Risk Analysis / Confidence Levels
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Yeah - this is a much better prepared AB team than has played against Ireland in the last wee while - with quite a few different styles of play than they'll have seen. They'll have to play out of their skin to beat the ABs, so if we lose then bloody well done.
Gaan dry powder.
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Irish win last year was the worst thing that could have happened for them in terms.s of this match.
If it was just Chicago it could easily have been written off as being unprepared, playing people out of position, even a bit of arrogance...but them winning again in Dublin, and the manner with which they won meant Hansen and Co were on notice there was a new force in World Rugby and they did things differently so we needed to find a way to beat the way they play, particularly the disciplined rush defence (although the signs were there post-Lions things were needing to change)
We have been average at best in a number of games for a while, but as some analysts have shown, we have been playing differently, with mixed success...but things are slowly falling into place.
Injuries have impacted the coaches decisions around who plays and where, which has also hindered their ability to bed in the new style as they would like without showing their hand too early.
I think if we click tonight, we will win and win well, but if we take 15 or 20 to get into the game tonight and pressure starts to mount we could be in trouble.
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@taniwharugby said in Risk Analysis / Confidence Levels:
I think if we click tonight, we will win and win well, but if we take 15 or 20 to get into the game tonight and pressure starts to mount we could be in trouble.
losing the warmup against Italy was significant. there's nothing like real game time, and missing the chance to play was a downer for us. We could be rusty going in.
I think we'll get some points (20+), and can't see Ireland getting there... but ya just never know in knockouts. Cards could decide it
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@nzzp said in Risk Analysis / Confidence Levels:
losing the warmup against Italy
C'mon, it was a draw 🤣
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@taniwharugby well played sir, well played
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Great days these ones.
Walking around all excited and buoyed by the thought of that 10 minutes of the bok game and knowing that 20 minutes of that will "get her done". The joy you know you're going to get when we push the lead beyond two converted tries
Then a dreadful thought sidles into the mind and you know what it feels like to lose these ones. The abject darkness of the weeks and months to follow. That bitter feeling as the tournament progresses without you and you try to convince yourself that watching the other team's games ensures you are a true rugby fan. But the disbelief and darkness make you sigh a hundred times a day.
AB's by 14
Have a great day everyone!
Savour it
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@Siam wasnt it after the Dublin match Hansen spoke of the stone under the beach towel...I expect losing this will be a boulder on the beach towel...while it shouldn't, losing tonight will affect Hansens 'legacy'
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@taniwharugby said in Risk Analysis / Confidence Levels:
@Siam wasnt it after the Dublin match Hansen spoke of the stone under the beach towel...I expect losing this will be a boulder on the beach towel...while it shouldn't, losing tonight will affect Hansens 'legacy'
We might look back on the loss in Dublin as one of the best things to happen to us if we go on to beat Ireland and ultimately win the cup. We have real motivation tonight and the game plan is coming to fruition. Meanwhile they have not been great for a while. I hope its payback time 2015 QF styles
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To stay on topic for once - I am both nervous and quietly confident. A card could screw either team and ruin the whole match. Fortunately Nigel is pretty level headed so it is up to the players to behave.
Completely different styles of play too, with Japan showing that we might be on the right track to beating Ireland along with the team that Hansen has selected.
I am going to buy more beer now as I don't think that 6 doz is going to get me through the rest of the day until the match. Getting quite tense already.
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I give it 60ish to 40ish in our favour.
Favouritism is more from Ireland's 2019 decline rather than any rise from us, but there are at least some encouraging signs of adjustment.As for consequence, nothing much imo. Coach and captain at the end of their careers anyway. Although a quarter final exit is much more stinging than a semi or final exit.
This will be a hard cup to win.
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9 hours til kick off and I've just cracked my 1st beer to soothe the nerves. I'm jittery.
Deep down I expect us to win going away. Sure Joe is a good coach and he'll have some tricks, and yeah the belief will be there in the Irish players. But the truth is also that they just haven't been that good for a while, and I'm not sure theirs is a group that can flick the switch and go straight from 60% to 100%. And they'll need to be at 100% to win this.
I predict a big coming of age performance from Richie, behind a dominant pack effort.
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@Snowy said in Risk Analysis / Confidence Levels:
@voodoo said in Risk Analysis / Confidence Levels:
I've just cracked my 1st beer
You really shouldn't drink alone - so cheers!
I'm jittery too.I appreciate that Snowy, thanks
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@taniwharugby said in Risk Analysis / Confidence Levels:
@nzzp said in Risk Analysis / Confidence Levels:
losing the warmup against Italy
C'mon, it was a draw 🤣
A draw is like a loss to the ABs. People often talk about us losing the Lions series. And fair enough too, fuck draws.
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I am nervous, but logically we shouldn't worry too much. We're a better team now than in 2018 and we've made changes to our game specifically to address the challenges of teams like Ireland.
Ireland on the other hand are clearly worse than 12 months ago.
Besides, though we were totally beaten up by Ireland last year we only lost by 7 points, and if Read doesn't drop the ball we probably would have been ok. Ireland will need to play very well and we'll need to be off our best - and even then we still probably win.
Concerns revolve around a card and our scrum, particularly as the reserves come on.
I don't rule a loss out, but I'd be very surprised.
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@Damo that is my starting position to. Then I think about the vageries of knockout rugby and the current state of laws/rulings!!
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