Ireland's Triple Crown win was a great achievement, but we should have been celebrating greater things.
Now that the Six Nations is over for another year, it's time I gathered my thoughts on the whole thing.
On the face of it, Ireland had a good tournament. We won the Triple Crown and finished in second place overall, behind France on points difference. The players came through unscathed for the most part (Denis Leamy should be fit for the Munster-Perpignan match.) So far so good.
But was it such a triumph? Six Nations 2006 will hardly go down in history as a vintage year. No team stood out, and several of the matches were pretty poor fare. To win the Triple Crown, Ireland had to beat a Welsh team that was missing a huge chunk of its first-choice starting XV and had just lost its coach; a Scotland that is only now emerging from a sustained period in the wilderness; and a rudderless, disorganised England. Remember that on the first weekend, Ireland made heavy weather of Italy, and got a few favours from the ref. If they had lost to Italy that day and then gone on to win the Triple Crown, would we have celebrated so noisily?
Then there was the French match. For fifty minutes, Ireland were utterly inept, gifting at least five of the six tries the hosts had scored by that point. It was only as they were in a huddle behind the posts, with the conversion of David Marty's second try whizzing over their heads, that they managed to get act together. The next thirty minutes saw them score four converted tries and come within two scores of pulling off the greatest comeback of all time. The question was asked several times afterwards: If they could do that in the last 30 minutes, why did they have to wait till then, when the game was out of reach? Given that only one French try could actually be attributed to Gallic flair, and all the rest down to Gaelic error, this match went into the column entitled "The One That Got Away." And ultimately, so did the tournament.
Finishing second and winning the Triple Crown has for sure taken away the pressure Eddie O'Sullivan was feeling after the Autumn series débacle. He is now secure in his position as national coach until after the World Cup next year. But in truth the Irish team has been standing still for some time now. Since the Five Nations became Six in 2000, Ireland have come twice four times (two of those times losing out on points difference), and third three times. There have been four Grand Slams in that period, two for France and one each for England and Wales. Not wanting to sound ungrateful or anything, but Ireland should have won the championship at least once in that period, certainly in the last three seasons. Winning two Triple Crowns in three years is all well and good, but they are not the Championship. They were relevant back in the day when the tournament was only contested by Ireland and the British nations, and a Triple Crown was also a Grand Slam, but things have moved on and that prize has lost its value. It's a pity that there is a Triple Crown trophy now, because it takes the eyes off the main prize that is the Six Nations Championship.
Ireland's next outing will be the tour to New Zealand and Australia in the summer. Make no mistake, we will get hosed by the All-Blacks in the two tests. Back in the autumn, Ireland had nothing to offer against New Zealand when they came to Dublin. OK, we were missing O'Connell and O'Driscoll, our two most influential players, but would they in truth have managed to prevent the All-Blacks scoring 45 points, had they been there? Bad and all as it was being hammered by New Zealand, we also managed to lose to the worst Australian side to visit these shores in a generation.
There was an interesting interview with Paul O'Connell in the Irish Times on Saturday. I've long been of the opinion that he should be the captain instead of O'Driscoll, as I believe that he is much more a leader of men. The best quote of the interview was this one: "I haven't achieved anything yet. With the quality of players we have now, we want to win Triple Crowns, sure, but we want to win championships and Grand Slams too, and believe it or not, World Cups. At the end of our careers, when we look back, if we haven't won something substantial, and more than once, we'll be disappointed."
Ireland had probably the most experienced set of starting players in the Six Nations this year. I don't have all the numbers to hand, but just looking at the match last Saturday, Ireland started with 590 caps in total, or just short of forty for every player on the team. England started with 367, or 24.5 per player.
It begs the question: Just when are they going to realise their potential, and how?
Now that the Six Nations is over for another year, it's time I gathered my thoughts on the whole thing.
On the face of it, Ireland had a good tournament. We won the Triple Crown and finished in second place overall, behind France on points difference. The players came through unscathed for the most part (Denis Leamy should be fit for the Munster-Perpignan match.) So far so good.
