Ireland [1] vs Scotland [7] Pool A, Match 6, RWC 2019

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Ireland vs Scotland

Pool A, Match 6
Sunday, September 22
Kick Off 08:45 BST
International Stadium Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama City

Teams


Ireland


1.Healy, 2.Best (C), 3.Furlong
4.Henderson, 5.James Ryan
6.O'Mahony, 7.Van der Flier
8.Stander

9.Murray, 10.Sexton
12.Aki, 13.Ringrose
11.Stockdale, 15.Lamour, 14.Conway

Replacements: Scannell, Kilcoyne, Porter, Beirne, Conan, McGrath, Carty, Farrell

Scotland


1.Dell, 2.McInally (C), 3.Nel
4.Gilchrist, 5.Gray
6.Barclay (VC), 7.Watson, 8.Wilson

9.Laidlaw (VC), 10.Russell
12.Johnson, 13.Taylor
11.Maitland, 15.Hogg, 14.Seymour

Bench: Brown, Reid, Berghan, Cummings, Thomson, Price, Harris, Graham

Let’s hope you are wrong

The Irish fans are certainly trying to downplay their chances from what I've seen - the last season has obviously knocked confidence quite a lot! You guys are definitely clear favourites!

RDW wrote:The Irish fans are certainly trying to downplay their chances from what I've seen - the last season has obviously knocked confidence quite a lot! You guys are definitely clear favourites!

Do you think? I think their tails are up again, now Gatland has decided to go back under the radar

RDW wrote:The Irish fans are certainly trying to downplay their chances from what I've seen - the last season has obviously knocked confidence quite a lot! You guys are definitely clear favourites!

Not for me. The way I see it is Scotland are a good team and of course they could cause an upset but I dont think they will.

For me this is a better Ireland side and I also think its a better side than South Africa. Wales, England and NZ are the toughest games at this RWC.

Id make nz #1, then SA / Eng tied. Bit of a gap to number 4 imho. SA look very strong now.

SA are improving no doubt, but I think they (or the media at least) have jumped on Glove's hype train a tad.

They are getting back to where they used to be but still have a bit to go yet.

PS, I think they are still better than Scotland though!

I think there's a cigarette paper between New Zealand and South Africa. In the last two years they've played three times and there's not a single point on aggregate between them. The last game before that was a one point game. Any game can be a one off (for example New Zealand have had 31 lucky wins against Scotland), but such consistency over two years is hard to overlook.
I'd say Scotland and Ireland are in a relatively similar boat but Ireland are a bit further ahead. Not perhaps in terms of raw ability. I'd take Russell over Sexton, Hogg over Kearney and MacInally over Best individually. However the nous and knowhow of these Irish players is phenomenal. In an open free-for-all game I think Scotland will win comfortably, in a slog Ireland will win with a lot to spare. I think it will be, to use perhaps the most irritating football phrase, a game of two halves similar to the 2017 fixture. I think both teams will fly out the box with gusto. If Scotland gain the upper hand, then I think it'll be a 8-15 point lead at half time before a tight second-half and a close finish. If Ireland get ahead I think we'll see caution thrown to the wind and tries from both sides in the second half.

South Africa have improved but everyone is just looking at the New Zealand games.  The two they won, one was down to Barrett' s poor kicking and the other from a last minute try from a played who has suddenly come out of nowhere. (Not saying he doesn't deserve his chance but it is hard to go from struggling with a Currie Cup spot to international unless your body develops alot). It is the one game they can get up for much like the Celts nations v England.
Last year they won one and lost one v Argentina and Australia, should have lost to England in the summer who couldn't keep a big lead in the first two games. The current England team would have kept the lead and won comfortably.
The AIs where not amazing.

We then also need to consider that the Rugby Championship isn't all it use to be with NZ finding the AIs much harder than the RC.  Are they suddenly using better tatics or is it just that Rassie has gone back to their strenght, much like he did with Munster.

