Completely agree with you!!! I hate hearing talks of grand slams etc. Just one game at a time and all it takes is a bad performance from us and a good performance from Eng and we could be looking at a tough day at the office!!
Ireland have messed up England a few times when England going for the grand slam. It would be naive of Ireland, (us) to overlook England trying to take our slam away! England do play us very well.
how lovely to see Dan speak so highly of Ireland.....what a class act. Wales were great on Saturday and ran Ireland close for almost 70 minutes. Thanks Dan.
@Liam-ls4vtyea it wasn’t close at all really. They didn’t score a single point. Got awarded 7. Couldn’t make it over the line even once despite being 15 against 14 for 20 mins in the second half.
I think thinking that way will eventually lead to massive disappointment, wales did not run Ireland close they scored a penalty try Ireland scored 4 tries including a bonus try with only 14 men. If thats wales being great they will never win anything. They were great against Scotland second half and lost great against England again against 14/13 men and lost. I think improving would be the right words to use about wales..
I've been really impressed with the Welsh youngsters, they were really hard to break down at the weekend and that comeback against Scotland was so close to epic.
(Irish fan) - Considering the transition Wales are at - This young Welsh side showed their potential for the future. Gatland is the right person to lead Wales back.
(Another Irish Fan) Agree with was said above & I think Wales need to get a number 2 in to take over from Gatland because when he finishes up so they will have soak up loads of his knowledge.
I agree with Bigs, you can't compare this Welsh side to Ireland. Completely different places, stages of development. The Welsh are so up against it with the state of the union and regions it's a wonder they perform as they do.
Always have had the greatest respect for England,going back to the early 1970's when they were the only team that showed up in Dublin,I think historically we judge ourselves on how we get on against England,even if it was in a.game of tiddlywinks,which in a strange way is a compliment to England,so counting no chickens yet.
Just a small correction. Scotland and Wales refused to come in 1972. What many people seem to have forgotten is that France came to Dublin to play a second game that year. We won that too. Of course England's arrival in 1973 was one of the greatest days in Irish rugby history.
Dan B.'s contribution to The Rugby Pod is always great, could listen to him all day. Seems like a really sound bloke, which I never had a sense of when I only saw him as one of the best 10s in the world... More Biggar as much as possible please. Props to the dogged shift the young Welsh lads put in, exciting to think about how good they'll become in time, they have the infamous Welsh full 80 mins of dog, when they start firing they'll be legit. Going to enjoy Ireland's form for now. Weary of England at Twickenham and then in form Scotland on Super Sat but I really hope the Irish lads do it. Crazy to say it but less than the slam (perhaps with 5 BP wins) would proly be a dissappointment. Irish rugby has come sooooo far in 20 years, its hard to believe. From perenial wooden spooners to 'less than a slam would dissappoint' is hard to believe. Love The Rugby Pod and Big Jim Show keep up the great work!
As a kid following Ireland, England were always the team to beat, well along with the French and Welsh if I’m honest, but England had an aura about them which always made the Irish probably about 10% better than they were. The same now applies in reverse. Every team is getting up for Ireland. Those Welsh young fellas play out of their skins on the weekend. I suspect England will also. Their best match was against Ireland last year and I’m certain they want to make a statement. I think this tournament might see some cracking games in the next two rounds, but I still think it’s Irelands to loose.
Played out of their skin? They put in a fine effort, but cool the jets a bit... They didn't look capable of scoring outside of the maul try. All talk about teams getting up for Ireland, maybe some recognition that Ireland are still slapping them down with the utmost ease.
@@313DVE the Welsh played better against Ireland than they did against Scotland and England because they put in an 80 min effort. All I’m saying is Ireland is the team that everybody wants to beat and they are finding that little extra. Never said that extra was enough.
Is that right? Teams now get themselves up especially to beat Ireland? They grow an extra leg and all that. Now you know what it's like to follow the ABs except they have been top dog for decades where as Ireland are just the new kids on the block.
Afraid Steve is right , I can't get up for this six nations anymore with our inability to make our mark at World cups, a grand slam 2 years running was dreamland 20 years ago but now it's, mehhh, still no World Cup ,not even a semi final. The Gods were against us last World cup with the way our fixtures panned out having all our tough games together and that's what ultimately cost us. I'm surprised at how ABs have lost so much respect for Ireland now as we used to have such a great relationship but now we are a threat they find opportunities to see us as the England of times past and take delight at when we come up short, it's a pity because the Irish so much loved the ABs when they were the team to beat. I do think our time will come at a World cup , I'm reminded of Spains journey to the soccer World cup when it comes to Irish Rugby now. There just seems to be a conveyer belt of talent coming through schools here.
Considering Ireland had 2 yellow cards and also were missing Hugo Keenan, Garry Ringrose, Mack Hansen & Finlay Bealham to still win by 24 points is a very good result. Yes, Ireland weren’t at their best and probably should have won by even more points but I’ll take that result anyday. Ireland have set their standards incredibly high and they are starting to produce incredible depth in almost every position now apart from maybe Loosehead. England will be a lot tougher but Keenan, Ringrose & Bealham will be back in. England will need to have every single detail in order to beat this Irish team. Particularly around the breakdown where Irelands back 5 are probably the best in the world.
@harryocallaghan8082 You got called out, claiming that Ireland have the best back five in the world. Ardie Savea won 'World Player of the Year' and he wears a black jersey not green. Does that answer your question?
I'm a total neutral here. No Six Nations teams, so I can look at this with cold logic and I understand the Irish fans here saying it could be close. But lads, let's get real here. Ireland will have their try bonus point by 60 minutes. England were within an inch of losing to a team Ireland beat 36-0 in second gear. It will be the biggest walloping England have had in quite a while. And putting it bluntly, England are at the same level as Italy, not withstanding the total implosion of France, who I think Wales will beat.
I think you are right however if england can by some miracle build a bit of a lead in the first half/early second half, pressure their occasionally shakey lineout and be creative kicking wise to combat the fast and very flat line speed (they always leave space directly behind the defensive line), then an upset is a possibility. Irish are the team to beat in world rugby right now but they arent without their weaknesses.
England have an uncanny knack of frustrating opposition and might get some decent points from the boot too so it might not be the walk in the park. Ireland will win but they’ll have to earn it.
England will reduce the game plan like wales did. This will be awful game to watch unless ireland can get ahead. If it rains and ford starts kicking threes we’re in for a war.
I agree with you But I think England can't stick to a game plan where I think Scotland is more of a worry Not looking past England by any means I personally think they will turn up in Twickenham but God willing we will put 14+ points We can worry about Scotland afterwards
As an Ireland rugby fan, I’m obviously loving this era of rugby, particularly after growing up in England with the English side of my family rightfully giving it whenever Ireland lost to them (which was often). Having lost just five games since the turn of 2021, it is honestly remarkable how consistent this team is. Yes, we lost the big one in October (and being in the Stade de France that night hurt) but I still maintain this is the greatest Ireland side I’ve ever seen and probably the best team in the world right now. England at twickenham is always tough, but I think we win with a bonus point having ground England down. It wouldn’t surprise me though if England come fighting out the blocks! They’re always tough to beat at home.
As a Kiwi and having lived in London for 10 years I have always rooted for Ireland against England. However I have noted a real cockiness amongst Irish fans in recent years. For me they have become the new England fans. For that reason I will be cheering for England. And believe me that is really saying something.
@@stevenbissettevery village have their idiots. I will say the majority of fans I speak to know that this isn’t normal and it won’t last forever. The media on the other hand… they need to calm down.
@michellebermingham2350 Hey Michelle. Remember to sing that 'Zombie' song. It's like when England football fans sing 'It's coming home'. Always gives us a laugh.
