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Leinster 33-22 Northampton Saints

Finally getting around to writing my match report, my apologies for taking so long, but my nerves have not been in a good place for the last few days. I have (and so has every other Leinster fan!) been on an emotional rollercoaster!

What a final! What a comeback!
Northampton came straight out of the traps and got stuck into the men in blue, and nowhere was this more evident than in the scrum. Tonga'uiha had said in the days leading up to the match, that when the Saints scrum is dominant it transfers out to the rest of the squad. And it showed!
It seemed to show on the Leinster side too with uncharacteristic errors. Five big knock ons in the first half from players you just wouldn't expect it from, Nacewa, Heaslip, D'Arcy, Strauss and O'Driscoll.
Northamptons first try came from their powerful scrum when they went to the blindside and Calum Clark stepped inside and off-loaded to put Phil Dowson over.
Leinster were unlucky after a break from Horgan and an off-load to Strauss that was knocked on when Strauss had acres of space in front of him.
Horgan was at it again when he put Dowson on his rear and broke through the Northampton line. He passed to O'Brien who passed to O'Driscoll, and O'Driscoll raced to the line only to be thwarted by a very fine tackle from Ben Foden and a knock on.
Brian Mujati was sin binned for a pull back on Healy. Harsh, considering that Leinster were still inside their own half.
This didn't dampen Saints spirits though. New prop Tom Mercey came on and picked up where Mujati left off. They even won a scrum against the head! And from that scrum they ran at Leinster. Bashing up into the Leinster defence until the ball got to Foden and he side stepped O'Driscoll, of all people.
For their third try, they moved the ball from touchline to touchline until captain Dylan Hartley and his big boys forced themselves over the line for the try.
22-6 at half time. It was looking very ominous for the men from the capital at this stage.
Leinster came out in the second half, much like Northampton did in the first, like bats out of hell!
A great initial break from a ruck by O'Driscoll and Heaslip which brought Leinster up to the Northampton line. They banged away at the Saints defence until Sexton received the ball with big Soane Tonga'uiha standing in front of him, Sexton turned on the pace and beat him on the outside to go over.
D'Arcy was desparately unlucky not to get a try when he went over the line. Paul Diggin did exceptionally well to hold him up.
From the ensuing scrum the ball was moved to the far touchline and then eventually moved back to under the posts where Sexton dummied to dot down over the line.
For Leinsters third try it was a case of great running lines and utter commitment from the entire team for Hines to barge his way over to score.
There was still time for Northampton to get back into the game, but they looked deflated and almost disinterested at that stage.
Leinster went on to win and Sexton missed a penalty to break the record for highest individual point scorer in a final.

Something very drastic happened in the Leinster dressing room at half time. In the second half they became the Leinster we all know and love! We saw Healy barnstorming, Strauss roaming, Ross scrummaging, Cullen leading, Hines off loading, O'Brien destroying, Jennings rucking, Heaslip striding, Reddan sniping, Sexton unleashing, Fitzgerald hitting, D'Arcy stepping, O'Driscoll scything, Horgan claiming and Nacewa catching. It was brilliant!!
In my opinion Jennings had a significant part in this revival. When he plays, Leinster play better. O'Brien was getting on the ball a lot more because Jennings was doing the dirty work at the breakdown. Also the ruck ball was quicker.
Another place was the scrum. The front five came out and played like a completely different outfit! As a prop myself, I know when you're getting smashed in the scrum, you just want the game to end and you dread every blow of the refs whistle in fear of another humiliating defeat in what should be your bread and butter. So for Healy, Strauss and Ross to come out in the second half after taking such a physical and mental bashing and perform in the way that they did was truly remarkable!
The main catalyst for the revival was (Man of the Match) the magnificent Sexton! He grabbed this game by the scruff of the neck and refused to let his team lye down! I really hope he can replicate more performances like this in the world cup!
This was a truly great final with everthing that a rugby fan could ask for! And Romain Poite didn't interfere!!
Next stop for most of these players is the World Cup, we can only hope that that final can be even just a fraction as good as the one witnessed here!

