Wales team vs Ireland

First topic message reminder :

Team announced

WALES SQUAD TO PLAY IRELAND: Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), Scott Williams (Scarlets), Jamie Roberts (Racing Metro), George North (Northampton Saints), Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), Mike Phillips (Racing Metro), Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Richard Hibbard (Ospreys), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Andrew Coombs (Newport Gwent Dragons), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Dan Lydiate (Racing Metro), Sam Warburton (CAPT – Cardiff Blues), Taulupe Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons).

Replacements: Ken Owens (Scarlets), Paul James (Bath Rugby), Rhodri Jones (Scarlets), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Rhys Webb (Ospreys), James Hook (Perpignan), Liam Williams (Scarlets).

ME-109 wrote:

GunsGerms wrote:

Cocokav wrote:Last time I was in Dublin for a game was in 1978 - Triple Crown win - JPRs poorest game for Wales - wasn't popular with the Irish supporters after a late tackle on Mike Gibson as I vaguely recall.

Hope to make it 2 Welsh wins out of 2 visits on Saturday

Not too many people here actually saw those guys play. nice one.

I was there (11 years old). My recollection (admittedly based on my Fathers reactions and expletives) were as follows.
1. Wales were not capable of winning a game cleanly when they were put under pressure (some things never change)
2. JPR was lucky he wasnt lynched based on the crowd reaction.

I remember that era and lets be honest most teams were dirty or in thise days played what you could get away with and JPR himself was taken out on more than one occasion.

ME-109 wrote:

GunsGerms wrote:

Cocokav wrote:Last time I was in Dublin for a game was in 1978 - Triple Crown win - JPRs poorest game for Wales - wasn't popular with the Irish supporters after a late tackle on Mike Gibson as I vaguely recall.

Hope to make it 2 Welsh wins out of 2 visits on Saturday

Not too many people here actually saw those guys play. nice one.

I was there (11 years old). My recollection (admittedly based on my Fathers reactions and expletives) were as follows.
1. Wales were not capable of winning a game cleanly when they were put under pressure (some things never change)
2. JPR was lucky he wasnt lynched based on the crowd reaction.

Meow!! LOL. Give us some examples then me-109. Excluding The line out that should have been disallowed ?

Well it's my first trip to Dublin this weekend and I got my Guiness Vouchers today (euros)

Having done Rome, twickers and Paris where Wales won at each I'm hoping my lucky streak continues this weekend.


However with 5th and 6th choice locks in the squad I can't see our front 5 being up to it - not that they're useless, but Wales lineout isn't great at the best of times.

I hope Ireland go for the maul tactic once too often as the longer it's in the pack the less sexton and Kearny will have the ball. Both looked pretty sharp.

Scrum time - again welsh scrum is under pressure from Barnes, AJs form, gethin's match fitness and a new lock combo.

Anyway....

I hope it's a cracking game and my copious Guinness intake is for celebration and not drowning sorrows.

AWJ and Coombs not totally new though didn't they partner up last year as well?

For me AWJ is our only clear cut 1st choice lock the rest are all pretty much same standard, ok Ball is untried but reports are all positive.

I would have started James but then I would even if Jenkins was fully fit but thats just my opinion.

Starting with gethin is a punt I believe with one eye towards his breakdown work. If he does well there then bob's your uncle.

I just hope we don't give soft penalties at the halfway line which will allow driving lineouts within the welsh 22. Wales have to be patient and just let Ireland have the ball.

I re watched the match last night. Wales were pretty inaccurate in the back line even when not under pressure.

The scrums were a farce. Not well ref. it felt it at the ground and on review it was still poor.

Plus sides

I thought Scott Williams played well. He has some surprising pace - be good to see how he goes on the wing instead of north.

Toby was easily MOTM for me.

For the short time he was on the field Webb looked to have a good rhythm to his game

I thought Wales lacked ball carriers but they did get over the gainline well but the advantage was lost because it took an age to get the ball out.

Italy read every midfield move Wales made with the ball carrier being picked out each time.

Again I think Wales problem was not earning the right to go wide allowing Italy to have that extra defender.

Wales did indeed looked tired - perhaps they had one eye on the next game. I hope so.



.

How easy is it to get on the DART at Lansdowne Rd after the game? Or would it be quicker to walk back to Connolly Station?

