Tour to NZ 2022

[John23]

Spotted this. Can't say I disagree.

[riocard911]

Can't wait for Xmas. Reckon the IRL Tour 2022 to NZ DVD Box Set - with all five matches and oodles of behind the scenes stuff - will be lying for me under the tree!!!!

[Hippo]

Player of the series - Josh Van der Flier?

I think so. Could definitely make an argument for Sexton but Josh is one of the best - and most consistent - loose forwards I've seen in over 50 years watching rugby

[Barry]

Player of the series - Josh Van der Flier?

I think so. Could definitely make an argument for Sexton but Josh is one of the best - and most consistent - loose forwards I've seen in over 50 years watching rugby

JDF player of the series?
If they were calling world player of the year now he would have to win it.

Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk

[Oldschoolsocks]

Here’s a question.

NZ got a penalty in the red at the end of the 1st half, kick for lineout which is called for not straight.

How come the scrum had to take place?

[Oldschoolsocks]

https://youtu.be/QtRbbgQH04U

The MATCH

Watch the ads, NZ ads are a lot of fun

[chrismcc]

Here’s a question.

NZ gay a penalty in the red at the end of the 1st half, kick for lineout which is called for not straight.

How come the scrum had to take place?

I think its because it was for a crooked line. Out through as opposed to a knock on. (wasn't a penalty)

[Oldschoolsocks]

Here’s a question.

NZ gay a penalty in the red at the end of the 1st half, kick for lineout which is called for not straight.

How come the scrum had to take place?

I think its because it was for a crooked line. Out through as opposed to a knock on. (wasn't a penalty)

Cheers!

[paddyor]

Here’s a question.

NZ got a penalty in the red at the end of the 1st half, kick for lineout which is called for not straight.

How come the scrum had to take place?

I think they changed the law after Ireland thru it crooked similar situation vs England in 2017. We were defending a narrow lead and just wanted to get off the pitch. Best threw crooked and it was ht

[jezzer]

don't need to explain how well we played today to you guys but henshaws try was something else. Clearly a planned move....it was sublime in its simplicity.

A thing of beauty

I reckon it was planned as far as hitting Hansen's hands and after that it was a pick your poison thing.

[the spoofer]

I see some comments that Savea was unlucky to give away the penalty as the ball appeared out. He was penalised for for coming from an offside position which he clearly was.

[Ruckedtobits]

I see some comments that Savea was unlucky to give away the penalty as the ball appeared out. He was penalised for for coming from an offside position which he clearly was.

+1. He was never behind the the 'hindmost' foot of the breakdown or tackle.

Interestingly, I am almost certain that move didn't work as planned. Looking carefully at the sequence (and they showed it from a very high camera as well), I'm almost certain that Bundee wasn't supposed to take the ball from Hugo but only to dummy doing so and Hugo was to hit James Lowe with the scoring pass. BTW, it looks as if Bundee actually took the ball from Hugo's hands, I.e. no pass, which allows him to be level with or marginally in front of Hugo so there's no forward pass and no infringement.

Either way, it was a superb move, particularly so late in a game when bodies and minds are really fatigued and usually sloppy with detail.

[FLIP]

[jezzer]

Player of the series - Josh Van der Flier?

I think so. Could definitely make an argument for Sexton but Josh is one of the best - and most consistent - loose forwards I've seen in over 50 years watching rugby

Josh, Beirne, POM, Sexton, Henshaw and Keenan would all be in the mix for me, but VDF wins it.

[Blue Man]

Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine that! Incredible performance and magic result. Fantastic tour overall so well done to the IRFU and coaching team for playing the two midweek matches. Eying the achievement, it will surely boost the teams confidence further and hopefully in 15 months time we can get some big results

[the spoofer]

Player of the series - Josh Van der Flier?

I think so. Could definitely make an argument for Sexton but Josh is one of the best - and most consistent - loose forwards I've seen in over 50 years watching rugby

Josh, Beirne, POM, Sexton, Henshaw and Keenan would all be in the mix for me, but VDF wins it.

