Rate the World Cup warm-up match between Ireland and Wales in Dublin and leave your thoughts on the game in the comments section below.
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Rate the match: World Cup Warm-up, Ireland vs Wales
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Gave It a 7, was a good match (pleased we won) few too many handling issues in the first half. Impressed we got the win despite turnovers & poor lineout.
Still not happy first try for Ireland was awarded (I have watched the replay a dozen times don’t see that ball reach the line) but I accepted it and moved on.
Best of luck to Ireland in the world cup not in our group so go get em! A few bits to spot from both sides but definitely looking good for world cup with them having 3weeks left to iron out the errors. Glad to see North getting stuck in, seemed a little reserved for usual but expected first game back.
Well, joubert gave the try so he obviously had a clear citing of the ball being grounded, plus the ball only needs to touch a spec of the white line to be a try.
Dun worry I accepted it, I have came to a point now where I’ll rewind a few times if I don’t see it i’ll just accept I’m blind lol
Tbh it didn’t matter if they didn’t stop and award it and kept the play running 1 more recycle and they had it, we got caught out plain & simple.
Well deserved MoM for JT. Immense performance. Thought TF was off the pace a little. Not his usual barnstorming self. Wales half backs controlled the game a tad better than their counterparts.
Tips was superb….. utterly superb but that won’t get him the No7 shirt at RWC.
Tips is to Cementhead what Shane Williams was to Graham Henry and Steve Hansen in the 2000s.
Cementhead has his favourites and will ignore the evidence b4 him.
Warburton at 6 and Tips at 7 and actually play the rugby we know we should be playing!!!
The appalling attempt to knee-cap AWJ will almost certainly go unnoticed by the citing officer.
Clearly shows what Wales can achieve when they don’t put out a weak 2nd/3rd team.
Well done lads….
Ireland will of course get my full backing when they play the self-proclaimed ‘Master Race of World Rugby’ next week.
Prophet Enoch, agree with you about Tips, but don’t agree with your thoughts about the shirt. I think it’s got to the point when Gats can say ‘horses for courses’. For example, how about a back row for Uruguay and Fiji of Tips 7, Falatau 8, Warburton 6, but using Lydiate to start the England game at 6, with Warbs at 7. Makes a lot of sense doesn’t it. Then the decision could be made, according to results and match points, which back row to go with for the OZ game.
Didnt get to see the match. How did the scrum go? Does Francis look like capable cover at 3?
Yes.
Francis had a very solid game. More than held his own in the scrum. Slipped a couple of tackles. Made a few yards. I reckon he’s done enough. A good option to shore up the scrum if it goes tits.
As a neutral English guy I thought that was a good game between 2 good teams played at high tempo and stacks of energy.Tips outstanding-as a 7 light years ahead of Robshaw.
England will need to step up quite a bit to win next Saturday which is crucial to the mindset before the Fiji game.
England will lose to this very good Ireland side. They will simply be too good for England, which will put the cat among the pigeons a little bit – but could do England a lot of good in the long run, because they have to be able to play a fast enough game to beat Fiji, let alone Wales and OZ.
Unfortunately this game showed how far ahead the back row balance of Wales is compared to ours. I am getting really pessimistic about even getting out of group at the moment, Aus back row looking class with Hooper and Pocock as well, we are going to struggle to slow ball or gain quick ball for ourselves.
Whilst England have been poor the last 2 weeks, we have beaten Wales home and away in the last 2 years. I think the pessimism is getting a but much.
Agreed. We’ve also beaten Australia sides with Hooper and Pocock in them – more than Wales have ever managed.
To compare Robshaw and Tipuric is just silly. They are completely different types of players.
This isn’t about the last two years, unfortunately.
Joe Schmidt summed it up pretty well. You simply can’t give a team like Wales that amount of possession and penalties. It won’t work out. It wouldn’t work out for any team except the AB’s, maybe. When you allow Leigh Halfpenny to take shots form distance, it’s going to be a bad day. It reminded me of the world cup match between Wales and Ireland and yet again, Wales have schooled us a lesson, similar weather too but Wales played well enough to put some scares into Aus and Eng I think. It really is looking like the group of death we were promised. I think the winner of Wales and England will decide 2nd, and it’s too close to call. Ireland would have their hands full against Argentina whether or not they can beat France, not a mind New Zealand. Argentina are looking good to me. But, I think Ireland are better when they’ve been put in their place and more dangerous too, so I still have hope they can go far, why not all the way.
Enjoyed the game, gave me optimism that the rugby is shaping up nicely, something to play for. Excellent to see Gats get one over on “the worlds best coach” (as I’ve heard him referred to a lot on Twitter) again. Ireland played very little rugby and their ability to slow down and win ruck ball was neutered, bettered by Wales. Sexton put in an awful lot of cross kicks and what was that attempted drop goal from halfway by the replacement out half all about?