But was it such a triumph? Six Nations 2006 will hardly go down in history as a vintage year. No team stood out, and several of the matches were pretty poor fare. To win the Triple Crown, Ireland had to beat a Welsh team that was missing a huge chunk of its first-choice starting XV and had just lost its coach; a Scotland that is only now emerging from a sustained period in the wilderness; and a rudderless, disorganised England. Remember that on the first weekend, Ireland made heavy weather of Italy, and got a few favours from the ref. If they had lost to Italy that day and then gone on to win the Triple Crown, would we have celebrated so noisily?
Then there was the French match. For fifty minutes, Ireland were utterly inept, gifting at least five of the six tries the hosts had scored by that point. It was only as they were in a huddle behind the posts, with the conversion of David Marty's second try whizzing over their heads, that they managed to get act together. The next thirty minutes saw them score four converted tries and come within two scores of pulling off the greatest comeback of all time. The question was asked several times afterwards: If they could do that in the last 30 minutes, why did they have to wait till then, when the game was out of reach? Given that only one French try could actually be attributed to Gallic flair, and all the rest down to Gaelic error, this match went into the column entitled "The One That Got Away." And ultimately, so did the tournament.
Finishing second and winning the Triple Crown has for sure taken away the pressure Eddie O'Sullivan was feeling after the Autumn series débacle. He is now secure in his position as national coach until after the World Cup next year. But in truth the Irish team has been standing still for some time now. Since the Five Nations became Six in 2000, Ireland have come twice four times (two of those times losing out on points difference), and third three times. There have been four Grand Slams in that period, two for France and one each for England and Wales. Not wanting to sound ungrateful or anything, but Ireland should have won the championship at least once in that period, certainly in the last three seasons. Winning two Triple Crowns in three years is all well and good, but they are not the Championship. They were relevant back in the day when the tournament was only contested by Ireland and the British nations, and a Triple Crown was also a Grand Slam, but things have moved on and that prize has lost its value. It's a pity that there is a Triple Crown trophy now, because it takes the eyes off the main prize that is the Six Nations Championship.
Ireland's next outing will be the tour to New Zealand and Australia in the summer. Make no mistake, we will get hosed by the All-Blacks in the two tests. Back in the autumn, Ireland had nothing to offer against New Zealand when they came to Dublin. OK, we were missing O'Connell and O'Driscoll, our two most influential players, but would they in truth have managed to prevent the All-Blacks scoring 45 points, had they been there? Bad and all as it was being hammered by New Zealand, we also managed to lose to the worst Australian side to visit these shores in a generation.
There was an interesting interview with Paul O'Connell in the Irish Times on Saturday. I've long been of the opinion that he should be the captain instead of O'Driscoll, as I believe that he is much more a leader of men. The best quote of the interview was this one: "I haven't achieved anything yet. With the quality of players we have now, we want to win Triple Crowns, sure, but we want to win championships and Grand Slams too, and believe it or not, World Cups. At the end of our careers, when we look back, if we haven't won something substantial, and more than once, we'll be disappointed."
Ireland had probably the most experienced set of starting players in the Six Nations this year. I don't have all the numbers to hand, but just looking at the match last Saturday, Ireland started with 590 caps in total, or just short of forty for every player on the team. England started with 367, or 24.5 per player.
It begs the question: Just when are they going to realise their potential, and how?
The polls that I had in the sidebar for the duration of the Six Nations are (obviously) now closed.
The results were as follows, and were spot on:
The results were as follows, and were spot on:
Just back from a weekend in Mayo. I haven't had a chance to gather my thoughts yet on the events of the weekend. It was an excellent performance by Ireland, their best in the campaign. At the 77th minute, I thought all Irish luck had been used up the day before in a field in Gloucestershire, but thankfully there was one more trick up their sleeve.
Ahead of the match on Saturday, I thought I'd post my reminiscences of the last England-Ireland match in Twickenham, 6 March 2004.
