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Rugby World Cup 2011

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Rosco

Rosco

Worse than Brendan
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Well it starts at the beginning of September, plenty of countries have named provisional squads.

Ireland's is as follows:

Forwards

Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster), Tony Buckley (Sale Sharks), Tom Court (Malone/Ulster), Sean Cronin (Leinster), Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster), Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster), Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster), John Hayes (Bruff/Munster), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster), Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster), Shane Jennings (St.Mary’s College/Leinster), Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster), Mike McCarthy (Buccaneers/Connacht), Kevin McLaughlin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Sean O'Brien (Clontarf/Leinster), Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster), Mick O'Driscoll (Cork Constitution/Munster), Michael Ross (Clontarf/Leinster), Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster), Damien Varley (Garryown/Munster), David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster), Brett Wilkinson (Galwegians/Connacht)

Backs

Isaac Boss (Terenure College/Leinster), Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster), Gavin Duffy (Galwegians/Connacht), Keith Earls (Thomond/Munster), Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster), Felix Jones (Shannon/Munster), Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster), Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Geordan Murphy (Leicester), Conor Murray (Cork Constitution/Munster), Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster), Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster), Tomás O'Leary (Dolphin/Munster), Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster), Jonathan Sexton (St.Mary’s College/Leinster), Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster), Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster), Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)
Click to expand...

Apart from a few players not considered because of injury (but who may feature in later squads) the only real talking points in the Ireland squad are Murray and Jones who have real chances of making it in on the back some brilliant performances for Munster
 
Really looking forward to this, i fancy any side who can avoid meeting the AB's (will they choke again?) has a chance of going quite far.

Our squad shouldn't really have too many shocks, the only real questions are wether or not Henson, Phillips, Williams and Delve will make it (personally only Williams will miss out imo). Touch wood we've hardly got any major injuries to worry about either, so hopefully we'll be able to field our near strongest team (something we've not done for sometime).
 
The quarters are quite straight forward to pick, at least the 8 teams are, so I’m going for Aus v Eng & NZ v Ire as semis. My preference would be an Australia v Ireland Final although I can’t see it happening. That would be good watching over here.
Hope England don’t do it on principle.
 
[quote author=LarryHagman link=topic=45879.msg1355946#msg1355946 date=1309173876]

The quarters are quite straight forward to pick, at least the 8 teams are, so I’m going for Aus v Eng & NZ v Ire as semis. My preference would be an Australia v Ireland Final although I can’t see it happening. That would be good watching over here.
Hope England don’t do it on principle.

[/quote]

If Ireland don't beat Australia the likelihood is that we play South Africa in the first knock-out round. If we turn up in anything less than our best form we won't go far in this tournament.

France being in the same group as NZ is interesting too, England will have to play one of them in the quarters and despite recent form I wouldn't count out France just yet. Lievremont seems to be getting a bit smarter - Chabal is out of the squad and a back rower as immobile as him has no place in the modern game. Heymans is back in too, cracking player.
 
[quote author=Rosco link=topic=45879.msg1356312#msg1356312 date=1309212671]
[quote author=LarryHagman link=topic=45879.msg1355946#msg1355946 date=1309173876]

The quarters are quite straight forward to pick, at least the 8 teams are, so I’m going for Aus v Eng & NZ v Ire as semis. My preference would be an Australia v Ireland Final although I can’t see it happening. That would be good watching over here.
Hope England don’t do it on principle.

[/quote]

If Ireland don't beat Australia the likelihood is that we play South Africa in the first knock-out round. If we turn up in anything less than our best form we won't go far in this tournament.

France being in the same group as NZ is interesting too, England will have to play one of them in the quarters and despite recent form I wouldn't count out France just yet. Lievremont seems to be getting a bit smarter - Chabal is out of the squad and a back rower as immobile as him has no place in the modern game. Heymans is back in too, cracking player.
[/quote]

If the match was today, I would take Ireland over SA. SA have been shit for a while, have a grade-A mentalist as coach, have players who can't be arsed playing for the team, the coach or the country and are committed to the development of a style of rugby that makes England look like the Harlem Globetrotters.

Could all change when the time comes, has before. But my semi prediction was based on Ireland beating SA in the quarters.
 
[quote author=Rosco link=topic=45879.msg1356312#msg1356312 date=1309212671]
[quote author=LarryHagman link=topic=45879.msg1355946#msg1355946 date=1309173876]

The quarters are quite straight forward to pick, at least the 8 teams are, so I’m going for Aus v Eng & NZ v Ire as semis. My preference would be an Australia v Ireland Final although I can’t see it happening. That would be good watching over here.
Hope England don’t do it on principle.

[/quote]

If Ireland don't beat Australia the likelihood is that we play South Africa in the first knock-out round. If we turn up in anything less than our best form we won't go far in this tournament.

France being in the same group as NZ is interesting too, England will have to play one of them in the quarters and despite recent form I wouldn't count out France just yet. Lievremont seems to be getting a bit smarter - Chabal is out of the squad and a back rower as immobile as him has no place in the modern game. Heymans is back in too, cracking player.
[/quote]

Excellent summary. Of course Lievremont's still capable of having a brain fart at exactly the wrong moment, but they have talent in that squad.
 
[quote author=Judge Jules link=topic=45879.msg1355923#msg1355923 date=1309172253]
Good to see the return of a cleaned-up Matt Stevens, for rugby reasons and otherwise.
[/quote]

I always liked him as a player, Healy for us is not unlike him. Strong for his size, mobile, technically proficient.
 
Just seen that the South Africans have pissed off the Aussies and Kiwis by leaving out 21 "injured" players from their tri nations squad.
 