The last two England Ireland games England has had a red card, we need to talk about discipline, ireland are dominating discipline even at the cost of performance sometimes they are playing clean and hard.
Couldnt agree more, discipline is a major part of irelands recent success. No other team plays as hard and as clean as them. Very little cynical play and always tackle cleanly.
England have to make too many tackles for long periods of play against Ireland in the last fews tests, their dicipline melts as the tiredness causes a loss of focus. I expect the same to happen in the next game.
As most rugby fans i thought Wales were going to enter a dark period where it would not be surprising that they would get the 6N wooden spoon but you got to give Warren Gatland credit as it seems that the current crop of players at least are buying into his idea. What Wales may lack in quality, they sure give it 100% in work ethic.
As an ireland fan, i was happy to ge the win. Thought wales were excellent for large periods though. Especially winnett at full.back and wainwright. A few more players in the tight five , set piece sorted, smd wales could be right back up there. One thiing with our welsh cousins, theyll always run through.a brick wall for that red jeesey. Definitely my second favourite team. Roll on our trip to cardiff next year. Always a great trip.
Ireland are a really good side - brilliant in fact. However, the constant reference to them being 'the best side in the world' and similar comments does my head in! South Africa are the best side in the world right now as back-to-back world champions. Saying that as an England fan.
As an Irish fan and like most Irish fans we don't believe we're the best in the world...on our day we're one of the best....I'd have us 3rd, a constant 3rd but it's tight
Best side in the world right now has nothing to do with five years ago. I think the next Ireland south Africa will tell a story. Personally I can't call it
I'm an English fan but personally i'd say you are joint 1st to be honest with South Africa as the 2 best sides. I know Ireland didn't get past the quarters again, but on their day they can beat anybody and make it look comfortable. But Ireland really need to win a World Cup to cement their legacy. They've had the players for quitre some time now and have some good youngsters coming through but they also lost some key players. 3 years is a long time for the other nations to produce some star players so it's going to be an interesting few years. @@dodge7679
I think the reference from most pundits (none of the ones I have seen are Irish by the way) is annoying, but in most cases I believe the comment is" Ireland are the best side at the moment" not best ever or what ever, keeping in mind NZ and SA haven't played sine the WC, so can't really be in the conversation. Based on recent form in matches played in the last couple of months, Ireland are the best team and look like world beaters. Played 3 won 3, all bonus point wins, beat France by 21 away, nilled Italy, wales only got a penalty try, and have a points difference of 81 (after 3 games), second place have a points difference of 6 and the rest are negative. if this was England they be screaming it from the rafters.
@@paulryan9938 totally agree. I wasn't talking about Irish pundits - I think post WC disappointment, they're keeping their heads down a little. I was really talking about these guys and TV pundits. Agree on the English press - they're a bloody embarrassment 😳 I really hope Ireland can do the Saffers in their own backyard, but that's a massive assignment and a huge ask if they have their best players on the pitch.
I have no doubt England will turn up next week, like they did last year, but tbh i think Ireland look even better than last year and they havent shown us 4th gear since marseille. The question is, can this game actually turn up without a bloody card?
A lot of Welsh on social media criticising the ref but I didn't see it - the ref gave Wales a penalty try and gave Ireland two yellow cards. Dan Biggar here questioned the ref a bit.
That's the great thing about 6Nations rugby, 😂you can admire the finer points of the opposition and then hope to completely banjax them so they fall flat on their faces and fail to win the trophy even if your team has no chance even if you banjax their chances 😂
Ireland certainly had more players on the pitch in the QF of the RWC. The ABs were given two yellow cards and Ireland still couldn't get the job done FFS.
Yeah, so i'm just asking a irish fan how much he trusts the bookies. The bookies are almost right like you say, so it's free money isnt it? @@anfear9764
As an Irishman, I’m starting to get a little bit concerned with everybody blowing smoke up our a*ses… It’s not a very Irish thing to have swagger and confidence, we’re more used to being the plucky underdog in the main. But we’ll take it for now 😊 Make no mistake, England will be fully aware of the amount of times we have denied them grand slams over the years when we had nothing to play for. If England come out and try to play toe to toe, there’s only one winner. If it pours rain, and England start sticking it up the jumper, it could be very difficult for us. Thankfully it’s looking like dry weather though 🫵 We’ll see you there. ☘️
Need to score early against Ireland and put them under pressure like NZ did. I think the mentality could still be a bit suspect but hasn't been challenged so far in the 6N. As an Irishman I still think we could come undone against one or both of Scotland/England. England have bigger forwards than Wales and if they get the defence right it could be a good one.
Ireland have a record that shows a great mentality, one game is not an indicator of mental strength, we lost to a great performance that day and got whisled at scrum a lot when dominant
Ireland clawed back against New Zealand though they were lake Lazarus and New Zealand were spooked you see it in Aaron smith shouting with saves to get back up and defend in that quarter final. And even though Ireland lost by four points it was probably one of the greatest test matches ever played and they simply haven’t dropped in quality
I would expect Ireland to beat England by a big margin. They certainly are miles better than us in every department. Even their imported players are miles better than ours.
I don't think they are giving Wales defense enough credit in the game. 192 tackles. And fairly aggressive. I thought we shut Ireland down pretty well. It's a fairly young inexperienced team and the amount of possession Ireland had in the first 40, they held them bravely
Yeah but it’s not just penalty kicks they tend to go more for tries and build up a real advantage which means the other team has no other choice but to try and take on the Irish at the lineout which is very hard to do because they back the defence so they’re hoping you kick to their corner rather than go for three points they tried to build up so much of a lead that you will opt for the corner rather than the points I think that’s what he means.
Yeah, I thought it was a very clever strategy by Ireland to be winning 17-0 at halftime. They really should have continued with that approach at the beginning of the second half though, but for whatever reason didn't? Eventually they figured out that scoring points was the way to go, and they finished the game off very well by scoring more points.
@@Mojo16011973 By the same token, I think Ireland have the right idea in winning all their home games. I always say if you can win your home games, and avoid losing your away games, you're always in with a shout.
Ireland are obviously absolutely superb, but this is also a weak Six Nations this year. Can't wait to see them take on SA over the summer and NZ in the Autumn, think they'll clearly the top 3 in the world until France get Dupont & Ntamack back and sort out their coaching staff...
Iv been watching 6 nations since late 97-98 bring a kid and I remember Ireland being Italy. But I'd gladly admit this is the easiest grandslam iv ever watched I admit maybe Ireland are a step above England Wales because I think they are building for better days France seem to have taken a step back while Scotland are charging ahead with good rugby.. not the prettiest rugby but it's working for them. I personally think ban the caterpillar kicks and the 🐂💩 kick tennis
Yes agreed. The quality is poor this year. Mostly Because wales and england have let their club and country structures go down the swannie in recent years. Ireland are bearing fruit of their exceptional structures from school level upwards. Ireland can only play whats in front of them. Same as england in their easy path to a semi in the WC France also have had no time to plan for a dupont-less team as he only walked a few weeks before the 6n started. Ireland in contrast have spent 2 + years creating playing systems and structures that rely way less on their 10 as they knew Sexy would be gone
Wales with their youth talent coming through shows the potential they have, if they play like they did against Ireland in the second half I reckon they dominate france! Saying it now, wales will be back at the pinnacle next 3-5 years! Brace the Saffa shit talk coming your way 😬
Wales will only be a force to be reckoned with if their regional sides do well in the URC and European competitions. Learn that from Ireland, SA and NZ. Gatland can only do so much with what he has. (SA fan)
This game was simple , Ireland came to win wales came to try stop Ireland and thats how rugby gets messy. It was men to boys… remember Ireland played with 14 men for 16 minutes and still managed to score a bonus point try with 14…
I think England will give them a tougher challenge than Wales, Italy or France. Fairly confident Ireland will win, but not by large margins. I think it will be a low scoring game
England played great against Scotland for the opening 10min then it was obvious Scotland would win the game. At home England will probably play great for 20 min, then it will be game over. English players don’t look as energetic and fit as the Welsh who progressed and resisted waves of Irish attacks for 60min. Last year Ireland usually fell asleep for 10-15 min after half time, haven’t really seen it happen this year. For me a benchmark will be for how long can England block Ireland’s bonus point.
