Jump to:
- Search box
- Navigation
- Main Content
Super predictions!
'Orrible Punt gives PR his predictions for the Super Rugby weekend, here!
Team tracker
We give you an ideal tool to compare all the Super Rugby team announcements.
Missing Men
Can you solve the Missing Men? Today, Ulster's class of 2005 versus Leinster.
Loose Pass
This week covers Australia, planning and a curious coaching situation.
Latest Lions news
All of the latest news surrounding the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia.
Ireland
Sorry, this story is unavailable
- Ireland Fixtures
| Fixture | Details |
|---|---|
| All times are local | |
| International Match | |
| Saturday , June 8 | |
| USA vs Ireland | 01:30 |
| Saturday , June 15 | |
| Canada vs Ireland | 20:00 |
| More International Match fixtures | |
- Table
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wales | 5 | 8 |
| 2 | England | 5 | 8 |
| 3 | Scotland | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | Italy | 5 | 4 |
| 5 | Ireland | 5 | 3 |
| 6 | France | 5 | 3 |
Around Planet Rugby
-
Competitions
Win games consoles, holidays, tickets to sporting events and much more with Planet Rugby
-
Facebook
Sign up to the Planet Rugby Facebook fan page
-
Twitter
Follow Planet Rugby updates on Twitter
Comments
blametheref says...
@Melkdave, Norm and Leinster_Goy
Sound comments and great assessment by Leinster_Goy of why JS is stunted in the green shirt...Kidney has not realized that you can't have the same game plan when you have either ROG and Jonny on the field, this is why he has dithered over being decisive and backing one of them (along with a 9 that suits that player best, seems to me that Kidney has never asked his 10's which 9 they prefer with all the chopping and changing we witness at 9) and playing to that player's strengths, which in the case of Sexton are those Leinster_Goy pointed out
Posted 09:55 11th February 2012
melkdave says...
Theres no dought Sexton is the future fly half for Ireland as there is no one even on the horizon to even challage him for the 10 jersey .I just hope that doesent lead to him becoming complacent .As to playing style yes Ireland have to change it im an old bugger and Ireland have had the same basic game since the 70s kick for territory and win the lineouts and have the pack try and give go foprward ball
Posted 04:59 11th February 2012
leinster_goy says...
@blametheref
in my opinion, Sexyboy has never been able to realise his full potential for the national side partly because of the way kidney sets the team up. if you watch an ireland game (take the game last week), and look closely at how the backs are positioned at a set piece (scrum/lineout), you'll see that Sexto stands very deep, so deep in fact that he has little choice but to kick, the only other option being to spread the ball wide to flat-footed backs who can be smothered by any team who knows the concept of 'rush defence'. this is the clearest manifestation of kidney's philosophy - his teams are set up, primarily, to kick for territory
contrast this with how leinster play. off any set-piece or quick ruck ball, Johnny will invariably be running onto the scrum-half's pass at pace, attacking the gainline, committing defenders and therefore creating momentum for his centers (or a winger running an inside line). of course this is schmidt's philosophy but it's also Sexyboy's natural inclination. when have we ever seen the national team do this? as for effectiveness, the proof of the pudding is in the eating of it. Sexto is the best fly-half in the heineken cup. he exudes confidence when wearing the blue shirt, directing the orchestra and dictating the pace of the game. at his best, it's like poetry in motion
as i've said before, kidney's chopping and changing definitely contributes to Sexto's inconsistency for the national team, but there's even more to it than that. Sexton is gifted with real pace, and it is incredibly wasteful to employ a game plan that not only fails to exploit this quality to the full, but actually works against it. how can this do anything but knock a player's confidence? if kidney wants to get the best out of the national team, he should start adapting his system to suit the players at his disposal and not the other way round
Posted 16:36 10th February 2012
blametheref says...
