Would go with:
Hurley
Howlett
Zebo
Downey
Earls
Keatley
Murray
Botha
Sherry
Du Preez
DOC
Ryan
DOC2
Doughal
POM
Would go with:
Hurley
Howlett
Zebo
Downey
Earls
Keatley
Murray
Botha
Sherry
Du Preez
DOC
Ryan
DOC2
Doughal
POM
De do dat dare don't dey.
1. WDP
2. Varley
3. Botha
4. DOC
5. Ryan
6. DOCII
7. POM
8. Coughlan
9. Murray
10. Keatley
11. Zebo
12. Downey
13. Earls
14. Howlett
15. Hurley
16. Sherry
17. Kilcoyne
18. Archer
19. POC
20. Dougall
21. Williams
22. ROG
23. Laulala
I think we need Varley on as we were bossed at the breakdown tonight by Leinster. Varley and Botha are our best foragers. We need to be more competitive at the breakdown and I felt Dougall didn't have enough of an impact. We need Coughlan on the field if he is fit. Any news on his fitness?
Kilcoyne leaked penalties in the first half tonight but was good in the loose. His scrummaging improved in the 2nd but WDP is very solid.
We NEED to stop giving away so many penalties. We won't win sh*t averaging a yellow a game.
Keatley and Downey are an absolute must. End of. (sorry Dowlinz)
Earls wins the form battle at 13, and Hurley is the best option at 15 for now. No time for experimenting. It's gameface time.
Chins up though. We started against Leinster with a team that was not our strongest 15. It ended with our strongest 15 and we looked a different outfit. I know it was a weak Leinster team by that stage but our intensity and purpose changed dramatically.
I think we will take Racing if the above team is picked. I just hope Penney is free to pick the above.
Heading to the game in Paris myself, and I can't ****ing wait!!!
Will Coughlan be fit for it?
De do dat dare don't dey.
I ****ing hope so. We need an old head in our backrow.Originally Posted by Simmental
I'm sorry, but for all the support DOC2 gets, he has been anonymous. 6 needs to be a big presence on, big ball carrier, and an enforcer at the breakdown. DOC2 has been none of that. The guy is young and has talent, but he needs a few mere years. Not sure what our options are, but right now DOC2 isn't at top Rabbo level
Dont need reason, dont need rhyme,
Aint nothin I would rather do,
Goin down, party time,
My friends are gonna be there too
I'm on a Highway to Hell ...
WDP, Shergar, BJB
DOC, Ryan
Butler, POM, Dougal
Murray, Keats,
Downey, Lualala,
Zebo, Earls, Howlett
PLEASE!!!!!
There would be a definite argument for:
6. POM
7. Dougall/Ronan
8. Coughlan (if fit)
Thought Jennings gave Dougall a lesson tonight on bossing the breakdown. We were impotent in terms of tunrovers. Ronan is not the most destructive either. Give POM the job and I would say he would not go unnoticed. So that leaves the problem at 6. DOC2 has not been found out in my book and is very physical in defence. just needs to carry a bit more.
Dougal has huge potential and will learn from these games.
Yup, I agree. Still only 22. Needs a bit of extra muscle for the highest level. I'd have slight reservations starting him against Racing. We are very effective from turnover ball. I don't think we turned over one in the 1st half. And Jennings got a very easy steal for their first try.
A legal or illegal steal?
Not sure. Will watch it again later tonight i'd say. I remember the ref shouting at the Leinster player, i.e. Jennings, to release, and then he pops up with the ball, he hesitates, and the ref puts his hands up to wave play on. All from pretty red tinted memory glasses though it has to be said
Like the look of Sketchy's team. There are only two things I hope will happen ahead of next week. 1. The Casey-Earls centre experiment is just accepted as just that an experiment that doesn't work. Downey to 12. 2. That IK gets the 10 jersey. What a difference it makes when your 10 can run with the ball in hand. Still think ROG is the ultimate closer if were in a tight spot and need a tough penalty or a drop goal, but we need running threats through 9-13 from the word go. ROG does not offer a running threat and unfortunately we don't have the pack anymore to cover for that.
15 Earls
14 Dougie
13 Laulala
12 Downey
11 Zebo
10 Keatley
9 Murray
8 POM
7 Dougal
6 DOC 2
5 Ryan
4 DOC
3 Botha
2 Sherry
1 Du Preez
On the back line - some might call that experimental, but i don't see how. The 10 - 13 combo played most of our opening games and were a big success. Earls has played full back for Ireland (remember England 2011) and the Lions, so its hardly experimentation to play him there at club level.
The backrow - i named that combination, but wouldn't argue with Butler for DOC2, or Coughlan if he's fit. Would like to see Dougall kept though. Second row picks itself, as do props. Sherry over Varley every single time. Varley is a disciplinary and line out liability and isn't a good enough player to make up for that.
"There are probably more annoying things than being hectored about African development by a wealthy Irish rock star in a cowboy hat, but I can't think of one at the moment"
Paul Theroux
We need to start with our best available pack on the field which is something we have not done in the last 2 weeks.
