Ireland vs Russia...! - Leo "pretty boy" Cullen to skipper

First topic message reminder :

Ten changes

Leo Cullen to become only the third Irishman to skipper his country at the RWC...!

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_7194960,00.html


Team

15 Rob Kearney, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Keith Earls, 12 Paddy Wallace, 11 Andrew Trimble, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Isaac Boss, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Donnacha Ryan, 5 Leo Cullen (c), 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 Tony Buckley, 2 Sean Cronin, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Rory Best, 17 Mike Ross, 18 Denis Leamy, 19 Shane Jennings, 20 Eoin Reddan, 21 Jonathan Sexton, 22 Geordan Murphy.


Date: Sunday, September 25
Kick-off: 18:00 (06:00 GMT)
Venue: Rotorua International Stadium, Rotorua
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)

Mickado wrote:

red_stag wrote:I actually struggle to remember McFadden at 12.

Magners League final?

And Semi final. He didn't have a great day in the final if my memory serves me correctly. I recall him giving Spence and Wallace (? or was it Cave?) a tough time with his strong running early on but other than that he didn't stand out for me in either game.

Last season McFadden started:
Heineken Cup x 3 x wing
Magners: 12 x 12; wing x 5. He didn't start a game at 13 last season for Leinster.
McFadden's Total: Inside centre x 12; Wing x 8.

(For the record with Earls):
Heineken Cup: 13 x 6; Magners: 13 x 4; 11 x 5. Amlin: 11 x 2.

So his total is Centre = 10; Wing= 7 for club.

These are just the positions they played when they started a game.

He didn’t have a great game in the final alright, but not many of them did.

Interesting that McFadden got so many starts at 12 last year. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t until December that he moved to the wing? I think it was against Scarlets in the game before we played Clermont away.

Mickado wrote:He didn’t have a great game in the final alright, but not many of them did.

Interesting that McFadden got so many starts at 12 last year. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t until December that he moved to the wing? I think it was against Scarlets in the game before we played Clermont away.

Correct - Scarlets in Dec was his first game on the wing for Leinster last season which was the week before Clermont x 2. He also played on the wing against Saracens, but back in the Magners he was back to mainly 12 (on the wing against Scarlets, Ospreys, Aironi, Glasgow & Ulster).

Thanks for that Sin E

RS - maybe you just didnt recognise him?

i think a game on the wing and a few starts in the warm ups is all mcfadden can expect, and i'd say he would be happy with it, its a starting point for is international career. Dont think he will be in the running for IC unless there is a few injuries, and he might make it to the bench for italy if he scores 4 tries tommorrow, very big might. But all in all he should be happy and go back to leinster raring to go and looking to make a jersey his

D24tress wrote:i think a game on the wing and a few starts in the warm ups is all mcfadden can expect, and i'd say he would be happy with it, its a starting point for is international career. Dont think he will be in the running for IC unless there is a few injuries, and he might make it to the bench for italy if he scores 4 tries tommorrow, very big might. But all in all he should be happy and go back to leinster raring to go and looking to make a jersey his

McFadden will only make the bench for the Italy game if one of trimble, earls or bowe is injured.

Happy enough with the team should be more than enough to beat russia, I wonder is d.ryan being looked at as a 6 again because Kidney is thinking of having jennings on the bench against Italy instead of leamy?

Anyone any idea why Court isn't in the match day squad?

Would have seemed a good game to have him start or at least bench, no?

Mrs P. If I had to guess at why it is because he is too important re versatility to risk for the Italy match. I mean if he gets injured we have Buckley on the bench, so we're one blood injury away from the Italians mangling us why Ross or Healy is gettig treatment.

Dont get me worng, I like Buckley and expected big things from him after a very successful summer tour last year, but like so many times for Munster, his form is sporadic. And while he is the 2nd best option we have as loosehead cover, that doesn't mean he is adequate loosehead cover against a team like Italy. That's my take on it anyway.

Someone mentioned on another thread that Court and Bowe were injured and due to start this one. Looks like McFadden and Healy were late call ups.

The most handsome man in Ireland gets to show his stunning looks on the world stage.

Just having a look through the team again, this is gonna be a huge game for Trimble and Earls. There spot in the next game be it left wing or bench to a degree depends on this game and how they fair.

In terms of stuff for DK:

He must be hoping Cronin has a good game.
That Heaslip pulls up his socks a lot, he's been quite poor
And that Kearney can kick on and continue his fightback to being the force he was in 09

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Just having a look through the team again, this is gonna be a huge game for Trimble and Earls. There spot in the next game be it left wing or bench to a degree depends on this game and how they fair.

I dont think there is any question on this. Earls has the left wing spot and thats not going to change.

DOD wrote:

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Just having a look through the team again, this is gonna be a huge game for Trimble and Earls. There spot in the next game be it left wing or bench to a degree depends on this game and how they fair.