Scotland could beat Ireland by 20 pts or lose by the same.  Their game in England in the 6N summed up Scotland which for Ireland makes them much harder to play then SA as how do you plan against something that Russel will do a second before he does it. SA haven't outmuscled Ireland for a while so they can't bully us.

SA is better than you think, but not as good as the hype suggests.

During Allister Coetzee’s 25 test coaching career he had a lees than 50% win rate, during his tenure SA had their heaviest losses in their history vs Ireland and NZ and also their first loss vs Italy.

When Erasmus took over he won only 5 of his first ten test matches, with only two losses by more than 5 points. So although just 50% win rate during his first ten test only two matches were poor showing from SA.

In his subsequent 9 test matches he has only lost two, once to Englandby 1 point and Wales by 9 points.


He has a settled pack, one might say one of the best packs around, and that includes a bench that makes an impact.

His halfback combination is one of the better halfback combos going to the RWC.

there are only two question marks to be answered during this RWC.

Will his rush defence be found out.

Will his inexperienced midfield and back three be able to handle the pressure of a RWC?

Willie le Roux is struggling for form, Mapimpi, Nkosi and Am all have less than ten international caps, but they do have oodles of talent, speed and finishing ability.

Kolbe might just be the star of the SA show, and de Allende is nothing if at least solid.

SA won’t play a fancy game, Rassie has not had time to develop complicated game plans, however he has them all on one page and playing for each other, something that cannot be said about the Boks under Coetzee.

My personal opinion is the back line is too inexperienced to win a RWC, but the Boks should not be taken lightly.

Great pack but the backs lack a bit of cutting edge.

Agree on Faf and Pollard, aside from Fafs poor kicking they are a formidable pair and fairly key for the Boks. Pollard is particularly good, probably the best 10 in the world in 2019 so far.

Collapse2005 wrote:Agree on Faf and Pollard, aside from Fafs poor kicking they are a formidable pair and fairly key for the Boks. Pollard is particularly good, probably the best 10 in the world in 2019 so far.

Supposedly Faf is the best 9 too... He did look good in a Sale highlights reel. I think we have similar players in Davies and Webb though.

Sure. Everyone’s better down the valleys.

Old Man wrote:SA is better than you think, but not as good as the hype suggests.

During Allister Coetzee’s 25 test coaching career he had a lees than 50% win rate, during his tenure SA had their heaviest losses in their history vs Ireland and NZ and also their first loss vs Italy.

When Erasmus took over he won only 5 of his first ten test matches, with only two losses by more than 5 points. So although just 50% win rate during his first ten test only two matches were poor showing from SA.

In his subsequent 9 test matches he has only lost two, once to Englandby 1 point and Wales by 9 points.


He has a settled pack, one might say one of the best packs around, and that includes a bench that makes an impact.

His halfback combination is one of the better halfback combos going to the RWC.

there are only two question marks to be answered during this RWC.

Will his rush defence be found out.

Will his inexperienced midfield and back three be able to handle the pressure of a RWC?

Willie le Roux is struggling for form, Mapimpi, Nkosi and Am all have less than ten international caps, but they do have oodles of talent, speed and finishing ability.

Kolbe might just be the star of the SA show, and de Allende is nothing if at least solid.

SA won’t play a fancy game, Rassie has not had time to develop complicated game plans, however he has them all on one page and playing for each other, something that cannot be said about the Boks under Coetzee.

My personal opinion is the back line is too inexperienced to win a RWC, but the Boks should not be taken lightly.

Fair summary and Rassie is definitely trending upwards and has probably timed his run better than anyone.

SA has only let in 7 tries in 5 tests this year and are scoring them at 3-1.

Take Irelands example- 23 let through in 9 tests and are just more than 1 a piece with their opposites, and none of those are vs either SA or NZ, two of the 3 or 4 favourites. Last year Ireland were scoring tries at 2-1, the boks werent even matching 1-1.

Those 'inexperienced' backs must be doing something right defensively. No ones scored over 18, where Ireland has shipped that 3 times this year.

So of the two the number one ranked side is already looking ill.

