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:

There are a lot of welsh players lying down, but all on their fronts on top of irish players.

Ok LondonTiger, I have watched it back now (with a sober head and a little less passion in the blood) and can see why Barnes did not award a penalty try, however, I have seen those awarded before in similar circumstances. Had he not have awarded Ireland a penalty try earlier, he may have awarded one there. To me, its just a case of one of those decisions when the go against you, you hate them but love them when they go for you.[/quote]

Maybe he was going to give it, but then remembered he hates Ireland.

That would suggest he would have forgotten he hates Ireland.

Look Ireland knew we were up against when Barnes was refereeing - but we did the worst thing and let Wales build up the lead.

We simply weren't good enough and Wales were the better side.

The issue for me was we should never have been in that position at the end, that is our fault for fluffing so many chances - irrespecive of whatever Barnes and the lineman were doing, we were always playing catch up.

rodders wrote:That would suggest he would have forgotten he hates Ireland.

Look Ireland knew we were up against when Barnes was refereeing - but we did the worst thing and let Wales build up the lead.

We simply weren't good enough and Wales were the better side.

The issue for me was we should never have been in that position at the end, that is our fault for fluffing so many chances - irrespecive of whatever Barnes and the lineman were doing, we were always playing catch up.

How did you manage to win that Slam in 09 with barnes refereeing?

Jones missed. Nothing Barnes could do about that. He's good but not a genius. The players have to do some of it themselves

Gwlad wrote:

rodders wrote:That would suggest he would have forgotten he hates Ireland.

Look Ireland knew we were up against when Barnes was refereeing - but we did the worst thing and let Wales build up the lead.

We simply weren't good enough and Wales were the better side.

The issue for me was we should never have been in that position at the end, that is our fault for fluffing so many chances - irrespecive of whatever Barnes and the lineman were doing, we were always playing catch up.

How did you manage to win that Slam in 09 with barnes refereeing?

I have no idea. He gave Wales every opportunity to beat us . Wales just came up short on the day.

I think the stat is Ireland has won 4 in 20 games reffed by Barnes. We were really lucky to win that one. Mad isn't it.

Gwlad wrote:

rodders wrote:That would suggest he would have forgotten he hates Ireland.

Look Ireland knew we were up against when Barnes was refereeing - but we did the worst thing and let Wales build up the lead.

We simply weren't good enough and Wales were the better side.

The issue for me was we should never have been in that position at the end, that is our fault for fluffing so many chances - irrespecive of whatever Barnes and the lineman were doing, we were always playing catch up.

How did you manage to win that Slam in 09 with barnes refereeing?

I believe the penalty count was something like 4 - 13 in Wales' favour. Incredible that Ireland managed to win it.

profitius wrote:

Gwlad wrote:

rodders wrote:That would suggest he would have forgotten he hates Ireland.

Look Ireland knew we were up against when Barnes was refereeing - but we did the worst thing and let Wales build up the lead.

We simply weren't good enough and Wales were the better side.

The issue for me was we should never have been in that position at the end, that is our fault for fluffing so many chances - irrespecive of whatever Barnes and the lineman were doing, we were always playing catch up.

How did you manage to win that Slam in 09 with barnes refereeing?

I believe the penalty count was something like 4 - 13 in Wales' favour. Incredible that Ireland managed to win it.

No it was just Ireland's usual infringe for 80 minutes tactics. Probably wasn't necessary when you had guys like Wallace playing, outstanding No.7.

Makes you wonder how Wales would do if the referees actually turned against them!

Or how well Ireland might do if they tried something other than their ridiculous spoiling tactics. If referees around the world keep pinging you off the park then wise up and change tactics. Don't just whinge about being penalised for ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever...........

The Great Aukster wrote:Makes you wonder how Wales would do if the referees actually turned against them!

Why don't you go back to 1974, and the start of the Blind Irish Referees Society and it has all gone downhill since then, and who was the main winner of that conspiracy.

Like I said. Swarm on here and swarm all over the park whilst playing. You'd think that other refs would follow Mr Barnes' example and ping them silly, but no other ref has the common decency to do the right thing.

Refs, eh? Poor lads. Them and pundits.

Who would you rather be;

a) Wayne Barnes down a dark alley with 6 Irish fans after making some contentious calls in a Welsh won World Cup Semi-Final...

or

b) Keith Wood having to sit and answer questions for 4 hours from the Welsh Media after daring to predict that the All-Blacks would beat them in the Final

Engine#4 wrote:

b) Keith Wood having to sit and answer questions for 4 hours from the Welsh Media after daring to predict that the All-Blacks would beat them in the Final

I hope he does, because he often gets predictions wrong, meaning we'd actually win that final. Just like we beat Ireland last weekend when Keith said we'd lose by two scores .