THE POST-MATCH RTE analysis of South Africa’s supreme dominance of the Rugby World Cup final centred around a Ronan O’Gara tweet.
Stephen Ferris cited the very French-sounding view from the Ireland and Munster great who has always spoken openly about the value of a solid forward platform and the debt every out-half owes his pack.
It’s a fundamental truth of rugby, a simple concept. So naturally, Eddie O’Sullivan was on hand to underline the truism with a sublime trademark metaphor.
‘You can’t fire a cannon out of a canoe.”
It was an all-time great Eddie-ism, delivered with a remarkably straight face. O’Sullivan surely knew he had delivered on the big occasion.
“15 points South Africa picked up directly from scrums, that’s a huge amount. The scoreboard kept ticking over and England could see the trophy getting further away.”
The former Ireland head coach, whose analysis throughout this World Cup has been strong before and after Ireland’s exit, added:
“Nobody talked about the scrum being an Achilles heel for England this week. Kyle Sinckler going off didn’t change anything. They were in trouble when he was there and when Dan Cole came on they were in bigger trouble.
“They set their stall there. England were shocked, they struggled to get a grip on the game and they made mistakes which we didn’t associate with England.
“As Popey said, take them out of their comfort zone, let them figure it out and England didn’t figure it out today.
“In some ways, the tries were the icing on the cake, South Africa would have won without those tries because they were so dominant.”
What Eddie is trying to say is, even before Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe touched down their late scores, England were short on paddles and drifting up shit creek.
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I think I thought I wanted England to win beforehand for a minute….But when it came down to it and the game started I found myself roaring on SA….normal service resumed…
@Fiona Graham: as an Irish UK resident, it’s with great relief that I can return from a brief break in the EU to not have to listen to Brexiteer/Little Englanders and their supply chain of lies (English red tops) proudly claiming an England win as proof positive that the EU was holding English Rugby back…. ;-)
Warren Gatland was once pushed out as Ireland rugby coach to make way for Eddie O’Sullivan. Think about that for a minute
@Jane Aelst: yes, an Eddie was much more successful in that specific role!
@Jane Aelst: listen,you can’t wear gloves on your feet.
@T Dawg: 2.5 years of building compared to 7 years of wasting the fruits of that building process on Triple Crowns when Grand Slams should’ve been won. I would hazard a guess that given their respective trajectories, Garland’s reign in Ireland would’ve been significantly more successful than that little megalomaniac
@SomeGuy: what do you know, You’re just some guy!
@Jane Aelst: Great analysis….with the benefit of the worlds largest rear view mirror.
@T Dawg: was in his hole. Warrenball has four grand slams in his tenure, and two Wc semis
@T Dawg: oh really, Gatland’s three Grand slams to Eddie’s three triple crown begs to differ. Two RWC Semifinal appearances as well, to O’Sullivans Ireland getting forty points put on by half time by France in (2003) 1/4 final and then not even getting out of our group (2007) in France. Let’s not even go anywhere near their Club coaching careers, or the Lions…
@TheHospitalPass: you have missed the point. I’m talking about his time with Ireland…….
@T Dawg: Eddie was pure dogcr*p, so many grand slams thrown away with what was relatively a better team than what we had this year, not to mention the absolute catastrophe in ‘07 which should’ve been our time to finally really break through at a World Cup.
@T Dawg: really? Evidence please. Gatland has been one of the most successful coaches in world rugby
@TheHospitalPass: In the Irish job ffs!
@Jane Aelst: please read it carefully……. I can’t explain this again!
Great stuff by Eddie. I must be getting old as I yearn for the days of Hooky and himself along with Brent.
@Roger Paltry: agreed. ETEs coverage was much more entertaining back in those days. I’d much rather have a laugh watching pundits than be impressed by their knowledge. Irish Rugby coverage has gone to hell since Hook and Humphries retired.
@Ger: who’s Humphries?
@Roger Paltry: yearning for hooky? Vom
@Thomas Lyster: Tom McGurk. Brain fart.
@Ger: yep that’s more accurate
Well done to South Africa on their world cup win over England now we don’t have to listen England on how great they are not.
Well done to New Zealand on second place .Now we have another 4 years to wait for Ireland to quailify again.
Roll on Olympics and Dublin on
the road to 6th All Ireland.
Good luck to boden and Davis in Parnell tomorrow
@Moya Power-kelly: And Katie Taylor tonight !
@Moya Power-kelly: New Zealand didn’t get “second place” though. They got 3rd. Anyway, all that matters now I suppose is that the Boks have registered themselves as W.C. winners in 2019.
@Scott Stonebridge: and Dundalk tomorrow.
@Gerry Campbell: and Connacht today!
@Owen Lydon: fully agree !!
@Scott Stonebridge: And our ladies hockey team qualifying for Tokyo tonight too.
