In B'OD we trust
- 8 Mar 07, 12:40 PM
Belfast – Brian O’Driscoll will equal Keith Wood’s record of captaining Ireland on 36 occasions when he leads the team out at Murrayfield against Scotland on Saturday.
Undoubtedly he will soon pass that mark, so, is Drico a good leader? He is certainly a good player, indeed a great one. But is he a good captain?
I say yes, and he has been refreshingly good for the Irish.
He was given that honour during the 2002 autumn internationals in place of the injured Wood, but when he was named , some thought that it was a bad decision.
Coach Eddie O’Sullivan’s predecessor was one of those critics when talking of Ireland’s chances for the Six Nations Championship that followed.
"I believe their prospects of justifying this status will be seriously undermined by the choice of Brian O'Driscoll as captain of the side," said the former Wasps supremo.
I suspect that statement has come back to bite the New Zealander.
But O’Sullivan stuck by his choice through thick and thin, and has never regretted making the then 23-year-old his skipper.
O’Driscoll has been an excellent captain, heaping the responsibility of his all-action, high-profile game on top of being a leader of leaders.
Rugby today is not just about one man like, for example, back in the 1980s when army captain Ciaran Fitzgerald proved as adept a leader on the field as he was off it as he guided his Ireland side to two Triple Crowns.
Fitzgerald singularly led his team with great zest and got the best out the players. O’Driscoll, I believe, extracts the same commitment from the current Ireland squad.
But again, he is fortunate to have leaders with him in every department. In fact, O’Driscoll believes every player is a leader in his own right.
Like Paul O’Connell in the pack, Ronan O’Gara at half-back and John Hayes in the front row, O’Driscoll leads from the front. He is not a selfish Will 'O the Wisp back, afraid to ladder his tights or break a fingernail.
He is a 100% sleeves rolled-up merchant who would die for the cause. He combines slick back play with the role of a foraging, ball-winning flanker. Now that’s a leader, that’s O’Driscoll.
The 28-year-old is now on the verge of achieving what no other skipper has done in leading his side to a third Triple Crown in four years.
"Triple Crown!" I hear you say, "It means nothing." Well I still believe it means a lot, particularly when there is a pot of gold (or in this case a silver salver) waiting to be won.
Yes, I know the Grand Slam is the ultimate goal of a team in the Six Nations nowadays but winning that honour is extremely difficult. It has only been won on 30 occasions since the Championship was written into the history books back 1908 when Wales took the honours.
You can bet that after being the first winners of the Triple Crown silver dish in beating England at Twickenham last season, they were determined to hang on to it for another year.
And you only have to look at the players when they end up beating all three 91Èȱ¬ Nations. It still means a lot to them and they should be the ones that matter the most.
Are you of the same thinking? Anybody who has ever played rugby with the possibility of claiming a trophy should be.
Wales 27-18 England
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This blog is too obvious of course hes a great leader when hes not playing, you see that hes mist all over the park, sometimes he might make bad decisions, but he always gets the best out of his backline and pushes Ireland to the next level.
Beside anything else his best ability in his presense. Teams are warry of him which gives other players more freedom as alot of attention is placed upen him.
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Yes, of course the Triple crown means something, and I think people who say it doesnt smack of sour grapes! Heres hoping Scotland will deny them that honour, but if they dont, hats off to the Irish for being the best team of the home nations.
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Yes, of course the Triple crown means something, and I think people who say it doesnt smack of sour grapes! Heres hoping Scotland will deny them that honour, but if they dont, hats off to the Irish for being the best team of the home nations.
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I believe Brian is one of the best captains in the world at the current moment. He has so many great leadership qualities to him and if only England had a player of his quality as captain we would be a strong team. This is why i believe Ireland have a great chance of winning the world cup. Look at previous World Cup winners, for example England with Martin Johnson and Australia with John Eales. Both so brilliant in what they did but at the same time a fantastic captain.
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Yes, of course the Triple crown means something, and I think people who say it doesnt smack of sour grapes! Heres hoping Scotland will deny them that honour, but if they dont, hats off to the Irish for being the best team of the home nations.
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Alot of Munster fans think paul O'Connell should be the Irish captain but that arguement was shown up when Ireland lost to France. BOD is a superb captain in every way-principally because he is a talismanic character that the opposition are simply afraid of. He is that good a player. He literally leads by example but has the good sense to consult with the other leaders on the pitch when making an important decision.
He is the perfect captain in every way.
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As a Frenchman I have to say that I am glad of Mr Ashton's line up but as a rugby fanatic I am really puzzled as to how England chose their team.
I do not believe that you can win this game without a secure scrum and the changes being made in both people and position I cannot understand. Certainly if Corry does not perform it would be hard to see him playing again in an England shirt ...and what is wrong with Lund ?
Mike Catt ? - are you really that short of players.
