Michael Ala'alatoa

Peg Leg · Post by **Peg Leg** » October 12th, 2021, 4:29 pm

I have been impressed with Ala'alatoa so far. He isn't monstering opposition looseheads in the scrum, but he is locking them out and setting a decent platform for the set piece. He has a really sweet pass on him wasn't shy to act as scrum half in the opener against the Bulls and sent a lovely 6-8m pass from the base of the ruck in his own 22. He seems to have a big engine too.

I like what I see so far.

Dave Cahill · Post by **Dave Cahill** » October 12th, 2021, 6:15 pm

His ruck technique is superb

Blueberry · Post by **Blueberry** » October 12th, 2021, 7:52 pm

Dave Cahill wrote: ↑October 12th, 2021, 6:15 pm His ruck technique is superb

Looks a solid signing on evidence so far.....

riocard911 · Post by **riocard911** » October 12th, 2021, 8:03 pm

Blueberry wrote: ↑October 12th, 2021, 7:52 pm
Dave Cahill wrote: ↑October 12th, 2021, 6:15 pm His ruck technique is superb
Looks a solid signing on evidence so far.....

+1

wixfjord · Post by **wixfjord** » October 13th, 2021, 1:03 pm

Totally agree with the above, he has slotted in so seamlessly.

Solid scrummager, good hands, powerful in the carry and his counter rucking is really good.

Seems a smart guy too and a leader.

Dare I say it but he's an upgrade on Benty even and could be very useful in Europe.

LeinsterLeader · Post by **LeinsterLeader** » October 13th, 2021, 1:32 pm

wixfjord wrote: ↑October 13th, 2021, 1:03 pm Totally agree with the above, he has slotted in so seamlessly.

Solid scrummager, good hands, powerful in the carry and his counter rucking is really good.

Seems a smart guy too and a leader.

Dare I say it but he's an upgrade on Benty even and could be very useful in Europe.

You went too far.......... Christmas is cancelled!

blockhead · Post by **blockhead** » October 13th, 2021, 2:31 pm

LeinsterLeader wrote: ↑October 13th, 2021, 1:32 pm
wixfjord wrote: ↑October 13th, 2021, 1:03 pm Totally agree with the above, he has slotted in so seamlessly.

Solid scrummager, good hands, powerful in the carry and his counter rucking is really good.

Seems a smart guy too and a leader.

Dare I say it but he's an upgrade on Benty even and could be very useful in Europe.
You went too far.......... Christmas is cancelled!

Did he just say Jehovah?

blockhead · Post by **blockhead** » January 21st, 2022, 5:34 pm

Getting more impressed with this lad. Looks like shrewd bit of buisness.

If yis don'y mind, I'm going to give him Benty's old terrace chant.

Oh Mickey you're so fine, you're so fine,
You blow my mind,
Hey Mickey!
Hey Mickey!

brotheroffrank · Post by **brotheroffrank** » January 21st, 2022, 11:21 pm

Not going for the Chevy Chase (/Paul Simon) Chant then?

"If you'll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Benty
And Benty, when you call me, you can call me Al
Call me
Na na na na, na na na na
Na na na na, na na na-na na-na
Na na na na, na-na na-na na na
Na na na na, na na na na"

The shortened version being "I can call you Benty, and Benty when you call me, you can call me Al, Call me...Na na na na, na na na na, Na na na na, na na na-na na-na, Na na na na, na-na na-na na na, Na na na na, na na na na"

ronk · Post by **ronk** » January 21st, 2022, 11:37 pm

Al al al a to, al al a to, al al al a toto toto to to
Prop I want to watch you push.
Push till you can push no more
And if you get tired
Then push some moor or or or

Twist · Post by **Twist** » January 22nd, 2022, 9:57 pm

He’s the latest guy whose name Berch can’t get right. He’s now “Michael Alatoa”. Put it in the file along with “Ronan Solano” and “Billy Vinipolo”.

I know I’ve gone on about this before around here but it really grinds my gears. It’s just so disrespectful. And Berch is far from alone in doing it, he’s just the pundit I hear most cos he’s on every Irish rugby podcast.

Anyway, yeah I think he looks like a good bit of business now. Never thought he wouldn’t be.

Serb · Post by **Serb** » January 23rd, 2022, 1:18 am

I dunno, some people are just terrible at pronouncing names. They’re not there to be some kind of linguistic expert, they’re rugby pundits expressing their opinion about rugby. Sure they could do a better job of pronouncing the names, but it doesn’t feel very important to me.

I did have a chuckle earlier today when Brian O’Driscoll tried to pronounce Abdaladze’s name on BT after his handoff, took him about 10 seconds to finish saying the name, but honestly I don’t think I’d do a better job.