Heineken Cup Final Preview

Leinster vs. Northampton

I am getting stupidly excited about this game!
These are the two teams that deserve to be in the final, and what a final it has the potential to be.
Northampton have plenty of grunt up front and lethal finishers out wide. Leinster have plenty of grunt up front, but probably don't have the same calibre of lethal finishing out wide. What they do have is a far more unpredictable midfield.
James Downey is going to do what he does best, direct running and bashing it up the middle. He will feel that he has a point to prove to the Irish selectors in this game and no better time to try and prove a point than in a big final against the man whose shirt you're after.
Roger Wilson is another man out to prove his worth. While he's not as dynamic as Jamie Heaslip, he does offer a tough physical edge and robust ball carrying to his game (I personally would have him ahead of Denis Leamy).
Both Leinster and Northampton are capable of playing the game tight when they need to and throwing the ball around when the time is right. (Let's hope that the time is right a lot!!)
Now the scrum. Does Joe Schmidt go with Heinke Van der Merwe to try and nulify the big Northampton scrum? Van der Merwe is a better scrummager than Cian Healy but Healy is more mobile in the loose. Do you start Van der Merwe and then unleash Healy to cause some destruction with his ball carrying when Northampton are starting to tire? Or, do you start Healy and have him compete with Soane Tonga'uiha around the park?
Another selection issue is at scrum half. Do you go with Eoin Reddan for his snappier service or do you go with Isaac Boss for his extra physicality? Northampton have some huge ball carriers in the frames of Downey, Wilson, Courtney Laws, Dylan Hartley and the ultra destructive Tonga'uiha. With men like that in the opposition Boss' physicality could come in handy. On the other hand, do you want to get your backline, especially the midfield in this game, moving.
Whichever players Schmidt goes with, like a good friend of mine said: 'In Schmidt we trust!'

I think Leinster will come out on top in this game due to a better midfield and while Northampton have very big ball carriers up front I feel the Leinster pack are a bit more street wise.

COME ON LEINSTER!!!! Let the legacy continue!

Leinster 32-23 Toulouse

WOW! How intense was that? An epic encounter where both sides turned up and fronted up.
It almost looked like the gods were against Leinster when a David Skrela penalty after just three minutes came off the post and bounced over Brian O'Driscoll's head for Florian Fritz to come charging in and put the ball down. Leinster did nothing wrong, it was just desperately unfortunate.
Toulouse made Leinster work really hard all over the pitch and didn't give Leinster an inch without Leinster really earning it. Toulouse were tenacious at the breakdown and forced Leinster to commit bodies.
Leinster came back with the forwards hammering up around the edges. Eventually Jamie Heaslip stretched for the score and just about got it down on the line.
In the second half Toulouse got a try close to the Leinster line and put on the squeeze. They wheeled it for scrum half Jean-Marc Doussain to bolt forward and off load to Louis Picamoles to dot it down.
The intensity continued and Cian Healy went charging up field breaking a couple of tackles that got the Leinster crowd and players pumped. Enter Heinke Van Der Merwe from the bench to replace Healy. He was obviously pumped after watching Healy's rampage. He went straight into the scrum and annihilated Census Johnston. The players and crowd got even more pumped! Turning point?
Leinster's second try was almost a carbon copy of their first. With the forwards flexing their muscles in the fringes and phase after phase. The opportunity nearly got away when Isaac Boss's pass didn't go to hand, but Jonny Sexton showed great commitment by catching the ball in contact. The ball made it's way to O'Driscoll who ran in from 2 metres. Not the best try he's ever scored, but he will be delighted with it none the less.
There was still plenty of time for a team of the quality of Toulouse to steal it at the death but Leinster held out and now march on to Cardiff.
This game was massively intense and physical throughout. Neither side was willing to take a backwards step. Leinster's forwards got some payback for last years semi final when Toulouse absolutely smashed them up front. They can be very proud of themselves, as can the rest of the squad. Massive effort put in by all!
My Man of the Match is Jamie Heaslip. He was excellent all game. He ran great lines and was a constant thorn in the Toulousian side.
Honourable mentions for Richardt Strauss and Gordon D'Arcy.
Next stop Cardiff!

