sandal says...

@Houston_11

You say: ""If Ireland had played like they did last week, I still believe NZ would have won by 5-10 points their performance was that good.""

Really? The ABs were so good they would have won the previous encounter by 5 points?

Aren't you being a tad generous?

More generous than O'Dcriscoll, anyway. I had thought Cruden, Williams and others were outstanding. Turns out Ireland were just making errors.

Most other Irishmen have been much more gracious.

Posted 07:49 26th June 2012

sandal says...

@rynerich

I, too, heard "furburger".

You think "fergburger". Really? Would the Irish be so forgiving if Martin Johnson, for instance, had said such a thing in an Irish context at Lansdowne Road?

Would Rafael Nadal have been welcome back at Wimbledon if he had said anything like that on court after his victory last year? ("No, he just said he might go to Aviemore for a kebab.")

I have immense admiration for the player that BoD was. But I now think the man is a c -- wait, I can't say that. I think he is a fergburger.

Posted 07:42 26th June 2012

KubilaKhan says...

Bye Bye Kidney! Ashamed to call myself and Irish Rugby Fan. These inconsistent performances combined with a continual lack of development...it's just upsetting. Time to move on from the freaking 'Golden Generation' and start blooding new players. Give them faith and they will deliver.

Posted 16:17 25th June 2012

crunchfit says...

@hayj05

The team in 99 was good, a loss to Australia and controversial / close loss in the RWC doesn't change that (they still won the 3N and had the quality to win the RWC), and wasn't it a new, short-term coach in 2000?

Anyway, the issue is that coach should play to the strengths of the provincial teams so that the national team would perform better but what is currently happening is that Kidney forces his own, out-of-date game plan on the players and makes irrational choices e.g. team selections. That is closer to the issue than the perceived issue that Irish fans think provincial success should directly correlate with national success.

Posted 14:05 25th June 2012

hayj05 says...

Of course Domestic form doesn't translate into International form & there are numerous reasons why.

I can't bothered going into explanations but to cut a long story short. Different team, coaches, structures, opponents, intensity, pressures etc.. etc....

For example I'm an NZer & between 98 to 00 we had 5 of the 6 finalists in Super Rugby with the Crusaders winning all 3 titles & if you want to take it even further we had 7 of the 12 semi finalists. Now that's about as dominant as one nation could get at domestic level.

98 - Probably the worst season in AB's history. Lost all tri-nations & Bledisloe cup matches.

99 - The Wallabies won the WC & retained the Bledisloe.

00 - The Wallabies won the tri-nations & retained the Bledisloe.

Posted 09:36 25th June 2012

crunchfit says...

@Kinsman

blametheref's point seems to be more about Kidney than the New Zealand match. His thoughts are shared and have existed well before this match, well before this year's RWC and well before this year's 6N. Provincial success does translate the national team to some degree, but not when you have a terrible coach implementing terrible systems and making terrible choices, time after time. Also, we don't have as many teams as England, France, etc. and it wouldn't be an option. Perhaps you should aware yourself on the situation, people's opinions and rugby in Ireland in general before trying to give a response because you don't quite seem to have the gist of the whole situation.

I don't think there is a general opinion that the Irish players would respond better to a New Zealander. Perhaps people may have been talking about Schmidt. He and Conor O'Shea are the facourites of Irish fans from what I've read, not just anyone from New Zealand. They would respond better to anyone but Kidney though.

Posted 21:37 24th June 2012

ArmchairGeneral says...

Sometimes you hit a low. Great coach or not, change is needed to bring back hope and future orientation. Only 6 nations winners should bother touring NZ. Move on.

Posted 18:09 24th June 2012

kinsman says...

@blametheref

You seem to be stating that if Leinster played today, they may have won or at least performed substantially better. I personally believe that whilst any Irish player or coach thinks that club success directly translates to international success, you will continue to get a hiding. England select from an array of good club teams, France, New Zealand etc the same. They bring together an amalgam and generate a whole. The longer people perpetuate the nonsense that a single strong province means you must win internationally, the longer International success will evade...

I was also interested to read the comments that apparently the Irish players would respond better to a NZ coach (suspect there may be some Leinster bias there or a Munster Penney fan) but regardless, I was a touch perplexed as to why a team of Irishmen would supposedly respond better to a New Zealander than an Irishman....

When both sides play to their ability, I guess it is easier to blame the coach than to say we can't cut it.....

Posted 23:47 23rd June 2012

Daatchi says...

Absolutely shocking. Even the Kiwis sitting around me were embarrassed. The crowd pretty much stopped watching the match after half time and started doing mexican waves to amuse themselves instead. One thing I do know tho is that the whole IRFU needs an overhaul, Kidney stepping down is not enough. I have long suspected that the decisions made for the team have nothing to do with the coaches! Warren Gatland built the bones of the 'golden generation' team and set them up for greatness (look at how Wales have done nothing but go from strength to strength since Gatland has been at the helm) and for some reason was unceremoniously dropped! O'Sullivan and Kidney have just been riding on his coat tails every since and have done nothing original or spectacular with a group of players that manage to achieve so much at provincial level but cannot play together as a team at international level! Unless something is done I am going to have to think carefully about buying anymore tickets from the IRFU. I cant afford to pay for tickets to watch a team that cant be bothered to show up, led by a coaching staff/administration that seems more than happy to lose! The Irish fans deserve more!

Posted 23:06 23rd June 2012

Ulsterman1999 says...

As an Ulster fan my heart goes out to Paddy Wallace. He should never have been put in this position. He has been poorly treated by the IRFU throughout his professional career. I remember when he first burst into the Ulster starting 15. He had such potential. That potential, I believe, has been neglected and then destroyed by successive Irish coaches. This will shatter his confidence. I hope he never plays for Ireland again, not because he doesn't possess the ability, but because he has been so poorly treated. Wallace has never been given the respect he deserves. Think of the quality outside backs Ireland possessed over the past decade and think how they could have been released more effectively if they had someone of Wallace's distribution skills in the midfield? Hickie? Horgan? Murphy? Wallace was never given the support needed to translate his raw talent onto the international stage. He never looked comfortable and therefore never performed. The story of the golden generation - Talent Wasted.

The last of the golden generation should bow out and provide opportunities to the younger players likely to make the next world cup. Fitzpatrick, Tuohy, Madigan, and Cave all need time to develop at international level.

It's time for Kidney to fall on his own sword. He, like his predecessor, has wasted the talent at his disposal. I feel for the golden generation and for what they might have achieved. Wales have won 3 Grand Slams in 6 years, and with the greatest respect to the Welsh, they didn't have the same talent at their disposal.

As long as we have an Irish coach we will continue to under achieve. We do not possess the technical knowledge that exists in the SH to beat the big three on a consistent basis. It¿s time for an honest and frank discussion about the management of the national team. It¿s time for a clear out.

Posted 21:45 23rd June 2012