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BOD has improved greatly as a captain over the years. He sets incredibly high standards of performance and you can visually see the confidence he gives to the team around him. He is also a winner, never happy with the sad old days of Irish moral victories! Great captains improve as their experiences improve (just look at the great Martin Johnson) and I think he is improving, although he is not and will never be a natural leader like Fitzgerald. Fitz might have inspired the team more in the changing room before the game but BOD inspires on the pitch with his competitiveness and never lose attitude. I am sure BOD believes Ireland can win the RWC; without that attitude you wouldn’t stand a chance.
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BOD - an insparation and a great captain, and thats coming from a Scotsman!
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Brian is a brilliant captain for ireland!!!but every ireland player is an inspriation to the young irish rugby players especially o'connell, o'gara, dempsey and stringer!!!
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Couldn't agree more.
I was very sceptical of the decision to name BOD captain, thinking the pressure of it would impact on his personal game.
Not so. His unparallel passion for his country and the game, his incredible work rate and status as one of the world's most respected players makes him the perfect captain.
Here's hoping he plays until he's older then that auld South African England have drafted back in....
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I agree that having gone through the sweat and tears of the Championship to come away with the TC is no mean feat. There have been those in the blog that have slated Ireland for being so "silly" to lose to France and that this proves they are not a great team, well let them remember that France were just a whisker away from losing that game and if I were a "if only" person I'd go on and on. I don't think many teams are going to give France the sort of examination that Ireland did and had O'Driscoll been playing I am convinced Ireland would have won. He is undoubtedly inspirational and his leadership is there for all to see. He clearly frightened NZ out of their socks judging by their disgraceful methods to get rid of him for the Lions, as FDR once said, a day that will down in infamy in the annals of rugby, albeit that it has been swept under the carpet. Com'on Ireland finish the job, you deserve it!!!
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BOD is a good captain but O'Connell can count himself unlucky that he's always had O'Driscoll ahead of him. He's a fine leader and I think the players look to him to light the way as much as O'Driscoll. O'Connell would be captain for almost any other team in the world.
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BOD is a good captain but O'Connell can count himself unlucky that he's always had O'Driscoll ahead of him. He's a fine leader and I think the players look to him to light the way as much as O'Driscoll. O'Connell would be captain for almost any other team in the world.
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brian o driscoll is a brilliant captain. it pains me as a munster fan to say that abput a leinster player (lol). bod has the respect and admiration of the rest of the irish squad and that is vital. he is different to people like woodie and martin johnson in that he isn't as intimidating as those 2 were but he exerts his influences in very different ways with the same results. he has the ability to change a game and his quietly confident demeanour is impressive. i feel his approach as worked very well. also paul o connell as vice captain is a stroke of genius and the 2 best players in their respective postions work really well together.
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Brian O'Driscoll is, quite simply, the best rugby player Ireland has ever produced. He is also the best player in the Northern Hemisphere. We are incredibly fortunate to have him. Enough said really!
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I remember two visits to Dublin for Triple Crowns in the 80'. There can be no better illustration of the change in Irish Rugby than; I am of course happy at the prospect of another crown (see you all at Murrayfield), but deep down I cannot think - why not a Grand Slam. Merde et tres merde.
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I think BOD is a fine captain, leading a fine Irish team.I agree that the Triple Crown does mean something, but the Grand Slam this year would have meant so much more. I'm sure if you were to ask the Irish boys to give all their Triple Crowns for a Grand Slam, they would all jump at the chance. France really hurt us this year in Croke Park, but I for one can't wait for the return game in Paris in September. If its that close again, the memories of Croker will see the us through to a famous victory.
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you put the apostrophe in the wrong place in the title. other than that, i have to agree brian is generally amazing.
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Everyone wants the Grand Slam but you show me a team who wouldnt be happy with Irelands recent Triple crown successes. It shows true consistency and the ability to perform at the top level. There have been some strange people on the RFU website saying that the 6 Nations has come to the end of its life as a tournament, sour grapes me thinks, it is still a fantastic competition and the highlight of all true rugby fans year no matter who you support
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Jim, I have to agree with you that he appears to be a good captain. He leads from the front and certainly is always in the thick of things. I think he has matured greatly over the years and reaped a huge amount of knowledge on talking & organisation with his time with Woodward & The Lions in NZ.
But I can't imagine he'll rest until Ireland have a Grand Slam. I don't think he's the type who'd be happy with Triple Crowns. Hopefully he'll bring Ireland another Slam or at least a Championship before he bows out leaving a proper legacy to show for his talent.
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BO'D would start for every team in the world at the minute and would be captain of all but 1 or 2. That is the mark of a good player / captain. The fact that this has been true for the past 3/4 years and will be true for the next 3/4 years makes him great.
As for the triple crown, then how many of the other 3 home nations would like to be in Ireland's position? Ireland are not playing to salvage pride, but to hold something proudly aloft going into the world cup.