Excellent selection headaches for Gats – Tipuric, Bradley Davies. The reliables were peerless – Gethin, AWJ, halfpenny. Worries that Mikey has been coaching Webb in the art of hanging around at the base. Tomas will be one for the long term and the late first half scrum pen will have been a good learning experience for him – keep concentrating until off the pitch.
Makes the England vs Ireland game next week very interesting, if Ireland come out on top it will give a real confidence boost to the Welsh lads. As for the game yesterday I think all the main men come through with flying colours, BD probably played himself into the 31 at the expense of Jake Ball, Cuthbert is toast IMHO he was a passenger for much of the game & once again failed to do what he used to do so well ….. score !!
Gatland’s 31?
1. James, Jenkins, Evans
2. Baldwin, Owens, Dacey
3. Francis, Lee, Jarvis
4/5. AW Jones, Charteris, Davies
6/7/8. Lydiate, King, Falatau, Moriarty, Tipuric, Warburton
9. Webb, Davies, (Williams),
10. Biggar, Priestland,
12/13 Roberts, Williams, T. Morgan
11/14/15. North, L. Williams, Halfpenny, Amos, M.Morgan, Walker
Just offered as a thought. The moot points are: three locks or four? if three, that gives the possibility of King AND Moriarty, which would be very desirable. King can play 4,5,6,8, while Moriarty can cover 6 and 8.
In the backs only 2 scrum halves?? Well Oz have done it! And since the WC is in our back yard, we can draft in Lloyd W if there’s an injury.
Then I agree that it’s a toss-up between ‘Nipper’ Morgan and Anscombe. But I just think Nipper is an exceptional talent who could become a remarkable ‘super-sub’ – he can change games, and can also play at 10, 15, or if necessary on the wing.
Funny how things change in a week…a week ago England’s backs put in a very decent performance which beat France and Wales (admittedly 2nd string) lost poorly at home to Ireland. A week later Wales win convincingly in Ireland and England won’t make it out the group of death. I love a bit Welsh optimism (Tailisin) but England have done just fine the past couple seasons against Wales and Aus.
I don’t read to much into the warmups. Wales 2nd/3rd stringers losing to Ireland no big loss, since most of them wont be in the squad. This game was a good performance but 3 weeks to resolve the problems that arose.
One loss doesn’t make Ireland a poor team, they will tighten up their resolve so will be a team to worry about out of group.
England won then lost to France, yet this tournament they get to host in a stadium they have a good record. Again 3weeks and a tough test against Ireland for there final warmup will teach them a lot before the group.
What we saw this & last weekend shows some of the quality, but 3 weeks to refine so the minor things that can really alter a result will be fixed & arise before the group. I think a lot of people talking about Eng or Wales qualifying, why not them both? Australia are a beatable team.
The Wales/England game may be a game for 2nd place… but I got a sneaking suspicion the lose may claim 2nd.
Banastre, I think it’s dark over there and there’s the sound of some nervous whistling going on! There has been a lot of unease over the past few days about Lancaster’s selections, and news of unhappiness in camp about the treatment of Cipriani and Burrell. I think they are both incredibly unlucky; and the knock-on effect is the massive pressure (yet more of it) that it heaps on Burgess. Not nice; not good.
Where have you heard that the “camp” being unhappy over Cips and Burell? A few journos and ex players yes but the camp no. Any sources for that titbit?
As an England fan I have concerns over the coaches, tactic selection, but have had for the past 3 years, nothing to do with one poor performance last week. We’ve shown we can beat the best, and Wales too, but never on a consistent basis. We may beat Aus and Wales. But I’m not counting on it.
As for the warm ups. It’s a bit of a phoney war isn’t it. I’m sure all sides are holding stuff back for the world cup. Still next week should be good. Neither Ireland or England will want to go into a world cup on the back of 2 losses, unless Schmidt cops out and sends out a second string side.
Ps. The “Wales too” comment was a joke btw.
Just to clear up one thing…
Regarding Ireland’s try just before half time…I’m confused about one penalty that was awarded against Wales for not keeping 10m from player? (I’m deaf so might have gotten it wrong).
If that’s the case – why is this awarded when Ireland was just 1-2m from the try line? It’s impossible to keep 10m away with that.
Good win for Wales in a tough place to win away. Am hoping that SL has been studying the Gatland coaching method and England are starting slow! Certainly looks like England have been concentrating more on fitness than technique. Would say the group is too close to call at the moment. Probably any of Eng, Aus and Wales could beat the others on their day. Will come down to the finer points I reckon, the odd awkward bounce and god forbid the ref!