What do you want/expect from the 6N?

[sheepshagger]

Only one thing really - that all our lads come out the other side fighting fit and ready.

[Flash Gordon]

I expect one thing from this 6N and the rest is just white noise.

A gameplan. The fruit is withering on the vine and we need a modern gameplan to match our talents. Changes to personnel are distractions at worst and helpful tweaks at best.

Ireland under kidney is like Ireland under Fianna Fail, soaring highs followed by crashing lows, inconsistency of strategy, left wing then right wing then up the middle followed by long periods of flat alignment (see what I did there?! Groan).

Seriously, our game strategy since the up-and-under 08/09 season has been a total haymes. Kiss and Taunton are caretaking the attack. To me that spells HEAVY player involvement and I hope they use their time wisely.

I believe we'll go back to Ireland GS tactics (aka Joe Schmidts away game strategy) of strangling the first half and bringing on the mobile cavalry in the second to unleash the uptempo offload game. The players might get away with being a bit more creative, but I doubt it. Our midfield axis will be DArcy and McFadden and we won't be too cavalier with that combo in place.

Anyway, I want us de-Riffed thoroughly. I want something I can look at and say "if we get that clicking we could give the ABs a good scare"

Everything else is window dressing.

Given that 3 Irish teams have made the last 8 of the European Cup playing fantastic attcking rugby, the expectations should be that we beat the Celts, Italians, England and that we are very competitive in Paris.

Like you I want to see a consistent game plan that is not built on preservation of a 5 or 6 world ranking, rather something that has a chance of competing with the top 3 in the world. If you look at how we played last year in the 6 nations at home to France, I thought we were doing that - we lost the game, but played the right way and outscored France 3 tries to 1 if memory serves. However, unfortunately, Kidney bottled it and we reverted to territorial rugby and kicked away possession - which if you do against the likes of New Zealand, will cause you to enter a world of pain.

[Lar]

Not sure exactly how the rankings work but I suspect it would take three test wins in NZ to bring us into the top four ranked sides in the World by the end of the year.

The priority for this 12 months has to be ensuring second seed status for the draw for England 2015. After that we can start experimenting with more inexperienced players to prepare the squad for that world cup.

Not saying one or two younger players don't merit a starting place or at least in the 22 but they should be there because they are the best in that position, not because they have potential and are worth the experiment.

[Leinsterman]

Anyone else see the comment in the Sunday Times yesterday regarding the training camp in Carton House in December?
One player was noted as saying that they felt they had more clarity and insight into attacking formations and plans in those two days than in the last couple of years.
What a ringing endorsement for Gaffney.

On the other hand, it sounds like they thought Kiss was doing a good job. Here's hoping!

[Comer Toes]

Anyone else see the comment in the Sunday Times yesterday regarding the training camp in Carton House in December?
One player was noted as saying that they felt they had more clarity and insight into attacking formations and plans in those two days than in the last couple of years.
What a ringing endorsement for Gaffney.

On the other hand, it sounds like they thought Kiss was doing a good job. Here's hoping!

Read that as well - it was worse than your summary above; seemed to be the players in general and the quote was "predictable" and lacking energy I think. Confirmed what we all thought really.

[Leinsterman]

Haha, the Waratahs are fúcked this season.