Ire are proving what all blacks have consistently proved for over 100 yrs .. execute the basics and simple things exceptionally well with consistency and success is almost gureenteed.. rugby is a simple game and doesn't need fancy extravagant plays. Strong set piece strong organised defence, organised attack plus accurate kicking game from 9 and 10 and you've cracked it.. that's what ire have in abundance today...
All this is well and good but I wont be happy till Ireland win the World Cup. Beating England and France these days has become mundane and is expected by the Irish fans in the same way Manchester City are expected to beat Luton. Beating South Africa and New Zealand is the only thing worth boasting about these days. I'm not being cocky here ,I am a very modest person by nature, I am just being VERY realistic. Forecast for the Ireland/England game :31 -12. And I'm running ,not walking ,to Paddy Power tomorrow to lay my heavy bet on.🇮🇪💚☘️
@@kevinwillis6707 You got lucky .It won't happen again in the foreseeable future. But I have to say England had a very slight edge on the day. Anyway we had a day out and it was an epic game.☘️
@@joekavanagh8997 luck had nothing to do with it, and "I" didn't get lucky, I'm not a particular England supporter, I still think they won despite Borthwick being head coach, they played to the strengths of the in form players of Northampton and bath alongside Ben earls and waboso. Borthwick had to be dragged in that direction by criticism of his turgid tactics over the last 28 months. Ireland have a major problem with rush defense's, they don't have a plan B when it happens .
What the ABs don't need is one huge Gorilla on their back. And that's what Ireland will have at the next RWC. When are you lot going to shake that thing off FFS?
Ireland do look good, but against THAT France team and then Italy and Wale? Really think our own and rugby media are blowing us out of proportion! England could potentially cause an upset its not impossible at all. Ireland's lineout failed a few times, and Ireland couldn't open Wales up in midfield their defence was good but Ireland supposedly should have been able to exploit something there and they didn't, If Wales took their penalty points to stay within reach Ireland's mentality could have been shaken.
I have yet to see this Irish team play well for 80 minutes and yet they keep winning. If they ever really click for a good 60 minutes or more it should be fun to watch.
very few teams play well for 80+ but what Ireland can do is be somewhat off but still get basics / defence right. they also don't lose their mindset when things go wrong. Their mental resilience is immense.
I hear what you're saying. In the QF of the RWC I was asking myself why isn't Ireland playing a lot better. I figured there must be something going on in their heads. Including the Irish fans as well as you couldn't hear a peep from them at the final whistle.
@stevenbissett You couldn't hear a peep out of NZ fans all tournament cause they just don't travel in general. If they can't be bothered to show up for Super Rugby, then they are not going get a flight. That tour to NZ seemed like we were the home crowd. Attendances are only dropping more and been brought up in NZ how to change this trend. You can't change lazy.
@@stevenbissett Problem with the QF was that they were up against the ABs, and most of the core players had been over played and looked flat, better team won on the night.
This is a band aid over the wound sort of solution for Ireland, instant accolades and it great for this year which will be good for Ireland and probably next year, but I wonder for the future, for the next RWC which Farrell refuses to discuss at press interviews. However Gatland eluded to it and made a valid point post match interview on saturday, Ireland 23 had 8 - 9 players who are over 30 years so I checked it out, there were actually 10 players over 30 years - and 2 players who are 30 years old now. so of course these players are experienced enough to pull off great performances etc. and credit to them, they are great players. so Farrell continues to say, momentum, momentum. It is well and good for now as it will hopefully give those players another 6N success before they eventually either hang up their boots or slow down on executing that high tempo type of game and it impresses the Irish rugby public and sends Nucifora out on a high note this summer and regains Irish confidence around Farrell that was damaged after RWC but the squad won't have most of those 9 - 10 players in 4 years time or won't have them playing at that peak level, even if they are still around. Since Farrell refuses to show us his hand on what other younger players in squad are like at test match rather then in 'international training camps' the Irish rugby public are in the dark again. If you want achievements for this year and next then you'll be happy but I'd prefer to see a glimpse of the bigger picture now,. Farrell would like to keep us all in the dark but as they say You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all the people all of the time.... or something like that.
I think the 4 year cycle idea has kind of been busted from the last World Cup. I think you just win what’s in front of you. Plus I think Ireland will have the depth the cope with the next World Cup. They have won the last 2 u20 six nations and got to a junior World Cup final. So Ireland just need to bring through 2-3 players a year as the have been doing. For example New Zealand were in there lowest ebb for 3 years and got to a Wc final the next whereas France built a super team over 5 years and got a quarter final exit and 1 grand slam.
Valid points yes, but one thing Farrell and this Irish team are doing is creating an aura of invincibility and that wins matches before they are even played and the younger players coming through the ranks will step right into that environment and just build further depth. Im picking Ireland will be the team to beat for the next 5 - 10 years.
I think over the next year you will see the gradual of those 30+ players leave the Irish team like for Cian Healy I would say after the rsa tour that he would go I think o’mahony will leave after the autumn in 2025 same with Murray and maybe Aki after the lions series cause after that lions I think then that’s were the new players come in cause with Farrell as head coach I think some of them older players will target that tour but we have won the grand slam in u20 since 2019 3 times and may win it this year so the depth of talent is coming through it’s just how you integrate them in to the team will be key but I trust Farrell
Valid points but you forget Ireland Unders 20s have been performing at a very high level for a number of years now. Are under 20s not also going for a double slam. And they were in the under 20 rwc final. So ive no idea what the hell your smoking.
Replace 10 players in four years. I think Ireland can do that. Almost random if they can find the 3 or 4 huge players needed to win internationals bund aku, lose, sexton, calibre players.
I really can't see Borthwick coming up with a strategy to beat Farrell's Ireland! While they've never looked like losing in this 6N, they haven't turned their territorial, possessional dominance into tries, or even try scoring opportunities......... their victories have been down to their fitness, organisation in "D" and utter stinginess, as far as hanging on to the ball! Not sure England have the nous or patience to break the Irish grip!
Agree, Ireland might be hard to breakdown. But how long do they take to break anyone else down? They play the tiki taki rugby version of soccer. Nice spectacle, that has the effect of eventually scoring and eventually tiring out your opponents. This is good enough for six nations (who now has no real competition for Ireland since the French are still suffering from world cup PSD and are clueless without Dupont and Aldrit) but inevitably fails on the world stage.
@@2msystems740 The IRFU has very little focus on winning WC's because revenues are more important. 6N / grand slam wins bring in more money than a wc win and cost less too. money gets pumped into the game across the national and province teams which further allows development of the game. reliable revenues and cosistent game growth are prioritised. This is all evident in their publicly available business plan documents. And irish fans are happy. Ireland will probably get a WC final in the next two cycles. a win could be a bonus but it's not their main aim.
@@paolozmm Makes sense. And they have done it well. Whether it will give them a world cup is entirely another story. But rightly so, the bread and butter stuff is what makes the clock tick. The world cup does not have the financial status, but it has the rugby status.
@@paolozmmYou sound like the Irish fans and team aren’t even bothered about winning a World Cup when they were in France in droves and had marketing campaigns strewn across Ireland about winning the World Cup?