@Rory O’Connor: and my nephew in his u12 game in Phoenix Park
Cant cook a sausage in the fridge
“You can’t unring a bell”
https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.heraldlive.co.za/amp/sport/2019-09-18-rugby-produces-most-positive-doping-tests-saids-report/
https://www.google.ie/amp/s/punditarena.com/rugby/rcorrigan/reggie-corrigan-doping-ireland-exempt/amp/
@Padraic Corcoran: that’s just about Dyanti who’s banned, no accusations surrounding the current squad
@Jim Demps: If you bothered to read the articles you’d have seen that the most recent positive test was not an isolated incident
@Padraic Corcoran: any accusations surrounding the current team?
@Padraic Corcoran: if anyone in thta south african team is doping it’s etezbeth look at him. There’s also the fact that he pointed a gun at a homeless guy that says he’s not very morally driven
@Jim Demps: Wow, sounds like something you’d hear in the Tour de France
@Padraic Corcoran: No Jim addressed it. That article also clearly states the problem is not at elite level. The doping is potentially happening before they turn professional as the young south African players tests showed. The worry is thats kids in Ireland could potentially dope, make gains, and then turn professional and never dope again.
One professional player was caught and there will have been numerous tests at the world cup and you do not hear of one failed result.
The other thing that needs to be realised is that these players are taking every sort of legal supplement you can get and doing every right to naturally make HGH.
There is a lot of injections and things to allow players play through pain in games also which is also a form of performance enhancement.
@Padraic Corcoran: I’d say all these lads were juicing in the early years. If you read up on it, apparently you keep 60% of what you gained while doping so it gives you a leg up essentially. If you think doping isn’t rampant in rugby I think you’re delusional. They’re too much money involved for IRB to really stamp down on it. Props with 6 packs…are you having a laugh?
@Joshua Walsh: It can’t be rampant in rugby as the professionals would get caught. Also it’s not just the IRB in control of testing players.
It’s a valid point that young emerging players not in the system could do a cycle of steroids to make gains some of which they would keep. But they caught the players in that SA cup so not sure how exactly that allows it be rampant.
@Padraic Corcoran: pure BS you throw out something but can’t back it up. Do you have something on the current team? If not, keep the bs to yourself. Otherwise produce it.
@Con Cussed: it’ll all come out in a few years. There’s too many vested interests at the moment for it to go public but it’ll all come to light. Just like how they got Armstrong in the end and it’s beginning to come out about our own former captain.
@Padraic Corcoran:
“to come out about our own former captain.”
Who are we talking about ?? And what are you talking about ??
@Padraic Corcoran: You don’t have an idea about what you are talking about.
I also assume you are talking about Jamie Heaslip that talked about a test that was failed but not a failure years ago and Paul Kinmage jumped on the story like a starved dog with no idea about what it was.
@Rory Mac Daibhéid: Heaslip gave an explanation for his failed drug test. Sports Ireland confirmed that his “explanation” was not factual.
Journalists like Kimmage are the reason that drug cheats like Lance Armstrong don’t get away with cheating.
@Padraic Corcoran: You are just repeating things with any intelligence.
Do you have any original thoughts or input to give? Cycling exposed the drugs cheat and nobody got away , there have been no rugby players exposed as it’s not happening.
Why hasn’t anyone mentioned SA and the doping accusations?
@Padraic Corcoran: what accusations? Dyanti failed a drugs test and is banned but I haven’t seen any accusations regarding the rest of them.
@Jim Demps: Are you actually serious? Do you even follow the sport?
@Padraic Corcoran: go on then, throw down a link for whatever accusations you’re talking about
@Padraic Corcoran: Now that you’ve mentioned it yourself, enlighten us with your views. We’re all waiting fella.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/south-africas-efforts-undone-by-doping-stars-and-schoolboys-mmm6sf5mt
Alan Quinlan: “South African rugby has had a problem with doping even going back to my playing days”
So, I suppose you have a better grip on world rugby than Quinlan?
@Jim Demps: I don’t know the rules about drugs but some of the players at the rwc look like there on juice is that allowed?
@Hon Tipp: orange juice and apple juice allowed. Cranberry juice is a grey area
God I love Eddie O’Sullivan!!
@Mike McGann: you’re on your own
Thank you P Power … 12/1 on the Boks !
@Walter Obrien: didn’t happen unless you show everyone
@Rory Purcell: check out my comment two days ago stating same bet… pal !
@Walter Obrien: gotta see it to believe it . . .Pal!!
@Rory Purcell: Suck it up Pal…. I’m collecting not you !
@Rory Purcell:
Rory you should be more careful about your “Pals”
@Walter Obrien: Spoofer Quinn I’ve blocked you so don’t bother replying with any of your balderdash as I won’t see it. Praise the Lord !
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
@De Zach Same:
That was BOD in his French phase !!
Alan Quinlan: ‘South Africa’s dirty secret is putting the rugby world on edge’
@Padraic Corcoran: go home your drunk ….
@Andrew Goodman: you’re*
@Padraic Corcoran: would you ever do us all a favour and go talk shite somewhere else. Not once have you given any of your own insight on the whole thing but yet you’re obsessed with it. And when someone corrects someone else grammar it shows you have f**k all productive to offer. Give it up man!
@Johnny Mads: else’s
@Padraic Corcoran: Loser