I was invited to come to the match by a business contact, and having thought about it for all of about 0.005 seconds, accepted the offer. I'd never been to Twickenham before. There were about a dozen or so of us in the group, a good mix of Irish and English, so plenty of banter.
Game on. Ronan O’Gara misses a sitter of a penalty in the fifth minute and I think “Shit! It’s going to be one of those games.” But then Ireland start picking off the English lineout at will. ROG slots home two penalties, both more difficult than the one he missed earlier. Shortly afterwards, a defensive mix-up lets Dawson in for a soft try. A few more penalties on either side and we go into half-time 12-10 up. At this point, confidence is building up in the camp.
I was coming back from the jacks to my seat for the start of the second half
, when I realised that play had already begun, and worryingly enough there was a pile of both white and green shirts by the corner flag of the Irish tryline. When the replay was shown we all knew it wouldn’t stand. Well, when I say "knew", I mean "hoped". "NO TRY" comes up on the big screen.
A short time later it happened. D'Arcy breaks and makes 50 metres. The ball comes back and across to the right. Horgan brings it into the 22. It changes hands a couple of times and a ruck forms five metres from the English line. Stringer to D’Arcy to O’Driscoll to Howe to Dempsey... It was at that moment when Girvan Dempsey took Tyrone Howe’s pass and we realised that he was going to get to the line before anyone got to him. "TRY" flashes up on the big screen. Irish euphoria all round. ROG nails the conversion from the touchline. 10-19. One more penalty for England leaves the score at 13-19, and the final ten minutes go on for what feels like ten years. Mark Regan, who has replaced the quivering wreck that is Steve Thompson, thinks he has scored in the corner, but thankfully big Mal O’Kelly has dealt with him and the magic words "NO TRY" flash again on the big screen. I’m looking at the score board counting up 40 minutes and at 39 minutes am thinking that there is going to be at least 6 or 7 minutes of stoppage time. I didn’t realise that they were stopping the clock during the game, so when it turns 40 and play breaks down, the ref blows time and Ireland have beaten the world champions in their first game in their own back yard since the World Cup.
Fair dues to the English fans, they weren’t shy about coming over to anyone in a green shirt and congratulating them. We all ended up on the piss in Soho till late, still wearing our green jerseys. What a night. What a win.
Let's hope something similar happens on Saturday.
I was invited to come to the match by a business contact, and having thought about it for all of about 0.005 seconds, accepted the offer. I'd never been to Twickenham before. There were about a dozen or so of us in the group, a good mix of Irish and English, so plenty of banter.
Game on. Ronan O’Gara misses a sitter of a penalty in the fifth minute and I think “Shit! It’s going to be one of those games.” But then Ireland start picking off the English lineout at will. ROG slots home two penalties, both more difficult than the one he missed earlier. Shortly afterwards, a defensive mix-up lets Dawson in for a soft try. A few more penalties on either side and we go into half-time 12-10 up. At this point, confidence is building up in the camp.
I was coming back from the jacks to my seat for the start of the second half
, when I realised that play had already begun, and worryingly enough there was a pile of both white and green shirts by the corner flag of the Irish tryline. When the replay was shown we all knew it wouldn’t stand. Well, when I say "knew", I mean "hoped". "NO TRY" comes up on the big screen.A short time later it happened. D'Arcy breaks and makes 50 metres. The ball comes back and across to the right. Horgan brings it into the 22. It changes hands a couple of times and a ruck forms five metres from the English line. Stringer to D’Arcy to O’Driscoll to Howe to Dempsey... It was at that moment when Girvan Dempsey took Tyrone Howe’s pass and we realised that he was going to get to the line before anyone got to him. "TRY" flashes up on the big screen. Irish euphoria all round. ROG nails the conversion from the touchline. 10-19. One more penalty for England leaves the score at 13-19, and the final ten minutes go on for what feels like ten years. Mark Regan, who has replaced the quivering wreck that is Steve Thompson, thinks he has scored in the corner, but thankfully big Mal O’Kelly has dealt with him and the magic words "NO TRY" flash again on the big screen. I’m looking at the score board counting up 40 minutes and at 39 minutes am thinking that there is going to be at least 6 or 7 minutes of stoppage time. I didn’t realise that they were stopping the clock during the game, so when it turns 40 and play breaks down, the ref blows time and Ireland have beaten the world champions in their first game in their own back yard since the World Cup.
