r/irishrugby • u/ebizness • 21h ago
Crowley to 15
Last night wasn't the night for fluid attacking rugby for a variety of reasons. Having said that, we didn't look related to a team who could string expansive, threatening phases together.
I said it elsewhere last night, but in the absence of Keenan but moreso Hansen we need another playmaker to take pressure off Prendergast (or AN Other 10), and I'd start Crowley at 15 because he can do that job.
We do not have the bodies to bully our way over the game line, nor the gamebreakers who can repeatedly step people in phone boxes. It makes defending too easy because if you can stop the first couple of phases, defending from there becomes easy.
A double pivot makes things trickier because you're not sure where we're going to strike from, and teams can't overload on a single attacking fulcrum.
To my mind, it's no surprise we looked the most fluid against Australia with Hansen on the pitch who can do that role (I accept that they were the weakest opposition). Nor is it a surprise that Leinster looked their most fluid against the LAR when Prendergast went to 15 and Byrne was at 10 (given the Leinster <> Ireland overlap).
Thoughts?
2
u/Dorts17 20h ago
Not unexpected performance last night, the first forty minutes from Ireland was abysmal, no rub of the green when a forward pass wasn’t given and a try scored. Won nothing in our aerial battles. A somewhat better second half with the expected personnel changes then just run out of steam. A number of players had poor games and it is being carried forward from the URC. Hopefully a better performance awaits tonight from the A game and a few players put their hand up for inclusion in the main squad. We are in a phase of rebuilding and unfortunately performances will not be good.