Irelands stats would probably have been better if they were playing SA and NZ

Well after the first weekend I would be more confident of Ireland having a win then NZ so does that mean NZ are ill too. Not saying they will lose but have a much better chance.

Collapse2005 wrote:Irelands stats would probably have been better if they were playing SA and NZ

Possibly, and hopefully they get their wish.

I did think of that, though their 2018 results vs 'their own' were far better last year than this. This year SA have reversed last years trend- so far. So at face value both are headed in different directions. My feeling is we'll have a SA Ireland quarter.

Is this the Scotland ireland match thread or the south seas sheep appreciator and mullingar muck savage ultimate face off

Wheres that translation app? Does it cover gibberish?

Here you go
https://youtu.be/cwtMcu_ULkE

All the same

Ireland team is out - no Kearny or Earls. CJ back to 8.


https://twitter.com/IrishRugby/status/1174925806092447746?s=19

Taylorman wrote:

Collapse2005 wrote:Irelands stats would probably have been better if they were playing SA and NZ

Possibly, and hopefully they get their wish.

I did think of that, though their 2018 results vs 'their own' were far better last year than this. This year SA have reversed last years trend- so far. So at face value both are headed in different directions. My feeling is we'll have a SA Ireland quarter.

Maybe so Taylorman. No question SA and England have improved but it doesnt look like NZ have much not that that means they are a bad side just not unbeatable. Still lets see.

If it is wet and windy then it will be a boost for Scotland not having Kearny covering the back field. Saying that, I fear a performance from Larmour where he finally shows he is the real deal at fullback for Ireland! Earls for Conway is much of a muchness.

Interesting that they've moved CJ back to 8 for PoM at 6 - I thought things worked better last game with Conan at 8.

Still a fearsome team!

Scotland team is out - he's probably gone with the most conservative and experienced team possible! No stand off on the bench.

Dell
McInally
Nel
Gilchrist
Gray
Barclay
Watson
Wilson

Laidlaw
Russell
Maitland
Johnson
Taylor
Seymour
Hogg

Subs - Reid, Brown, Berghan, Cummings, Thomson, Price, Harris, Graham

Wilson FFS.

Head Coach Gregor Townsend today named the Scotland side to play Ireland in the national team’s opening Rugby World Cup Pool A match at the International Stadium Yokohama (kick-off 4.45pm local time, 8.45am BST) – live on ITV.

The starting team – of which two-thirds have previous world cup experience – features a total of 630 Test caps, with 10 personnel changes made to the one that defeated Georgia 36-9 in the final Summer Test in Edinburgh earlier this month.

Scotland Head Coach, Gregor Townsend, said: “We’ve had a really productive week’s preparation in Nagasaki ahead of our arrival in Tokyo, with our players adapting to the time zone and weather conditions out here in Japan.

“As we’ve got closer to the game our training has been more about fine-tuning the hard work that’s gone in over pre-season into a focus for Sunday’s game.

“Our team has a lot of experience playing together in major games for Scotland, with a bench capable of making a difference when required. That cohesion, experience and leadership is very valuable in a build-up to a match of this magnitude as well as during the 80 minutes on Sunday.”

Exeter Chiefs full-back Stuart Hogg and Saracens wing Sean Maitland return to the back-three to partner fellow British & Irish Lion and Glasgow Warriors wing Tommy Seymour.

Another pair of Lions – scrum-half Greig Laidlaw and stand-off Finn Russell – return to start at half-back, with Sam Johnson and Duncan Taylor the only backs to be reinstated, in midfield.

Glasgow Warriors forwards Ryan Wilson and Jonny Gray are the only forwards to remain in the pack, which features the remaining six changes, including a new front-row trio of Allan Dell (London Irish), captain Stuart McInally and Willem Nel (both Edinburgh).

Edinburgh lock Grant Gilchrist returns to partner the reinstated Gray in the boiler house, while the capital club’s Hamish Watson and John Barclay join Wilson in the loose forwards.

Townsend added: “In Ireland we face a quality opposition who, over the past number of years, have earned the right to be the number one ranked side in the world.