The Dart is pretty efficient getting it is much easier than a walk(unless you fancy a pub crawl)

slartibartfast wrote:

Wales did indeed looked tired - perhaps they had one eye on the next game. I hope so.  

One thing the Welsh players aren't is tired.  So the 'tiredness' look is either just a ploy they hope the Irish might buy a little (they won't) or it's simply rhythm cobwebs in a first game.  It's hard to get up to the right mental and physical tempo when you're in what would have been a mentally and physically 'soft' game for the Welsh.
They'll have reason to be on fire this weekend and I'll be very surprised if they still look off the pace.  One thing the Welsh coaches pride themselves in is having their players just right on conditioning.

SecretFly wrote:

slartibartfast wrote:

Wales did indeed looked tired - perhaps they had one eye on the next game. I hope so.  

One thing the Welsh players aren't is tired.  So the 'tiredness' look is either just a ploy they hope the Irish might buy a little (they won't) or it's simply rhythm cobwebs in a first game.  It's hard to get up to the right mental and physical tempo when you're in what would have been a mentally and physically 'soft' game for the Welsh.
They'll have reason to be on fire this weekend and I'll be very surprised if they still look off the pace.  One thing the Welsh coaches pride themselves in is having their players just right on conditioning.

Well, you are more optimistic than me !   

munkian wrote:

SecretFly wrote:

slartibartfast wrote:

Wales did indeed looked tired - perhaps they had one eye on the next game. I hope so.  

One thing the Welsh players aren't is tired.  So the 'tiredness' look is either just a ploy they hope the Irish might buy a little (they won't) or it's simply rhythm cobwebs in a first game.  It's hard to get up to the right mental and physical tempo when you're in what would have been a mentally and physically 'soft' game for the Welsh.
They'll have reason to be on fire this weekend and I'll be very surprised if they still look off the pace.  One thing the Welsh coaches pride themselves in is having their players just right on conditioning.

Well, you are more optimistic than me !   

Oh they could crumble...just as Ireland could. I'm not saying the Welsh are going to run circles around us (yet they might).  But I am saying that if they fail, it won't be because the lot of them are tired.  If they fail, there'll be other reasons than straight fatigue.

How are the storms there at the moment ?

May not be the weather for champagne rugby but hopefuly better than England v Ireland last year...

Munkian, I think Saturday and Sunday are meant to be right up there with the worst we have had, weatherwise, this year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2964574

munkian wrote:How are the storms there at the moment ?

May not be the weather for champagne rugby but hopefuly better than England v Ireland last year...

I believe the SW took a battering there, not sure about Dublin.

Wales have bigger carriers and a better place kicker so if conditions are bad they have the edge, although I think we'll get an edge at scrum time.

You need a roof mun !   

I heard Cork was taking a battering, my friends in Athy say it was pretty bad last night.

Agreed on the matchups - hopefully Geth will steady our scrum and AJ works out where he's slipping.

If we get parity up front the game is ours to lose. However, getting that parity is easier said than done given the fact that Ireland have 7 wild banshees up front alongside Toner. I expect near parity at scrum time and near paltry at line out time. Here's hoping   

A roof..................? And not let the wind and rain see the game? They're as much citizens of this country as the people, they have a right to be there.

I'm looking forward to seeing this Parity kid myself.  The Welsh seem to think he might be the new North.

SecretFly wrote:I'm looking forward to seeing this Parity kid myself.  The Welsh seem to think he might be the new North.

You wait till BOD is dropped for him...

Cocokav wrote:How easy is it to get on the DART at Lansdowne Rd after the game? Or would it be quicker to walk back to Connolly Station?

It can be a bit of a cattle mart after the game. Do you need to catch a connecting train or are you staying near the station?

If you're staying near the station just stick around the stadium for the afternoon / evening, the area around Connolly is pretty rough, best to avoid being there for a prolonged period.

love the post gavcandance, I would have gone for biggar, but I think that even if rp has a poor game , he will be in for the tournament. gats wants rp for the world cup, so he's giving him all the international time.

I hope it works out on Saturday for rp. he is the chosen one and we have to support him , even if I think biggar would be better at keeping control, keeping the ball, keeping us in the right areas.

my dread is that rp is so poor hook comes on. when he plays I am capable of anything, mostly unprintable! my psychic dog has just slunk off to keep a low profile I suspect. !