Leinster vs. Toulouse Preview

Toulouse. Just hearing the name makes you instantly think 'Kings of Europe'. It was a name that used to instill fear in me. Not anymore! I'm just getting more and more excited about the prospect of these two teams clashing in such a big game!
Anything Toulouse can do, Leinster can do and sometimes better!
Toulouse have always had big grunt up front and flair out wide and so do Leinster. But, Toulouse don't have the best ball carrier in Europe (if not the world) and the best player in the game for the past ten years! I'm sure you know who the two men are, if not, you can't seriously call yourself a rugby fan!
I really can not wait for this game! It has all the makings of a classic encounter. Two teams who play heads up rugby and who have the mindset to run/counter attack when the time is right.
Toulouse can sometimes be their own worst enemies. They seldom kick and sometimes they play the game with the attitude of that they don't mind the opposition scoring because they'll just score more. Leinster on the otherhand have a great kicker when it's needed and a wall like defence. I hope to see Toulouse turn up with their attitude and their chests pushed out and their chins held high, because if they do, this game will be epic in every sense of the word! And regardless of the winner, the game of rugby will gain even more fans!
The big dilemma for Leinster is who to play in the back row? Does Joe Schmidt go with the ultra physical combination of Jamie Heaslip, Sean O'Brien and Kevin McLaughlin or the ultra streetwise combination of Heaslip, O'Brien and Shane Jennings?
McLaughlin is hugely physical. He hits targets like a cannonball and hits rucks like a battering ram. His lineout work has developed hugely as was evident against Leicester when he had Tom Croft and others in his pocket for the day.
Jennings brings a totally different set of skills to the table. He is an out-and-out number seven. He is the ultimate link man in play and his work rate in and around the ruck is exceptional. You might lose a little in the lineout, but when have you ever heard of Toulouse having an intimidating lineout?
I would pick Jennings to start and when he tires I would bring in McLaughlin to up the physicality and smash a few tired Toulousian bodies!
Another thing Leinster need to do is get people running off O'Brien. Too often we see O'Brien breaking through defences and having no options but to go to ground and hope that his team mates can retain the ball. Luke Fitzgerald, Isa Nacewa and Shane Horgan need to be right on top of O'Brien whenever it looks like he's going to carry, if they do it will pay off with a lot of tries! I hate to say it, but if they watched some footage of Chris Ashton they could learn some things about the way to track the game breakers.

COME ON LEINSTER!!!!
ALLEZ LES BLEUS!!!!

Leinster 17-10 Leicester

Great game! Powerful performance!
It didn't start too fantastically for the men in blue with the Tigers bashing away at the gainline. But it would have been a big confidence builder for them with the Tigers barely making an inch. Richardt Strauss hit everything that moved that wasn't wearing blue!
Some great go forward from Mike Ross who rumbled forward with ball in hand (is there a more beautiful sight than that of a prop charging forward with the ball?). After that initial charge the team ran some great lines and offloaded well before Strauss offloaded to Luke Fitzgerald ,with the line at his mercy, who dropped the crucial pass. Frustrating and unlucky.
Leinster made a lot of line breaks and made a lot of ground but didn't convert some of it into points.
In the second half Leicester came out and put it up to Leinster again like at the start of the first half. This time though, they got the break, and Alessana Tuilagi smashed through Brian O'Driscoll to dive for the line. Sean O'Brien got across to force him into touch and save the day! Phew!
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. And I don't mean O'Driscoll. Isa Nacewa has been immense all season and he scored a magnificent individual try. He ran from just outside his own half ,after a Leicester clearance kick, and carrying the ball in both hands, he dummied and stepped his way to the Leicester try line. He turned half of the Tigers inside out in the process!
Leicester never know when they're beaten though, and kept attacking Leinster. Their persistence paid off when Rob Hawkins ran from deep and took the pass from Ben Youngs to get over the Leinster line.
That brought the gap to just 7 points and a few very uncomfortable minutes at the end.
Leinster held out, Leicester go out.
The Leinster pack were awesome today, especially the tight five. The scrum went well, the lineout went well and the ruck went well. Leinster were on top in every facet of play during this game and deserved the win in the end. Isa Nacewa was the standout player in the backline in a game that was decided by the big men up front.
Leinster have certainly banished the demons of Thomond from last week and can take an awful lot of positives from this performance.
My Man of the Match is Richardt Strauss. He defended superbly, carried supremly, offloaded expertly and did his donkey work brilliantly! Honourable mentions for the rest of the tight five and Isa Nacewa.
Now bring on the rest of them!
COME ON LEINSTER!!!!