“We know them well and are well aware of the strengths they possess throughout their squad. We expect them to play very well, as they did in their most recent games against Wales, so only our best performance will do in order to win.

“The prospect of facing them in the opening round of a Rugby World Cup is a fantastic challenge for our players and supporters around the world.”

Scotland team to play Ireland, International Stadium, Yokohama in the Rugby World Cup
Sunday 22 September (kick-off 4.45pm) – live on ITV

15. Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs) – 69 caps

14. Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors) – 52 caps
13. Duncan Taylor (Saracens) – 23 caps
12. Sam Johnson (Glasgow Warriors) – 6 caps
11. Sean Maitland (Saracens) – 42 caps

10. Finn Russell (Racing 92) – 46 caps
9. Greig Laidlaw VICE CAPTAIN (Clermont Auvergne) – 73 caps

1. Allan Dell (London Irish) – 25 caps
2. Stuart McInally CAPTAIN (Edinburgh) – 29 caps
3. Willem Nel (Edinburgh) – 31 caps
4. Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh) – 36 caps
5. Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) – 52 caps
6. John Barclay VICE CAPTAIN (Edinburgh) – 74 caps
7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh) – 27 caps
8. Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors) – 45 caps

Substitutes:
16. Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors) – 42 caps
17. Gordon Reid (Ayrshire Bulls) – 37 caps
18. Simon Berghan (Edinburgh) – 22 caps
19. Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors) – 4 caps
20. Blade Thomson (Scarlets) – 2 caps
21. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) – 27 caps
22. Chris Harris (Gloucester) – 10 caps
23. Darcy Graham (Edinburgh) – 7 caps

He has definitely played the experience card and i guess you can hardly blame him for that. A stro g Ireland side in bad weather is not going to be for the faint hearted.

Some of the bench players like Thompson, Graham and Cummi gs may still play there way into the starting team over the course of the next two games.

Looks like Laidlaw covers FH. I guess Finn will only comd off if injured and this gives us the most flexibility in bench option if we need to chsnge anything up during the game.

Can't really say i am unhappy with that team.

Biggest plus for me is the impact off the bench - the reserve front row won't weaken the scrum overly much at all and Cummings and Thomson will bring a lot of carrying and workrate. Price is a livewire, Harris will be there to replace Taylor when he runs out of steam and Graham is the very definition of an impact sub.

It's not the bench for closing out a game when you're 10 points up with 20 minutes to go, but the chances of us being in that position are pretty slim!

I think if we are in a position to be closing out the game, then you may well see Laidlaw move to FH and he could well keep kicking them into the corners it is what he is good at as a FH

As RDW says though not sure that is a likely scenario more likely we will be chasing the game, but we have some decent players off the bench to be doing that

I'm pretty happy with that team, I expected for Thomson to be starting, although on reflection his impact could be greater off the bench. Speaking of which, the replacements offer a real point of difference: Cummings, the aforementioned Blade, Price and Graham all inject real pace....although I would still have Jones/Hutch over Harris.

My only real issue is that I would have Graham starting, he has been in far better form than Seymour.

Decent Ireland team, talk of Earls, Kearney and Carbury featuring was obviously a bit of spin from Schmidt.

It's certainly a strong side but minus Kearney the back 3 are a lot more vulnerable defensively, if Scotland can get some decent ball they will cause problems out wide and with kicks in behind.

The thought is Ireland will be looking to dominate up front and grind Scotland down but it's interesting Beirne is covering lock rather than Kleyn.

I still fancy Scotland here for the upset but think it might not be significant overall in terms of reaching the SF.

Team as predicted for us really except Wilson who is the definition of a pointless selection.

Toonie must be going for a team to frustrate Ireland and Wilson is there to try pick a fight with PoM.

rodders wrote:Decent Ireland team, talk of Earls, Kearney and Carbury featuring was obviously a bit of spin from Schmidt.

