France 17 – 17 Ireland – Match Reaction #1: Halfbacks

Posted on March 5, 2012 by dementedmole

Francois Trinh-Duc: the French outhalf struggled to put shape on the game when the Plan A – Bash It Up The Outhalf Channel – fell on its face.

The Mole thought in the build-up to the game that the absence of Yachvilli was overplayed by some commentators. Parra is such an accomplished operator in his own right, and is perhaps a little more dangerous as a runner. However, Yachvili has a wealth of experience that Parra can’t yet hope to compete with, and it showed in a couple of circumstances. Continue reading →

Je Ne Sais, Mate.

Posted on March 2, 2012 by dementedmole

Splintered from his early partnership with the unpredictable David Knox, Michael Cheika’s pragmatic streak grew wider and wider as his career at the head of Leinster progressed. Continue reading →

Territorial Army

Posted on March 1, 2012 by dementedmole

You might say that this is a one-off incident, but it betrays all the hallmarks of a team that are not thinking on the pitch, or don't understand what they're doing, or are badly coached.

It seems from his post-match comments after both games that Kidney is very, very big on establishing position on the pitch before every attack. No shit, eh? Well, sometimes it’s interesting to hear the coach talking about how Ireland are trying to play the game, because it can be difficult to make out from the action on the pitch. Continue reading →

What Me Worry? Ireland vs Italy Match Preview 1

Posted on February 21, 2012 by dementedmole

Sometimes it's not a bad thing to be a bit bullish about an upcoming game. The Mole recognizes that there's little good Declan Kidney can do by saying that we should go out there and feed the Italians thirty points, but at least one person in the meedja should make that point.

Ireland beat Italy 36-6 on in RWC11 about five months ago. Bear that in mind as the standard for the upcoming game between the two sides for three good reasons: Continue reading →

So How Would You Play Them?

Posted on February 11, 2012 by dementedmole

Awh. Poor little pet.

Figuring out a reasonable game plan against the French has never been the forte of Irish coaches or captains. It won’t be on Saturday either. Continue reading →

Mark Tainton Spills The Beans

Posted on February 9, 2012 by dementedmole

Mark Tainton at RWC11, when he was just plain old kicking coach.

Mark Tainton doesn’t get a huge amount of media coverage. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t get allowed out to talk too often, as he doesn’t seem to subscribe to Declan Kidney’s “give them nuthin” approach. Continue reading →

Ireland vs Wales: Reaction 3

Posted on February 7, 2012 by dementedmole

Les Kiss – not one of his better days

It seems really distasteful to criticise Les Kiss. He comes across as a hell of a nice guy and a chap absolutely brimful of integrity. He has been the most innovative defense coach in Ireland’s history and his demeanour, his depth of knowledge about how the game is played at the highest level today and his record all point towards ideal head-coach material. Continue reading →

Irish Squad Announced

Posted on January 31, 2012 by dementedmole

Declan Kidney announced a 32-strong Irish squad yesterday for the opening match of the Six Nations against Wales. Continue reading →

In-built Obsolesence

Posted on October 11, 2011 by dementedmole

Still a lot of uesful players in that picture

Once a World Cup is over, the next one is very far away. Continue reading →

Match Over-reaction: Ireland vs Wales

Posted on October 10, 2011 by dementedmole

Now THAT's a failure!

There’s a bit of a mope to the papers today. Journalists can’t wait to tell us that it’s the end of an era, and that Ireland’s World Cup has ended in failure. Continue reading →

Digging Like a Demented Mole

"They'll be dancing in the streets of ______ tonight…"

Tag Archives: Ireland