Summer tour of Dublin 2021

[Experimental]

I think the team for USA is an exciting one. I like seeing Doris at 6 and hope he goes really well there. I'd agree with others that the rugby we're playing at the moment looks a bit laboured. In fairness tho the coaches cant have had a lot of time with whats a very new team, so we cant be expecting miracles. We came good, with a bit of a run towards the end of the six nations, Farrell and Catt need to up their game and can. One of the most dissapointing things for me lately seems to be the regression of Larmour. I honestly think the coaches are to blame, they should be building gameplans around the guy and making him field high balls all day to get his aerial skills right. We should be able to punch a hole in midfield and put him in more one on ones with a 9 running a hard line off him a lot more often.

[ronk]

I think the team for USA is an exciting one. I like seeing Doris at 6 and hope he goes really well there. I'd agree with others that the rugby we're playing at the moment looks a bit laboured. In fairness tho the coaches cant have had a lot of time with whats a very new team, so we cant be expecting miracles. We came good, with a bit of a run towards the end of the six nations, Farrell and Catt need to up their game and can. One of the most dissapointing things for me lately seems to be the regression of Larmour. I honestly think the coaches are to blame, they should be building gameplans around the guy and making him field high balls all day to get his aerial skills right. We should be able to punch a hole in midfield and put him in more one on ones with a 9 running a hard line off him a lot more often.

Farrell has been with these players for almost half his coaching career. He took over a very settled team and hasn't shown any major propensity for rebuilding.

It might happen later, but he's been as much a continuity hire as you get.

[D4surfer]

Just logged onto Ticketmaster and got 2 tickets. I couldn't believe there were any available.

[erskinechilders]

Just logged onto Ticketmaster and got 2 tickets. I couldn't believe there were any available.

Any links?

[D4surfer]

[quote=D4surfer post_id=783797 time=<a href="tel:1625848278">1625848278</a> user_id=3621]
Just logged onto Ticketmaster and got 2 tickets. I couldn't believe there were any available.

Any links?
[/quote]

https://www.ticketmaster.ie/vodafone-su ... E2DC882BAC

They have it as Rugby League.

[The Doc]

Just logged onto Ticketmaster and got 2 tickets. I couldn't believe there were any available.

Yeah I got some yesterday. They seem to have dropped an extra batch.

Probably still there if anyone is interested

Sent from my LE2123 using Tapatalk

[Ruckedtobits]

Not convinced this Irish front five will provide enough ball for experimental backline. The priority is a win, not merely a performance and the Eagles have improved match by match under Gary Gold.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

No surprise that Ryan is calling a lot on himself considering the issues last week, the changes, and the fact that he’s captain. Think the early issues were just about timing, seemed like he was only just being lifted when Kelleher fired the ball in. Good that we appear to have sorted it at least.

Pretty damning that the US turned down easy points because they thought we were vulnerable in defending the maul.

Casey has been excellent. Coombes very good too, lovely hands by him. Absolutely outstanding try from Baloucoune, no real surprise that he could do it but so good to see him look so comfortable already and back himself like that. That’s what Larmour could learn from, be direct first and then use the feet.

US defence very poor all the same.

[Oldschoolsocks]

Ryan Baird is some athlete

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Ireland trying to offload a lot and making mistakes. Doris with two big errors in two weeks in that regard, needs to improve.

Some nice handling by the forwards in midfield and Joey running behind with runners off him is working well.

[Hippo]

Thought H Byrne did a lot better than JC when he came on. Coombes looks good and Casey and Baloucoune did very well.

[Ruckedtobits]

Lots of decent performances and a good deal of cohesion after a short period together. Tries by dint of teamwork and skills rather than blunt force. Casey & Blade both looked competent and kept the ball moving from the back of breakdowns which provides tempo which ensures options in attack.

Our defence was also very coherent and our tackling very secure in general.

Addison is a very gifted player and must form part of every Squad because of his versatility.

Five Irish No 8's played international rugby today. One from each Province in Aviva and one more wearing the Lions Red Jersey. Remarkable and not one of them looked out of place. As for wingers........I could go on.but all very satisfactory and great to see Ireland's much maligned attack function successfully.

[dropkick]

Think Farrell will be very happy with that. It would be easy to be critical of one or two performances but any negatives are outweighed by positives. He was looking for a few players to push their way into the first team squad and it looks like it was a successful night.


The counter attacking was superb although things looked a bit static at times when the USA slowed down Irelands attack.

[Laighin Break]

A lot of very good performances - Kelleher, Coombes, Casey and Conway especially. Keenan, as always, a joy to watch.
I've seen Casey's kicking being criticised here before, but thought his contestable kicking was excellent today.
Harry's crossfield to Addison was a peach and in contrast to Carbery's that went out on the full in the first half.