Fair dues to the English fans, they weren’t shy about coming over to anyone in a green shirt and congratulating them. We all ended up on the piss in Soho till late, still wearing our green jerseys. What a night. What a win.
Let's hope something similar happens on Saturday.
Got me ticket for the Munster-Perpignan match today.
(You'll notice I've made a couple of subtle changes to the image, just in case some langer tries to copy it and print it off.)
(You'll notice I've made a couple of subtle changes to the image, just in case some langer tries to copy it and print it off.)
Andy Robinson and Eddie O'Sullivan have named their respective teams for the England-Ireland match at Twickenham on Saturday.
O'Sullivan has kept faith with the same starting XV as last weekend, and his only change is to restore flanker Johnny O'Connor to the bench.
Robinson, in contrast, has wielded the axe on the side that capitulated so dismally to France in Paris last Sunday, making seven changes in all.
Gone from the starting line-up are Charlie Hodgson (who was replaced at half-time in Paris, suffering from a hamstring injury), Josh Lewsey, Mike Tindall, Matt Dawson, Steve Thompson, Julian White and Danny Grewcock. All but Hodgson and Lewsey will have places on the bench. In their places come Andy Goode, Tom Voyce, Stuart Abbott, Harry Ellis, Lee Mears, Andy Sheridan and Simon Shaw.
This could be interesting...
Full teams as follows:
England:
15 Tom Voyce (Wasps)
14 Mark Cueto (Sale)
13 Jamie Noon (Newcastle)
12 Stuart Abbott (Wasps)
11 Ben Cohen (Northampton)
10 Andy Goode (Leicester)
9 Harry Ellis (Leicester)
1 Andy Sheridan (Sale)
2 Lee Mears (Bath)
3 Matt Stevens (Bath)
4 Steve Borthwick (Bath)
5 Simon Shaw (Wasps)
6 Joe Worsley (Wasps)
7 Lewis Moody (Leicester)
8 Martin Corry (Leicester, Captain)
Replacements: 16 Steve Thompson (Northampton), 17 Julian White (Leicester), 18 Danny Grewcock (Bath), 19 Lawrence Dallaglio (Wasps), 20 Matt Dawson (Wasps), 21 Dave Walder (Newcastle), 22 Mike Tindall (Bath).
Ireland:
15 Geordan Murphy (Leicester)
14 Shane Horgan (Leinster)
13 Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster, captain)
12 Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster)
11 Andrew Trimble (Ulster)
10 Ronan O'Gara (Munster)
9 Peter Stringer (Munster)
1 Marcus Horan (Munster)
2 Jerry Flannery (Munster)
3 John Hayes (Munster)
4 Malcolm O'Kelly (Leinster)
5 Paul O'Connell (Munster)
6 Simon Easterby (Llanelli)
7 David Wallace (Munster)
8 Denis Leamy (Munster)
Replacements: 16 Rory Best (Ulster), 17 Simon Best (Ulster), 18 Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster), 19 Johnny O'Connor (Wasps), 20 Eoin Reddan (Wasps), 20 David Humphreys (Ulster), 21 Girvan Dempsey (Leinster).
O'Sullivan has kept faith with the same starting XV as last weekend, and his only change is to restore flanker Johnny O'Connor to the bench.
Robinson, in contrast, has wielded the axe on the side that capitulated so dismally to France in Paris last Sunday, making seven changes in all.
Gone from the starting line-up are Charlie Hodgson (who was replaced at half-time in Paris, suffering from a hamstring injury), Josh Lewsey, Mike Tindall, Matt Dawson, Steve Thompson, Julian White and Danny Grewcock. All but Hodgson and Lewsey will have places on the bench. In their places come Andy Goode, Tom Voyce, Stuart Abbott, Harry Ellis, Lee Mears, Andy Sheridan and Simon Shaw.