Leinster vs. Leicester Preview

Here we are, the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup, and Leinster are set to play against the one team that I really wanted them to avoid. Leicester Tigers.
One reason that I wanted Leinster to avoid them is because Leicester travel well. They've had two games away from home in a row and won both. In one of the games they inflicted Bath's worst ever home defeat.
Another reason is that even if they play badly they're so big and powerful that they can just beat the crap out of you and hold on to the ball and squeeze out a victory. If this happens, Shane Jennings is a massive loss. As a supreme pilferer he could have had a go at stopping them. Let's hope that it doesn't come down to that.
Nathan Hines is going to have to be at his irritating best at ruck time to keep Leicester busy and hopfully suck in some of their big runners to the breakdown.
Leo Cullen's knowledge of the enemy camp could be priceless. He played under Richard Cockerill for a couple of years so he know's him quite well.
Manu Tuilagi is talked about in a big way with his big hits and powerful runs. But, he is also a bonus for Leinster. Tuilagi can get caught up in shooting up and trying to smash people and leaving a big gap in the defensive line behind him, and the best man to exploit that is the man directly opposite him. Brian O'Driscoll. I'm sure O'Driscoll has been watching videos and has thought about ways to take advantage of it.
For Leinster to come out on top they have to stop Leicester's big power runners from gaining ground and getting the team on the front foot. Also, Eoin Reddan has to keep Ben Youngs in his pocket and not let him get his strut going.
This will probably be a very tight one with the winning margin being only a couple of points. I know that Leinster are more than capable of pulling it off and I really hope that they do!

COME ON LEINSTER!!!!

Munster 24-23 Leinster

What a game! An epic clash between two of rugbys biggest rivals.
Leinster dominated the first half with Munster barely getting even a sniff of the Leinster half. It was a hectic 40 minutes with plenty of action. It probably would have been a better game if we didn't have a whistle happy referee that played very short advantages. The only try of the game came from a Ronan O'Gara mistake from a restart that went straight into touch. From the scrum Leinster sent the ball out to Gordon D'Arcy who passed it back inside to Isa Nacewa who came on to the ball like a freight train. It looked like he was out of options but he put the grubber through for Shane Horgan. He showed great commitment by falling and sliding on his face when touching the ball down.
Munster played like men posessed in the second half! They came out all guns blazing and really got stuck into Leinster. They got up in their faces and refused to take a backward step. Leinster looked lost and paniced. Munster didn't let up and got what they deserved when O'Gara stepped up to score the penalty from out wide when he missed a similar one just minutes earlier.
This was a hugely physical game and their will be plenty of sore bodies around tomorrow. I can see Munster kicking on from here and winning both the Magners and the Challenge Cup.
Leinster have to try to pick themselves up for a massive game next week against the Tigers. It will be tough for them to get over the physical and mental pain of this game. But, they've done it before and they won't need any more motivation than the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup against a team that will be out to avenge the pain of Edinburgh!
My Man of the Match is Ronan O'Gara. His nerveless kicking won the match and he didn't shirk away from the physical aspect of the game. Honourable mentions to Isa Nacewa and David Wallace who put in a huge amount of work for their teams.

P.S. My beloved Seapoint 3rd XV beat Newbridge to secure the league!
WELL DONE LADS!!!!

P.P.S. The Seapoint 1st XV beat Greystones to practically win the league!
A GREAT DAY FOR 'POINT!!!!