Did anyone else think that O’Mahony purposely kicked out to cut the face of Wales full back Winnett….? Not saying he knew he was going to hit him in the face but definitely seemed to kick out behind him knowing the Welsh player was there on the floor…👀
Oh come on lets get real i think its more down to France .England and wales being so bad if ireland play NZ or SA there get beaten i actually think ireland had a better team in the WC and played better rugby and look what happened there
Best team in newzealand now can't beat a riddled with injury munster side.😂😂😂 kiwi,s demise is rapid mate.yer finished. Another four year,s kiwi,s won't be in top ten.😂😂😂
Hard to say. Ireland did not have to pull out all the stops to win this one with a bonus point. The truth is when they are up against it. I still think Ireland France last 6n was their best game in years. They beat a great french team that day
Only 2 of them (Wales and Italy). We keep hearing how this is the best Scottish team in forever. England is stacked with talent, but are having the life coached out of them. And France are missing one key player from a side that beat the ABs and came within a point of beating SA. You know who else is missing their talismanic player? Ireland.
I get so tired of people saying well done wales 🏴 They were SHIT 💩 and years ago people would have been calling for the managers head served up. Ireland were fantastic ☘️ Could have wine by 60 if there’d been another 15 mins Poor refereeing didn’t help the game it slowed it down but please 🙏 Stop saying wales were good because they slowed down Ireland ☘️
I think Wales performed well from were they were a few months ago and are looking good for future. Taken in isolation they were a king way behind Ireland
@@knoll9812 I would like any team to play well, I was at the match and I for one as an Irish fan was disappointed 😞 Ireland win by 60 points but wales need a whole new management structure… I miss the days of a close match, a hairs breath… they are told to play a certain way but but it’s time Warren Gatland hang up the phone 📞 and leave with some kind of pride. It clearly shows the team are not happy… England will come back with a blast… Welch fans deserve better. If the old Welsh 🏴 spirt was there they could have upset Ireland ☘️ Every fan wants to see the old six nations battle for the six nations 👊👊👊
@@droneangel4628 wales is having to rebuild almost the whole team. Normally takes two years to go from transition to preforming. Garland should get at least 12 months chance Also nobody is lining to manage Wales
Ireland is not special. Yes, they are well drilled and a cohesive unit and in this way they break you down eventually. Also, undoubtedly they have talented and experienced players. But they play the most inefficient cumbersome predictable rugby. A "novice" Wales team, that would be clobbered by 100 by an All Blacks team, gave Ireland a game to play. Some coach will figure this out and Ireland will be shown up to be the one-eyed king in the land of the blind. Arguably, this already happened in the world cup.
Lost one game in twenty games both north and south. Implies that not that easy to work it out. Personally I think there are three teams at the top and any game us a toss up between them.
@@2msystems740 you think kiwi,s are all that.they are on demise big time.crusaders beaten by riddled with injury munster side.chief,s beaten by japanese side.? When is last time ye beat pom,s mate..😂😂😂.? Yer finished. 😂😂😂😂
I'm Irish and Ireland were way off their normal pace in that game. I'm sure every Irish rugby guy would say the same. But in saying that they still managed to do the business and get a win. Who else has had the kind of winning margins Ireland have had in this competition? 21 point win over France, 36 over Italy and 24 against Wales. All the other Six Nations games were very close finishes. I guess that demonstrates the gulf between Ireland and the other teams in this Six Nations.
He didn't say we were "not good". He said that was probably our least impressive showing of the tournament and he is 100% correct. I thought we were very sloppy at times, our handling was not as slick as usual, some poor decisions were made at key times and our lineout was a shambles. He also rightly pointed out that 17 points was not a great return for our level of dominance in that first half when we were quite simply demolishing them all over the park and especially in the scrum. I am not sure if I have ever seen an Irish scrum so utterly dominant but imo we failed to really make it count, while in the second half things were much more even. We also went for about 35 minutes without scoring a single point playing at home against a VERY inexperienced welsh team, but in fairness I thought the latter's defence was really outstanding. But the score gives the impression that the match was more one sided that it actually was. At one stage in that second half we were just the width of Cian Healy's hand away from seeing our lead cut to only 3 with less than a quarter of the match to go, while the bonus point was only secured with the very last play of the game. But the point is, even our least impressive performance was still enough to beat an admittedly callow welsh side 31-7. However we can't afford to play like that against Scotland or we will be in trouble.
Never going to take the Twickenham fixture for granted. England gave us a really tough game last year in Dublin and always show up against us.
Completely agree with you!!! I hate hearing talks of grand slams etc. Just one game at a time and all it takes is a bad performance from us and a good performance from Eng and we could be looking at a tough day at the office!!
@@dogememer4780yes one game at a time. But dont fear teams that are not as good as you.
Ireland have messed up England a few times when England going for the grand slam. It would be naive of Ireland, (us) to overlook England trying to take our slam away! England do play us very well.
@@ronniemurtagh1786 that has always been a given in Rugby and it won’t change this year 🤣
@@ronniemurtagh1786 Ireland are a vastly better team than England, but the way England play suits Ireland so badly that anything can happen.
how lovely to see Dan speak so highly of Ireland.....what a class act. Wales were great on Saturday and ran Ireland close for almost 70 minutes. Thanks Dan.
@Liam-ls4vtyea it wasn’t close at all really. They didn’t score a single point. Got awarded 7. Couldn’t make it over the line even once despite being 15 against 14 for 20 mins in the second half.
I think thinking that way will eventually lead to massive disappointment, wales did not run Ireland close they scored a penalty try Ireland scored 4 tries including a bonus try with only 14 men. If thats wales being great they will never win anything. They were great against Scotland second half and lost great against England again against 14/13 men and lost. I think improving would be the right words to use about wales..
Thought wales were excellent. Definitely nothing close to close but they they played very well.
I've been really impressed with the Welsh youngsters, they were really hard to break down at the weekend and that comeback against Scotland was so close to epic.
(Irish fan) - Considering the transition Wales are at - This young Welsh side showed their potential for the future. Gatland is the right person to lead Wales back.
(Another Irish Fan) Agree with was said above & I think Wales need to get a number 2 in to take over from Gatland because when he finishes up so they will have soak up loads of his knowledge.
Biggar is a VERY astute, articulate reader and commenter on the game.
Agreed! Really enjoying hearing his point of view and how he reads the game.
I agree with Bigs, you can't compare this Welsh side to Ireland. Completely different places, stages of development. The Welsh are so up against it with the state of the union and regions it's a wonder they perform as they do.
Always have had the greatest respect for England,going back to the early 1970's when they were the only team that showed up in Dublin,I think historically we judge ourselves on how we get on against England,even if it was in a.game of tiddlywinks,which in a strange way is a compliment to England,so counting no chickens yet.
Just a small correction. Scotland and Wales refused to come in 1972. What many people seem to have forgotten is that France came to Dublin to play a second game that year. We won that too. Of course England's arrival in 1973 was one of the greatest days in Irish rugby history.
Dan B.'s contribution to The Rugby Pod is always great, could listen to him all day. Seems like a really sound bloke, which I never had a sense of when I only saw him as one of the best 10s in the world... More Biggar as much as possible please.
Props to the dogged shift the young Welsh lads put in, exciting to think about how good they'll become in time, they have the infamous Welsh full 80 mins of dog, when they start firing they'll be legit.
Going to enjoy Ireland's form for now. Weary of England at Twickenham and then in form Scotland on Super Sat but I really hope the Irish lads do it. Crazy to say it but less than the slam (perhaps with 5 BP wins) would proly be a dissappointment. Irish rugby has come sooooo far in 20 years, its hard to believe. From perenial wooden spooners to 'less than a slam would dissappoint' is hard to believe.