This could be interesting...
Full teams as follows:
England:
15 Tom Voyce (Wasps)
14 Mark Cueto (Sale)
13 Jamie Noon (Newcastle)
12 Stuart Abbott (Wasps)
11 Ben Cohen (Northampton)
10 Andy Goode (Leicester)
9 Harry Ellis (Leicester)
1 Andy Sheridan (Sale)
2 Lee Mears (Bath)
3 Matt Stevens (Bath)
4 Steve Borthwick (Bath)
5 Simon Shaw (Wasps)
6 Joe Worsley (Wasps)
7 Lewis Moody (Leicester)
8 Martin Corry (Leicester, Captain)
Replacements: 16 Steve Thompson (Northampton), 17 Julian White (Leicester), 18 Danny Grewcock (Bath), 19 Lawrence Dallaglio (Wasps), 20 Matt Dawson (Wasps), 21 Dave Walder (Newcastle), 22 Mike Tindall (Bath).
Ireland:
15 Geordan Murphy (Leicester)
14 Shane Horgan (Leinster)
13 Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster, captain)
12 Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster)
11 Andrew Trimble (Ulster)
10 Ronan O'Gara (Munster)
9 Peter Stringer (Munster)
1 Marcus Horan (Munster)
2 Jerry Flannery (Munster)
3 John Hayes (Munster)
4 Malcolm O'Kelly (Leinster)
5 Paul O'Connell (Munster)
6 Simon Easterby (Llanelli)
7 David Wallace (Munster)
8 Denis Leamy (Munster)
Replacements: 16 Rory Best (Ulster), 17 Simon Best (Ulster), 18 Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster), 19 Johnny O'Connor (Wasps), 20 Eoin Reddan (Wasps), 20 David Humphreys (Ulster), 21 Girvan Dempsey (Leinster).
I was in Cork for the weekend, and didn't have a chance while away to post my thoughts on the Ireland-Scotland match.
The final result of 15-9 didn't really reflect the reality on the day. The weather played a major part of that, as it made passing difficult. It was disappointing that Ireland didn't manage to turn a lot of the possession they had into tries, but a win is a win, and we have to be grateful for that. The fact that Scotland managed to spend large periods of time offside with impunity was another factor to contend with. (Incidentally, The Observer awarded Man of the Match to Jason White. Why??)
I felt that this was a more assured performance by Ireland all round. This was their best opening quarter so far in the championship, and crucially, this time they scored first. Some individual performances were much better as well. Geordan Murphy was much improved on previous outings and he ran some intelligent lines and mixed things up well. Malcolm O'Kelly had a good game too, nicking a number of Scottish lineout throws and giving their hooker the yips. The Irish back row was immense, in terms of tackling, turnovers and carrying. Paul O'Connell showed again just why he is probably the best second row in the world with an awesome display both at the set-piece and around the park. I thought Peter Stringer had a fine game as well.
So we look forward to the climax next weekend. Ireland are poised to take their second Triple Crown in three seasons, and the runners-up spot in the Championship. In the unlikely event of France losing to Wales, Ireland would have a chance of the Championship itself. If England are as God-awful as they were in Paris today, then Ireland should beat them next week in Twickenham. Even if they improve by 10%, then they should still be there for the taking. Ireland have improved a lot since the stuttering opening-day win against Italy, whereas England have gotten worse since the day they saw off Wales with ease.
It's all to play for, lads. It's all to play for.
The final result of 15-9 didn't really reflect the reality on the day. The weather played a major part of that, as it made passing difficult. It was disappointing that Ireland didn't manage to turn a lot of the possession they had into tries, but a win is a win, and we have to be grateful for that. The fact that Scotland managed to spend large periods of time offside with impunity was another factor to contend with. (Incidentally, The Observer awarded Man of the Match to Jason White. Why??)