Munster vs. Leinster preview

Oh yes! It's the big one! South against East! The Rebels against The Capital!
I'm all set to watch what I hope will be yet another epic clash.
I don't see Munster winning this, I just think that Leinster's tempo and offloading is going to be too much for the Red Men to handle.
There's nowhere on the pitch where I can see Munster dominating enough to give them a chance.
We all know that form going into this match doesn't mean much, as was witnessed in the Aviva at the start of the season. If Leinster win this it will be a big step toward their preparation for the Leicester Tigers next week.
I think that Leinster need this game more than Munster, never mind the 5/6 in a row, they need it to build for the Heineken Cup and gain very precious momentum and confidence.
Leinster to win, but I hope not by much! I think a tight game that comes down to the wire would be the perfect preparation for the Tigers next week.
I can't get this thought out of my head, Isa Nacewa to score an intercept try. I wonder what the odds are on that? Mighty be worth a punt.

P.S. My beloved Seapoint 3rd XV are away to Newbridge today to secure the league!
GOOD LUCK LADS!!!!

P.P.S. The Seapoint 1st XV are playing Greystones in their league decider today too. Good luck to them!

GO ON THE 'POINT!!!!

Great video here of a young man named Michael Noone.
He's currently plying his trade for Blackrock where he is the starting No. 8.
The video shows clips of some very powerful ball carrying and great turns of speed!
Definitely a man to keep an eye on!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsC8d-R-jTU

Ireland 24-8 England

Where the hell did that performance come from?!
An immense performance from the Irish team, with big physicality and commitment from 1 to 22. Ireland stopped the English on the gain line all day and were making line breaks all over the field.
For Brian O'Driscoll's try that wasn't to be, it was fantastic work from the Irish with runners offering themselves and quick ball from the breakdown. Pity about the forward pass.
Great stuff from Jonny Sexton for Tommy Bowe's try. He had the vision to see that England were strugging to get back and he raced up to the mark to take a quick tap and sent the ball out to Bowe to sail through the thin English defence.
England only got into the Irish half once or twice and the Irish gave away penalties each time and were punished for one of them. I hope this isn't a continuation from the penalty issue that has plagued them for most of the championship.
It was a great first 40 minutes to watch with the action being non stop throughout.
O'Driscoll's try was almost a carbon copy of the one that was disallowed. Once again runners were offering themselves, combined with quick ball, created the gap for O'Driscoll to cross the whitewash.
It was a very well read intercept by Steve Thompson for his try off an Irish lineout. But it wasn't enough to get the chariot swinging again.
This is the performance that we prayed for all championship and I personnally thought that we wouldn't get. A lot of players that have underperformed really stood up today, David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip, Gordon D'Arcy, Donncha O'Callaghan and Rory Best. I have a large amount of humble pie to eat at the moment and I'm enjoying every bite!!
My Man of the Match is Jonny Sexton. He was brilliant today. Pulling the strings and unleashing the team. Huge credit has to go to Eoin Reddan for his quick service which was pivotal in helping Sexton and the team. It's about time that Sexton had the chance to play off a quick scrum half and it has shown what he, and this team, are capable of. Honourable mentions for Wallace and especially the tight five who were magnificent all around the pitch.
I'm afraid that I can't decide on one Irish player of the tournament, so I have to pick two. The two men in question are Sean O'Brien and Mike Ross.
O'Brien has been immaculate in the loose with strong dynamic ball carrying and support lines. Ireland could have scored a lot more tries if more players ran angles off him.
On the other end of the spectrum is Ross, who has been immaculate in the tight and has to take massive credit for the quantum leap that the Irish scrum has made in this tournament. He got thrown in at the deep end and he was more than able to cope.
The Irish team have to kick on from here!
I'll be back again to talk about The Heineken Cup in the near future.


I'm off to finish this humble pie!