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It's an obviouse answer he is one the best captains Ireland has ever had I personally think he played better when he wasn't but he is still as deadly an attacker as ever. he is an inspirational captain and the Irish need him all the time they never play well without him if in 2005 he played against New Zealand in the autumn series the Irish would have put up a better fight than they did and they would have definatly won against france this 6Nations had he have been starting Ireland need him and never play well without him
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Maybe stating the obvious, but BOD is captain of Lenister (make up most of Irish back line) and POC is captain of Munster (make up most of Irish pack). I think that John Hayes would go to war for Paul, while Shaggy Horgan do the same for Brian.
Both BOD & POC have amazing presence.
Although for captain (main decision maker) think that BOD can maybe see more of the fdeveloping game from centre, whereas POC has made some questionable decisions as capatin of late (scrum down against lenister in HC, going for touch instead of 3 points against France)
Current set-up with both in team leading their respective units is ideal.
Is mise le meas !!
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BOD is an excellent captain both on and off the pitch. He is the ultimate winner and leads by example. This friend of mine paddy doesn't quite agree (GAA head), but he is so wrong, wrong, wrong. Com'on drico!
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Brian O'Driscoll is a world class captain in any sporting arena. There's no doubt about that.
What always seems to creep through in these blogs, however, is a simmering Munster V Leinster rivalry. It's a bit of a shame. I know Munster fans who desperately don't want Leinster to succeed in Europe (and vice-versa). Thankfully it doesn't seem to bother the players in the National side too much.
Does anyone know why a handful of the Ireland players (mostly Munster-based from my observations at Croke Park) do not sing Ireland's Call?
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O'Driscoll is undoubtedly a great player but I think the Ireland team could be improved even further by allowing some of the 'fringe' players an opportunity to play. Scotland (no disrespect) are at best a 2nd division force in world rugby and surely 'steady Eddie' needs to gamble and give the plethora of exciting players, who have as yet warmed the bench for the most of Ireland's games, an opportunity. After the Autumn internationals an article in the Times by Stephen Jones and contributed to by numerous rugby luminaries all had Neil Best at number 6 in a world 15. Why has he not been given more of a chance and why was he dropped in the first place after 3 burgeoning displays in the autumn internationals. Surely this has nothing to do with the fact that Eddie has been coaching Easterby since Ireland U21 level? Come on Eddie, pick your best 15.
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he come from that great fold of irish people willie john, ciaran fitz and woody, who by just pure ignorance drove a team on and losing was never to even be contemplated- we are breeding winnners in irish rugby at the moment, if it were england, hayes, o connell, wallace, easterby, stringer, o gara, o driscoll or dempsey would all have what it takes to be captain- experience and decision makers all over the pitch but they still all look up to o driscoll and his belief that there is absolutely no difference between second and last, winning is all that matters
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honest tim....you are a plank.
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Sorry lads, none of you has the faintest idea how good a captain he is because, unless he does a lot behind the scenes, the only thing he does on the pitch is to try to lead by example. He is not a massive leadership figure on the field in terms of commanding his team. He's no Martin Johnson.
I also happen to think, as an honest Irishman, that he's wildly overrated as a player. He has fizzed out a bit in the last couple of years. I can't remember when he turned in 80 minutes of world class performance, such as could get him into the NZ team.
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* 25.
* At 04:11 PM on 08 Mar 2007,
Questionable decision? You take the 3 points, stretch it out to more than a score. That was the right descision. If it was just one point, france needed only a penalty, 4 they needed a try, what are the odds on a last minute try opposed to a penalty. Crazy talk. How can POC be critisicised for the mistakes of others.
BOD would have made the same call, he just wouldn't have come outside and left the gap for clerc to go through.
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In reponse to "Honest Tim's" comment, that BOD is a rubbush captain, and that he was anonymous against France? Eh, yes, he was indeed invisble against the French....he was injured and not on the field of play. Well observed. BOD has the highest winning ratio percentage of any Irish captain and acts as an inspiration to fellow players. His presence exudes the best from them too. So, Robinson would have resulted in the turnover of a 30-point differential? Don't think so...
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i love you honest tim. please have all my babies
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Pico (no. 28), might just be right. I don't think Best and Easterby is as clear-cut as he says but certainly, O'Sullivan needs to look for strength in depth now. I think Ireland's three-quarter line is the best in the world (including New Zealand). They don't have the wingers that the All Blacks do but O'Driscoll and Darcy is a hugely potent combination.
O'Connell, at his best, is a shoe-in for any world XV. He does have some quiet games but he was the scourge of England two weeks ago. It amazes me that this team hasn't been so much more successful with stars like O'Driscoll and O'Connell.
O'Connell is a fine player and a fine leader but O'Driscoll seems to embody Irish spirit (if that can be defined). He has been an inspiration as Irish captain and should stay as such.
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This question shouldn't even be posed. He is one of the greatest captains our country has ever seen.