Love The Rugby Pod and Big Jim Show keep up the great work!
As a kid following Ireland, England were always the team to beat, well along with the French and Welsh if I’m honest, but England had an aura about them which always made the Irish probably about 10% better than they were. The same now applies in reverse. Every team is getting up for Ireland. Those Welsh young fellas play out of their skins on the weekend. I suspect England will also. Their best match was against Ireland last year and I’m certain they want to make a statement. I think this tournament might see some cracking games in the next two rounds, but I still think it’s Irelands to loose.
Played out of their skin? They put in a fine effort, but cool the jets a bit... They didn't look capable of scoring outside of the maul try. All talk about teams getting up for Ireland, maybe some recognition that Ireland are still slapping them down with the utmost ease.
@@313DVE the Welsh played better against Ireland than they did against Scotland and England because they put in an 80 min effort. All I’m saying is Ireland is the team that everybody wants to beat and they are finding that little extra. Never said that extra was enough.
Is that right? Teams now get themselves up especially to beat Ireland? They grow an extra leg and all that. Now you know what it's like to follow the ABs except they have been top dog for decades where as Ireland are just the new kids on the block.
@@stevenbissett never miss an opportunity to knock Ireland Steven. We seem to be living rent free in your head.
Afraid Steve is right , I can't get up for this six nations anymore with our inability to make our mark at World cups, a grand slam 2 years running was dreamland 20 years ago but now it's, mehhh, still no World Cup ,not even a semi final. The Gods were against us last World cup with the way our fixtures panned out having all our tough games together and that's what ultimately cost us.
I'm surprised at how ABs have lost so much respect for Ireland now as we used to have such a great relationship but now we are a threat they find opportunities to see us as the England of times past and take delight at when we come up short, it's a pity because the Irish so much loved the ABs when they were the team to beat. I do think our time will come at a World cup , I'm reminded of Spains journey to the soccer World cup when it comes to Irish Rugby now. There just seems to be a conveyer belt of talent coming through schools here.
Considering Ireland had 2 yellow cards and also were missing Hugo Keenan, Garry Ringrose, Mack Hansen & Finlay Bealham to still win by 24 points is a very good result. Yes, Ireland weren’t at their best and probably should have won by even more points but I’ll take that result anyday. Ireland have set their standards incredibly high and they are starting to produce incredible depth in almost every position now apart from maybe Loosehead. England will be a lot tougher but Keenan, Ringrose & Bealham will be back in. England will need to have every single detail in order to beat this Irish team. Particularly around the breakdown where Irelands back 5 are probably the best in the world.
Who got world player of the year?
@@joedennehy386 What has that got to do with Ireland playing England?
@harryocallaghan8082 You got called out, claiming that Ireland have the best back five in the world. Ardie Savea won 'World Player of the Year' and he wears a black jersey not green. Does that answer your question?
@@stevenbissett Yes, the back 5 players. What are you talking about?
@@harryocallaghan8082 Perhaps you need to be more specific about what positions you are referring to unless you are trying to be cute.
I'm a total neutral here. No Six Nations teams, so I can look at this with cold logic and I understand the Irish fans here saying it could be close. But lads, let's get real here. Ireland will have their try bonus point by 60 minutes. England were within an inch of losing to a team Ireland beat 36-0 in second gear. It will be the biggest walloping England have had in quite a while. And putting it bluntly, England are at the same level as Italy, not withstanding the total implosion of France, who I think Wales will beat.
I think you are right however if england can by some miracle build a bit of a lead in the first half/early second half, pressure their occasionally shakey lineout and be creative kicking wise to combat the fast and very flat line speed (they always leave space directly behind the defensive line), then an upset is a possibility.
Irish are the team to beat in world rugby right now but they arent without their weaknesses.
England have an uncanny knack of frustrating opposition and might get some decent points from the boot too so it might not be the walk in the park. Ireland will win but they’ll have to earn it.
Don’t agree, England will give Ireland a game, they did well in the World Cup
I'm an Irishman and I disagree. England will show up, there is a rivalary there that goes beyond rugby
England will reduce the game plan like wales did. This will be awful game to watch unless ireland can get ahead. If it rains and ford starts kicking threes we’re in for a war.
England will turn up for the Ireland game be sure of that, it will be close but I believe Ireland will get the result, oh I'm an Irishman
I agree with you
But I think England can't stick to a game plan where I think Scotland is more of a worry
Not looking past England by any means I personally think they will turn up in Twickenham but God willing we will put 14+ points
We can worry about Scotland afterwards
The young Welsh fellas played out of their skin.
Think about it the only person able to score against Ireland in 2 games was the referee fair call so not complaining , just very impressed
Ahhh good to see Dan the man in a postivie view instead of his usual arms flapping about sulking to the ref self 👏 😂
As an Ireland rugby fan, I’m obviously loving this era of rugby, particularly after growing up in England with the English side of my family rightfully giving it whenever Ireland lost to them (which was often).
Having lost just five games since the turn of 2021, it is honestly remarkable how consistent this team is. Yes, we lost the big one in October (and being in the Stade de France that night hurt) but I still maintain this is the greatest Ireland side I’ve ever seen and probably the best team in the world right now.
England at twickenham is always tough, but I think we win with a bonus point having ground England down. It wouldn’t surprise me though if England come fighting out the blocks! They’re always tough to beat at home.
As a Kiwi and having lived in London for 10 years I have always rooted for Ireland against England. However I have noted a real cockiness amongst Irish fans in recent years. For me they have become the new England fans. For that reason I will be cheering for England. And believe me that is really saying something.
@@stevenbissettevery village have their idiots. I will say the majority of fans I speak to know that this isn’t normal and it won’t last forever. The media on the other hand… they need to calm down.
@@stevenbissett Sounds like sour grapes there . We Irish fans just wanna sing . 😊
@michellebermingham2350 Hey Michelle. Remember to sing that 'Zombie' song. It's like when England football fans sing 'It's coming home'. Always gives us a laugh.
@@stevenbissett You don't even have a song. Ba Ba Black Sheep perhaps...
The last two England Ireland games England has had a red card, we need to talk about discipline, ireland are dominating discipline even at the cost of performance sometimes they are playing clean and hard.
Couldnt agree more, discipline is a major part of irelands recent success. No other team plays as hard and as clean as them. Very little cynical play and always tackle cleanly.
England have to make too many tackles for long periods of play against Ireland in the last fews tests, their dicipline melts as the tiredness causes a loss of focus. I expect the same to happen in the next game.
Doesn't matter what people say . Ireland don't take any team for granted.They don't go by people's opinions , everybody has one .
As most rugby fans i thought Wales were going to enter a dark period where it would not be surprising that they would get the 6N wooden spoon but you got to give Warren Gatland credit as it seems that the current crop of players at least are buying into his idea.
What Wales may lack in quality, they sure give it 100% in work ethic.
As an ireland fan, i was happy to ge the win. Thought wales were excellent for large periods though. Especially winnett at full.back and wainwright. A few more players in the tight five , set piece sorted, smd wales could be right back up there. One thiing with our welsh cousins, theyll always run through.a brick wall for that red jeesey. Definitely my second favourite team. Roll on our trip to cardiff next year. Always a great trip.
Dan Bigger was really honest in what he said about last weeks game. Ireland are like a team with unfinished buisness after the World Cup.
The entire fan base feels that - I’m still traumatised from the World Cup!
@mamba101 Let me offer you some free counselling. Let's first start examining 'What's in your head'.
Ireland are a really good side - brilliant in fact. However, the constant reference to them being 'the best side in the world' and similar comments does my head in! South Africa are the best side in the world right now as back-to-back world champions. Saying that as an England fan.