Luke Fitzgerald dropped from the 22, Leo Cullen and Sean Cronin still on the bench, terrible idea!
We all noticed that Fitzgerald wasn't a full back after seeing him playing the first 2 games in that position. Kidney & co. persisted with him and now they drop him. Fitzgerald's confidence is at rock bottom after the Wales match which was his worst. Now he gets dropped just to rub salt into the wound. He is being used as a scapegoat to make it look like the coaches are trying to make a change. I don't have an issue with Andrew Trimble as he is a good player. Fitzgerald should have been moved back to the wing to try and regain some much needed confidence. This could be a crushing blow for both Fitzgerald and Leinster.
Cullen and Cronin must be the 2 most frustrated men in Ireland. They've been sitting on the sidelines watching an underperforming team and yet they have not been given a single opportunity between them, apart from the odd cameo. The 2 men that they would be replacing have not performed during this championship. What do they have to do to get a chance? How can you expect to keep players interested when deep down they think that they don't have a hope of breaking into the team? Especially when the team is underperforming. These guys must be desperate to get back to there provinces/clubs.
The picking of Jonny Sexton over Ronan O'Gara can only be for one reason. Sexton has been picked for his physicality in the tackle area against what is a giant English pack. It has to be for that reason. O'Gara has been playing well and Sexton hasn't coated himself in glory when he has come on. The big postive to this is that Sexton will finally have the chance to play off a quick scrum half, if we can get the ball.
Let's hope the Irish team can put a stop to the marauding chariot.

Sorry

Have to apologise because there won't be any match report from me. I ended up getting hammered yesterday. I'm just going to throw out a few things that are in my noggin.
Ireland were simply awful yesterday and were beaten by a misfiring Wales team. The penalties are still an issue and ultimately cost them the game. There has to be a drastic overhaul in this team, either in personnel or they have to sit down and have a real long hard look at themselves to sort it out. It's 4 games in a row now, something has to change because whatever they're doing just isn't working.
The try that shouldn't have been. We all know that the Welsh try was an awful decision from the touch judge, but it shouldn't be allowed to deflect from the fact that Ireland were very poor. Wales won by 6 points, and if James Hook had kicked all his points (he hit the post with a penalty) Wales would have won even without the try.
Some of the Irish lads didn't play to their best, Luke Fitzgerald and Ronan O'Gara really stuck out. Fitzgerald is no longer a viable option at full back. I would move him back to the wing and move Keith Earls back or bring in Gavin Duffy. O'Gara wasn't at his tactical kicking best yesterday and had quite a few slices off the boot. The fact that the scrum half had to be changed after the first minute also didn't help Irelands cause. Even with all that, Ireland could and should have won this game. The penalty issue must get sorted!
For next week I would like to see both Leo Cullen and Sean Cronin get a chance in place of Donncha O'Callaghan and Rory Best. Both O'Callaghan and especially Best have been serial offenders in giving away penalties. Surely Fergus McFadden has to come in for Paddy Wallace after he butchered a great chance at the end. I can't see Kidney & co. making many changes, if any.
Let's hope for an improvement next week when the chariot swings into town.
P.S. Viva Italia!!

Declan Kidney is, again, sticking with Eddie O'Sullivan's tried and tested.

I'm starting to get sick of looking at the Ireland team sheet. Kidney & co. have been in charge of this team for some time now, but it is essentially the same as when O'Sullivan was around. I know they say a good team doesn't become a bad one over night, but this team has been around for a very long time, with very little change to it. The only changes that have happened are through injury and retirement.
Ireland are going to go to this world cup with the same team that capitulated in France 4 years ago. Every other team in world rugby has blooded new players and experimented with the way they play and the vast majority of them have progressed. Ireland experimented a little with playing Jonny Sexton for a more expansive game, but used a slow, defensive scrum half inside of him for most of that. So for the most part, it seemed that the experiment failed. It only failed because of the poor personnel choice for the game plan to work. For a game like that to work you need a quick scrum half (Peter Stringer/Eoin Reddan), an openside flanker to link play (Shane Jennings) and a general mindset in the whole squad that this is the way forward. When you have that mindset it encourages players to off load and run angles off the ball carrier. The only players running angles are Sean O'Brien and Sean Cronin. And very few players are even looking for off loads let alone executing them.