USA were very poor and it wasn't a contest as a game, but it was an enjoyable watch with some great running rugby and scores from a second string Ireland side.

[ronk]

Ok performance, big win. But they threw in the towel after the red card.

Some good performances and some promising moments from newer players. I was struck by how far ahead the more senior players are than the newest players. Might not be many of them bolting without big improvement. Byrne the exception.

[sunshiner1]

by LeRouxIsPHat

Absolutely outstanding try from Baloucoune, no real surprise that he could do it but so good to see him look so comfortable already and back himself like that.

Best try in I can't remember how long from an Irish Player. I also couldn't believe the USA's maul defense was that bad for the others. A good win which puts some credit in Farrell's bank. Hopefully this gives him the confidence to be more bold in his selection choices.

[wixfjord]

I absolutely love watching Balacoune. He's destined to be a star.

If I were Jordan Larmour I'd be worried.

[ronk]

I dunno, I’d put Larmour highlight reel up against almost anyone’s.

It was a super try but it was one out of 10 scored on the day.

[hugonaut]

Think Farrell will be very happy with that. It would be easy to be critical of one or two performances but any negatives are outweighed by positives. He was looking for a few players to push their way into the first team squad and it looks like it was a successful night.


The counter attacking was superb although things looked a bit static at times when the USA slowed down Irelands attack.

Lots and lots of good performances out there. The standard of passing on the Irish side looked better than it had in a number of months, even years. Obviously they were afforded more time on the ball than they would be in a higher standard game, but good passing is good passing – you know it when you see it.

Baloucoune's try was just beautiful to watch – such a talented runner.

I was impressed with Hume. I liked his passing off both hands in full flight, and he's got quick feet, pace and seems like a solid hitter, both with and without the ball. Seeing Chris Farrell in the side at No13 has made me roll my eyes up to heaven in 2020 and 2021, so I'm happy that a new contender has emerged. Conway did very well in the first half after a long period out of the team. He looked like he has his confidence back; his handling, which he has never been renowned for, was really excellent. To be frank he didn't put a foot wrong in his 40 minutes on the pitch.

Addison is always a treat to watch too ... I'm a real fan. He and Keenan are alike in the way that they both have confidence in their ability to pass both sides on the run, and they are happy to move into the middle of the pitch and act as distributors. He's a great option at No23 for Six Nations games – he literally covers the entire three-quarter line and fullback, and he even kicks goals.

Craig Casey did well at No9 – his passing is very sharp, and his defensive kicking was much better than I expected. I was at the game, and it was noticeable how he and Carbery go out to the openside wing on defense in phase play. I thought Carbery played well and brought the players around him into play well. His in-play kicking was poor – he had a chip caught overhead which was never on, and he put a crosskick directly into touch – but his goal-kicking, while looking a little unconventional, was very reliable. His defense is poor though. He gets run over every other time he attempts a front-on tackle.

Coombes and Doris were great in the backrow. Doris has had some butterfingers moments in these last two games, but he's so busy, such a good carrier and a really excellent player who has looked very comfortable in far tougher tests than this. Coombes did very well in his first start and didn't miss a beat, just continued with the same form he has shown for Munster this season.

I thought Tom O'Toole performed very well and had a really good debut. He stayed on the pitch a long time for a tighthead, got through a whole heap of work and showed really nice hands a couple of times wide on the left in both halves. He has been in a good few Irish camps before now without getting on the pitch, but he is still just 22 years old. That was a very encouraging start. Kelleher obviously blew the doors off – four tries is a real headline grabber.

Baird was pretty good, a more workmanlike performance than we have previously seen from him. I think he has the athleticism and the engine to rival Itoje, but he's not on the same page in strength terms [at the moment - there is five years between them] and he is not as disruptive an influence. James Ryan very workmanlike beside him in the row: loads of effort for not much reward. Wycherly is too small [193cm/112kg] to play second row effectively in the Six Nations for the foreseeable future so I thought it was a bit of a pointless selection.

The Eagles were sh*te. Embarrassingly bad. Very little talent, very little organisation and very little heart. I can't think of a worse team I've seen Ireland play at Lansdowne Road. There's no point in comparing how Irish players played in that match against how other Irish players played in Six Nations games ... it's just not meaningful. They were a Zebre/Southern Queens level of opposition.

[RichardP]

by LeRouxIsPHat

Absolutely outstanding try from Baloucoune, no real surprise that he could do it but so good to see him look so comfortable already and back himself like that.

Best try in I can't remember how long from an Irish Player. I also couldn't believe the USA's maul defense was that bad for the others. A good win which puts some credit in Farrell's bank. Hopefully this gives him the confidence to be more bold in his selection choices.

Since Earls v England?