As an Irish fan and like most Irish fans we don't believe we're the best in the world...on our day we're one of the best....I'd have us 3rd, a constant 3rd but it's tight
Best side in the world right now has nothing to do with five years ago. I think the next Ireland south Africa will tell a story.
Personally I can't call it
I'm an English fan but personally i'd say you are joint 1st to be honest with South Africa as the 2 best sides. I know Ireland didn't get past the quarters again, but on their day they can beat anybody and make it look comfortable. But Ireland really need to win a World Cup to cement their legacy. They've had the players for quitre some time now and have some good youngsters coming through but they also lost some key players. 3 years is a long time for the other nations to produce some star players so it's going to be an interesting few years. @@dodge7679
I think the reference from most pundits (none of the ones I have seen are Irish by the way) is annoying, but in most cases I believe the comment is" Ireland are the best side at the moment" not best ever or what ever, keeping in mind NZ and SA haven't played sine the WC, so can't really be in the conversation. Based on recent form in matches played in the last couple of months, Ireland are the best team and look like world beaters. Played 3 won 3, all bonus point wins, beat France by 21 away, nilled Italy, wales only got a penalty try, and have a points difference of 81 (after 3 games), second place have a points difference of 6 and the rest are negative. if this was England they be screaming it from the rafters.
@@paulryan9938 totally agree. I wasn't talking about Irish pundits - I think post WC disappointment, they're keeping their heads down a little. I was really talking about these guys and TV pundits. Agree on the English press - they're a bloody embarrassment 😳 I really hope Ireland can do the Saffers in their own backyard, but that's a massive assignment and a huge ask if they have their best players on the pitch.
I have no doubt England will turn up next week, like they did last year, but tbh i think Ireland look even better than last year and they havent shown us 4th gear since marseille.
The question is, can this game actually turn up without a bloody card?
Dan Bigger a class act!
Irish hurt from the RWC means they are getting bonus point potentially from all teams to relieve that hurt.
A lot of Welsh on social media criticising the ref but I didn't see it - the ref gave Wales a penalty try and gave Ireland two yellow cards. Dan Biggar here questioned the ref a bit.
England at Twickenham is always a challenge. But I think we will win by 15 points, unless England fall apart, though hopefully not. ☘️
That's the great thing about 6Nations rugby, 😂you can admire the finer points of the opposition and then hope to completely banjax them so they fall flat on their faces and fail to win the trophy even if your team has no chance even if you banjax their chances 😂
Ireland always seem to have more players on the pitch !
Ireland certainly had more players on the pitch in the QF of the RWC. The ABs were given two yellow cards and Ireland still couldn't get the job done FFS.
The bookies have Ireland 1/7 to win in Twickenham, great to be alive.
That's what the bookies say, how much are you putting on it?
@@hithere3035the bookies are almost always right…
Yeah, so i'm just asking a irish fan how much he trusts the bookies. The bookies are almost right like you say, so it's free money isnt it? @@anfear9764
It will be no walkover, could well be within 12 points but I think it will be another bonus point win.
Don't think a walkover. Irish fans could have a nervous 60 minutes but irelanywill pull away in the last twenty
As an Irishman, I’m starting to get a little bit concerned with everybody blowing smoke up our a*ses…
It’s not a very Irish thing to have swagger and confidence, we’re more used to being the plucky underdog in the main. But we’ll take it for now 😊
Make no mistake, England will be fully aware of the amount of times we have denied them grand slams over the years when we had nothing to play for. If England come out and try to play toe to toe, there’s only one winner. If it pours rain, and England start sticking it up the jumper, it could be very difficult for us.
Thankfully it’s looking like dry weather though 🫵
We’ll see you there. ☘️
I believe when this SN is over Wales will have been the best test that Ireland got on their stroll to a double grand slam.
It’s a big worry we don’t hockey people . Love this Welsh team fight
Im am Irish fan. Cam Winnet is the second coming of Hugo Kennan if he keeps going the way he is!
Ireland by heaps lol . .kiwi and AB's fan
Need to score early against Ireland and put them under pressure like NZ did. I think the mentality could still be a bit suspect but hasn't been challenged so far in the 6N. As an Irishman I still think we could come undone against one or both of Scotland/England. England have bigger forwards than Wales and if they get the defence right it could be a good one.
Ireland have a record that shows a great mentality, one game is not an indicator of mental strength, we lost to a great performance that day and got whisled at scrum a lot when dominant
Ireland clawed back against New Zealand though they were lake Lazarus and New Zealand were spooked you see it in Aaron smith shouting with saves to get back up and defend in that quarter final. And even though Ireland lost by four points it was probably one of the greatest test matches ever played and they simply haven’t dropped in quality
I would expect Ireland to beat England by a big margin. They certainly are miles better than us in every department. Even their imported players are miles better than ours.
More worried about Scotland than England. But hopefully we can do it.
I don't think they are giving Wales defense enough credit in the game. 192 tackles. And fairly aggressive. I thought we shut Ireland down pretty well. It's a fairly young inexperienced team and the amount of possession Ireland had in the first 40, they held them bravely
"Do you know what Ireland are really good at? They apply scoreboard pressure".
- You mean they score points Biggs?
Yeah but it’s not just penalty kicks they tend to go more for tries and build up a real advantage which means the other team has no other choice but to try and take on the Irish at the lineout which is very hard to do because they back the defence so they’re hoping you kick to their corner rather than go for three points they tried to build up so much of a lead that you will opt for the corner rather than the points I think that’s what he means.
The most carefully guarded secret in rugby, score more points than the other team and you may win
Yeah, I thought it was a very clever strategy by Ireland to be winning 17-0 at halftime. They really should have continued with that approach at the beginning of the second half though, but for whatever reason didn't? Eventually they figured out that scoring points was the way to go, and they finished the game off very well by scoring more points.
@@Mojo16011973 By the same token, I think Ireland have the right idea in winning all their home games. I always say if you can win your home games, and avoid losing your away games, you're always in with a shout.
Agree, and if you can do that and at the same time score more points than your opponent does, you are on the road to success.@ito
Its Twickenham so I expect a close game, especially if it is raining. England will target our lineout which was not working well against Wales.
Ireland are obviously absolutely superb, but this is also a weak Six Nations this year. Can't wait to see them take on SA over the summer and NZ in the Autumn, think they'll clearly the top 3 in the world until France get Dupont & Ntamack back and sort out their coaching staff...
" and sort out their coaching staff..." - been waiting too long for that, I miss old France...
Iv been watching 6 nations since late 97-98 bring a kid and I remember Ireland being Italy.
But I'd gladly admit this is the easiest grandslam iv ever watched
I admit maybe Ireland are a step above England Wales because I think they are building for better days
France seem to have taken a step back while Scotland are charging ahead with good rugby.. not the prettiest rugby but it's working for them.
I personally think ban the caterpillar kicks and the 🐂💩 kick tennis
Yes agreed. The quality is poor this year. Mostly Because wales and england have let their club and country structures go down the swannie in recent years. Ireland are bearing fruit of their exceptional structures from school level upwards. Ireland can only play whats in front of them. Same as england in their easy path to a semi in the WC
France also have had no time to plan for a dupont-less team as he only walked a few weeks before the 6n started. Ireland in contrast have spent 2 + years creating playing systems and structures that rely way less on their 10 as they knew Sexy would be gone
Wales with their youth talent coming through shows the potential they have, if they play like they did against Ireland in the second half I reckon they dominate france! Saying it now, wales will be back at the pinnacle next 3-5 years! Brace the Saffa shit talk coming your way 😬
Wales will only be a force to be reckoned with if their regional sides do well in the URC and European competitions. Learn that from Ireland, SA and NZ. Gatland can only do so much with what he has. (SA fan)
This game was simple , Ireland came to win wales came to try stop Ireland and thats how rugby gets messy. It was men to boys… remember Ireland played with 14 men for 16 minutes and still managed to score a bonus point try with 14…
Ireland will win pulling up take it as red😮😮
I think England will give them a tougher challenge than Wales, Italy or France. Fairly confident Ireland will win, but not by large margins. I think it will be a low scoring game
Hard luck in advance Goodey 😆
England played great against Scotland for the opening 10min then it was obvious Scotland would win the game. At home England will probably play great for 20 min, then it will be game over. English players don’t look as energetic and fit as the Welsh who progressed and resisted waves of Irish attacks for 60min. Last year Ireland usually fell asleep for 10-15 min after half time, haven’t really seen it happen this year. For me a benchmark will be for how long can England block Ireland’s bonus point.
o no you wont mate, now your waking the Bear,im sayiny by 15 points in Twi😉kem mmm.