I felt that this was a more assured performance by Ireland all round. This was their best opening quarter so far in the championship, and crucially, this time they scored first. Some individual performances were much better as well. Geordan Murphy was much improved on previous outings and he ran some intelligent lines and mixed things up well. Malcolm O'Kelly had a good game too, nicking a number of Scottish lineout throws and giving their hooker the yips. The Irish back row was immense, in terms of tackling, turnovers and carrying. Paul O'Connell showed again just why he is probably the best second row in the world with an awesome display both at the set-piece and around the park. I thought Peter Stringer had a fine game as well.
So we look forward to the climax next weekend. Ireland are poised to take their second Triple Crown in three seasons, and the runners-up spot in the Championship. In the unlikely event of France losing to Wales, Ireland would have a chance of the Championship itself. If England are as God-awful as they were in Paris today, then Ireland should beat them next week in Twickenham. Even if they improve by 10%, then they should still be there for the taking. Ireland have improved a lot since the stuttering opening-day win against Italy, whereas England have gotten worse since the day they saw off Wales with ease.
It's all to play for, lads. It's all to play for.
One of Ireland's best-known bloggers, Gavin Sheridan, tells us of his cousin Victor, who suffered a dreadful injury while playing for Longford RFC.
Please take the time to read it.
Please take the time to read it.
Ireland's next encounter in this year's Six Nations is against a rejuvenated Scotland, on Saturday in Lansdowne Road. Whatever happens during the 80 minutes of play, this match will also have the significance of being the last Six Nations match to be played at the old stadium before it is redeveloped. Our final match of this series is in Twickenham, and our first home game next year, against France will be in the considerably more salubrious surroundings of Croke Park.
At the start of this year's tournament, few gave the Scots much of a hope of doing anything. I include myself in that. In my tournament preview, I predicted Ireland would lose to Wales and win easily over Scotland. In the event, Ireland managed a relatively easy win over Wales last Sunday week. Scotland come to Dublin on the back of a morale-boosting Calcutta Cup win in Edinburgh. They also saw off France on the first weekend of the competition. Yet they lost to Wales, but the mitigating circumstance there was the sending off of Scott Murray.
So can Ireland beat Scotland? Well, yes they can. But a few things have to go right for them:
- They must start well. In Ireland's three games so far, they have conceded the first score. If you don't have the ball, you can't score. They have to secure possession early on and not allow the Scots to make the running in the first quarter.
- The forwards will have to do a lot of hard graft. The set piece will be crucial. Having Paul O'Connell back is a huge boost, as once again we have a natural leader in the pack. Against Wales and France, the maul was kept in the holster for far too long. This is six-eighths of the Munster pack, with a Munster scrum-half directing the maul, so this is a potent weapon. If they can wear their opponents down and maybe even drive a try or two over, then the game will be theirs for the taking. The back row must also be quick to the breakdown to secure possession. As one rugby journalist put it recently - forwards win games, backs determine by how much.
- Make the passes stick. So far, Ireland has turned over far too much ball, and a lot of this is down to basic handling errors. Knock-ons and passes into touch must be kept to a minimum.
- ROG has to be on top of his game. The place kicks have to go over and the kicks to touch have to land correctly. When O'Gara plays well, Ireland play well.
- Intelligent running by the backs. The English backs got no change from the strong Scottish tackling a fortnight ago. But they tended to run straight lines and just got swallowed up by the cover. Our backs are good at breaking cover.
-They cannot afford to be thinking about a potential Triple Crown decider in Twickenham the following week. They are playing Scotland on Saturday at 3.30. Once that one is over, then they can turn their attentions to England.
So overall, I'm fairly confident. Ireland have beaten Scotland in every game since 2002. Even though they look more like the Scotland of old, I don't think that they are as strong as Ireland.
Hopefully, Ireland will leave Lansdowne Road on a Six Nations high.
