Ireland head into the 2017 Six Nations Championship in the unenviable position of being tournament favourites. After a disappointing 2015/2016 season, The Joe Show is back in full swing and Schmidt’s team have plenty going in their favour. They’re coming off the back of a maiden victory over New Zealand (their greatest ever achievement), the … Continue reading 2017 Six Nations Preview: Ireland
In the midst of the attention that Ireland and England have received in the media for toppling the Rugby Championship teams in recent weeks, the steady progress that France have made in the latter half of 2016 seems to have passed people by. That may have something to do with Les Bleus not getting any … Continue reading The Rise Of Guy Novès’ France
‘Heroic’ and ‘brave’ are words that often get thrown around when talking about any team has gone to the well, but they don’t quite suffice when describing Ireland’s efforts on Saturday evening. Beating an Australian side that had an abundance of pace, power and skill across their squad with four players out of position in … Continue reading The Magnificent 23
Australia have been under a fair bit of pressure in the media in 2016 and Michael Cheika hasn’t dealt with it all that well. A series loss to England in June, three comprehensive defeats to New Zealand, tactical failure against South Africa in Pretoria and one-score victories over Scotland and France (two of the poorer … Continue reading Ireland v Australia Preview
Scorelines often don’t tell the full story of a game, and such was the case in Ireland’s 21-9 loss to New Zealand on Saturday. A 12-point margin indicates a reasonably comfortable win, but it doesn’t show how heroic in defeat Joe Schmidt’s team were. Ireland couldn’t have had a worse start, conceding an early try … Continue reading The One That Got Away
In the end, Ireland got their resounding victory, but they made hard work of it. 52-21 suggests a facile win, when in reality, momentum swung back and forth for 58 minutes. The concession of three tries, loss of control in the second quarter, and general lack of accuracy will have frustrated the management. It was … Continue reading Ireland 52 – 21 Canada: Match Reaction
Playing a Tier 2 nation tends to be a double-edged sword for teams like Ireland. If a full-strength Irish side go out and beat them by a landslide, it’s seen as a wasted opportunity to give game time to younger players. If an inexperienced squad is picked and the winning margin isn’t significant, it’s seen … Continue reading Ireland v Canada Preview
