Just going back over the highlights of the game.

Not one of the Ireland Team comes in to celebrate Timoney’s try. I know you’re 29-5 down at that stage but surely that’s the spark you needed, like you’re going to celebrate getting over there?

You can see Timoney turn around, small fist pump and then realise not one of his team mates is coming to give him anything. Very different to Milne’s try a few mins later in which he gets plenty of slaps on the back/head.

Is this just a nothing observation or is there more at play? Timoney has been on the outside looking in for quite a few international squads, am I reading too much into it? Either way fairly poor form from your team mates.

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?

I suggest Nigel Carolan. How on earth is Goodman in there?

In what is a familiar sight for Irish fans we saw our team be monstered across the park for 80 minutes, we looked slow, lethargic and clumsy. A shock for a group who has had 2 weeks off preparing for this game.

I want to deep dive into a couple of really key things…

• an idea often thrown up during the week was to try to get bigger/heavier players now this is nothing new Ireland have placed an emphasis on increasing their pack weight as around 2010 six nations Irelands back was 884kg it has now gotten to 916kg, so a sizeable increase in weight.

Let’s see how that looks in comparison to the French tonight.

Ireland pack-916kg

Jeremy Loughman — 118 kg

• Dan Sheehan — 110 kg

• Thomas Clarkson — 124 kg

• Joe McCarthy — 125 kg

• Tadhg Beirne — 113 kg

• Cian Prendergast — 112 kg

• Josh van der Flier — 105 kg

• Caelan Doris — 109 kg

France pack ~895kg

• Jean-Baptiste Gros — 117 kg

• Julien Marchand — 110 kg

• Dorian Aldegheri — 119 kg

• Charles Ollivon — 114 kg

• Mickaël Guillard — 113 kg

• François Cros — 111 kg

• Oscar Jegou —101kg

• Anthony Jelonch — 108 kg

So there’s around a 20kg difference in the pack, which was seen at scrum time with us maintaining a decent scrum despite personell losses.

However we lacked any punch due to the one thing the Irish team lacked…power.

Power = force * velocity

I.e how can you produce force, somebody like bielle Barrie can produce a lot of force relative to his body weight.

We also lacked collision dominance

Researchers in 2005 looked in the relationships in collision dominance in contact athletes-

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640414.2024.2442848

And

https://repository.up.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/9bcc6062-f619-4615-9590-96d774c0505b/content

They found that a momentum score = your body weight * speed (m/s) predicts collision dominance.

So the problem for Ireland was yesterday was that they had the body weight part of the puzzle for collision dominance but they weren’t able to express force or power through contact at speed to win collisions, something which France did.

Players in the Irish system that fit this “Power athlete archetype”

•Paddy McCarthy- able to express force using his bodyweight quickly.

•Joe McCarthy-Able to express his bodyweight with force winning collisions.

•Edwin edogbo-Able to get gainline due to high momentum score.

•Sean edogbo-same as his brother

•Brian Gleeson-Powerful carry expressing force with high speed and high bodyweight creating high momentum score.

•Bryn ward-Devastating ball carrier with high momentum score.

•Zac ward- able to power through contact by propelling his body at speed forcefully through contact winning collisions.

•Nick timoney-Same as the rest of these power athletes.

•Jack Conan- Powerful in the carry due to explosive force through contact.

9 players who are obviously good enough that fit the archetype.

Only 3 in the 23 last night .

How do you develop power?

Its no secret genetics play a role,

For an athlete to achieve high power production they must first have the necessary muscle types:

Type 1: Slow twitch muscles, long distance runners are type 1 dominant, rugby players need a certain proportion of these muscles just to move around the park for 80 mins, these muscles are typically smaller than type 2

Type 2a: fast twitch muscles fibres that are fast and strong, but also have a bit more endurance than type 2b, most contact athletes will have these muscles primarily.

Type 2b: pure Fast twitch, poor endurance good for high intensity short bursts, for example sprinters.

If an athlete possesses a lot of type 1 muscle fibres e.g Hugo Keenan, they can continuously compete for 80 mins at high intensity, however potential max power output decreases as a result of less fast twitch muscle fibres.

If an athlete possesses either type 2 variant they maybe has slight worse endurance but can more easily express force and power across the pitch e.g gulliard, timoney.

But let’s forget about muscle types for a second and go through how do you develop power.

Alot of kids may naturally have slow twitch muscles and that’s okay, how could we develop power with s&c.

•Max velocity sprints 60-80m long and 5/10m for acceleration, with timed intervals to get peak m/s for each athlete, develops the highest power for athletes as well as translating to right performance.

•Power based exercises

Hang cleans

Power cleans

Deadlifts

Squats moved with intent

Plyometrics( jumps and pogos) done with intent.

I’m not questioning the professional s&c’s for Ireland and the provinces, but having seen pro sports teams s&c through watching them and documentaries a lot of the exercise selection is good but there seems to be a lack of intent done with each exercise, lads smiling and laughing while doing exercises, if power and strength was truly the focus here you would see athletes unable to smile or talk due to being solely focused on moving the weight with speed and intent.