Perfection? Are you mad, they didnt plsy well against wales, beat italy, and 14 man France, the test before that they lost. Far from perfect
At the end of the day it is Ireland England. Dose not matter how your playing, we all know its yeng and Yang it’s black and white it’s Ireland England
Dream on Goodey :D)))))
Stop acting like Ireland is on another planet ffs.. England and Scotland are not gonna be easy
Ire are proving what all blacks have consistently proved for over 100 yrs .. execute the basics and simple things exceptionally well with consistency and success is almost gureenteed.. rugby is a simple game and doesn't need fancy extravagant plays. Strong set piece strong organised defence, organised attack plus accurate kicking game from 9 and 10 and you've cracked it.. that's what ire have in abundance today...
If rugby is a simple game, would it be too much to ask Ireland to coach themselves rather than bludging off other nations?
All this is well and good but I wont be happy till Ireland win the World Cup. Beating England and France these days has become mundane and is expected by the Irish fans in the same way Manchester City are expected to beat Luton.
Beating South Africa and New Zealand is the only thing worth boasting about these days. I'm not being cocky here ,I am a very modest person by nature, I am just being VERY realistic.
Forecast for the Ireland/England game :31 -12. And I'm running ,not walking ,to Paddy Power tomorrow to lay my heavy bet on.🇮🇪💚☘️
😅 this aged well, Luton were all over you..
@@kevinwillis6707
You got lucky .It won't happen again in the foreseeable future.
But I have to say England had a very slight edge on the day.
Anyway we had a day out and it was an epic game.☘️
@@joekavanagh8997 luck had nothing to do with it, and "I" didn't get lucky, I'm not a particular England supporter, I still think they won despite Borthwick being head coach, they played to the strengths of the in form players of Northampton and bath alongside Ben earls and waboso. Borthwick had to be dragged in that direction by criticism of his turgid tactics over the last 28 months. Ireland have a major problem with rush defense's, they don't have a plan B when it happens .
England have the potential to cause Ireland problems for half an hour however thus ureland team can adjust their gane mudbnatch and win the game.
They have everything the All Blacks needs 😂 Ireland are without a doubt one of the best rugby teams out there right now second would be South Africa
What the ABs don't need is one huge Gorilla on their back. And that's what Ireland will have at the next RWC. When are you lot going to shake that thing off FFS?
@@stevenbissettwho cares.
Ireland do look good, but against THAT France team and then Italy and Wale? Really think our own and rugby media are blowing us out of proportion!
England could potentially cause an upset its not impossible at all.
Ireland's lineout failed a few times, and Ireland couldn't open Wales up in midfield their defence was good but Ireland supposedly should have been able to exploit something there and they didn't, If Wales took their penalty points to stay within reach Ireland's mentality could have been shaken.
I have yet to see this Irish team play well for 80 minutes and yet they keep winning. If they ever really click for a good 60 minutes or more it should be fun to watch.
very few teams play well for 80+ but what Ireland can do is be somewhat off but still get basics / defence right. they also don't lose their mindset when things go wrong. Their mental resilience is immense.
I hear what you're saying. In the QF of the RWC I was asking myself why isn't Ireland playing a lot better. I figured there must be something going on in their heads. Including the Irish fans as well as you couldn't hear a peep from them at the final whistle.
@@stevenbissett they were also playing the AB’s. Kinda have to factor that in.
@stevenbissett You couldn't hear a peep out of NZ fans all tournament cause they just don't travel in general. If they can't be bothered to show up for Super Rugby, then they are not going get a flight. That tour to NZ seemed like we were the home crowd. Attendances are only dropping more and been brought up in NZ how to change this trend. You can't change lazy.
@@stevenbissett Problem with the QF was that they were up against the ABs, and most of the core players had been over played and looked flat, better team won on the night.
Probabably their anzac backline
England always show up when playing Ireland. Nobody here thinks this will be anything but a proper game of rugby.
This is a band aid over the wound sort of solution for Ireland, instant accolades and it great for this year which will be good for Ireland and probably next year, but I wonder for the future, for the next RWC which Farrell refuses to discuss at press interviews. However Gatland eluded to it and made a valid point post match interview on saturday, Ireland 23 had 8 - 9 players who are over 30 years so I checked it out, there were actually 10 players over 30 years - and 2 players who are 30 years old now. so of course these players are experienced enough to pull off great performances etc. and credit to them, they are great players. so Farrell continues to say, momentum, momentum. It is well and good for now as it will hopefully give those players another 6N success before they eventually either hang up their boots or slow down on executing that high tempo type of game and it impresses the Irish rugby public and sends Nucifora out on a high note this summer and regains Irish confidence around Farrell that was damaged after RWC but the squad won't have most of those 9 - 10 players in 4 years time or won't have them playing at that peak level, even if they are still around. Since Farrell refuses to show us his hand on what other younger players in squad are like at test match rather then in 'international training camps' the Irish rugby public are in the dark again. If you want achievements for this year and next then you'll be happy but I'd prefer to see a glimpse of the bigger picture now,. Farrell would like to keep us all in the dark but as they say You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all the people all of the time.... or something like that.
I think the 4 year cycle idea has kind of been busted from the last World Cup. I think you just win what’s in front of you. Plus I think Ireland will have the depth the cope with the next World Cup. They have won the last 2 u20 six nations and got to a junior World Cup final. So Ireland just need to bring through 2-3 players a year as the have been doing. For example New Zealand were in there lowest ebb for 3 years and got to a Wc final the next whereas France built a super team over 5 years and got a quarter final exit and 1 grand slam.
Valid points yes, but one thing Farrell and this Irish team are doing is creating an aura of invincibility and that wins matches before they are even played and the younger players coming through the ranks will step right into that environment and just build further depth.
Im picking Ireland will be the team to beat for the next 5 - 10 years.
I think over the next year you will see the gradual of those 30+ players leave the Irish team like for Cian Healy I would say after the rsa tour that he would go I think o’mahony will leave after the autumn in 2025 same with Murray and maybe Aki after the lions series cause after that lions I think then that’s were the new players come in cause with Farrell as head coach I think some of them older players will target that tour but we have won the grand slam in u20 since 2019 3 times and may win it this year so the depth of talent is coming through it’s just how you integrate them in to the team will be key but I trust Farrell
Valid points but you forget Ireland Unders 20s have been performing at a very high level for a number of years now. Are under 20s not also going for a double slam. And they were in the under 20 rwc final. So ive no idea what the hell your smoking.
Replace 10 players in four years. I think Ireland can do that.
Almost random if they can find the 3 or 4 huge players needed to win internationals bund aku, lose, sexton, calibre players.
I really can't see Borthwick coming up with a strategy to beat Farrell's Ireland!
