Tour to NZ 2022

[wixfjord]

Anyone (I've a few suspects in mind) know-
Typical how do the Maoris do when they play NZ.
How did Ireland perform against the Maoris the last time they played them.
How have other touring teams performed against the Maoris in the last five years.

This is not a vintage Maori team if that's what you're asking.

Most of those guys are either young talented players (like ours) or older Super Rugby/ITM Cup regulars, with a smattering of AB experience like Weber, Perenara and Lomax.

Definitely nothing that our starting 23 should fear.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Our first 23 might compete vs the All Blacks but we'll ship injuries and the second string aren't anything like at that level.

And we're probably already without Healy, Kelleher, and Henderson from the first choice 23 and then Loughman for Saturday and Hume for rotation. Tight five is where we really can't afford injuries but we've a raft of them, plus you've got Herring carrying something, Beirne only back after months out, and Baird has been struggling (and presumably nursing) with a back injury and also been playing at 6.

We can cover the outside backs but that's not great either. We could end up with Harry at ten and Frawley at 12 for the next Maori game and then someone slightly out of position at 13. Not a big deal if today had gone well and we were in good shape for the tests, but who knows what the situation will be in two weeks and it could go pretty badly. I can already foresee that being tough and people gunning for Harry despite coming back from injury and being in a really tricky position.

[the spoofer]

In fairness, that isn't exactly a quality Irish team. Go beyond our first 15 and we are looking for the best of the rest rather than lads who are screaming for inclusion.

[lummix]

Heffernan, loughman and Treadwell for me are a long way off this level.
Personally haven't seen anything from Casey to say he is at this level now, he may get there but he needs a lot of development still in his game management.
I thought larmour, Aki, coombes and in spots o Brien went well

[sunshiner1]

by Dave Cahill

Whether we were beaten up or incompetent (the difference between sh!t and shite at the end of the day), very few players came out of that game with their reputations intact, never mind enhanced. Coombes, Aki, Scannell - thats about it

+1

by enby

It's all part of a cunning Faz plan to lull NZ into thinking we are sh*te.

He's got his own supporters fooled as well then.

[paddyor]

Tries

https://twitter.com/ek_rugby/status/154 ... Xtzj5NYajQ

https://twitter.com/ek_rugby/status/154 ... Xtzj5NYajQ

https://twitter.com/ek_rugby/status/154 ... Xtzj5NYajQ

https://twitter.com/ek_rugby/status/154 ... Xtzj5NYajQ

https://twitter.com/ek_rugby/status/154 ... Xtzj5NYajQ

The 2 from the kicks weren't especially bad kicks IMO. JOB makes a good tackle on one but the follow ups were poor.

[the spoofer]

Joe McCarthy is a punt on the future rather than the now. I think Prendergast will benefit from today despite the difficulties that he had. Same goes for Tom O'Toole. But it's sad to see the inevitable decline in Earls and it's beyond belief that he was presented with a further central contract.

[JohnB]

So, are we looking at a whitewash for NZ against us in the Tests? I'm only asking on the basis of conversations here as I didn't see this morning's game.

[paddyor]

https://twitter.com/Murray_Kinsella/sta ... Xtzj5NYajQ

Loghman before he went off.....Jaysus

[LeinsterLeader]

So, are we looking at a whitewash for NZ against us in the Tests? I'm only asking on the basis of conversations here as I didn't see this morning's game.

I think our best chance of winning one will be this Saturday. A big backlash and go all out for this one. I don't see us mentally or physically recovering for the 2nd or 3rd tests.

[Oldschool]

So, are we looking at a whitewash for NZ against us in the Tests? I'm only asking on the basis of conversations here as I didn't see this morning's game.

I think our best chance of winning one will be this Saturday. A big backlash and go all out for this one. I don't see us mentally or physically recovering for the 2nd or 3rd tests.

Mentally is the big issue.
Even today we coughed up too much possession trying the impossible offload or pass.
Kicking long to NZ teams is simply not a good idea, they are simply the best team in the world at counter attacking, manna from heaven.
Bearing in mind that rugby is a possession game these things need to be stopped.

[nc6000]

https://twitter.com/Murray_Kinsella/sta ... Xtzj5NYajQ

Loghman before he went off.....Jaysus

I was very surprised to see him come back on after that.

[Laighin Break]

In fairness, that isn't exactly a quality Irish team. Go beyond our first 15 and we are looking for the best of the rest rather than lads who are screaming for inclusion.

