Title Decider 2: Wales v Ireland 14 March

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WALES v IRELAND
Saturday 14 March 2015
KO: 14:30
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU)
AR1: Chris Pollock (NZR)
AR2: Federico Anselmi (UAR)
TMO: Graham Hughes (RFU)

*****

The bookies are keeping with their earlier predictions of no GS winner above Ireland's chances. And same for the Triple Crown.  Though they have Ireland as favourites in Cardiff but not by much.

Given the distinct love-in that we've had over the last fortnight between Irish and English fans, are Wales now the new 'old enemy'?

Keep it clean folks.

Well a bit anyway.

Ireland team:
15. Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster) 14. Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) 13. Jared Payne (Ulster) 12. Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Connacht) 11. Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster) 10. Jonathan Sexton (Racing Metro 92) 9. Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)
1. Jack McGrath (St. Mary's College/Leinster) 2. Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) 3. Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster) 4. Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster) 5. Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster) (capt) 6. Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster) 7. Sean O'Brien (UCD/Leinster) 8. Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster)

Replacements: 16. Sean Cronin (St. Mary's College/Leinster) 17. Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster) 18. Martin Moore (Lansdowne/Leinster) 19. Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster) 20. Jordi Murphy (Lansdowne/Leinster) 21. Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster) 22. Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster) 23. Felix Jones (Shannon/Munster)

Wales Team: Webb, Roberts, Biggar, North, Williams, Halfpenny, Davies, Jones, Falateau, Warburton, Jenkins, Baldwin, Lee.
Replacements: R Hibbard R Evans A Jarvis , J Ball J Tipuric , M Phillips , R Priestland , S Williams

LondonTiger wrote:What are we meant to read into Wales opting for the roof to be kept open?

I'm a bit surprised, because it is usually always shut unless the opposition want otherwise. I don't think we can read anything into it - I don't see what all the fuss was about when England had opted for it to be open either.

LondonTiger wrote:What are we meant to read into Wales opting for the roof to be kept open?

Not sure. I ready that Ireland were dithering when asked their preference so Wales just went ahead and said it would be open (which is the default). It's been p*ssing down for 2 days solid so I expect it to be a mud bath, although the new pitch looked pretty good against England.

Watching the Wales U20s and it looks like a possible wales win (wales 19-9 with 20 to go and with pack dominance). Now I'm not much of a betting man. Maybe in the past, so understand it a bit. But I know the odds of a Wales accumulator on all 4 regions winning AND U20s winning AND the senior team beating Ireland would be extremely long. Therefore, the more our other teams keep winning the less likely I think it will be that Wales (seniors) will win tomorrow. I know sport doesn't work on stats and probability, but it would be unlikely, odds wise, that we'd win them all..

Griff wrote:Watching the Wales U20s and it looks like a possible wales win (wales 19-9 with 20 to go and with pack dominance). Now I'm not much of a betting man. Maybe in the past, so understand it a bit. But I know the odds of a Wales accumulator on all 4 regions winning AND U20s winning AND the senior team beating Ireland would be extremely long. Therefore, the more our other teams keep winning the less likely I think it will be that Wales (seniors) will win tomorrow. I know sport doesn't work on stats and probability, but it would be unlikely, odds wise, that we'd win them all..

The odds of flipping a coin ten times in a row and getting heads every time are extremely low,however if you go on a streak of 9 in a row then the odds of the last flip is still 50/50,the previous results don't change anything.

Oh I known that 'shoulder. But you also have to admit that in sport, and in sports betting, the odds of picking 2 wins vs the odds of picking 6 wins are much longer for the latter (with obviously better rewards). Just because its so much less likely. So the odds for me, if I'd done it, winning an accumulator of all of the above 6 wins would be very long odds which, as we know from sports betting, very rarely come in. Of course this could be the 10/10 coin spin that you mention, but it's much more likely that it wouldn't happen. Or am I just choosing a set of results in hindsight and trying to put them together with the game tomorrow?! They are at least related!

On a seperate note, some very nice, complementary and genuine (in my opinion) comments made by Gats, Roberts and Biggar about Ireland on TV today (sport wales interviews). Much better to see full televised interviews than the snippets the online and paper based media tend to spin.

They were talking about the challenge of facing a top 3 team like ireland and how difficult it will be. Biggar talking about Sexton being perhaps the best 10 around and the partnership being right up there in world terms. Good stuff. Nice to see. Full of respect. None of those tabloid headlines to muddy the waters, e.g. Because Biggar said the partnership was up there in world terms rather than THE best in the world the media would spin it as 'Biggar slams Ireland as second rate'. I hate the tabloids.....