On another subject, if the penalty issue is still ongoing after this match a radical change is needed in the playing personnel! It probably should have been done already, but if it continues for a fourth game in a row it has to be a case of desperate times, call for desperate measures.

The Irish team and managment are at Carton House to review the Scotland match and try to sort out the penalty crisis. They are also going to talk to the IRB about some of the decisions that referee Nigel Owens made during the match.
It's about time that this sit down happened, but there are 2 problems with it:
1. Only the starting 15 are at Carton House.
The problem with this is that it doesn't look good for the other lads to get a start for the Wales game. They could easily get it into their heads that no matter how they do for their province during the weekend, the starting 15 has already been picked. That is an absolute confidence sapper and bad for the provinces. Why should these guys give it their all at the weekend if they think there's no competition for places?
Also, there's more than the 15 giving away penalties (anyone remember Denis Leamy before the Scottish drop goal?).
2. Bothering to talk to the IRB about some of the decisions.
The Irish players are professionals and before and after every game you hear them talk about "you have to play the ref". These guys watch videos of the refs before games to see what gets him blowing the whistle. During the game you figure this out too. Even at my level of rugby (J4) we figure out what the ref blows for, and we don't get the benefit of hours of expert video analysis! They shouldn't bother going to the IRB for clarification, they shouldn't be trying to point the finger and move the blame away from themselves. They need to take responsibility and sort it out between themselves as a team.

Scotland 18-21 Ireland

A bad performance against a terrible team.
All started bright and rosy with Ireland battering away at the Scots on their own line, sucking in defenders for Jamie Heaslip to walk over the line untouched to score the first try after just 2 minutes.
Great scrum from the Irish pack for Eoin Reddan to trot over for a try after Heaslip peeled off the back. Absolutely awful defence from Scotland contributed to both of the tries.
Both teams seemed bereft of ideas with ball in hand, a lot of running into traffic or putting boot to ball.
In the second half Ireland started well again attacking the Scottish line while the Scots were down to 14 men. Ireland were sloppy though, they turned over the ball to Scotland and gave away a penalty not long after that, both incidents happened on the Scottish line.
Ireland kept it simple and went throught the phases, a gap was going to appear at some stage and when it did Ronan O'Gara took the opportunity with a superb hand off on Ross Ford to dot down under the sticks.
Scotland were very direct for the whole game, but that made them predictable.
Irelands indiscipline at the breakdown continues to be a major problem. They kept Scotland in the match by continually giving away penalties in their own half. Ireland should have blown this terrible Scotland team away. If Scotland had been half decent or Dan Parks had started they probably would have won this match. Ireland were bad and there for the taking, that's 2 games in this championship where Ireland have been lucky to come away with a win. I'm starting to wonder if this business of giving away penalties is a tactic that Kidney & co. have instilled in the squad. Whatever it is it has to stop now!
Declan Kidney's use of the bench is still terrible. One week he doesn't use it and then the next he empties it with the game finely balanced. What is he playing at?!
I've said it before but I really think that Kidney & co. don't know what game to play and who they need to play it.
My Man of the Match is Sean O'Brien. He made breaks all over the field and supported all the other runners too. Honourable mentions for Ronan O'Gara, Eoin Reddan and the front row.
Kidney & co. have an awful lot of work to do.

Scotland vs. Ireland Preview

This match is a must win for both sides.
Ireland are blessed that Dan Parks isn't playing in this match. Ruaridh Jackson has been picked to play a more expansive game and with all the injuries that Scotland have in the back line, this will suit Ireland. Scotland would be better off playing for set pieces to grind out penalties for Chris Paterson to convert. Scotland need this win after already losing a game at home they won't want to do it twice in a row.
Ireland need to attack Scotland out wide and try to push their massive pack from pillar to post to wear them out. Speedy delivery is essential for this, and Ireland have the opportunity of getting this due to the presence of Eoin Reddan at srum-half. The worst thing that Ireland can do is let the Scots keep it tight. Declan Kidney needs Ireland to win this after deciding that Jonny Sexton was the reason that they were losing (which is preposterous!).
This game will not be full of tries due to Scottish errors and Irish kicking. Tommy Bowe will get a try from a cross field kick.