Connor Murray plays at 9. Downey has to start at 12 if fit as he is the only real option we have for this position. Zebo and Howlett on the wings. We have a choice at 13 between Earls and Laulala and at 15 between Earls and Hurley and it would be hard to argue with whatever call is made on these two selections.
The big call is to be made at 10. ROG has not played well in the last 2 weeks behind a beaten pack and a 13 playing 12 outside him. Keatley, whatever the reasons, has played far better when he came on. ROG however was selected as player of the tournament for the first 15 years and that selection was well earned.
Were it my call I would look to the future and choose Keatley. However if he did not perform I would not be too slow about substituting him.
Saturday is one of these must win games for us. Although I do not expect us to win trophies this season we need to stay in the race for a while.
Will travel more in hope of a good result than any expectation.
The last 2 Rabo games were major fixtures, and we failed twice. Our form is mediocre. Selection wise who knows what'll happen?
The only certainty is the timing of the game will adversely affect takings in Le Suffren.
I wouldnt disregard Earls as a 13 after last night. It cant be easy playing outside a 12 who is not a 12. Downey and Earls for me next week, have we forgotten the damage we hoped would happen with players like Earls taking off loads from Downey!
To me Downey could be the glue that this backline needs to stick, and with him make Rog and Earls look better
Dinner Friday and lunch on Sunday will be in Le Suffren. I will dine elsewhere on Saturday for a bit of variety. Maybe Le Train Bleu on Saturday night.
Would Sir like to preorder?
Fish soup
Scallops/Coquille St.Jaques
Tarte tatin
Bucket of coffee.
Last edited by John Cooper Clarke; 7th-October-2012 at 09:14.
its only illegal if the ref blows....
Snap (BJ and WdP being on their correct sides, naturally).
Last edited by Thomond78; 7th-October-2012 at 10:22.
Vorsprung durch Pfennig.
Varley a disaster at the moment-Very costly discipline issues!!! Cant afford that
What are the options? Assuming Coughlan is injured
6 - POM, DOCv2.0, TOD, Holland, Ryan
7 - POM, Dougall, Ronan, Butler, TOD
8 - POM, Butler, TOD?
Strong enough argument for moving Ryan back to 6 imo, if POC is fit. We badly need some physical presence. The problem is we've no one making any position unquestionably their own.
It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into.
Every plan I have is the best plan in the room. Everybody get quiet and listen to it, and everybody will win
POC is fit and could have started yesterday. I think following yesterdays showing, instead of being benched next week, he may starT.
Ideally the back row would be POM at 6 and Coughlan at 8, with one of Ronan/Dougall at 7 and one of DOC2/Butler on the bench - there's very little in it, but thus far I don't think TOD has been quite as effective in his outings as the others have been. Having said that, I think he has covered at both 6 and 7 to date so it's harder to judge.
It's interesting, if somewhat frustrating that we can't really pick out a standout no.7. At the moment, Dougall just about shades it for me, but Niall Ronan hasn't had much of a chance to show whether he can replicate his immediate pre-injury form, when he was really starting to out-muscle his opponents in a way we hadn't seen him do before. Must admit I can't remember Butler having played there - I had thought of him as an 8 who could cover 6. But speaking of 8, I thought POM did a decent job there last night and that in Coughlan's absence he's the default choice for that jersey.
I won't make up my mind on Dave O'Callaghan until I get another chance to look over last night's game, but I think that of our up & coming back rowers, he's the one who's shown the greatest potential to be POM's long-term rival for that jersey so for now I'll go for himself, Dougall and O'Mahoney at 6/7/8. I'll probably change my mind three or four times between now & next week though.
Never mind perception because it isn’t real. It’s only what people think. Go out and make them think something else.
- Alan Quinlan on believing in yourself
I think in time, our best backrow could well be
6. Stander
7. POM
8. Coughlan
I like Dougall abnd Ronan but I don't think we will win Heineken Cups with them or beat the really top teams. I think Stander, POM, and Coughlan could do some damage. POM could be an awesome 7. He could play anywhere in the backrow. 7 is where we need him most.
The question that keeps popping into my head is whether our last two opponents are better than our next two?
Edinbro in the cup are a very different proposition. Even the second string Leinster team is damn clinical when it wants to be.
I am the million man.
I'm quite confident if Downey, Keatley and WDP start that we will be 2 from 2 in the HEC. Add POC and Coughlan to that list we hope and it's all good.
If what most people on here are saying is correct and Penney does pick his strongest hand with Keatley and Downey in tow (personally don't think it's a banker he will), well then the racing metro video analyst will prove his worth this weekend. If he ends up analysing the last 2 matches and sets up RM to defend based on that (either push up fast on outside or slide defence to the touchline), they could get a nasty surprise.
Actually think we will win as long as the team picked is not a long the lines of our last 2 matches.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again (like picking Gordon D'Arcy) and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein
Can't see how we can be that confident if getting 2 from 2....(racing away in particular)
whilst i advocate the changes you are suggesting ...we are not a team that will go to France and win with regular occurance at this time.... granted anything can happen in any one match....but i feel your confidence is misplaced though admirable.
"Lads, your not to miss practice unless your parents died or you died" Frank Leahy
We'll see.
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