Morf · Post by **Morf** » January 23rd, 2022, 1:47 am

Birch is like Joey in Friends speaking French.
You know he can slow it down, break it up and say it right but coming out of his mouth it just comes out wrong almost every time.

It's not ignorance on Birch's part - so I forgive him that.

Oldschoolsocks · Post by **Oldschoolsocks** » January 23rd, 2022, 3:44 am

George Hamilton claim to fame was his ability to pronounce names ‘correctly’, his English teacher should have given him the lesson about about function over form.

Birch gets a pass on this one

outcast eddie · Post by **outcast eddie** » January 23rd, 2022, 3:56 am

Twist wrote: ↑January 22nd, 2022, 9:57 pm He’s the latest guy whose name Berch can’t get right. He’s now “Michael Alatoa”. Put it in the file along with “Ronan Solano” and “Billy Vinipolo”.

I know I’ve gone on about this before around here but it really grinds my gears. It’s just so disrespectful. And Berch is far from alone in doing it, he’s just the pundit I hear most cos he’s on every Irish rugby podcast.

Anyway, yeah I think he looks like a good bit of business now. Never thought he wouldn’t be.

You can add Philipe Contepony to the list of Birchisms.

blockhead · Post by **blockhead** » January 23rd, 2022, 12:06 pm

I wonder if Michael Ala'alatoa has had trouble correctly pronouncing some of the more difficult Irish names he has come across in his short time here?
And if he has I hope there wasn't some SJW on hand to call him disrespectful.

Twist · Post by **Twist** » January 23rd, 2022, 12:46 pm

blockhead wrote:I wonder if Michael Ala'alatoa has had trouble correctly pronouncing some of the more difficult Irish names he has come across in his short time here?
And if he has I hope there wasn't some SJW on hand to call him disrespectful.

Maybe he has but its not part of his job. Also “Roman” is hardly difficult to pronounce

riocard911 · Post by **riocard911** » January 23rd, 2022, 1:02 pm

Mispronunciation of foreign language names seems to me a particular Anglosphere thing, this idea that the English speaking people are superior, the transmitters of civilisation and that all the lesser cultures should just grin and bear it, while Hurray Henrys like Jeremy Clarkson mangle their names. It's not just yahoos like Bush W. mispronouncing Iran and Iraq as "Eyeran" and "Eyeraq" but also extends to the perennial insistence of shortening and thereby anglicising Irish names - so for example the BBC presenter Fiona Glover suddenly becomes Fi Glover and - spoiler alert - the full name of the character "Cat" Slater from Eastenders is actually Kathleen.

Oldschoolsocks · Post by **Oldschoolsocks** » January 23rd, 2022, 1:08 pm

riocard911 wrote: ↑January 23rd, 2022, 1:02 pm Mispronunciation of foreign language names seems to me a particular Anglosphere thing, this idea that the English speaking people are superior, the transmitters of civilisation and that all the lesser cultures should just grin and bear it, while Hurray Henrys like Jeremy Clarkson mangle their names. It's not just yahoos like Bush W. mispronouncing Iran and Iraq as "Eyeran" and "Eyeraq" but also extends to the perennial insistence of shortening and thereby anglicising Irish names - so for example the BBC presenter Fiona Glover suddenly becomes Fi Glover and - spoiler alert - the full name of the character "Cat" Slater from Eastenders is actually Kathleen.

Yeah, but there’s a difference between being unable to pronounce a name correctly because your mouth isn’t trained to work that way and being an insufferable dick àla Jeremy Clarkson

riocard911 · Post by **riocard911** » January 23rd, 2022, 1:12 pm

Oldschoolsocks wrote: ↑January 23rd, 2022, 1:08 pm
riocard911 wrote: ↑January 23rd, 2022, 1:02 pm Mispronunciation of foreign language names seems to me a particular Anglosphere thing, this idea that the English speaking people are superior, the transmitters of civilisation and that all the lesser cultures should just grin and bear it, while Hurray Henrys like Jeremy Clarkson mangle their names. It's not just yahoos like Bush W. mispronouncing Iran and Iraq as "Eyeran" and "Eyeraq" but also extends to the perennial insistence of shortening and thereby anglicising Irish names - so for example the BBC presenter Fiona Glover suddenly becomes Fi Glover and - spoiler alert - the full name of the character "Cat" Slater from Eastenders is actually Kathleen.
Yeah, but there’s a difference between being unable to pronounce a name correctly because your mouth isn’t trained to work that way and being an insufferable dick àla Jeremy Clarkson

That's for sure!

Babbling 'brook