DISQUS

Chris Gallagher · 2 years ago

It was awful to watch alright. I kept expecting us to pull away and score a couple of tries in the second half but when it got to 65 mins I then realised that we were in deep trouble.

Peter Stringer had an absolute nightmare. His pass which was intercepted for the Georgian try said it all.

Jonathan Brazil · 2 years ago

I think it goes deeper than lack of a game plan Paul. There were times in that match and also the one against Namibia when the Irish players were completely disorientated. Even Stringer, a man whom I would trust to catch my first born, was throwing balls forward and trying to catch with hard hands. There was constant panic and disbelief in the team; losing a ball from the back of the scrum, like what happened to Isaac Boss late in the second half, sent shivers down my spine. The look in the eyes of O'Gara, O'Driscoll and O'Connell said it all - they didn't know what was happening never mind why they were fighting to come from behind in a game that should have been a given. These problems are not coaching related IMHO, there's something wrong but it's not leadership. No manager can make players drop balls or create as many stupid knock-ons as we have seen in recent times. Bad game plans, bad intelligence of other teams and similar, yes, these are leadership problems. The ability to catch a ball and throw it backwards, that's something very different.

Paul Watson · 2 years ago

Good points guys. I do think a simple, strong game plan would have given the boys focus and a natural leader would emerge. The hard hands would grow in confidence and soften, the forward balls would start going back. With no plan though you, on the field, begin to wonder what the point is catching and running.