I dont think there is any question on this. Earls has the left wing spot and thats not going to change.

Not sure DOD. I reckon Trimbles form in the warm ups at least gave Kidney something to think about. And a more physical player might be handy against the Italians maybe? Earls is Kidneys first choice as it stands though.

Feckless Rogue wrote:

DOD wrote:

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Just having a look through the team again, this is gonna be a huge game for Trimble and Earls. There spot in the next game be it left wing or bench to a degree depends on this game and how they fair.

I dont think there is any question on this. Earls has the left wing spot and thats not going to change.

Not sure DOD. I reckon Trimbles form in the warm ups at least gave Kidney something to think about. And a more physical player might be handy against the Italians maybe? Earls is Kidneys first choice as it stands though.

Thats been flogged to death. Trimble is very unfortunate. I hope he plays a blinder. Id have Earls as FB cover TBH....

Earls is FB and OC cover at this stage.

I think earls is in pole position but they both are still very much fighting for the jersey and Trimble could get the Italy game and with his physicallity it may make sense

It would also have made sense against Oz in that case though Pete. I think earls is definitely in pole position and did rightly against Oz. Not sure we should be making changes for Italy but hopefully the guys can cut loose, get some tries and some confidence this weekend.

Nothing to comment. Just wanted to bring this back up the list

Rava wrote:Nothing to comment. Just wanted to bring this back up the list

Cheat.

Rava wrote:Nothing to comment. Just wanted to bring this back up the list

chancer!

Not much going on ahead of the game is there?

I find hard to be interested in these mismatches to be honest. I'd be of the opinion that the World Cup would be better with 16 teams.

It would be better to watch but I'm glad the developing nations get to take part in it,

Feckless Rogue wrote:I find hard to be interested in these mismatches to be honest. I'd be of the opinion that the World Cup would be better with 16 teams.

Yeah, it would be much better. I feel sort of the same way because four team groups would mean the scheduling imbalances that have dogged this tournament would be solved. Each team could have a standard 7-day turnaround between games with the group winners getting more time off for the quarters.

You would have to limit the number of automatic qualifiers mind you- go back to only the quarter-finalists qualifying automatically and holding the draw just a year before the tournament when all the qualifiers are known. Seeding the draw in 2008 is silly; it was sort of ludicrous that Argentina were first seeds this year, because they were 4th in the world rankings in 2008. What relevance does the form 2008 have now?

I don't think it would be as much of a blow to the minnows as some think; based on this system Italy, Ireland and Wales would all have had to qualify for the World Cup this year and the respective minnows in Europe would have been able to host those teams in qualifying. The draw of Georgia playing Ireland in Tbilisi for instance would be a money-spinner and a much sterner challenge for the Irish.

Also, some of the semi-professional or developing sides just can't cope with maintaining their performance over 4 tough games that run close together. The IRB have really tipped the scheduling in favour of the Tier 1 sides and as the World Cup goes on, we are beginning to see teams that ran others close at the start like Japan, USA and Romania fall away badly as they don't have the depth to cope or enough test matches of sufficient quality between World Cups.

16 teams may mean less Tier 2 nations take part, but the ones that do get there will have a much better chance with 3 games and a sufficient break in between matches. Ultimately it will make it a stronger tournament.

It will never happen of course. The Tier 1 nations have too much to lose; lose face for seemingly abandoning the minnows, but also lose face for creating a situation where some Tier 1 sides needed to qualify for the tournament. That would mean they need to play a few test matches against the Tier 2 teams in international windows when we can just play each other and make much more rugby!

They will maintain a minimum 12 automatic qualifiers.

5 groups of 4 maybe and go back to the 1999 system? Rewards group winners as well!

Feckless Rogue wrote:The most handsome man in Ireland gets to show his stunning looks on the world stage.

S'truth. Sadly, not a face made for tv.

Morning all. Anyone around to watch the Ireland match?

Yup!

Good man rodders. All my usual streams have been blocked so can you keep me updated if you have time?

Yeah good start here from Ireland 3-0 after a ROG penalty. Ireland pressing the Russia line.

Russian 10 in the bin for deliberate KO.

McFadden try from an O'Gara cross kick!

Good man, cheers rodders

Gosh gordon bray and his little anecdotes.
2 Tries.
Ireland look very cool indeed.
Tight.

O'Brien try. Set up a match thread there so will switch over there.

Is it just me, or is Cullen the spitting image of Roald Dahl's BFG???

Fee fi fo fum, I smell the blood of....

Ah, you all know the rest.

bathmad wrote:Is it just me, or is Cullen the spitting image of Roald Dahl's BFG???

Fee fi fo fum, I smell the blood of....

Ah, you all know the rest.

Wasn't the BFG a FRIENDLY giant? And the giant from Jack and the beanstalk was the fe fi fo fum guy...