I read a quote from Declan Kidney today that made me chuckle with bemusement.
“I’d agree with Alan (Gaffney), I thought Jonathan had a very good game the last day,” said Kidney, “but Ronan has been playing very well then too, so if you want to keep guys ticking along, it’s only right that you (reward form).
"reward form". Is Kidney joking? How can you justify that when you've selected an inferior scrum-half and second row for 2 games in a row?! The selections of Tomás O'Leary and Donncha O'Callaghan over Peter Stringer/Eoin Reddan and Leo Cullen suggest that Kidney doesn't know what form is. Another thing that suggests this, is the selection of Paddy Wallace on the bench ahead of Fergus McFadden. Wallace didn't play well against the Llanelli Scarlets at the weekend and McFadden has done well.
I'm surprised that Kidney could keep a straight face while he said that.

Declan Kidney has finally seen sense (but, I think it was injury forced!) and dropped Tomás O'Leary. But (and it's a big BUT!) he's dropped Jonny Sexton! WHAT?!!!
Kidney eventually gets around to dropping O'Leary to get quicker ball from the breakdown and then drops the best out-half we have at unleashing the backline. It just doesn't make sense.
Ronan O'Gara has been pushing hard to get a start, but Sexton hasn't been given the chance to play off a quicker scrum-half. I think he played with Eoin Reddan for 4 minutes against Italy. If Ireland want to embrace a running game Kidney and co. are going the wrong way about it.
Can you see O'Gara running for a wrap around to create gaps for the outside backs? No. And it's because it isn't the way he plays the game. He plays the territorial game beautifully, but he can't unlock defences in the same way as Sexton.
If Dan Parks starts for Scotland on Sunday we could be in for a giant game of tennis! The way Ireland's line out has been functioning lately doesn't fill me with great confidence for playing a percentage game. Scotland's pack are huge and they'll be happy to go from set piece to set piece and try to grind out a victory. We got dragged into this kind of game against Italy and I hope that it doesn't happen again.
On another note, dropping Fergus McFadden from the 22 is another decision that confuses me. He has done nothing wrong and deserves to be in the 22 at the expense of Paddy Wallace. He can cover more positions than Wallace and could be employed as a place kicker if needed.
I'm starting to get the feeling that Kidney and co. don't know what kind of game they want to play and which people they really need to apply it.

After seeing the players that have been called up to the extended squad for the Scotland match on Sunday, and there are a couple of things that have made my eyebrow raise.
Mick 'Superstar' O'Driscoll has been called up which absolutely baffles me! Donnacha Ryan has been called up, but it should be him that is called up as second row cover and Shane Jennings to cover the back row. O'Driscoll has never done anything in the green of Ireland and he's done little in the red of Munster. I can not understand his call up at all.
The fact that Peter Stringer wasn't called up initially (once again he's been called as cover for Tomás O'Leary) is madness! He is the form player at Munster and is the only Munster player that should be anywhere near the starting XV! Paul O'Connel is there because of his reputation. I have no idea why Donncha O'Callaghan is there, he's done nothing but give away penalties. Denis Leamy is too busy whinging at refs to concentrate on playing the game. David Wallace (granted he had a decent game against France) hasn't performed for a while and is not in the team on merit. Keith Earls is there due to injuries to Tommy Bowe, Andrew Trimble and Shane Horgan, he wouldn't have a sniff if they were all fit.
I don't see Declan Kidney and co. making many changes. The pack will stay the same. The only changes that might happen is Bowe coming in on the wing and Fergus McFadden switching to the other wing or the bench or, and this is a long shot, to inside centre where Gordon D'Arcy hasn't been playing to his best.
We'll keep an eye out to see what Kidney and co. decide to do in the coming days.

Started this blog after some of my friends suggested that facebook was no longer the place for me to post my Leinster and Ireland rugby match analysis and opinion.
I'll be posting later in the week about the Ireland team to play Scotland and how I feel about it.
You'll have to bear with me for a while until I get used to the whole thing.