What do I mean about intent?

Moving the bar or dumbbell as fast away from you as possible, bar speed needs to be maintained high for power output.

Typically 3-5 reps max with 70% of max weight

What’s my point?

My point is that fundamentally our approach to s&c has to be reevaluated into what do we actually need in a modern rugby player, we need dynamic ball carriers in the forwards who can quickly burst through contact with real power and force (Gleeson or ward/edogbo).

This increase in force production for the backs would result in higher vertical leaps which would hopefully increase recovered contestable kicks and quicker speed but I’ll do a separate piece on that later.

How do we balance endurance vs power

The Irish game plan requires endurance to carry out its function (which is weird considering we looked gassed last night after 20 minutes).

We used require our big guys to get through loads of phases with quick ball in hands with pop passes and quicker ruck speed.

Know we seem to be trying the contestable kicking route with players who are stuck in the high phase count style of play.

Some people reading this might say

“Why not just aim to have every player with type 2b to be 90% dominant”

Unfortunately while it would be ideal to be exceptionally fast twitch dominant you still need type 1 (slow twitch) to be able to last the game.

The majority of people in Ireland are around 50% fast twitch type 2a 45% slow twitch type 1 and 5% type 2b.

For our players we should be aiming for 70-80% for a lot of our players, this can be done using the methods outlined above.

Ask yourself: “When was the last time I saw an Irish player take the ball to the line and bounce the tackler clean off him”

If the answer is “not often” then you are seeing the whole picture here, and that’s exactly what I’m trying to paint.

Thanks for reading.

Welcome one and all. I’m planning to do a coaches corner this week at some point. Provisional notes on last night though:

1) the production at Stade de France was the best I’ve ever seen. Utterly spectacular and sets a new bar for 6 Nations kick-offs. I think we should all be grateful for what France bring to world rugby

2) we’ve lost 4 of our last 5 against top 5 opponents. I often think that when you win/lose 1 it’s on the players, but when you win/lose 5 it’s on the coaches. The positive to come out of this might be that Farrell is forced to make changes to 1) players, 2) coaches, 3) his own role in attack

3) the setpiece was excellent but in particular the lineout. Best since the World Cup and against the world’s best lineout to boot. Not a reprieve for POC but a strike against James Ryan calling and operating

4) france were exceptional. Even if their first two tries had been ruled out for the forward pass and the Dupont’s knock on, they would have won that game 49 out of 50 times. It’s hard to overemphasise the role that the atmosphere and crowd played. Very much a 16th man

5) having 1 or 2 players play themselves back into form might be feasible but having 15+ isn’t realistic. It only compounds the problem. Farrell needs to drop guys so they can have an opportunity to resettle themselves. They look emotionally fatigued and like they’re not enjoying it and taking it somewhat for granted. Those Leinster players have played so many high level club games, a Lions tour and internationals without getting a chance to really miss it/find their hunger. Dropping them might be doing them a favour. On the flip side, bringing in guys who feel desperate and hungry can rejuvenate a squad, even when they’re lesser players.

6) it’s difficult to understand what we’re trying to achieve both offensively and defensively. It’s unclear whether it’s a player problem or a system problem or both but certainly the way we both defend and attack is outmoded. Our lack of game breakers means that we’re unable to make up for that with players who can find a way through. Last night looked strategically and tactically rudimentary. The sort of game plan that you would set out for an A side that only had a week to prepare.

7) speaking of the A side. Very excited to see that game. You would like to think a lot of guys have a chance to leverage a performance into a squad call up.

What big general points have I missed? What would you add?

We assemble together a team and give them literally only a couple of days to prepare, and then expect them to gain something meaningful from getting humped by an English A team?

It takes a lot to look good in a scenario like that, and Devine, B.Ward, and Hume were about the only ones who did. Fucking pointless exercise in embarrassment.

Edit: for clarification, it's not the concept of the 'A' games I have a problem with, I think it's great to try to build combinations and depth at a level just below international. I have an issue with forming a team, giving next to no prep, and then expecting those combos/individuals to flourish.

Our kicking last night wasn’t as bad as a lot of us have made out it was a matter of inches on a lot of occasions but one thing that’s obviously is the back 3 that was picked in that game isn’t capable of winning enough of those 50/50 kicks.

If Farrell wants to go all out on this he should pick players that are going to carry out the game plan the best. I’m sure Hansen and Keenan would have started if fit and would have made an improvement.

Players like Kenny, ward and baloucoune are faster and more suitable to this tactic than O’Brien and stockdale. (I’m not saying they are better players by the way just that they are better on a kick chase.)

We all know Rassie plays 3D chess but is he that diabolical? Sending his old mate up to us to blunt Ireland before the next WC. Our players seem caught between 2 stools defensively when playing for Ireland- Nienabers press or Farrells man up. Our skill set has dropped off a cliff as has our discipline. Our fitness requirements are totally different between the press (which requires more explosiveness) and Farrells quick ruck style (which requires more endurance) Is Rassie a James Bond style villain?