I don’t really think POM is in the conversation to be honest. He had some huge moments but JVDF contributed hugely over 3 tests

[OneLungDavy]

Looking at ESPN stats: it appears that Tadgh Furlong only touched the ball once (one pass, no runs). Unusual for him not to be used as a carrier/playmaker more. Probably shows how the whole pack is now expected to play that role when previously a lot went through Tadgh. Sheehan seems to have taken up the mantle of getting those hard (and clever) yards with his footwork before contact winning him the gainline.

https://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/playerstat ... gue=289234

I’d noticed him being quiet on the ball so was keeping an eye on him and his breakdown work and defence were more than making up for it.

Similarly I thought Beirne was quiet in the first half but I didn’t need to keep an eye on him to notice the number of big moments he had in the second! The intercept he got was a huge moment, breakdown work obviously incredibly good.

Lots of big moments from so many players, I can’t stop thinking of brave calls that the players made whether it was intercepts, shooting up, challenging lineouts, pushing passes, contesting mauls, or breaking early for the line. We backed ourselves and it worked superbly well in nearly every instance.

Another guy who deserves praise is Joey. I’ve no idea where that performance came from but it wasn’t just the intercept, another massive moment, but his general play was really good. It might have only been 7/8 minutes but we know what he’s capable of now and fingers crossed that can become the standard. He’s clearly very strong mentally, fair play to him for stepping up.

Yeah have to give Joey credit where it's due. He's come under a lot of criticism but his contribution to this game was big, he looked sharp in all aspects.

[Oldschool]

A bit about NZ.
NZ don't seem to be the force they used to be.
Maybe it's just a dip or maybe they need to re-evalute.

1. They need to look seriously at their discipline.
2. Their pack, once feared, are now playing second fiddle.
3. Teams are coming up with games plans that expose their strengths, BB at OH was very well marshalled and wasn't able to influence the game the way he normally does.
4. They are now relying too much on counter-attack rugby which again teams have sussed.

The other questions are about the coaches, selection and tactics.
A. Did they select their best 23?
B. Did they identify and expose Ireland's weakness?
C. Whither their coaching team?

More questions than answers which is telling in itself, considering this is NZ.

[jezzer]

Back Three
Balacoune, Larmour, Addison, Haley, O'Brien, Lowry, McElroy, Campbell, Porch, Wooton, O'Donnell
Mid-field
McCloskey, Hume, Osbourne, Gibbons
Halves
Frawley, Carty, Byrne(s), Crowley, Healy, Casey, Marmion, Blade, Doak
Front-rows
Loughman, Dooley, O'Sullivan, Wycherly, Boyle, O'Toole, Moore, Kelleher, Stewart, Heffernan, McCormick
Second-rows
Henderson, Ahern, Molony, Murray, McCarthy, Thornbury
Back-rows
Connors, Coombes, Timoney, Kendallen, O'Donoghue, Penny, Prendergast, Crothers, Culhane, Boyle

There may be a couple of others I've neglected to include, but the overall point is that there are options and, with 10+ games and perhaps 27/28 Provincial fixtures, there are many more opportunities to test the mettle of those listed to see can they reach the required standard. It's always worth pointing out, particularly about the younger players, that improvement comes incrementally but they're not even steps. Some players can jump during a pre-season whilst injury is never far away.

Fullback
This tour highlighted what a distinct position FB is. Keenan is not the tallest, not the strongest, not the fastest, not the most elusive, not the best passer, not the biggest kicker. But he's the smartest, the most composed and has the most endurance of any FB in world rugby. And it turns out those traits are way more important. Call it the Girve Paradox...

Behind him we have positional switch options like Carbery/Hansen/Larmour/JOB followed by an unconvincing Lowry and the ghost of Addison. Haley is pushing - I'm not a massive fan but I'm in the minority there

The guy who shares the most Keenan-like traits in my view is Porch. He impresses me every time I watch him.