Nope. I'd expect Leinster (comfortably), Ulster and Munster to beat the side we put out today. And for Connacht to give them a run for their money

[Hippo]

https://twitter.com/Murray_Kinsella/sta ... Xtzj5NYajQ

Loghman before he went off.....Jaysus

I was very surprised to see him come back on after that.

Outrageous

[desperado]

I'd love to know who's plan it was to travel for 5 games in NZ with 40 players. I'm sure the coaches wanted more so it's either NZ Rugby or IRFU(Nucifora)

40 players is nuts when really its a 23 person game.

[hugonaut]

Really disastrous performance in the second quarter, and to be honest, not a good performance in any quarter. A dreadful start to the tour.

Anybody who says that an Irish player out there put forward an argument for forcing their way into a test side on the basis of that performance has an agenda. Literally none of them did. Some were better/worse than others, but there wasn't a single player out there who produced a high quality international performance. Not one – very disappointing.

Obviously it was a very inexperienced team, and there was an equally obvious lack of effective leadership. When you take into account the repeated penalty advantages, we gave away nine penalties and a free kick in the first 40 minutes. No scrum penalties, no lineout penalties, no tackling penalties i.e. high/late/aerial - all of them were either offside in backline defence [four] or at the breakdown [five]. In one half. One of each was a little harsh – the Prendergast 'double dip' at the breakdown [around 12:30] and a offside in the backline against Coombes/Timoney [around 22:20]. The rest you couldn't argue with.

[Fireworks]

I have always thought that the best way to introduce guys to a higher level of the game is to include a small number of them into a settled secure team. There is a long history of this type of selection getting beaten. Would it have been better to bring a few more old heads to mind the young guys.

There were times in that game when I thought we had enough to beat them but we were a little off. A few more experienced heads on the pitch might have helped.

[OTT]

I don’t think anything really changes after that game.

We (a general we including myself) were all delighted with the 2 extra Māori games and the 3 test series, to get some lads who don’t get opportunities a chance for some tough games. One of them down and 4 to go.

We are looking at losing all 5 games but I think we probably always were, same as it ever was when we go to NZ. We have a shot in the 1st test on Saturday and I think today has no effect on that.

We played badly today, no arguments but some of the lads playing just are not good enough for this level, we know who they are and knew it before the game started so no need to name them, the others will hopefully take a lot from the game. I’d expect a much better performance in the next Māori game (if we can field a team ) but we will likely lose it.

We (that word again) generally believe that for Ireland to beat a team like NZ in a one off match everything has to go for us, full squad going into it, no injuries during it, set piece to work, have the bounce of the ball go in our favour, so this tour wasn’t the place where we were going to make miracles happen especially down there at the end of our season but we can still get some positives out of it, decent performances in the tests and maybe nick one and an improved showing from the second string against the Māori next time out.


Maybe a dose of reality about the level of some of our fringe players who people big up might be good for our humility but no doubt they will just throw out another random name who would a should a toured/made a difference without having/being able to ever back the claim up.

Young lads like Hume, Frawley, TOT, McCarthy, Coombes, Prendegast look like they will have good international careers ahead of them, this game should stand to them going forward.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

I have always thought that the best way to introduce guys to a higher level of the game is to include a small number of them into a settled secure team. There is a long history of this type of selection getting beaten. Would it have been better to bring a few more old heads to mind the young guys.

There were times in that game when I thought we had enough to beat them but we were a little off. A few more experienced heads on the pitch might have helped.

Were there any obvious candidates though with the game on Saturday? I’d no real issues with the 23 based on who’s over there. The selection didn’t look right up front but I also don’t think I’d have changed much tbh.

We don’t have an injury crisis of any sort so I don’t want to use it as an excuse but if Kelleher and Henderson were fit then we could have had Herring and Beirne (who needs game time) starting today and I reckon they’d have made a huge difference. A pity but hopefully we can regroup and come back stronger.

I fully admit that I didn’t think he was a bad omission at the time but watching today, and given our lack of depth at prop, Ed Byrne would have been a really useful leader out there.

[Oldschool]

Broken record time.
What in the name of all that's unholy were we doing bringing HB and Henderson on this tour with injury issues.
We're just over a year out from the next RWC, We're on the toughest tour known to rugby and We're already at the 2 hail Mary stage (before a ball was even kicked) and a third hail Mary if you(or we as per another poster) consider that we were travelling light with props.
At this stage, if not you, then I think we have to cut our losses with HB for the coming RWC and move one of the other pretenders up the queue, Crowley being my personal preference.
It's Broken so Fix it.