Comments on: Rugby: France Hammer Ireland

By: O Sean Ici

O Sean Ici — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 10:30:24 +0000

When I was a young, strapping rugger-bugger meself, I was told that Rugby Union is a simple game. The big physical forwards bind on, drive over and make the ball available. The scrum half passes to the out half, who runs a straight line at the opposition and just as he’s about to be tackled he passes to the inside centre who does the same and so on… such that the wing gets the ball in space and is able to run or (when dramatics or good value photo opportunities require) dive over the line to register a try. Whatever, Eddie the midget says, the simplicity is staggering in its lack of complexity.

When selecting a team, you choose bulky and aggressive forwards, whilst the only thing that the backs (that suggest themselves for selection) need to do is to be able to carry a ball whilst running straight.

So, we have forwards that have lost their aggression and their hunger for driving over, gaining possesion and feeding their backs, whilst we have backs that hate to run straight - all compounded by the midget’s self-delusion that a few good games in the below par social tournament that is the 6 Nations means anything when you come up aganst the big boys from the southern hemisphere.

The safe and comfortable 6 Nations has weakened each of its participants - like a grand slam or a triple crown means anything other than a form of mutual masturbation amongst TV-funded rivals that allow the massaging of national pride and the venting of historical grudges to bring them all to a state of juddering, jingoistic orgasm. Was beating the English at Croke Park a Rugby result that meant anything or were we simply pulling back the foreskin of our collective sense of historical victimhood….

Ah stop would ya - Rugby is a simple game, if only we could stop the self delusion….

By: Bock

Bock — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:34:21 +0000

HeavyG : If only those bastards would lift the ninety-nine year ban on poor Trev.

AOSPPDS : Jesus, I see what you mean.

snookertony : Fuck. Not a pretty thought, meeting French people a ce moment.

Macdara: I cringe to think how the game with Argentina will go.

Galwaywegian : Overtrained? Overchilled I’d say. They weren’t right since they got back from the cryo-unit in Poland.

Conan: I hate to say it but it could easily be Argentina - France - Ireland - Georgia - Namibia

By: Conan Drumm

Conan Drumm — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:10:26 +0000

Ok, how’s the group going to finish up?

By: galwaywegian

galwaywegian — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 08:41:50 +0000

Overcooked, over trained, fed up of each other and look like they don’t want to see a rugby ball for a long time. Been concentrating on nothing but how shite they’ve been playing since they finished the six nations. and the good news? In a couple of years’ time, we’ll be playing Argentina on an annual basis as part of the seven nations.

By: Macdara

Macdara — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:16:51 +0000

Well I had to watch the painfull game in the company of many French men. InFairness they were all good about the fact we were shite. They kept mentioning that they were surprised at how shite we were. Now it seems that I maybe invited to the French embassy to watch France play New Zealand. They will end playing New Zealand because Shite Ireland have no hope of beating the Argentina never mind putting four tries past them.

From what I can see the team is tired , lacks energy, lacks direction and has no particular game plan. All of these problems are the managers responsibility.

When we are knocked out by Argentina how will Eddie respond ? by being a man and resigning or maybe by saying I have no idea what happened which actually sums up whats wrong with him .

By: snookertony

snookertony — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 13:03:34 +0000

Oh, sure, rant all you like. Just don’t spit your chewing gum on the ground in front of some people. And god forbid you laughingly mention guns and shooting… ah, fuck. no.
Anyway - I have to go in and await a call from my friendly frenchman tomorrow morning so say a prayer for me.
Fuck, being an Irishman abroad is getting to be a trial. Do we ever do well at anything? God be with the Eurovision…

By: AOSPPDS

AOSPPDS — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 06:44:47 +0000

Now everyone knows what it feels like to be a Leinster supporter.

By: HeavyG

HeavyG — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 02:57:13 +0000

Priceless Bock.
The Barnhall Bruiser managing Ireland. Brilliant. At least you didn’t have to watch it surrounded by gobshite yanks and brits who never touched a rugby ball in their lives. I sensed we were fucked when they came out the tunnel with that mock flag and then lined up to sing some mock anthem. Next thing we know they won’t be playing in green.

By: Bock

Bock — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 21:21:11 +0000

Oh, you’re welcome to rant over here. Ranting is what this place is all about.

It helps that I agree with everything you say.

Manager? Trevor Brennan.

By: derfen

derfen — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 21:15:50 +0000

All thru the week when Eddie said he didn’t really know what was wrong, i just thought “ya wiley cute bollix ya” like he wasn’t letting on what was going to happen against France. But now it’s obvious that he was telling the truth, he has no clue what is wrong with Ireland’s form, and no idea how to even start to fix it. Without being nasty about it though, i mean, he’s had his chance, made a complete has of it, and someone else needs to be given the chance to progress with what will be left of this team. But the IRFU have completely bollixed that up with their generous contract BEFORE the WC even started.

Eddie has been living off the good work done by the provincial set-ups, which is very apparent, because whenever he gets the squad for a prolonged period they go to shite.

I sensed we were fucked as son as i saw the side lined up for the anthems, and there was no spark about them at all. They should have been fired up and ready to go ballistic on the French, but all we got was more of the same.

Someone wrote the other day that we need someone ruthless to manage the team, and i fully agree. Who that is, i don’t know. Graham Henry maybe ? But whatever, EOS’s time should be up.

Sorry ’bout the rant Bock, it’s really pissin’ me off that this is what’s become of a potentially GREAT team.