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What more can I say, BOD is a legend and will without doubt go down in the history books as one of Irelands greatest players. A model professional.
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Hmmm, saying that the Triple Crown doesn't mean anything means sour grapes? No, I have to disagree with that. And I'm Irish! But being an Irish fan, I'm bitterly disappointed that we couldn't beat an inferior French team at home this year and go on to win a Grand Slam that was ours for the taking.
Having said this though I do think BOD is an inspirational captain and, amongst others in the squad, a modern Irish hero. I'm very proud with a lot of the performances that they've put in the last few years and it's great to see Irish rugby succeeding on so many levels.
But lads - we need some damn silverware in the cupboard!!!
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i definetly agree with this blog as look how much we missed him against the french. Horgan had no idea at centre, but to be honest i have no idea why he is in the team in the first place. He is careless, cant tackle and his hands are terrible... he is only in the team because of his huge build. It should have been trimble starting centre.
Which leads me on to my next point, why are there so few ulster players in this irish starting line up, like you can say there not good enough, but then why is ulster sitting top of the magners league??? put it this way, boss instead of stringer, best insteaed of easterby, trimble instead of horgan and i guess wallace could take dempseys place at full back as i have no idea why dempsey is in the team to start off with.
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i'm delighted that Bod is being lorded for his leadership. i'm irish and we irish never ever honor leaders like this young warrior. he has single handley inspired an average irish team into world cup contenders. dont be fooled, we are nothings without him and neither were a poor lions team.
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*Hodgey, Post 38
Ulster aren't top of the magners league there chief, leinster are. Ulster have failed to make the knockout stages of the henineken cup in donkeys years, and simply dont have the strngth of leinster or munster. Having said that, a definite case can be made for having boss in ahead of stringer and neil best can consider himself one of the unluckiest players in world rugby. He was simply awesome in the autumn series and easterby's selection against wales was baffling. Unfortuanately for best, easterby was exceptional against england, and it is difficult to envision steady eddie opting for best come world cup time.
Trimble ahead of Horgan? You are having a giraffe. Trimble has potential, but his entire six nations campaign so far has consisted of him tripping over himself. Horgan is a proven finisher and one of europe's best wingers. No idea why Dempsey is in the team? Start watching some rugby. He may not be our answer to serge blanco, but his positioning, defence and security under the high ball make him an invaluable asset. Strong contender for man of the match against england.
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I personnaly enjoyed the new who's hot who isn't mallarkey with the pictures and the appropriately pointing arrows...where's that gone?
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Hodgey - I just cant understand your comments on Horgan - he has fantastic hands and Dempsey is the best full back on the island at the moment no question - I do agree with you about Boss and Best - I think the only reason Stringer is selected is because of his relationship with OGara, Boss would be a far more rounded attacking scrum half and also less predictable than Stringer. Id love to see Best get a good run before the end of the 6 nations - I think he is physically intimidating and we need that going into the WC and - he needs to show what he can do as Easterby seems stronger in the lineouts and also tactically.
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someone mentioned that some of these blogs were munster v leinster type blogs. i have a feeling i was included as one of those. can i just say for therecord that i personally have nothing but admiration for the leinster rugby and that the whole munster leinster thing is nothing to be taken seriously. it's only friendly rivalry. i know as a munster fan that if leinster had reached the heineken cup final last year or whenever i would have cheered them on as they are irish at the end of the day and likewise i'm sure many leinster fans supported munster this year. altho to be honest, aside from the biarritz fans, who wasnt supporting munster? . to say bod is the best player ireland has ever produced is bit much tho. he is one of the best players, we can't forget oli campbell, willie john mac bride, keith wood, and many of the current team such as o connell o gara, horgan, darcy,leamy (so underrated), hayes, wallace etc. also we must remember that while it is great to have bod playing, rog is also another who can influence a game greatly!
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Brian O'Driscoll is one of the few rugby players I would describe as 'complete'. Each generation has their own opinion over who can acclaim such a title but I challenge anyone to name a better player in the modern game. Jonathan Davies described Andy Farrell as the best rugby player he had known in either code and maybe Dan Carter is the next to accede to the title but at the moment B'OD would be first choice in every international side in the world. P.S. I am glad to have been able to air this opinion as I have been saying this for years. P.P.S. I am Welsh not Irish.
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On a completely different note, I read today that cute Irish rugby fans have snaffled up the lion’s share of the allocation of tickets for the match in the Stadio Flaminio.
As one of the travelling contingent, I would like to suggest that, as a mark of respect to the disgruntled Italian rugby supporters and their starting XV, the Irish azzurri acquaint themselves with the words of the Italian national anthem and belt it out with as much gusto as at Croke Park two weeks ago.
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Ken #37,
The Triple Crown is silverware, it's a silver platter, it might not be held in as high esteem as a Grand Slam or World Cup, but I am sure Arsenal would dearly love to have the Carling Cup this year.