Black47, agree with you entrirely about Sexton, he has never really got the full backing of Kidney as being his pivot like Leinster do, ok ROG is a brilliant fly half, but Sexton is better; people seem to forget the bad days ROG has had in a green jersey (Wales at the WC being the most recent) and they seem to forget the times he missed kicks at goal and the times he's been run over by opposition and Ireland beaten...Sexton is starting one of his rare "two in a row" matches for Ireland and my bet is he'll play a stormer, with the talent in Earls outside him Ireland have a team that can cause the French problems, but only if Kidney lets Ireland attack and lose the safety first approach...With nothing to lose, Ireland have everything in their favour to throw caution to the wind, hopefully they do, because the French have Ireland's normal way of playing sussed since BOD took them apart many years ago...This game promises to be the best of the weekend and with the bookies giving Ireland rubbish odds, in other words a chance, "you'd never know", as the bookies rarely get it wrong
Posted 13:18 10th February 2012
curates_egg says...
@black47 who said anything about Reddan? I have never argued for Reddan. Boss has been in outstanding form since his move to Leinster and is exactly what would be needed for Stade de France. Kidney is too blinkered to see it though. For Ireland's sake, I hope miracle boy Murray discovers a bit form.
Posted 22:48 09th February 2012
damo says...
I was listening to Kidney on the radio and he is on borrowed time and he has been having a mare, he is still picking out of form players like darcy,O'Callaghan Redden in the squad and leaving out top class performers like o'malley, o'mahoney, Downey, he is better off out of there all together, our only hope is $exton at 12 ROG at 10 and Earls is not a bad 13 then as there is a 12 who can make a break also creating space for his speed, lets not get carried away France at 12/13 are not world beaters their pack is more dangerous to us after a poor performance in the scrums against the Welsh. Kidney your on your way out of a job so make a brave selection and prove me wrong pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeee, we are nearly as bad as the English with your current selection and kicking the ball to the opposition tactics, Rugby was always about possession and you aren't playing possession nor are you playing in the oppositions territory, play ROG and $exton as we have no other 12's in your poorly selected squad!!! Come on Ireland we love you!!!!!!!!
Posted 22:27 09th February 2012
atg77 says...
I think earls will get badly exposed on the outside as he did against England last summer. Considering France put an 18 point margin past Italy, I think they'll win by about 15 against the Irish, who they always lift their game for. Vincent Clerc will be scoring tries for fun no doubt against his favourite six nations team.
Posted 21:15 09th February 2012
pog_mahone says...
curates_egg - "McFadden did well", yep great tackle on North alright. Face it, we'll only all realize how good BOD was when he's gone for good... Heard Kidney's interview with Newstalk, he was struggling to justify the Earls pick, it was actually hard to listen to. "He went well in training, he's buzzing", what does that mean? Much as it hurts to admit it, Gatland was right about him - "he talks in cliches and says nothing",,,
Posted 20:55 09th February 2012
mcdb06 says...
Although he's not world class i would have thought it'd make more sense to put paddy wallace in 12 since he's played against fofana and rougerie this year in H cup and was able to marshall them well enough. D'arcy is hopeless, got destroyed by Rougerie last year and has done nothing in 2 seasons. Was very poor last week. You'd swear Eddie O'Sullivan was still in charge
Posted 20:02 09th February 2012
hougiebear says...
Doesn't matter, our gameplan, defensive alignment, attitude, discipline and actual ability to front up and dominate or at least take the game to the French is just not there. Win for the French, 20 points, error strewn performance from Ireland
Posted 17:32 09th February 2012
melkdave says...
Still dont understand why D'Arcy keeps his place McFaddan played way better than he did overall and it wasnt his fault North ran over him but D'Arcys for allowing North to skin him for pace on the outside and run at McFaddan who was looking /lining up against Davies .DK had the perfect oppotunity to test a potential future Ireland center pairing in McFaddan and Earls and imo BOTTLED IT.I have to say i cant see Ireland wining in Paris unless they really step up their pace and excution .The french pack looks formidable so will match or possably edge the irish and we all know how clinical the french backs can be and they are just as big as the welsh boys .I will say ill be happy to be proved wrong though as an irish win would really open the championship up
Posted 16:55 09th February 2012
blametheref says...