We can all look forward to an amazing match ahead... Wales are clearly a very settled side, with pace and power in the backline, a solid pack that can stand up to the biggest and best, and a set of half-backs that appear to be developing quite rapidly and nicely. Ireland can boast one of the best second-row partnerships in world rugby, a back three that's pacy and extremely powerful in the air, and two of the best half-backs around... It could be fireworks tomorrow!

I imagine we see lots of kicking tomorrow. I mean like...lots and lots. And then some more kicking

Griff wrote:On a seperate note, some very nice, complementary and genuine (in my opinion) comments made by Gats, Roberts and Biggar about Ireland on TV today (sport wales interviews). Much better to see full televised interviews than the snippets the online and paper based media tend to spin.

They were talking about the challenge of facing a top 3 team like ireland and how difficult it will be. Biggar talking about Sexton being perhaps the best 10 around and the partnership being right up there in world terms. Good stuff. Nice to see. Full of respect. None of those tabloid headlines to muddy the waters, e.g. Because Biggar said the partnership was up there in world terms rather than THE best in the world the media would spin it as 'Biggar slams Ireland as second rate'.  I hate the tabloids.....

I agree Griff...!

It's fair comment too, the players all know each other well from the frequency they play each other... There will one-up-man-ship along wiith familiarity.

The question answer thing at the end with a few of the lads was very funny too...

As a neutral I'm really excited for this match, their usually cracking spectacles

Griff wrote: It's been p*ssing down for 2 days solid so I expect it to be a mud bath, although the new pitch looked pretty good against England.

Don't they close it during heavy rain then open it in time for the match?

Really gutted, should be in Wales now getting ready for the game but herself is quite ill so have stayed at home with her. To top it all off, reinstalled windows 8 (shoite OS) and lost my inlog and for some reason my email address is not recognized on here anymore so new account created. At least I can enjoy rewind on the BBC, some good old matches shown.

Hoping for an Irish win today, still think that it will be very tough but I can see Ireland edging it.

Nachos,

Get your priorities right mun she will understand surely

Wish I could Bedford but I am only the boss at home when I decide to do the dishes, at any other time herself is the boss

I need evidence you really are Nachos. The same thing just happened to me INJ. Finally remembered old email address I had used and got back on.

You could be anybody

Nachos Jones_1 wrote:Wish I could Bedford but I am only the boss at home when I decide to do the dishes, at any other time herself is the boss

I know what you mean Nachos, I am only the boss when she lets be lol

bedfordwelsh wrote:

Nachos Jones_1 wrote:Wish I could Bedford but I am only the boss at home when I decide to do the dishes, at any other time herself is the boss

I know what you mean Nachos, I am only the boss when she lets be lol

I never trust a man who claims to be the boss at home

By the way Gatland and his team are going on about it being an attritional tight game would make you wonder are they going to do the opposite and try and hit Ireland with a fast expansive approach.

Okay nerves are setting in but I think we should win this,I expect us to dominate the scrums as the game goes on,Lee is an excellent TH and might be on top early but I think our front row replacements are a lot stronger than the Welsh ones.I hope we can get some dominance in the lineout and if we can stay as accurate as we have been at the breakdown then we should keep parity there.

I think our defense will hold firm again and we don't give away many kickable penalties so Wales should find it tough to get points,it won't be easy but I'm hopeful we have enough to get the win.

You certainly will dominate our replacements, you've got Healy on the bench who was probably the world's best LH before his time off through injuries. If Gats has any sense he won't bring our front row subs on...well hopefully just not Jarvis as the other 2 are good players (Evans and Hibbard) - if our first choice stay on the field I don't see Ireland dominating that area.

The Saint wrote:You certainly will dominate our replacements, you've got Healy on the bench who was probably the world's best LH before his time off through injuries. If Gats has any sense he won't bring our front row subs on...well hopefully just not Jarvis as the other 2 are good players (Evans and Hibbard) - if our first choice stay on the field I don't see Ireland dominating that area.

Yeah that's what I'm hoping,it's very rare for props to play a full game at Test level any more and if they do it's a big ask for them to hold out against 2 fresh guys for the last 20-30 minutes.

Wales v Ireland games in Cardiff are always special.