And who knows who are coming home as world champions this year, they just might wear a green jersey!
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BOD is simply the greatest Irish sportsman of all time. Be it Keane, Mc Bride, O' Sullivan, Wood, Brady, Delany, Best(im working on an all-ireland basis here), whoever, he is the best. He is one of rugby's greats but the only thing he needs to cement his name in the pantheon of the greats is some solid silverware be it with Leinster or Ireland. Like Keano he raises everyone on the team to his own level and will not accept that just because we are a small nation we cannot compete with the big boys. Unlike Keane he would never walk out on his country when we needed him most. A tribute to his country, he is just an unparalleled phenonemon in Irish sports history.
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Wader101,
your point is taken, but both teams have won 9 games...the difference is a point and a bonus point at that.
I am not making excuses for Ulster, they have no one to blame for their performance in the HC but themselves...as you rightly point out they can't get past the pool phase, which results in poor seeding and yet another tough pool the next year.
However, they do have class players, many who will surely contribute to Ireland's future and hopefully prove the naysayers who argue that Ireland's performance will decline with the retirement of members of the current team, wrong.
If you look at the recent announcement of the Irish High Performance select group, Ulster and Leinster players were the majority of those listed.However, for them to develop EOS needs to blood them the way the AB's blood their young players.
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Paul O'Connell should be the Irish captain, in my humble opinion, and yes I am a Munster fan (but who isn't?). The captain needs to lead from the front put his body on the line. Martin Johnson brought home the World Cup for England - I would select PO'C to bring home to Ireland.
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BOD is a class act and inspires all around him. Also, the fact that he is captain and not O'Connell means the latter can concentrate on his game because when he doesn't we will have a repeat of the french game, Allez les vert!!!
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Brian O Driscoll is a truly great player. Of that there is no doubt. As a captain of Ireland he is different from anything that has gone before. The only person who would be akin to him in some respects is Roy Keane. I speak about BOD's ATTITUDE!!!
Unlike his predecessors he epitomises the new Irish confidence. No longer are we happy with 'moral victories', with 'great efforts, but'! He is the new Celtic Tiger breed, much as I hate that phrase. He believes that we can win, we should win, and that we will win. Simple as that. His fellow players have gone on record saying just that. They see him as a superior player and superior leader. That includes Munster's Ronan O Gara et al. As a committed Munster fan I believe in BOD! The captain almighty ... By the way Paul O Connell is also a god. The other one is Leamy. Three gods in the one team!!
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I had some concerns a couple of years ago about the Beckham like celebrity that surrounded "Ireland's most glamorous couple" but that seems to have gone away and Brian has kept his feet firmly on the ground, letting his performances on the field do the talking. He's a great player and a great captain. Grand Slam '08 is on it's way.
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Isn't this the same argument that I have recently seen in the JW vs Dan Carter debate.
A captain/fly half/inside centre/any other position on the pitch will always be flattered by the quality of his team particularly in the areas that compliment his playing style.
The true test of a good captain is in the value he adds in that role.
BOD's problem is that he is such a phenominal player with or without the captaincy that a team will always be the worse without him, so the only test of his captaincy would be if it was given to someone else whilst he still plays - but why would you want to?
BOD has the benefit of captaining a settled and expereienced side with leaders throughout. It could almost captain itself.
My view of BOD as a captain - he's certainly not doing any harm.
A
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I trust in BOD! The best about BOD is he seems to be having a lot of fun, he's like a kid on the field.
Nothing to do with the topic, but do you know any Irish pubs in Paris with BIG screens, not just a larg-ish screen in a corner? There are so many, it's hard to sort through them. The Café Oz (Australian) charges you 10 euros just to get in!!!!
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.
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BOD is fantastic in all respects, but he needs to remain fit and injury free!!!!!!
does anyone else here agree that the crunch game for ireland is now the group game against france, (that will make or break their year) as the losing side will face NZ and we cannot exit the wc again in the quaterfinals. this team is a def semi final or final team, they have such good prospects but keep losing to the french !!!!!!
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I would like to address Hodgey's comments, though a few bloggers already have.
I part agree with you. Neil Best was excellent in the Autumn and has been excellent coming on as a sub in this year's 6N. The fact is that whether he starts or not, he will undoubtedly get game time and deserves it.
Isaac Boss is a lovely rugby player and will be a handful for back row opposition. Unfortunately for him, Stringer and O'Gara have too good an understanding not to be picked together and O'Gara is out on his own in terms of selection, despite Paddy Wallace being a fantastic option as well.
To be honest Trimble isn't half the player Horgan is. Horgan has been the most consistent back in Leinster over the last 3 years and to suggest he has poor hands is akin to suggesting Jonny Wilkinson can't kick from the ground. There is no other player in Irish rugby who would have scored that try against England last year in Twickenham - not to mention his try this year. His willingness in the offload is second to none in the Irish backline. I agree that he is not a centre and that his selection there against France was dubious, but he is a fine wing. So far Trimble is miles behind.
