DOC/Wallace, which I think are right

All a bit meh ***Edited by Mod***

[fourthirtythree]

I suppose Wallace is there in case Darcy has hands like he did last week. In which case why start Darcy? Mind you it doesn't matter as with O'Leary playing the backs will be unable to play anyway.
Leamy not being on the starting team is a blessing, I wouldn't bench him either.
O'Callaghan is not a good call this week, last week, or any time in the last year.

[Sincero]

What does it take to get dropped?

well if you wear a blue jersey you must be twice as good as the guy in red who is in the team.. just sack him now before he makes a fool of us at the world cup..

Lads we are all getting a bit carried away here, yes TOL was poor last week, but the worst player on the pitch last week was Darce and nobody on here has dared to question his selection....

That's not technically true- he dropped a few, which was entirely uncharacteristic, and he had a 'mare, true, but he actually had a perfect game defensively. The same can not be said for other lads who missed tackles and did not carry at all.

And note, his performance was out-of-whack with his form. Everyone fear O'Leary would play like that, because that's what he does!!!! And then he did it, so understandably people are more miffed with his selection than with D'Arcy's...

We'd all expect D'Arcy to turn it round and have a great game now... who reckons O'Leary might deliver fast ball? Hands up? No?

Right, well, only one thing for it... balls to the World Cup. I said it last year before the Paris game and I'll say it again now.
Kidney OUT!

(The 6N is a write-off now. Let's not be doing the same thing as we were this time last year at the World Cup, which'd be the same thing as 4 years ago at this rate)

p.s. As usual, golfman, failing in the ability to construct a cogent argument, turns to unamusing ad hominem rubbish. Utter bore.

[dod]

What does it take to get dropped?

well if you wear a blue jersey you must be twice as good as the guy in red who is in the team.. just sack him now before he makes a fool of us at the world cup..

Lads we are all getting a bit carried away here, yes TOL was poor last week, but the worst player on the pitch last week was Darce and nobody on here has dared to question his selection....

If you look a couple of post's up i said he should be changed with MCF

[Comer Toes]

If he was to pick a team on form 7 of the starting team should not be there. ( half the team )

Best - Cronin should start
Doc - Leo should start
Wallace- Jenno should start
TOL - Reddan
Darcy -McF ( proved he can take on big runners vs clermont )
Trimble on the Wing
Luke - Duffy at FB..

I would only have one of those starting (Leo). Form is one thing to be taken into consideration. Peak ability/ raw talent is another (DOC & TOL were on the lions selection). Team strategies/ balance is another. Consistency of combinations is another element. If we were picking a form XV everyweek you'd have new faces the whole time and the likes of Johnny Murphy, ihumph, MOD, Wilkinson, Barker could end up playing the French.[/quote]

So was Andy Powell .. That proves nothing[/quote]

Sure it does - it proves that both players are considered by neutral judges to have the talent & ability required to be the best in their position out of the 4 'home nations'. The same 'honour' hasn't been bestowed upon Stringer, Reddan, Leo or Casey. Listen, I'm not a big fan of either (TOL would be 5th choice imo), all I'm saying is that they can produce at top level - DK & co are obviously working on getting them there again.

[Comer Toes]

Lads we are all getting a bit carried away here, yes TOL was poor last week, but the worst player on the pitch last week was Darce and nobody on here has dared to question his selection....

That's not technically true- he dropped a few, which was entirely uncharacteristic, and he had a 'mare, true, but he actually had a perfect game defensively. The same can not be said for other lads who missed tackles and did not carry at all.

Classic

[slum]

Of course DO'C was setting the world alight in the games leading up to the international window.

He may have had a good game by his standard but that just shows how little he usually does. It was a bullsht call last week and it's a bullsht call this week too.

You're ignoring the bit where I said it was a MARGINAL CALL?

Two players not in top form so you pick Cullen for the sake of change?

LM, you'll have to let the mob leave off steam. I was a lot more riled up in the November series by selections and performances. I was actually quite heartened by a lot of things last Saturday compared to the rubbish we saw in November. DOC was good by any standards. I guess it's the compound effect of an on-going 1 or 2 calls that is driving people into such a frenzy, but if you take a step back from it, and apply some perspective, then TOL is the only one that jumps out as the guy that doesn't deserve to be there.

I think there's three people who should definitely not be there

1) TOL
2) Gaffney
3) Kidney


hopefully they all prove me wrong. Regarding DOC, i think he did ok last saturday and had no doubt that DK would pick him again. Whats galling is that if you're one of deccie's lads then you're given opportunity after opportunity to prove yourself. if you aren't then nothing in the world can get you into the team.

Saying darce should be dropped after 1 bad game (and after being our most reliable source of go forward ball during the AI) is rather stupid.

[West Brit]

- One shocking decision, obviously TOL, which makes no sense whatsoever
- One bad decision - Wallace on bench, unless Trimble isn't fit enough
- One or two arguable - DOC/Wallace, which I think are right

That's a pretty good summation I think.

I think the reason people get annoyed is because TOL and DOC especially would have been on this list LOTS over the past couple of years. Together with Buckley and Hayes and Leamy. And pretty much every time there is a tight call Kidney has gone the safe route. The safe route is what he knows and that happens to be Munster. I don't think it's bias toward a province, but bias towards what he's familiar with.

What I would really like is just to have one journalist - one will do - that asks Kidney about these selections and doesn't let him waffle on about the things he usually waffles. I just want the journalist to keep on him until he says exactly why he rates TOL so highly and why he doesn't rate Cullen/Casey/Reddan/Tuohy/Jennings etc.

[Comer Toes]

- One shocking decision, obviously TOL, which makes no sense whatsoever
- One bad decision - Wallace on bench, unless Trimble isn't fit enough
- One or two arguable - DOC/Wallace, which I think are right

That's a pretty good summation I think.

I think the reason people get annoyed is because TOL and DOC especially would have been on this list LOTS over the past couple of years. Together with Buckley and Hayes and Leamy. And pretty much every time there is a tight call Kidney has gone the safe route. The safe route is what he knows and that happens to be Munster. I don't think it's bias toward a province, but bias towards what he's familiar with.

What I would really like is just to have one journalist - one will do - that asks Kidney about these selections and doesn't let him waffle on about the things he usually waffles. I just want the journalist to keep on him until he says exactly why he rates TOL so highly and why he doesn't rate Cullen/Casey/Reddan/Tuohy/Jennings etc.

Couldn't agree more with that, particularly the Munster piece