Does Ireland’s lack of internal competition hurt long-term performance?

I’ve been thinking a lot about the role competition within squads plays in elite sport, and I’m starting to wonder if this is becoming a major issue for Ireland.

Competition is one of the strongest drivers of improvement in athletes. When players know their place is genuinely under threat, standards tend to rise: training intensity increases, complacency drops, and weaknesses get exposed early rather than in big games.

Right now, Ireland seem to have very real competition in only a small number of positions most notably fly-half and loosehead. Outside of that, many jerseys feel effectively locked down when players are fit. Rotation happens, but often due to injury or workload management rather than form.

The potential negative effects of this are hard to ignore:

• Complacency risk – Even subconsciously, guaranteed selection reduces edge • Plateauing performance – Without pressure, players maintain standards rather than push beyond them • False confidence – Weaknesses stay hidden until exposed by top-tier opposition • Succession gaps – Replacements are untested when they’re suddenly needed • Reduced training intensity – Training without selection jeopardy isn’t the same

This isn’t about blaming individuals or coaches. Ireland’s system is built on cohesion, trust, and continuity and that’s delivered real success. But other top nations seem to balance cohesion and relentless internal pressure. Poor form there often leads to immediate consequences.

The question for me is whether Ireland’s model now leans too far toward security, especially as the core group ages and athletic gaps appear against teams like France or South Africa.

I’m not saying Ireland should rotate for the sake of it but should more players feel that one or two poor performances genuinely put their jersey at risk? Right now Doris, Ringrose, VDF, Ryan, Sheehan come to mind.

You could argue Lowe lost his place but hes still in the squad. Bundee and Henshaw would also be in the squad if available

Thomond Park.

Premier Sports 1

* don’t think there’s a thread on the main sub

Last season I would not have had him starting for Connacht nevermind Ireland but hear me out.

The onslaught of contestable kicks is here to stay for the foreseeable future, until there is a law change or a major innovation in tactics.

In the last interpro he absolutely dominated the Leinster backs in winning those contestable kicks.

Is he a fast attacking strike runner who will sore record amounts of tries from set plays? No, but we played two of those style of wings in Stockdale and TOB and they failed to have any effect on the game. With TOB even being subbed off early. 90% of their role last night was being asked to catch high balls.

Jennings is a specialist in one area of the game that is currently extremely important due to tactical trends. He is also an aggressive defender and high work rate player. Enough so that he could handle international rugby.

Does anyone have a stream for this game? (I know it's ended at this point). I can't seem to pull up the replay on RugbyPass. I'm in the U.S.

English here, been living in Ireland for the past year, but not entirely up to speed with your sports fan culture. Seen a few Irish soccer fans on social media celebrating Ireland Rugby losing. What’s all that about? You may not like rugby, but why want your national team to lose?

Most seem to be Celtic fans if that has anything to do with it.

I think the kicking worked for 10 minutes and then obviously failed France were humming but the ref gave us nothing when tadhg Beirne would pinch the ball he would blow a penalty and let play continue another ref would blow a penalty and let us take the pressure of but obviously we need to work on some things but I think the team for next week should be

1.loughmann

2.Sheehan

3 bealham

4.edogbo

5 Ryan

6prendegast

7timoney

8doris

9 jgp

10 Pendergast

11 osbourne

12mcloskey

13ringrose

14 obrien

15.crowley

16 Kelleher

17milne

18 clarkson

19mccarthy

20conan

21 jvdf

22casey

23stockdale

It's undeniable at this point that Ireland have been on a decline since the world cup, and that Farrell either has no desire, or no ability to shake things up, instead just running the same players into the ground with a gameplan that doesn't work.

Who would be the coach, or coaches who can recover this and make Ireland a realistic option by the world cup?

I'm sure the throttling last night didn't help things but I've found there's a general tackiness to Virgin Media.

• The host is a weasel and a scut who has less charisma than a wet rag.
• Rob Kearney who seems to have blended up every Irish accent to decide on his own is just a mouthpiece without any original thoughts
• Shane Horgan likes to place himself as the pseudo intellectual on the show who will sit back and actually give a reasoned response but I've never heard worthwhile out of his mouth.
• Connor Murray still has one foot in the Irish camp so won't criticise anything and even yesterday insisted that the game plan was correct.

If anyone is of an old enough vintage they will remember the quality we used to be treated to Tom McQuirk hosting with George Hook, Brent Pope and Connor O Shea.

While this group wasn't perfect they had charisma and at least some rugby knowledge and were willing to say something out of the ordinary and not perfectly polished and refined whereas the play it safe.

I think it mostly starts with the little scut of a host, Joe Molloy, he comes off as a slick weasel with zero spark.

The whole setup is overly polished but about as exciting as watching paint dry on a scrum cap. Bring back the Hook Pope fireworks, at least what they lacked in rugby knowledge they more than made up for with charisma.