[quote author=Rosco link=topic=45879.msg1356474#msg1356474 date=1309255451]
[quote author=Judge Jules link=topic=45879.msg1355923#msg1355923 date=1309172253]
Good to see the return of a cleaned-up Matt Stevens, for rugby reasons and otherwise.
[/quote]

I always liked him as a player, Healy for us is not unlike him. Strong for his size, mobile, technically proficient.
[/quote]

Weren't there questions about Healy's scrummaging? (Having said which, it didn't seem too bad to me last season.)
 
Yeah, he struggled a bit initially but he has come on in leaps and bounds. I walked by him on the street last Thursday coincidentally - i felt the same size as the men you see on top of wedding cakes conpared to him. He's huge for his size, if that makes any sense.
 
Wales discard Jonathan Thomas and Andy Powell (yes i know Rosco)

Jonathan Thomas, Andy Powell and Richie Rees have been omitted from Wales' World Cup training preparations, BBC Sport Wales understands.

The three will not be making the trip to Poland on Saturday with the rest of coach Warren Gatland's squad for the last of two 10-day training camps.

Ken Owens, Lou Reed and Andrew Bishop will also be left behind.

But Stephen Jones, who missed the first training camp for the birth of his first child, will be travelling.

Gatland selected an initial 45-man training squad, but the Wales coach has trimmed the numbers down to 35 as he takes the players for a second week of intense training in Spala.

Thomas' omission comes after the versatile Ospreys forward played in all but one of the Six Nations matches last season, and played the full 80 minutes in the autumn internationals against Australia, South Africa and Fiji.

The 28-year-old, who has won 66 caps, was a stalwart of the 2008 Grand Slam team.

Rees, 28, was suspended for the whole Six Nations campaign, but the Cardiff Blues scrum-half started two games in the 2010 tournament.

Powell has not featured since starting against England in the 19-26 defeat to England in last season's Six Nations opener.

Of the other three to be omitted, only centre Andrew Bishop has been capped.

Wales are carrying a number of injured players in the training squad, with Leigh Halfpenny's ankle injury of particular concern for Gatland.

But prop Gethin Jenkins, who missed the entire 2011 Six Nations campaign after having foot surgery, is approaching full fitness and hoping to return for the three warm-up games against England (twice) and Argentina in August.

"It's important for our final preparation, to get a place in that squad and to get a place on the plane, to do well in Poland," Jenkins said.

"We want to be at our fittest and most powerful, but we also know that unless we can play rugby as well it won't matter a jot.

"The camp has been tough mentally and physically, but the next challenge will then be to perform on the pitch.

"We will be strong and fit, but we need to convert that into performing in games.

"There is only so much you can learn about a rugby player from a fitness test and these games against England and Argentina will be the opportunity for the coaches to assess the players in a match.

"Those Tests will be the acid tests. Hopefully, if I get my chance, it will go well and I can go to the World Cup, but I'm not taking anything for granted."

After the three warm-up Tests, Gatland must name his 30-man squad for September's World Cup in New Zealand by 22 August.
 
I'm nearly certain Ireland went to Poland at least once for pre season preparation, and I think we sent O'Driscoll over on his own for rehab too. There's a cryotherapy centre there that can be used to help recovery from injuries and hard sessions.
 
[quote author=Judge Jules link=topic=45879.msg1364478#msg1364478 date=1310585071]
Furry muff.
[/quote]

;)

Seems that the England set up is in a right shambles at present JJ.......
 
[quote author=Kenny4PM link=topic=45879.msg1364493#msg1364493 date=1310587153]
[quote author=Judge Jules link=topic=45879.msg1364478#msg1364478 date=1310585071]
Furry muff.
[/quote]

;)

Seems that the England set up is in a right shambles at present JJ.......
[/quote]

I can tell you're all broken up about it mate. ;) Might be one or two interesting books published about that little lot in a few years' time.

We'll still get closer to winning the next World Cup than you lot.
 
Ha.

Not long before our 2 warm up games against each other mate. Feels quite strange tbh, i wonder how seriously both sides will take it?
 
Pretty seriously, I suspect. The players will defo be well up for it and, because of that, I reckon the two managements will see this as a good guide to form, which I suspect is why a brace of games has been arranged, as opposed to just the one.
 
I think it'll be 1-1 but we'll beat you on points difference ;)

I've got a feeling we'll pick a 2nd string to play you at your place, but then look to field a much stronger side for the home return match. I just hope that we don't take too many lumps out of each other.
 
Agreed. Both sets of players will go in hard all right, but I'd hope and anticipate that the below-the-line stuff will be kept to a minimum. Neither side will want a war at this stage, though if we meet up (again) in the latter stages of the competition proper, all bets are off. ;)
 
Poor result for Australia and they can’t really expect to hide behind the excuse of it being their 2nd string team; it was crap regardless. A poor Tri-Nations will now severely affect their confidence, they are already asking themselves whether this squad is as good as they thought it was last week. Also, might be bad news for those in the same group as Samoa, they are well organised, tough and talented.

Watch Tuliagi’s break away try, I actually thought that Giteau could have cut him off but decided against it. He he, coward.

One thing I will be interested to see in this WC is that refs down here don’t routinely penalise for big hits that are non-tackles, by that I mean they let shoulder charges and tackles where the arms are not wrapped around the bloke, go. This suits teams like Samoa down to the ground. When they play in Europe, they get penalised, and therefore kicked to death. I’m guessing international refs (and therefore rules) will mean they are penalised a lot, they won’t like that. Mind you, the All Blacks do it too and I’m sure the powers that be don’t want to kill the home Nation’s fun.

One other thing, why are England persisting with that black kit? Is it just to piss off the (real) All Blacks or to steal their thunder? Is it because half of them are foreign anyway or because some ten-bob psychologist has told them it will improve their chances?

Bit odd. They’ll be doing a haka next.
 
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