While they've never looked like losing in this 6N, they haven't turned their territorial, possessional dominance into tries, or even try scoring opportunities......... their victories have been down to their fitness, organisation in "D" and utter stinginess, as far as hanging on to the ball!
Not sure England have the nous or patience to break the Irish grip!
England beat Ireland 23-22.
Agree, Ireland might be hard to breakdown. But how long do they take to break anyone else down?
They play the tiki taki rugby version of soccer. Nice spectacle, that has the effect of eventually scoring and eventually tiring out your opponents.
This is good enough for six nations (who now has no real competition for Ireland since the French are still suffering from world cup PSD and are clueless without Dupont and Aldrit) but inevitably fails on the world stage.
You clearly aren’t aware of their record on the world stage.
@@paulbrandon422
Ireland world cup semiifinals = 0.
Ireland world cup quarterfinals = 0.
Ireland world cup finals = 0.
Ireland world cup trophies = 0.
@@2msystems740 The IRFU has very little focus on winning WC's because revenues are more important. 6N / grand slam wins bring in more money than a wc win and cost less too. money gets pumped into the game across the national and province teams which further allows development of the game. reliable revenues and cosistent game growth are prioritised. This is all evident in their publicly available business plan documents. And irish fans are happy.
Ireland will probably get a WC final in the next two cycles. a win could be a bonus but it's not their main aim.
@@paolozmm
Makes sense. And they have done it well.
Whether it will give them a world cup is entirely another story.
But rightly so, the bread and butter stuff is what makes the clock tick.
The world cup does not have the financial status, but it has the rugby status.
@@paolozmmYou sound like the Irish fans and team aren’t even bothered about winning a World Cup when they were in France in droves and had marketing campaigns strewn across Ireland about winning the World Cup?
Not quite 'special' yet, they will have to win a WC.
Ireland fan it will be close take a one point win
Nearly right😅
Please may we recall that less than six months ago Ireland failed to make it past another QF at a RWC. So lets go easy on the pludits shall we?
But, but it's Ian Foster's fault . It's Wayne Barnes' fault. It's Sam Canes' fault. The tears are too funny .
I'd say leprechauns,and multi nationals.
Did anyone else think that O’Mahony purposely kicked out to cut the face of Wales full back Winnett….? Not saying he knew he was going to hit him in the face but definitely seemed to kick out behind him knowing the Welsh player was there on the floor…👀
Well, Peter O'Mahony was called a f*ckwit to his face by Brodie Retallick at the last RWC so it's no surprise I guess.
What makes Ireland special is not winning rugby World Cup 😂😂😂
Oh come on lets get real i think its more down to France .England and wales being so bad if ireland play NZ or SA there get beaten i actually think ireland had a better team in the WC and played better rugby and look what happened there
topman bigger
Ireland were poor against Wales. If that was the all blacks against Wales last weekend it would have been 60 -0. Coming from an Irish man
Best team in newzealand now can't beat a riddled with injury munster side.😂😂😂 kiwi,s demise is rapid mate.yer finished. Another four year,s kiwi,s won't be in top ten.😂😂😂
Hard to say. Ireland did not have to pull out all the stops to win this one with a bonus point.
The truth is when they are up against it.
I still think Ireland France last 6n was their best game in years.
They beat a great french team that day
@@michaelmoynihan9591 I'm irish 🤣
Ireland have had a few good years. When the ABs played like this and lost a World Cup thy were ‘chokers’. Leeds not get he’d of ourselves.
The other 6n teams being at the bottom of a cycle
Only 2 of them (Wales and Italy).
We keep hearing how this is the best Scottish team in forever.
England is stacked with talent, but are having the life coached out of them.
And France are missing one key player from a side that beat the ABs and came within a point of beating SA. You know who else is missing their talismanic player? Ireland.
England and Ireland will be close ,,very close..
🏆🏆🏆🏆💪💪💪🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
What makes them special is no matter how good they are/were they've never gone further than a quarter final.
What’s that got to do with the six nations. Go back to sleep
I get so tired of people saying well done wales 🏴
They were SHIT 💩 and years ago people would have been calling for the managers head served up.
Ireland were fantastic ☘️
Could have wine by 60 if there’d been another 15 mins
Poor refereeing didn’t help the game it slowed it down but please 🙏 Stop saying wales were good because they slowed down Ireland ☘️
I think Wales performed well from were they were a few months ago and are looking good for future.
Taken in isolation they were a king way behind Ireland
@@knoll9812 I would like any team to play well, I was at the match and I for one as an Irish fan was disappointed 😞 Ireland win by 60 points but wales need a whole new management structure… I miss the days of a close match, a hairs breath… they are told to play a certain way but but it’s time Warren Gatland hang up the phone 📞 and leave with some kind of pride.
It clearly shows the team are not happy… England will come back with a blast… Welch fans deserve better.
If the old Welsh 🏴 spirt was there they could have upset Ireland ☘️
Every fan wants to see the old six nations battle for the six nations 👊👊👊
@@droneangel4628 wales is having to rebuild almost the whole team. Normally takes two years to go from transition to preforming.
Garland should get at least 12 months chance
Also nobody is lining to manage Wales
Ireland is not special.
Yes, they are well drilled and a cohesive unit and in this way they break you down eventually. Also, undoubtedly they have talented and experienced players.
But they play the most inefficient cumbersome predictable rugby.
A "novice" Wales team, that would be clobbered by 100 by an All Blacks team, gave Ireland a game to play.
Some coach will figure this out and Ireland will be shown up to be the one-eyed king in the land of the blind.
Arguably, this already happened in the world cup.
Kiwi s battered up and down the pitch by french team..😂😂😂 wake up kid😂😂😂
Lost one game in twenty games both north and south. Implies that not that easy to work it out.
Personally I think there are three teams at the top and any game us a toss up between them.
@@michaelmoynihan9591
And what did that achieve?
@@knoll9812
Agree, some coaches are not as sharp as you might expect.
And then a "novice" Wales gives them a game?
@@2msystems740 you think kiwi,s are all that.they are on demise big time.crusaders beaten by riddled with injury munster side.chief,s beaten by japanese side.? When is last time ye beat pom,s mate..😂😂😂.? Yer finished. 😂😂😂😂
Ah the Brexiteer show. Here we go again Ireland not good on the day 31==7 oh yes 31=7 Ireland are not Scotland! ☘☘☘☘☘☘☘
I'm Irish and Ireland were way off their normal pace in that game. I'm sure every Irish rugby guy would say the same. But in saying that they still managed to do the business and get a win. Who else has had the kind of winning margins Ireland have had in this competition? 21 point win over France, 36 over Italy and 24 against Wales. All the other Six Nations games were very close finishes. I guess that demonstrates the gulf between Ireland and the other teams in this Six Nations.
He didn't say we were "not good". He said that was probably our least impressive showing of the tournament and he is 100% correct. I thought we were very sloppy at times, our handling was not as slick as usual, some poor decisions were made at key times and our lineout was a shambles. He also rightly pointed out that 17 points was not a great return for our level of dominance in that first half when we were quite simply demolishing them all over the park and especially in the scrum. I am not sure if I have ever seen an Irish scrum so utterly dominant but imo we failed to really make it count, while in the second half things were much more even. We also went for about 35 minutes without scoring a single point playing at home against a VERY inexperienced welsh team, but in fairness I thought the latter's defence was really outstanding. But the score gives the impression that the match was more one sided that it actually was. At one stage in that second half we were just the width of Cian Healy's hand away from seeing our lead cut to only 3 with less than a quarter of the match to go, while the bonus point was only secured with the very last play of the game. But the point is, even our least impressive performance was still enough to beat an admittedly callow welsh side 31-7. However we can't afford to play like that against Scotland or we will be in trouble.
come on Ireland beat the BRITS!!!
😅