I have never been a fan of Dempsey, but he is solid and doesn't make mistakes. At the moment it is a position where we are a little lacking. Murphy is exciting and creative, but prone to errors. Not sure if I have seen Wallace at fullback, but who knows.
The happy fact is that we now have a squad where we have class players in a few positions, notably at hooker where Neil Best is deservedly keeping Jerry Flannery off the first team at the moment. I thought he was a massive contender for man of the match. The funny thing is that Jerry is probably the best hooker we have had since Fitzgerald. (Obviously Keith Wood wasn't really a good hooker. Great rugby player. Average hooker).
As for O'Driscoll. Unquestionably the best player we have ever had. As for captain. He is up there. Results speak for themselves.
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replying to those that disagreed with my comment. Ok, maybe ulster aren't top of the magners league but they did win it last year and they still didn't get many players in the irish squad.
And in reply to that comment about dempsey, he is hard;y the best full back on the island. When was the last time you seen dempsey take a high catch and decide to go on a run????? all he ever does is catch and find touch. he has no variety, tat will hurt us when it comes to the world cup.
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#56 - the last time Dempsey caught & ran? Answer: against England. In his last game. You pillock. Dempsey fully deserves to be selected at full back, he's as solid as they come. Oh yes, & I'm an Ulster fan, & I think our representation in the Ireland squad is about right. Until we achieve better results in Europe we can't really argue with the current situation.
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Honestly - the guy is so overrated, my granny could score the tries he does. He is a failure as a captain, and he will fail in the World Cup. England will reach the Semi Finals, Ireland won't even make it out of their group.
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BO'D is a fantastic leader because he expects the same effort from his fellow players as he gives himself. I've never seen another centre who fights so hard for every inch of ground & steals balls in the tackle that Richie McCaw would be proud of.
Paul O'Connel is also a fantastic leader in the pack. When he plays like he did against England there are few players who are more inspirational.
With these two players are firing on all cylinders the rest of the Irish team seem to pick up their game. It's as if they see that there is another level up & they want to compete at that level.
Great team & great players.
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BOD's Key attribute is that he is happier as the Favorite coming up to a match, he has confidence in his ability and the team's ability and the team feed off that, they too become comfortable. This has been shown in countless games for ireland and Leinster.
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Of course the triple crown means something. Unless England win it, it is then considered a second rate trophy which means nothing.
England were the only team to win the triple crown betweeen 1991 and 2003. It was never talked of or given any meaning until 2004.
The triple crown is as meaningful as finishing second in your world cup group, well done for being there, but you're still not the best. A pat on the back from our happy to lose society.
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Well Honest Tim - your granny would be England's best player at the minute then! What are you basing your predictions on??
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No offence to the chap in post #4, but if he thinks Ireland have any chance of winning the world cup he's gonna be sadly disappointed. They have a genuinely decent side, but have shown very little evidence of being able to beat world class sides in close games. Their failure to close out a grand slam with the side they have had for the last few years is indicative of that. Mind you, they won't need to worry about close games when it comes to playing the All Blacks anyway, as they'll get plastered. The only sides capable of beating the All Blacks are Australia and South Africa cos they get so much exposure to them in the Tri-Nations. The only chance a northern hemisphere side has of winning the world cup is if the All Blacks get beaten by Aus or SA in the semis, and then they beat Aus/SA in the final. And even then i'd put the family farm on it being France not Ireland. O'Driscoll is a great player and a good captain, in a good team. But that won't get his hands anywhere near the Webb Ellis.
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# 55 Ireland's Crunch game in the WC is Argentina. It would have beeen considered arrogant for an Englishman to have written your comment 4 years ago. I think it is foolish rather than arrogant to assume any team, save for NZ or France, will beat Argentina.
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#59 - That is such a ridiculous comment it must be a wind up (if not then you are talking through your nat king) also If Ireland swopped groups with England in the WC would you still feel as confident?
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# 52. I'm affraid Ireland of 2007 are the England of 2003. They've just had the best game they will play together(thrashing England), similar to England's 2003 6N finale (Thrashing Ireland). England's form dipped right through to the WC final. Luckily there were no teams there of the current NZ quality. Irelands form will dip but they will be punished by higher quality opposition than existed in 2003.
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In response to no.39 jack healey: I totally respect your comments about BOD being an inspirational leader and one of the best players ever, but to suggest that he has "single handedly" orchestrated Ireland's rise to prominence is absurd and discredits the coaching team and Irish Rugby BOard of all the hard work and effort they have put in to this team over the past 5 years. BOD is a great player, but dont put they guy on such fantastical pedstals - its nonsense. While he certainly lifts the team with his presence, as did the likes of MJ for England a few years ago, BOD is not soley responsible for what is, at the moment, one of the best teams in modern world rugby. The pace, power, intensity, control, aggression, dynamism and creativity with qhich Ireland are curerntly playing (and destroying our England on the way!) is a joy to behold.