At the start of this year's tournament, few gave the Scots much of a hope of doing anything. I include myself in that. In my tournament preview, I predicted Ireland would lose to Wales and win easily over Scotland. In the event, Ireland managed a relatively easy win over Wales last Sunday week. Scotland come to Dublin on the back of a morale-boosting Calcutta Cup win in Edinburgh. They also saw off France on the first weekend of the competition. Yet they lost to Wales, but the mitigating circumstance there was the sending off of Scott Murray.
So can Ireland beat Scotland? Well, yes they can. But a few things have to go right for them:
- They must start well. In Ireland's three games so far, they have conceded the first score. If you don't have the ball, you can't score. They have to secure possession early on and not allow the Scots to make the running in the first quarter.
- The forwards will have to do a lot of hard graft. The set piece will be crucial. Having Paul O'Connell back is a huge boost, as once again we have a natural leader in the pack. Against Wales and France, the maul was kept in the holster for far too long. This is six-eighths of the Munster pack, with a Munster scrum-half directing the maul, so this is a potent weapon. If they can wear their opponents down and maybe even drive a try or two over, then the game will be theirs for the taking. The back row must also be quick to the breakdown to secure possession. As one rugby journalist put it recently - forwards win games, backs determine by how much.
- Make the passes stick. So far, Ireland has turned over far too much ball, and a lot of this is down to basic handling errors. Knock-ons and passes into touch must be kept to a minimum.
- ROG has to be on top of his game. The place kicks have to go over and the kicks to touch have to land correctly. When O'Gara plays well, Ireland play well.
- Intelligent running by the backs. The English backs got no change from the strong Scottish tackling a fortnight ago. But they tended to run straight lines and just got swallowed up by the cover. Our backs are good at breaking cover.
-They cannot afford to be thinking about a potential Triple Crown decider in Twickenham the following week. They are playing Scotland on Saturday at 3.30. Once that one is over, then they can turn their attentions to England.
So overall, I'm fairly confident. Ireland have beaten Scotland in every game since 2002. Even though they look more like the Scotland of old, I don't think that they are as strong as Ireland.
Hopefully, Ireland will leave Lansdowne Road on a Six Nations high.
Too Easy For Ulster Against Third-String Munster
| Published Friday, March 03, 2006 by Gerry O'Sullivan.
An almost full-strength Ulster easily overcame a patchwork Munster in the Brass Monkeys Challenge Cup at Ravenhill tonight. The Northerners ran in five unanswered tries to go top of the Celtic League. The final score was 27-3. Munster's sole score came from the boot of Paul Burke in the first half. The bonus point won tonight gives them two points to spare.
Munster's cause was not helped when they lost both Barry Murphy and Ian Dowling to injury. Murphy looked to be in considerable discomfort as he was stretchered off midway through the first half. Hopefully it's not a serious injury, as he is making a name for himself as an effective centre, and is working well with Trevor Halstead.
Munster's cause was not helped when they lost both Barry Murphy and Ian Dowling to injury. Murphy looked to be in considerable discomfort as he was stretchered off midway through the first half. Hopefully it's not a serious injury, as he is making a name for himself as an effective centre, and is working well with Trevor Halstead.
There are no internationals this weekend, and so the Celtic League has a full programme. In Ireland it is an inter-pro weekend, as Munster travel to Belfast on Friday evening to take on Ulster, while on Sunday, Connacht will come to Donnybrook to meet Leinster.
Ulster are pretty much at full-strength for tonight's top-of-the-table clash, with just Andrew Trimble away due to international commitments. Munster are missing almost all of their pack, Anthony Foley being their only first-choice front-eight player at No 8. Just three points separate Munster and Ulster, so the result tonight will have a major bearing on how this season's contest unfolds.
Full squad details here.
The match is live on Setanta Sports, and kick-off is at 7.35pm
Ulster are pretty much at full-strength for tonight's top-of-the-table clash, with just Andrew Trimble away due to international commitments. Munster are missing almost all of their pack, Anthony Foley being their only first-choice front-eight player at No 8. Just three points separate Munster and Ulster, so the result tonight will have a major bearing on how this season's contest unfolds.
Full squad details here.
The match is live on Setanta Sports, and kick-off is at 7.35pm