It's certainly a strong side but minus Kearney the back 3 are a lot more vulnerable defensively, if Scotland can get some decent ball they will cause problems out wide and with kicks in behind.

The thought is Ireland will be looking to dominate up front and grind Scotland down but it's interesting Beirne is covering lock rather than Kleyn.  

I still fancy Scotland here for the upset but think it might not be significant overall in terms of reaching the SF.

Both teams will see areas they can exploit in each other - Scotland lack any game-breaking ball carriers and will be susceptible to being ground down while Scotland will fancy their chances against a relatively inexperienced back three...should be a cracking game

Well, on paper at least, I can't argue with that Irish team.  Pretty close to my opinion of a perfect Ireland side based on current options.

A team that can really fire .... IF they fire obviously.  Larmour, Conway, Stockdale, Aki, Ringrose, Murray, Sexton.  That's not a slovenly group of men when in a mood.

Larmour has real potential to explode into the consciousness of the larger rugby viewing fraternity of the world.  I think to date he has seemed tentative and eager to prove to Schmidt that he's willing to be obedient and not flash.  I think he's been on best behaviour so far but you can see often that he's tense and uneasy when he contains himself.  His more natural rhythm is less structured and reactionary and erratic (in a positive way)
So we'll see what licence he's been given this time.  Based on Schmidt's words, he at least appears to be more than willing to let Larmour, Conway, Stockdale express themselves and bounce off each other to see what might be cooking.
We'll see.  But for now, I'm excited/nervous to see what we play like.

Guess I want the Scots to win?

As both sides will ultimately face a tough QF regardless of who beats who (and assuming Ire and Sco make it past Japan) this one really is a matter of Celtic brethren fighting it out on the big stage for pride as much as anything. Hoping for a thrilling test match first and foremost!

Both sides look very dangerous. The Irish back 3 looks deadly and I'm expecting some trickery from the Irish in terms of set piece moves and a strong focus on the scrum and mauls. The usual Irish ball retention seems likely and I fully expect Murray and Sexton to be hassling the ref anytime Scotland slow ball down so they can get that quick service. No doubt there will be some excellent box kicks from Murray to put pressure on Scotland in the air, a major weakness to the Scottish game in my opinion.

From Scotland, they've gone all in. Russell must play the full 80, early scores will be the target without conceding early themselves. I am expecting a very fast start from Scotland and think they may hold on to the ball a bit more than usual. Russell will still be hoofing it a fair bit though and I think he may even do a few more cross field kicks than is usual for him. If it's wet, humid and slippery, that ball can go anywhere. Solid bench, strongest Scotland have had for a long time. That will hopefully make a big impact.

From a outsiders point of view:-

Ireland line up looks good. Conway has looked good in preseason and generally Ireland's selections look pretty good all round.

Scotland might be in a spot of bother. I don't get some of his selections. Laidlaw for one is well past his best and he has a fairly slow laboured pass. Would have thought Ali Price and Horne would have been then obvious choices if Scotland really are trying to move the ball about. Wilson starting over Thomson is also a bad call as I think Thomson gives them better carrying. Would have thought Kinghorn would have made a great impact sub so I'm assuming there must be injury issues with him. I'm also not convinced that playing both Barclay and Watson provide Scotland with enough bulk in the backrow. That said it is mobile so there shouldn't be any issues getting the field covered.

So I think Scotland got their work cut out for them. Could be Ireland by 20.

TightHEAD wrote:Guess I want the Scots to win?

Well if you don't know, we can't really help you with this...

Welshmushroom wrote:From a outsiders point of view:-

Ireland line up looks good.  Conway has looked good in preseason and generally Ireland's selections look pretty good all round.

Scotland might be in a spot of bother.  I don't get some of his selections.  Laidlaw for one is well past his best and he has a fairly slow laboured pass.  Would have thought Ali Price and Horne would have been then obvious choices if Scotland really are trying to move the ball about.  Wilson starting over Thomson is also a bad call as I think Thomson gives them better carrying.  Would have thought Kinghorn would have made a great impact sub so I'm assuming there must be injury issues with him.  I'm also not convinced that playing both Barclay and Watson provide Scotland with enough bulk in the backrow.  That said it is mobile so there shouldn't be any issues getting the field covered.  

