WITH FOUR WINS from four games, last weekend was certainly a positive one for the Irish provinces in the Guinness Pro12.
Ulster, Leinster, Munster and Connacht scored 21 tries between them across the course of their four fixtures, and we’ve analysed a few favourites in the video above.
Yesterday, we took a look at both of Connacht’s five-pointers against Glasgow, so here we focus on the other three provinces.
Footage courtesy of Guinness Pro12.
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Pity the Irish international team are so poor going forward.
I think you might be a TROLOLOL, but I’ll have a nibble on the bait.
In the past couple of years the provinces have by and large been stunted in attack, especially Leinster under MOC and Munster under Foley, the teams who contribute the lions share of players.
Joe inherits these guys in for a few weeks and has to build a team, it is not his job to teach them an attacking mindset or the requisite skills to go with it. It is therefore unsurprising that the Irish attack has been stunted, inheriting the attack of the provinces.
What is clear now is that all of the provinces are building these basic (and complex) skills in attack, some teams (Connacht) are more fluid at it than others, but each are building. Going forward, it stands to reason that the Irish attack will continue to improve,
No come on, tell me, are you a cranky oul’ fool or just taking the mick?
Complete nonsense. Keith Earls, Simon Zebo and Tommy Bowe used all score buckets of tries before Joe got his hands on them. Some of his favourite players like Luke Fitz and the 2 Kearneys are known for not scoring tries. Schmidt ignores players like Gilroy who scores bucket loads of tries.
Yeah. Pre-Schmidt Ireland were doing really, really well. I loved when they’d finish 5th in the 6 Nations and lose 60 – 0 on summer tours. I miss that.
Read what you posted – ”Joe inherits these guys in for a few weeks … ” You claim they don’t have an attacking mindset. Well, they used to have an attacking mindset until Joe got his hands on them. Joe has turned our attacking players into auxiliary flankers.
Read what you posted: “complete nonsense”, how are you even responding to that jibberish. Listen, you’re clearly just an uppity Munster or Ulster supporter with a chip on his shoulder with whom there’s no point in talking. Paul, I know you’re a Munster man, but there usually isn’t a chip.
“Until he got his hands on them…” it’s like some sort of conspiracy, Joe Schmidt hates tries! Listen to yourself, it’s absolutely pathetic.
Jamie how many tries has earls scored for Munster this season ?
Chris, it’s also Joe’s fault that they’re not scoring for their provinces. Joe wanted Tommy Bowe to be injured for two of his three seasons involved. It’s a deep, deep serilous conspiracy like.
Ireland scored an average of 3 tries per match in this years 6 Nations.
No province matched that scoring rate in the Pro12 this year:
Leinster: 2.3 tries per match
Connacht: 2.7 tries per match
Ulster: 2.7 tries per match
Munster: 2.5 tries per match
1 v wales
0 v France
2 v England
so agaist strong opposition where games were tight they scored 3 tries in two matches.
Stats as the saying goes, lies, damn lies and stats.
Donal drill a bit more and analysis the stats, because stats can be used to prove any point.
For stats nerds I made a mistake.
so against strong opposition where games were tight they scored 3 tries in three matches not 2 matches as stated above, worse again.
Yes its true that they played Scotland and Italy. However the Pro12 has got two fixtures against Treviso, Zebre and Dragons where our teams routinely run in tries for fun. It is more or less the same thing.
The point Kt is trying to make, for people like he and Jamie who want to moan and be negative about Ireland’s best ever period, they can back that up with stats. While for people like myself, Donal, and Chris who like enjoying rugby, the stats can work in our favour too. Honestly, I don’t care how deep into the minority I fall, I much prefer my outlook. It is a negative state of affairs that the positive outlook is in the minority though.
Why is it that Schmidt is completely absolved of the disaster against Argentina in the most important game in Irish rugby for four years because of injuries yet nobody talks about Kidney having far more injuries in the 6 nations which completely tainted his legacy?
There were a series of three 6 Nations which tainted his legacy.
And a quarter final against arguably more manageable opposition with less of an attritional lead uo.
Kidney averaged 7.33 points a tournament over his first three 6 nations. Schmidt has only averaged 7 points over his first three tournaments. Kidney had a Grand Slam, a second, two thirds and a fifth. In the two tournaments where he finished third we lost to France and Wales in 2011 (finishing with the same points total as France in 2nd) and Wales and England in 2012. These weren’t hugely successful campaigns but they were hardly the legacy tainting disgrace that you are implying. Schmidt had an almost identical tournament this year to Kidney’s effort in 2012.
Ireland lost by 12 points to Wales in the 2011 World Cup quarter final. Wales went on to only lose by a point in the semi after getting their captain sent off at the start of the game. In 2015 Ireland lost by 23 points to an Argentinian team who then went on to get spanked in the semi’s.
I suppose the way you came in it looked like you were agreeing with the more extreme views being expressed. But your latter point is reasonable and I take it.
Fair again. I think Joe Schmidt is god, but I recognise that I’m taking it a little in the other direction.
Paul. I think thats a very good point. Constructive criticism is taken quite personally by Leinster fans. Truth is Schmidt spent a season consolidating the squad because he had no defence coach and his previous defence had implemented a system that was undone by Argentina. So he was never going to make huge changes to the playing style, these would be risks that he has not made a track record of making. That being said he made modest changes to open rugby against Scotland and/or Italy Ive forgotten. With a new defence coach who will seen very familiar attacking patterns at Connacht and Ulster this season. The tour to SA represents for Joe to go a lot further by building on the Connacht and Ulster players expansive attack. This is important as if Ireland fall into the trap of meeting Boks with the game plan they have been playing the attrition rate will be similar to the RWC. If they run the big Bok forwards around then they will tire. Limit the scrums and lineouts they give away and do not play to the Boks strengths. For Joe this is the most difficult period. Does he reinvent the playing style? Will he bring in the new generation such as Buckley, Healy and Gilroy? Alternatively will he turn to Cian Healy, the kearneys, will Madigan tour? The tour selection will tell more about any changes in style. However it will be interesting to see if Joe is able to reinvent a successful more expansive style.
So it was Joe that caused Earls’ inability to score tries this year for Munster. Interesting angle.
Ah, Murray, would you ever marry one of my daughters?
Great stuff, Murray. Maith thú!
Reddan’s pass for the Leinster try is top notch. Sexton doesn’t have to change stride at all. It’s something all pro 9s should be able to do, but so often you see passes like that making the player stop and losing that momentum. It’s something that Luke McGrath needs to work on for eg.
That sexton pass to nasewa looked forward he does sometimes throw them more flat than back