RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland
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@booboo said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
@Derm-McCrum said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
Apparently Jimmy O'Brien ate a Kimberley Mikado with his coffee this morning so it looks like he's not in the squad.
None of that makes any sense to me.
Ploise exploin ...
I expect it has something to do with the following, but I'm still clueless
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@DaGrubster said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
De Groot and Lomax are out 2 best props but have had little Ruby over the last 3 weeks.
They may be seasoned props, but it isn't Drunken Master. I doubt much ruby port is a good thing even for the front row in a RWC QF.
More seriously, I doubt the last 2 games would have really tested them and I'd rather they be fighting fit (and in De Groot's case, a little more canny with tackle technique). I just hope Lomax is fully fit as he has been the quiet achiever in the front tow, while I just appreciate De Groot's energy and aggression (the jury seems to be out on how good he really is as a scrummager).
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@NTA said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
@Bones said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
I'm a genus
The genus of homo sapiens is homo, so....
which means man. You're calling Bones a man*. Big call in this frenzied forum of hot Polish ladies.
*Yes I know it really means human being, but for all we know a poster could be ShatGPT.
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@NTA said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
@stodders said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
@NTA how do you think the game will go as an independent observer with no skin in the game?
AB defence is the problem.
That's the headline.
Thank god for that, I thought it was also our exits, tactical kicking, dumbarsed panic, on-off forwards, mercurial 10 and midfield, headless bench, and inferior coaching.
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Random reports on random stuff I've heard on the internerd ...
Rugby Direct Podcast
Smith and Napier did a combined Irish / All Black XV.
They essentially Fitzy'ed it in favour of Ireland.
A couple of Kiwis got a mention, Smith picked Taylor for example, but generally they picked the Paddies. They couldn't even find a place for Jordan over Hansen.
Next ...
Harry Jones ... I know ... who?
Apparently some dude who played for Wrstern Province and has an unidentifiable accent, but does some Aussie podcast spoke on Devlin's show
And finally (no link) Mat Rogers (who I used to have no time for until I listened to his interview on ABC Conversations with Richard Fidler (although it might have been with Sarah Kernovski ... )) on 'Rugby Central' on Stan looked kind of embarrassed when he said he was picking NZ.
None of which suggests a pattern or strong favouritism.
I seriously think this game could go any way of the extremes in favour of either team.
But gee it could be fun (or depressing). Or both
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@nostrildamus said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
@NTA said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
@stodders said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
@NTA how do you think the game will go as an independent observer with no skin in the game?
AB defence is the problem.
That's the headline.
Thank god for that, I thought it was also our exits, tactical kicking, dumbarsed panic, on-off forwards, mercurial 10 and midfield, headless bench, and inferior coaching.
Headline I said.
What you've done is the byline and first paragraph.
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I don't think or really care whether they think Ireland is better player for player, to me the issue is the Irish are better drilled, more tactical, and more resourceful-the big gap (to overcome) is in strategy, organization, and combinations.
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@booboo said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
In case it hasn't been mentioned ...
6pm CET Thursday = 2am AEST = 4am NZST
All is right with the world.
6pm CET Thursday = 3am AEDT = 5am NZDT
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@NTA said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
Thank god for that, I thought it was also our exits, tactical kicking, dumbarsed panic, on-off forwards, mercurial 10 and midfield, headless bench, and inferior coaching.
Headline I said.
What you've done is the byline and first paragraph.
Touché, sir. On the other hand, you've got another 4 plus years (to 2028?) of Eddie Jones coaching to look forward to.
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As another 'neutral' in this one, I think Ireland probably win this game 7 times out of 10. That means the ABs have a pretty decent chance, but if Ireland play as well as they have against Scotland / SA then i back their defensive organisation and discipline, as well as their kicking and attacking game to be too much over 80 mins for the ABs. I also think the Irish are mentally strong enough to cope with going behind early. All that said, only a fool writes the ABs off completely.
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This post is deleted!
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@MiketheSnow Ryan was on the bench against Scotland. Henderson started.
So Ryan out, McCarthy in is the only change.
Strong, settled team. They are battle hardened, but they have also played a fair bit too. Compare the NZ backrow playing minutes to Ireland's:
Image taken from this post on X:
https://x.com/Selfimprove_Man/status/1712014608557338881?s=20
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@canefan said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
@PecoTrain said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
@canefan said in RWC QF: All Blacks v Ireland:
Like the motto of my football team says, To Dare is to Do.
Just because you're mentally prepared for endless disappoint, doesn't mean we all are...
😉
If I could do that, do you really think I'd be wasting my time on here?
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Nugget 1:
"From a New Zealand perspective though it’s been all too easy, and I have my doubts about how beneficial it’s been for a group that has struggled consistently for form under Ian Foster to a point where they felt the need to parachute Joe Schmidt into the mix to try and bring direction and stability.
I know from experience that Joe instils confidence in players over time, but he hasn’t really had a great deal of that nor is he driving the ship. Ian Foster is still at the helm and from the outside looks keen to reinforce that at every opportunity in the media."
Nugget 2:
"This match is historic in many ways, Ireland the number one team desperate to break their quarter-final glass ceiling, New Zealand desperate to salvage respect at home to an unforgiving fan base that demands success; the winner more than likely to make a World Cup final.
Ireland have grown accustomed to the pressure that has come with being world number. They know they will have to be good, create and execute try scoring opportunities but there is a calmness about their approach.
This has been the most vocal I have seen any New Zealand team, they are worried about what can happen possibly a little bit more than they are confident of what they can do. The All Blacks do not know how to be the underdog. Ireland can exploit that discomfort."