So I think Scotland got their work cut out for them.  Could be Ireland by 20.

Laidlaw actually passes well enough when he gets good quality ball so it's all down to the forwards creating quick ball which that backrow should! Also if its pouring down then Laidlaw should start any day of the week.

With regards to Kinghorn, he's not injured, I think Graham is a more dynamic sub. He comes on and immediately injects more energy than Kinghorn and is suprisingly enough a far more physical player than Kinghorn.

As mentioned previously, Harris is on the bench to cover Taylor and just keep that midfield solidity going when he comes on. It won't be a flash game with the weather predicted so expect plenty of boot to ball and solid chasing in the midfield

rodders wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:Guess I want the Scots to win?

Well if you don't know, we can't really help you with this...

Hmm............. I think I'd like to see Ireland lose, but then again I'm not keen to see Scotland win? Maybe a draw is the way to go.

TightHEAD wrote:

rodders wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:Guess I want the Scots to win?

Well if you don't know, we can't really help you with this...

Hmm............. I think I'd like to see Ireland lose, but then again I'm not keen to see Scotland win? Maybe a draw is the way to go.

You sound like you are hoping for a typhoon that forces a cancellation and results in a draw

Tramptastic wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:

rodders wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:Guess I want the Scots to win?

Well if you don't know, we can't really help you with this...

Hmm............. I think I'd like to see Ireland lose, but then again I'm not keen to see Scotland win? Maybe a draw is the way to go.

You sound like you are hoping for a typhoon that forces a cancellation and results in a draw

Works for me, we'll be fresher for the SF....

Jesus, EOS has met his match on RTÉ coverage. Ladies and Gentlemen, the new George Hook is Jamie Heaslip. Already tackling poor auld O'Sullivan hard and high each time Eddie tries to speak.

RDW wrote:If it is wet and windy then it will be a boost for Scotland not having Kearny covering the back field. Saying that, I fear a performance from Larmour where he finally shows he is the real deal at fullback for Ireland! Earls for Conway is much of a muchness.

Interesting that they've moved CJ back to 8 for PoM at 6 - I thought things worked better last game with Conan at 8.

Still a fearsome team!

I kind of thought Conway might have been given the full back slot. Great under the high ball and very fast.

I also would have much preferred Conan, Stander and VdF and feel POM at 6 is a bit of an Achilles heel for this team as it doesnt really suit his strengths.

You can expect VdF to get over the line very quickly and put pressure on Russell.

POM - advantage Scotland.

mikey_dragon wrote:POM - advantage Scotland.

Not necessarily Mikey, O'Mahoney is a great player. Very proficient in the line-out and very useful around the breakdown for getting the odd turn over. He also obviously has great leadership, determination and mental strength. For me however, his one downside is he isn't physical enough around the contact zones both in terms of defense and also making yards in attack and that's a big weakness against certain teams when it comes to our game plan.

Against a side like Scotland who doesn't have the most dominant pack but does have a very good lineout POM might be a good choice at 6 but against SA I would much prefer Stander at 6.

mikey_dragon wrote:POM - advantage Scotland.

Yeah. We want to lose this one. We want to knock out New Zealand before the final. You'll be thanking us later down the line. Ireland to the rescue again

Following the opening ceremony really shows how much the Japanese public have bought into this world cup. Ireland and Scotland are going to have a hell of an atmosphere to play in when we play them!

POM is an excellent player and very physical at the breakdown, well POM of 2 years ago that is. He has lost some of the form that made him one of the best over the last season or two. I would say that him at 6 right now, in the form he is in does unbalance the pack slightly.

I like CJ at 8 and feel he is a better 8 than Conan but with Conan at 8 and CJ at 6, there is just a lot more balance.

I too would have preferred Conway at 15 for this match ahead of Larmour, given the expected conditions. He is just better in the air and defensively more aware and stronger.