Almost 50 years ago to the day (13 March 1965) a friend and I went to see Wales v Ireland at the old Arms Park. Arriving at the ground in good time we found a great position, standing on the north terrace on the halfway line, far enough up to get protection from the north stand if it rained.

But when the pubs closed there was a huge surge of people into the ground and on to the back of the terrace. We were moved bodily, sometimes off our feet, and separated.  Thus I watched the match from a position on the 25 and almost down at the front.

Wales won 14-8 with Dai Watkins at fly-half and Alun Pask at No.8. I recall that Ireland included a youngish Willie-John McBride and an even younger Mike Gibson.

None of that has any bearing on today's match!

Wales will beat Ireland 24-17.

So its about to begin, must admit to being as nervous as feck. Got a horrible feeling that Ireland are going to be found out...

As long as present performances are maintained, Ireland should be relatively comfortable winners.

Come on Wales!

Get in to Sexton early, rough him up and try to get him off his stride.

Anyone else find the BBC's previous week montage with crap poet wannabe voice over really, really terrible these days?

Duty281 wrote:As long as present performances are maintained, Ireland should be relatively comfortable winners.

But the performances from Ireland have been defined by their tactics, these tactic wont work against Wales...

I do Yappy, its poor at best.

Nachos Jones_1 wrote:

Duty281 wrote:As long as present performances are maintained, Ireland should be relatively comfortable winners.

But the performances from Ireland have been defined by their tactics, these tactic wont work against Wales...

It should do; they stifled a far better team in England with great conviction.

Wales need a fast start to stand a chance.

Good early pressure from wales. Winning the aerial battle early on and applying good pressure across the park. Penalty and 1/2p makes no mistake.

Duty281 wrote:

Nachos Jones_1 wrote:

Duty281 wrote:As long as present performances are maintained, Ireland should be relatively comfortable winners.

But the performances from Ireland have been defined by their tactics, these tactic wont work against Wales...

It should do; they stifled a far better team in England with great conviction.

Wales need a fast start to stand a chance.

England are nowhere near as strong in the back three under the high ball as Wales. The same tactics played against England will not work against Wales.

Sore neck for those on the lower tier....

A couple of odd decisions there, Ireland should have got two penalties from the breakdown...

More relentless welsh pressure! And the shell shocked cynical Irish again give away a lazy lazy penalty. Should've been a yellow card.

Wales on fire. Ireland look as if they've believed their own hype!

What a catch from 1/2p

Wales blowing Ireland back in wave after wave of urgent accurate defense! And again Ireland infringe! An electric start from wales.

Duty281 wrote:

Nachos Jones_1 wrote:

Duty281 wrote:As long as present performances are maintained, Ireland should be relatively comfortable winners.

But the performances from Ireland have been defined by their tactics, these tactic wont work against Wales...

It should do; they stifled a far better team in England with great conviction.

Wales need a fast start to stand a chance.

My problem with the England game is that England did absolutely nothing to counter the Irish game. We just plodded on.

Wales wont do that....they will try to counter it.

Does Eddie Butler know who Liam Williams is? He keeps calling him George North! Away teach yourself some professionalism you dolt!

1/2p!!! Incredible! 9-0 already.

I think sexton isn't 100% he looks laboured and isn't taking the tactical kicks.

I'm waiting for Schmidt's plan B.

Sexton rattled.

Ireland rattled.

Wales! Wales!

Wales totally deserving of this 9point lead so far. Great stuff from them. This is what I was scared would happen.

Wales could be in trouble if Lee goes off.......


Looks pretty bad, hope its not though

Yet again Ireland cynical lazy play. Yet another penalty for 1/2p to slot over. Barnes losing patience with Ireland's ploy of slowing the ball.

Wales winning in the air, winning at the breakdown, winning on the score board!

There really is barely any rugby that gets played anymore. Whistle after whistle after whistle.

12 minutes gone.

12-0.

LeinsterFan4life wrote:There really is barely any rugby that gets played anymore. Whistle after whistle after whistle.

If Ireland Stop offending we might see some!

No matter, in Adam jones we have a world class former TH to come off the bench….

Best giving a lecture to the troops

to be fair barnes could have blown more against ireland for rolling into the 9 and slowing him down at the ruck. mcgrath twice and POC.

glad that barnes has spotted it.

also glad that he isnt letting players compete for the ball while their weight is on their hands on the floor.

will be interesting to see how ireland under schmidt respond to their "legal" slowing down of the ball not being tolerated by barnes.