If we kick as much as we did against Wales and employ the drift defence again we'll be slaughtered, how the bookies have Ireland at 7/2 to win outright defies belief as we should be 8/1 at least to win as we've only won once away in 40 years to France. The only way we can win this match is to put in a performance like against Australia, but without BOD to organize the defence in the backs and by example it's hard to see how Ireland are going to cope with a centre and wing set up that France have that is similar to Wales...This was an opportune time to take a risk and put Downey on the bench because we've a centre problem. Two years ago we had a prop problem, then Mike Ross wasn't in the reckoning and many (not me) held the view, because he played in the Premiership, he wasn't up to it and Kidney ignored him...until he couldn't anymore, and just look at the situation now regarding Ross...This match could be a defining one for Ireland and if we've one chance it's that France are still in transition and if pressed hard enough could be beaten. We're the underdogs, written-off, nothing much to lose, sound familar??
Posted 16:45 09th February 2012
Bones7 says...
I don't know what Donnacha Ryan has said to Kidney but it can't have been very nice! I feel sorry for Earls as well, he's said he's not a centre, especially not an international centre, so sticking him there where he's got Rougerie thundering at him all game isn't really very fair!
Posted 16:36 09th February 2012
Sincero says...
(Earls was not out for injury, but rather family reasons)
I really think putting Earls, a back three player who is fairly light-weight clueless in attack and defence in the centre role, up against Fofana and Rougerie should be classified as a blood sport of extreme cruelty and banned hopefully before Saturday.
Also, not fair on the punters: we're going to have to be so drunk to watch this game that it doesn't bear thinking about.
Posted 16:36 09th February 2012
jbscott19 says...
Darcy and Earls will be run over again.
Did Kidney not see what happened against Wales?
Somebody suggested O'Mahoney in the centre. Even though He has never played centre, at least he has the bulk and may be able to tackle the French backs. He is a ball carrier and it might work in an attack situation.
Ireland to the slaughter with this light-weight midfield. Lets hope the French backs have a bad day.
Posted 16:01 09th February 2012
howrtings says...
@ curates_egg -
Get off your patronizing high horse - and why should you have any reason to feel sorry for an international rugby player!!!!
Apart from that I, for one, do not think Earls is going to be "Horribly Exposed" against the French. It's going to be a very tough outing for him, but I fully expect him to hold his own at a minimum.
Apart from the world cup against Wales, I do not remember too many other times that Earls was Horribly Exposed.
And yes McFadden had a solid game, but was also Horribly exposed on more that one occasion last week.
Posted 15:58 09th February 2012
petey11 says...
"Pity for McFadden, he was one of the only players who performed well."
Huh?
Did you see the match at all?
Posted 15:23 09th February 2012
J_HDK says...
Completely agree with curates egg. Ironically after all the whinging to bring in new blood... He brings in Murray... No where near international standard. Very slow ball from the base of the ruck... not a great line breaker, poor decision making.. Like trying to get a happy medium between Reddan and Boss but without the goos attributes of either.. Rather than admitting a mistake was made Kidney sticks with him. backline won't get any momentum with him on the pitch. Primary reason for the last two
losses. Watch the video and get a clue Kidney.
One way or another missed tackles will happen... So you have to accept that your opponemts are going to scorr... Only way to win is outscore them. Page one stuff
Posted 14:57 09th February 2012
telltales_ie says...
I imagine thet weren't going to make many changes and send them off to the lions den in Paris; however I imagine there will be at least 4 or 5 changes for the next game. ~~ When we preformed last year against England an Australia it was Redden who started; is Conor Murray that good that Kidney feels he is the no. 1 scrum half ?
Posted 14:56 09th February 2012
heart_of_oak says...
you might not think Earls is your best player but his inclusion must mean his child has recovered from her illness. This is great news for him and his family and more important than rugby.
Posted 14:51 09th February 2012