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Does anyone get the feeling that honest Tim is just looking to get a rise out of the Irish fans??
Leave it out Tim. You only wish that England had a player of O'Driscoll's talent.
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Brian O'Driscoll has shown over the past few games what a great leader he is. He leads by example, and there is no doubting his status as a world class player. O'Driscoll is a class act!
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Without wanting to undermine an excellent Irish side the idea that a Triple Crown is of any value in the modern game is nonsense. It's an anachronism.
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#65 - agree with you there and I'm Irish. The Argies is going to be an extremely tough match - they knocked us (Ireland) out of the WC a while back.
Cant wait for the WC to get started.
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Austrialia? Check.
South Africa? Check.
Beaten both. Rather recently. Don't for a second believe the WC is gonna be easy for us - the game with the Puma's actually worries me more than the French. If you're looking at Irish performances over the last 12 months, Ireland have beaten the two SH sides you've mentioned and run the French exceptionally close (there really wasn't very much in it) and destroyed the other NH side that should have been challenging to retain it's WC title.
I'm not getting carried away by saying Ireland will feature in the tournements Semi finals - based on form. Whether we have it in us to win the title is another issue but dismissing the best NH team (on the basis of recent results vs. SH opposition) smacks of sour grapes.
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Read the Sunday Tribune last week exact same article.
LAZY
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Honest Tim,
Your Granny's scoring has obviously caused a few problems, that aside, what position does she play? Brian Ashton is desperately in need of a second row as Frankenstein Corry seems to be the only option.
C'mon the all greens!
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I think BOD is an excellent captain, he has a record of making the right calls under pressure with penalties.
I do no think the same can be said of O'Connell, who has made the wrong calls a number of times this year. Firstly for Munster against Leicester, when he went to the corner and Munster got nothing and secondly, in my opinion (and it was my opinion as it was happening), when ROG took the penalty in the last minute against France, where I felt it was more appropriate to maintain territory and run down the clock by kicking to the corner (and possibly starting a fight!).
Headline writers might like portraying O'Connell as a great leader of men but O'Connell has not proved himself as a captain whereas BOD has.
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Having watched BO'D for many years now I think that he has developed into a great captain. I always wonder what would have happened if NZ hasn't been so worried about him on the Lions tour that they removed him from that tour.
As a Munster fan, I think PO'C is a good captain and hopefully he'll learn from his mistakes, especially against Leicester in the HC. I think he will. One gets the impression that he's constantly pushing himself to get better.
As far as 6N selection goes, I think Easterby is a better fit for the team at the moment. Although I rate N. Best, I also remember him, with fresh legs, being a bit headless trying to defend against that last gasp French try.
Everyone talks about BO'D being the difference in the loss against France, but I think Stringer was sorely missed. Issac Boss is overrated IMHO. Yes he may be a sniper, but that led to more blind alleys and slowed ball than moving it on would have done. His decision making when in possesion with the advantage was also poor. In fairness that will come with experience, but to think he can really challenge Stringer for the starting position is vastly over optimistic.
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Brian O Driscoll is a useless captain - did anyone see him lead leinster this year against edinburogh - couldn't lead a horse to water, he's poor decision making cost leinster 3 points. For me Paul o Connell has to be captain - an inspirational captain he would make
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Don't forget that it took England under Sir Clive seven years to win a grand slam and then went on to win the world cup in the same year.
So don't give us a hard time, with the tiny player pool we have at our disposal we are doing pretty well.
Again we have two really tough pool matches in RWC - the hosts and Argentina - so there are three potential (on current form) semi-finalists in our group.
We got shafted by the draw as did Argentina and I'd say the French are none too happy.
Our frontliners will arrive pretty tired to the QF so unless we top our group we are probalby out against the Kiwis.
The RWC organisers need to look at their seeding system and base it on something approaching current rankings not what happened four years ago.
If every sport did that Tiger Tim Henman would be number 2 seed for Wimbledon every year!
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Honest Tim,
is jonny wilkinson your granny?
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Just like tro say Bod is a gr8 captain and I feel so much better when he's playing. As for the world cup we are in the toughest group with NZ to come but if we can squeeze into top place (It's possible) then a final could beckon. Its going to be tough but with Drico anything is possible!!!!
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# 73 Understrength Australia, Understrength South Africa. Don't base too much on beating sides of that poor a quality. Those teams will be diffrent beasts in a couple of months.
A good yardstick will be to go and beat one of them in their own back yard, that's when you know how good you are.
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Honest Tim
Are you really Eamon Dunphy?
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John Quinn, you are believing the hype and the Martin Johnson parallels too much if you think POC is a great captain.