Overall, top class #1 option and behind that a mixed bag who can do a job with no clearcut up-and-comers.

Left wing
Clear #1, #2 and #3 options in Lowe, Hansen and Earls. Depth and quality with good left boot coverage. McIlroy a comtender. No cause for worry here.

Right wing
A host of pretenders, with a ton of talent. Hansen switching, Balacoune, Larmour, J O'Brien and TOB (look out for him this year). Backup in Earls switching. Bolter in Aitzol King. Coverage is very good: speed, power and elusiveness all available.

Outside Centre
Ringer/Henshaw as joint #1 options. Earls cover. Hume pushing. Still a thin position but better now that Hume has emerged.

Inside Centre
Henshaw/Aki as joint #1 options. Frawley and McCloskey pushing. Not a ton of apparent bolters coming behind. Like 13, a bit thin but the available options are very good.

Outhalf
The next 12 months will solidify the backup pecking order between Joey, Frawley and Harry. Frawley is the best placed to imitate Sexton's role in the team, but needs games to see if he's up to the level.
Dangerous but not much we can do to mitigate.

Scrum half
Clear #1 and 2 solid backups. Blade and Doak pushing. Marmion still an option. Depth is better than it's been in a while.

Loose head
Concerning behind Porter.
Loughman put his hand up with a great second game performance. Healy hanging in there. Killer injured so often. Warwick not being considered. Byrne will do a job. Wycherley and EOS needs to make big jumps. Thinnest test-level position.

Hooker
No cause for concern. Kelleher, Sheehan, Herring, Heffernan, Scannell all capable and fundamentally sound.

Tight head
Better. Bealham finally looks like a real option and TOT did his claim a lot of good. It's thin but trending positively. Might we see a bolter in Aungier or Vakh?

Lock
Not great. Clear #1/#2 in Ryan and Beirne. Hendy can't stay injury-free. Treadwell was a discovery but let's not pretend he's an insta-test-lock. Baird doesn't convince and may be a 6. A bunch of guys behind pushing but no clearcut candidates. Big Joe works hard but needs to think his way through games better.

Open side
VDF followed by POM switching and then Timoney. Connors needs to stay fit. After that it gets murky. Too soon for Crothers. 3-deep at test standard then big dropoff.

Blindside
Do we even need to do this one?! Crazy depth and talent.

No. 8
3-deep at test standard (Doris, Conan, Coombes) then you're looking at Timoney, Penny and loose change. Not bad.

All in all, not too shabby and trending in the right direction in those thinner positions, bar maybe LH if Killer stays injury-prone.

Well done Faz for building much better depth. No great need for wholesale experimentation in 2022/23. Just nurse along the current options and watch out for bolters.

[MylesNaGapoleen]

A bit about NZ.
NZ don't seem to be the force they used to be.
Maybe it's just a dip or maybe they need to re-evalute.

1. They need to look seriously at their discipline.
2. Their pack, once feared, are now playing second fiddle.
3. Teams are coming up with games plans that expose their strengths, BB at OH was very well marshalled and wasn't able to influence the game the way he normally does.
4. They are now relying too much on counter-attack rugby which again teams have sussed.

The other questions are about the coaches, selection and tactics.
A. Did they select their best 23?
B. Did they identify and expose Ireland's weakness?
C. Whither their coaching team?

More questions than answers which is telling in itself, considering this is NZ.

You are over thinking it.

NZ were simply beaten by a better, more composed, team that improved noticeably over the 3 tests. When the black-lash started in the 2nd half yesterday...NZ quality & power was clear to all and it was seriously impressive (just like their purple patch in the 1st test). We just didn't buckle and were more composed.

NZ haven't collapsed, nor is NZ rugby in crisis. We, on the other hand, have smashed through a glass ceiling. NZ will have fixed their frailties for the WC - the real question is will we build on this and get passed the quarter finals. I cannot wait. I believe we can do something special on the back of this series win.