RubyGuby wrote:If we get parity up front the game is ours to lose. However, getting that parity is easier said than done given the fact that Ireland have 7 wild banshees up front alongside Toner. I expect near parity at scrum time and near paltry at line out time. Here's hoping   

We seem to have lost some of our pre-empted edge in the front row...? Two thirds of the lions front row selected and another Lion in Jenkins too. Coombs is the only non first choice player in the front five, but he isn't really a weakness, we have the luxury of choosing our backrow, while our opposition are forced into selections with Ferris and O'Brien unavailable.

I like Connor Murray, he is the form scrumhalf in Ireland and Britain at the moment and his flyhalf Sexton is the same. Both Priestland and Phillips are looking for their best form, but they have plenty of plus points.

I would still see the home side as a favourite for this game, but I don't think Wales will lay down for them, the way we let the Italians back into last weeks game.

I think the fact that we struggled against Italy will put us in good shape mentally for this one. We know what to expect we've been there before. Showtime awaits   

RubyGuby wrote:I think the fact that we struggled against Italy will put us in good shape mentally for this one. We know what to expect we've been there before. Showtime awaits   

I didn't think we struggled last week, rather that we started slowly, looked complacent rather than clinical. Hopefully more accuracy and edge in the players this week.

Maesteg - That's what I call struggling   

maestegmafia wrote:

RubyGuby wrote:I think the fact that we struggled against Italy will put us in good shape mentally for this one. We know what to expect we've been there before. Showtime awaits   

I didn't think we struggled last week, rather that we started slowly, looked complacent rather than clinical. Hopefully more accuracy and edge in the players this week.

The intriguing thing about the weekend is that I felt the exact same thing about Ireland.  So which of us blinks first?  Which of us gets up to 6N speed first?  So many unknowns about true form of either Ireland or Wales.  At least England gave us all an honest idea of their mindframe...and France, well they stumbled to a win and I don't think they even have a clue how it happened.

Ireland struggled a bit against Italy last time out   

RubyGuby wrote:Ireland struggled a bit against Italy last time out   

Yeah..against Wales too! Not a good year but still.... only team to beat the Champs was compensation of sorts

That's us slow starters for you Fly - I heard it was more than compensation beating the GS champs away - You feasted on it too much and fell to the rest of the rabble   

Possibly, possibly, Ruby. Which half is Ireland going to play competitively, that's the coin Gatland will be throwing in the air in the dressing room before the game. Which blasted half?!

If you aren't canning us by halftime I bet you'll be worried  

As said earlier I think the packs are pretty much evenly matched, the half backs are clearly where Ireland have the edge and I think we have the edge in the back 3 with the centres again quite even.

Wales were rusty, slow, over confident call it what you may whilst I think it was hard to judge Ireland against what was a pretty poor and very limited Scotland.

The two teams will know each other pretty well and the players will know each other from the Rabo games so it will be a really intriguing and hard fought game but one which I hope fills us with excitement.

If any side win by more than 10 points I will be quite surprised.

munkian wrote:If you aren't canning us by halftime I bet you'll be worried  

Not necessarily, Munkian.  Any half they decide to play rugby in is always a bonus for me.  I'd like them to try playing in both halves once or twice but baby steps..... any half will do as long as they play in one of them.

bedfordwelsh wrote:As said earlier I think the packs are pretty much evenly matched, the half backs are clearly where Ireland have the edge and I think we have the edge in the back 3 with the centres again quite even.

Wales were rusty, slow, over confident call it what you may whilst I think it was hard to judge Ireland against what was a pretty poor and very limited Scotland.

The two teams will know each other pretty well and the players will know each other from the Rabo games so it will be a really intriguing and hard fought game but one which I hope fills us with excitement.

If any side win by more than 10 points I will be quite surprised.

I'd agree with this,I think we may have a slight advantage in the set piece but that's going on Adam Jones form with the O's,he could very well up his game here and then I'd be very happy with parity in the scrums.I think Ireland might have a pretty decent advantage on the bench,we have some real impact players among our forwards while I think the Welsh bench doesn't look overly strong after Tipuric.Correct me if I'm wrong here cos I don't see a huge amount of the Welsh players.