The weight of it seems to bear too heavily on him, he may become a great captain down the line but from what I have seen of him as a captain he hasn't yet reached the level of maturity and cool headedness required.
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I think a few people are getting carried away. Ireland beat 2 B-sides from Australia ann South Africa and havent beaten the ABs in the history of planet earth. The ABs havent been so far ahead of the rest of the rugby world as they are now for 2 decades. Dreams are free
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I think Dishonestly Dim should be ignored from here on in. He is obviously trying to gain some satisfaction from a very disappointing English campaign by rising a superior team's fans with inane, baseless comments.
In the words of Peggy Mitchell "Tim, leave it aaht!!"
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In response to #84:
By the same token don't get too carried away with NZ either. The WC is a unique tournament with so many games in such a compressed time frame. An injury to Carter or McCaw and that side would have an entirely different complexion.
Now of course the same could happen to any side in the tournament; I think whoever wins will not only need to play great rugby but also be a canny manager of attrition, as well as lucky.
I have a sneaking suspicion that's what's behind the current French selection policy of giving as many players as possible real experience. I wouldn't be surprised to see it pay dividends later in the year.
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In response to #84:
By the same token don't get too carried away with NZ either. The WC is a unique tournament with so many games in such a compressed time frame. An injury to Carter or McCaw and that side would have an entirely different complexion.
Now of course the same could happen to any side in the tournament; I think whoever wins will not only need to play great rugby but also be a canny manager of attrition, as well as lucky.
I have a sneaking suspicion that's what's behind the current French selection policy of giving as many players as possible real experience. I wouldn't be surprised to see it pay dividends later in the year.
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I would say that with BOD at the helm Ireland have a chance in any competition. He is an inspiration - only more obvious when he doesn't play (ofr the Lions as well) and an awesome player. And yes in reply to the above I would have in the England squad - pushing Catt for a place obviously.....
Ireland finalists and triple crown.
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I'm a New Zealander and as such dearly want to see the All Blacks lift the trophey again 20 years on from the first tourney. But if there is one team I wouldn't mind seeing beat us and lifting it in France, its Ireland and BOD is the man to take them there. He is inspirational and I believe the best captain in the world today. If only he was a kiwi eh?
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Can anyone explain how it is possible to compare a great sportsman - BOD - , who's leadership and fair play are beyond doubt, with Roy Keane, who thinks that fair play is making sure a better player won't get past him, whatever it takes, even horrendous fouls? I never saw BOD behave like that and I have too many recollections of Keane behaving really badly and being a disgrace for the Irish!
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Well 65 minutes and Scotland are winning. Keith Woods has just said Ireland are not clicking and at best are at 95%. There will be no triple crown if they keep on at this rate. Shame Scotland cannot get a try but there is still time.
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Well Scotland gave that away. They did all the hard work to get to 18-13 and then gave away 2 soft penalties to lose by one point. Overall what a dissapointing game. Let hope the Italy Wales game is a classic
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Honestly Tim you are a wally. I would love to see you on the field against the Irish pack, it would be fun. Personally I think after today, Hickey would be a good captain. It's not about rugby playing ability, it's being vocal, loud and pushing forward. So if BOD is injured who does become captain?
Why are we still becomming croppers against teams like the Scots, on paper we should have hammered them.
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So Ireland came to Scotland today,play the game the triple crown was theres,just turn up! so everyone says.Great to see a Scots side that said no,the AllBlacks must be terrified looking at Sco/Ire slugging it out.If the Irish Team are the Northern Hemisphere's challenge for the World Cup,not BOD but God help us.
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So,a six nations championship is now a possibility for Ireland? Well yes of course it is, considering the type of unusual results emerging from the games played so far.Prior to the English game I finally concluded to myself that we were a superior team and they were still in a mess, so we would give them a hammering.That would be followed by a convincing win over the Scots, even though they have generally caused Ireland problems at Murrayfield.Once again we would be back on course to threaten as world cup maybes.Well,one out of two and the question to be dragged to the surface again is what have we really learnt about Eddie O'Sullivans squad of players and their real chance of upsetting the rugby hierarchy? Sadly that is easy to answer.We have some world class players,we have a settled and experienced fifteen,we have a fine coach and back up staff and a fanatical Irish fan base.It is also apparrent however,that even if we do take the championship we have failed to close out the big one(ie the grand slam).Our fifteen,look to have peaked,our bench is filled with players of 'theoretical'talent, but without the test game time to suggest they are proven and the toughest group to emerge from at the start of the world cup. However we are Irish,full of unsubstantiated optimism and blarney,so with no injuries to the 'mighty'John Hayes,O'Driscol,O'Gara,Darcy,O'Connell,and Leamy bring on the All Blacks!
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In BOD we Trust!
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Wales will wiin the triple crown "oh wait they have" and wales r onna Thrash france and WIN DA SIX NATION CUM ON WALES
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