Well done Munster
- Thread starter Purple
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Ah, the lone Garryowen supporter then...
Superb performance by a class Munster outfit who eventually forced Toulouse to play the game on Munster's terms.
Surely this is a sign of true greatness in the planning and execution stages of their immense achievement. "The opposition can do a,b and c well, we can do x,y and z, so we impose our game on them". I think it all worked beautifully, was far from boring and was like a chess-match. Munster in the last 15 to 20 minutes of the game, sucked possession, hope, discipline and energy from Toulouse and thats what won them the game.
O'Connell was at his absolute breathtaking best, with Horan, Hayes, O'Callaghan and in particular in the second half, Wallace at his best ever. 17 phases of play and not an opposition hand on the ball at this level of competition speaks volumes for preparation, physical strength, concentration, discipline, massively high pain-thresholds, self-belief, trust in the plan and the ever-present Munster heart.
Our Southern Hemisphere three-quarters ( X 3) were outstanding and Dowling picked up the pieces for a half-back who was below par (by his own very high standards) and a full-back who had an absolute nightmare of a day, God help him.
Well done Munster and well done to Mick Bradley and his lads for the performance against the BaBas.
From a devotee educated in the dark arts of tight five play by truly skilled Munster exponents.
Surely this is a sign of true greatness in the planning and execution stages of their immense achievement. "The opposition can do a,b and c well, we can do x,y and z, so we impose our game on them". I think it all worked beautifully, was far from boring and was like a chess-match. Munster in the last 15 to 20 minutes of the game, sucked possession, hope, discipline and energy from Toulouse and thats what won them the game.
O'Connell was at his absolute breathtaking best, with Horan, Hayes, O'Callaghan and in particular in the second half, Wallace at his best ever. 17 phases of play and not an opposition hand on the ball at this level of competition speaks volumes for preparation, physical strength, concentration, discipline, massively high pain-thresholds, self-belief, trust in the plan and the ever-present Munster heart.
Our Southern Hemisphere three-quarters ( X 3) were outstanding and Dowling picked up the pieces for a half-back who was below par (by his own very high standards) and a full-back who had an absolute nightmare of a day, God help him.
Well done Munster and well done to Mick Bradley and his lads for the performance against the BaBas.
From a devotee educated in the dark arts of tight five play by truly skilled Munster exponents.
T
Teabag
Guest
History seems to suggest that its better to have a forward as captain. The outhalf has enough to worry about with his place kicking and general orchestration of play.
Even if you have the best outhalf in the world, unless a team has a dominant pack, it will not win too many games. In order to make sure that the pack dominates and in order to lead from the front I believe a captain should be a forward. I have huge respect for BO'D but he is far too removed from the play at centre to influence proceedings much.
O'Gara's channel also gets targeted in every game because he is deemed a weak tackler and I will never forget the beating he got from some Aussie guy on the Lions tour. So in my book, O'Connell is a far better choice for captain. I actually think ROG would agree.
The next time I see him, I'll ask
. Its true, as the saying goes, forwards win games and backs decide by how much. I also think that O'Connell would/does make a fine captain but I'd love to see ROG have the honour to lead his country.Dunno, why do I have to be constructive all the time?
From what I can see there are only three natural leaders in the Irish team. They are O'Connell, O'Driscoll and O'Gara. I can't see anyone else with the possible exception of Horgan who apparently is a good talker and leader. My own choice would be for O'Connell to get it as he is already the natural leader of the pack. I think O'Driscoll has got alot of undeserved flak for his captaincy but I would like to see him left alone to try and rediscover the spark that has gone from his game recently.
However if I was allowed to pick the captain for the game on Saturday on sentimental reasons, it would be John 'the bull' Hayes. An superb servant to Irish Rugby and is playing better than ever without getting the headlines and credit.
Completely agree about Hayes, a real unsung hero. the next time Ireland play they should keep an eye on him to really appreciate his work rate. No doubt that BOD is a fantastic player and a huge influence in any team he graces.
Am I being bias but should the Captain come from Munster? as they are a team used to playing at the highest level and winning. I say that with all due respect to the other provinces.
Am I being bias but should the Captain come from Munster? as they are a team used to playing at the highest level and winning. I say that with all due respect to the other provinces.
I don't think so, the captain should be the guy that best suits the role. O'Driscoll could be argued as our best player over the last number of years but that shouldn't mean captain, thats playground mentality. Munster have been by far the best province over the last few years, but that shouldn't influence who the captain is to be. He should be picked on how well he can make decisions under pressure, how he conducts himself to the media, and how much respect he can get from the team. I think O'Connell has what it takes to lead the team, and O'Gara would be second. I was never convinced of O'Driscoll as a captain and there was always the sense that the team wasn't totally behind him.
As a slight aside, I watched the match in Kiely's in Donnybrook. There was a decent enough atmosphere and a big drowd. The whole thing was nearly ruined by the presence of 3 Leinster supporters in their late twenties up the back who spent the majority of the match shouting abuse at any Munster supporters in the bar. Not the usual banter that goes on between rival supporters, more visceral. There was one Frencman in the bar. He had his back to these guys and he had been reading a novel prior to the match starting which one of the lads stole, tore in half and dumped behind a bench. I had to look around to make sure I wasn't back in school again.
Ridiculous behaviour typical of a certain mindset which (and I'm inviting abuse here) seems to be more prevalent in the leafier suburbs of Dublin.
Ridiculous behaviour typical of a certain mindset which (and I'm inviting abuse here) seems to be more prevalent in the leafier suburbs of Dublin.
Well, after all, it IS the spiritual home of Irish Rugby.
I have to agree that O'Driscoll doesn't seem to have the team behind him. He also plays better when he's not captain. O'Connell has made some stupid mistakes as captain but he is still probably the best man for the job.
:d
Examples please?
Kicking the ball against France instead of running it with less than a minute to go. It only cost us a 6 Nations grand slam.
I have watched the summer tour with great interest and am impressed with the performance of our lads considering it's at the end of a very hard season. I think Paddy Wallace has had a good tour and Kearney has been super. Kidney will have to work hard on the line out, it's our weakest area by far. Although we lost the two games I really belive we had the beatens of the both of them. I am quitely confident for next season and its great to see young players looking at home on the international stage.