SecretFly wrote:

RubyGuby wrote:Ireland struggled a bit against Italy last time out   

Yeah..against Wales too!  Not a good year but still.... only team to beat the Champs was compensation of sorts

We lost to them in Italy which is slightly different as they have won against everyone there except England. They have only ever won once away from home.

asoreleftshoulder wrote:

bedfordwelsh wrote:As said earlier I think the packs are pretty much evenly matched, the half backs are clearly where Ireland have the edge and I think we have the edge in the back 3 with the centres again quite even.

Wales were rusty, slow, over confident call it what you may whilst I think it was hard to judge Ireland against what was a pretty poor and very limited Scotland.

The two teams will know each other pretty well and the players will know each other from the Rabo games so it will be a really intriguing and hard fought game but one which I hope fills us with excitement.

If any side win by more than 10 points I will be quite surprised.

I'd agree with this,I think we may have a slight advantage in the set piece but that's going on Adam Jones form with the O's,he could very well up his game here and then I'd be very happy with parity in the scrums.I think Ireland might have a pretty decent advantage on the bench,we have some real impact players among our forwards while I think the Welsh bench doesn't look overly strong after Tipuric.Correct me if I'm wrong here cos I don't see a huge amount of the Welsh players.

Pretty much agree with you there to, Jones will have to up his game or Healy will take him to the cleaners though like you said he has the ability to up it, on the flip side I don't rate Ross so if Jenkins can hit the ground running it may even out - thats why I would have started Paul James.

As for the bench well James is there and Owens is a real impact player, Ball has been getting rave reviwes and then theres Tipuric. In the backs well Hook is the maverick butr can also go horribly wrong for him to.

Sanjay is very nippy and niggly too

To be fair all the teams should be able to improve on last weekends performances.

maestegmafia wrote:To be fair all the teams should be able to improve on last weekends performances.

Possibly but I can tell you that this game is going to be an up and under kick fest with each team waiting for the other to make a mistake under the high ball. This will be about territory given the conditions and not about sublime back moves.   

RubyGuby wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:To be fair all the teams should be able to improve on last weekends performances.

Possibly but I can tell you that this game is going to be an up and under kick fest with each team waiting for the other to make a mistake under the high ball. This will be about territory given the conditions and not about sublime back moves.   

Weather looks appalling for Saturday, very windy and wet...

If it's too windy and rainy just cancel the match and put BOD and Gatland in the stocks instead. The audience can take a tomato shot at the victim of their choice. Great day out.

Were not used to wind and rain in Wales!!! - We are the reigning champions (again) but that's a different story   

SecretFly wrote:If it's too windy and rainy just cancel the match and put BOD and Gatland in the stocks instead.  The audience can take a tomato shot at the victim of their choice.  Great day out.

Maybe the crowd could help Bono...!

I hear he still can't find what he's looking for.

maestegmafia wrote:

SecretFly wrote:If it's too windy and rainy just cancel the match and put BOD and Gatland in the stocks instead.  The audience can take a tomato shot at the victim of their choice.  Great day out.

Maybe the crowd could help Bono...!

I hear he still can't find what he's looking for.

Well whatever he has found, I want!  His house in Killiney for a start.

Weather forecast is changing to heavy showers with some uncertainty as to the strength of the wind (they can't tell the track of the depression). Typically Irish weather forecast...could be this, could be that....

ME-109 wrote:Weather forecast is changing to heavy showers with some uncertainty as to the strength of the wind (they can't tell the track of the depression). Typically Irish weather forecast...could be this, could be that....

hopefully it will all pass through by Saturday morning but even if the worst is gone the pitch will be sodden.

Not had the pleasure of the Aviva yet but whats is like on a really windy day, does it swirl or gust from one end etc?

I won't bother packing my trunks then...

maestegmafia wrote:

ME-109 wrote:Weather forecast is changing to heavy showers with some uncertainty as to the strength of the wind (they can't tell the track of the depression). Typically Irish weather forecast...could be this, could be that....

hopefully it will all pass through by Saturday morning but even if the worst is gone the pitch will be sodden.

That is hopefully what will happen. I think the pitch on the Aviva has good drainage so it might not be an issue

Let's hope so, we have Irish friends coming to stay and we are all hoping for a good game.