u/Colm_Flaherty

▲ 12 r/GAA

Championship 2026

After all of the talk during the week of how it's being perceived as a bit of dam squib so far I'd beg to differ.

Munster may have been a let down with Limerick and Cork powering to the final and Clare building to 3rd place.

Waterford however put in a great fight in every game lost by 2 goals to Clare, came back from 10 points against Tipperary to get a draw when they arguably should've won, put it up to Cork until 5 minutes to go and put it up to Limerick for 60 minutes in their final game.

Over in Leinster we had the current holders Kilkenny dumped out in the groups by the new kids on the block of Offaly along with Dublin having good run in the groups overcoming Galway in Salthill and also getting a historic win against Kilkenny in the Neller since 2013.

Speaking of 2013 the Leinster final contained both teams that were their however this time the side that had many wobbles in the group in Galway managed to get over the line against Dublin by 13 points.

The Munster final was let down with poor conditions and accuracy but had some highlights particularly from Nickie Quaid between the sticks.

The Quarter-Finals were let down from what they could've been with Clare and Cork winning their games in double digit territory but the headlines were of David Reidy and his knock.

The Semi-Finals didn't disappoint with Galway and Cork going at it where Cork had a 1 point lead at half time for Galway to power on to victory in the 2nd half.

The game that followed the next day was a closer game with Clare having a good start being 5 points ahead at the break to ultimately lose by 2 in the end.

Tell me before the Championship if you expected all the above because I certainly didn't.

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 11 hours ago
▲ 4 r/GAA

YHOTY

With the Championship almost over who's in the running for it in your opinion.

For me there's: Dan Bourke, Adam Screeney, Conal O'Riain, Séan Rynne, William Buckley, Rory Burke, Aaron Niland and the current front runner IMO Jason Rabbitte.

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 5 days ago
▲ 23 r/GAA

Galway

I figured out where it all went for us and particularly Padraig Joyce.

The decline had begun when he met Pep Guardiola. Ever since then Man City have lost out on the Premier League title to Arsenal of all teams and now Pep has left his role at Man City.

Padraig Joyce has lost the Connacht title and as exited at the Quarter-Finals again, could the signs be ominous for him?

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 7 days ago
▲ 1 r/GAA

Semi-Final

Got a ticket for the Galway vs Cork game and it's in 734.

First time in that area of Croke Park and I'm wondering what's the view like for it towards the Davin end.

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 12 days ago
▲ 0 r/GAA

Hurling Calendar Format Idea

I had an idea yesterday of how to make the best of the Provincials and the All-Ireland with it happening all the way across summer.

National Hurling League starts in the middle of January and concludes on the weekend of St Patrick's Day.

Having 3 weeks and a rest week and another rest week for the League Finals.

The Leinster Championship then happens in the 2nd week in April as it would have 7 teams with the Munster Championship starting on the last weekend in April.

Their Provincial Finals then take place on the last weekend in May. With a rest week between the final round robin game and Provincial Final.

The Provincials winners go straight to the All-Ireland Semi-Finals to keep the value of winning it.

From the June to July then we've got the All-Ireland Qualifiers. 10 teams play 5 times to try and get top 4 in the standings to progress.

Provincial runners up have 3 home games and 1 game in a neutral venue, 3rd place Provincialists get 2 home games and 2 neutral venues.

The top 4 go through to the Quarter-Finals that take place on the 3rd weekend in July. With the Semi-Finals 2 weeks after as will the Final having it take place on the 3rd weekend in August.

You then have the Club Championships happen from September to January.

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 12 days ago

Irish Player Watchlist: URC Final

Same format as usual tackles made and metres carried counted in 5s via Superbru Fantasy and Dominant tackles via RugbyPass.

​

Criteria for selection: https://www.reddit.com/r/irishrugby/s/dgdFMZwHVv

​

  1. Jerry Cahir (Loosehead Prop) - He helped win a scrum on a Bulls put in, put in 5 tackles and carried 5m. A decent game from him.

​

  1. Max Deegan (Back Row) - He put in 5 tackles, stole a line-out, got 2 turnovers, carried 40m, broke the line 3 times and got the better of 2 defenders. A good game from him.

​

  1. Sam Prendergast (Fly-Half) - He put in 5 tackles (1 being dominant), carried 35m, broke the line, had nice link-up play, got a try and an excellent kicking game with being good from the tee and getting a 50:22 which got MOTM.
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u/Colm_Flaherty — 15 days ago

Irish summer squad

So 1st off here a list of players that I think should be on stand down duty due to extensive game time during the season and others who are injured.

Calm down with the posts or you'll soon be drafted as a selector by Andy Farrell himself!

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 26 days ago

Irish Player Watchlist: URC Semi-Finals

Same format as usual; tackles made and metres carried counted in 5s and defenders beaten in 2s via Superbru Fantasy and dominant tackles via RugbyPass.

Criteria for selection: https://www.reddit.com/r/irishrugby/s/0LHQXvTKor

Leinster

  1. Alex Usanov (Tightgead Prop) - He put in 5 tackles and carried 15m. An OK cameo from him.

  2. Sam Prendergast (Fly-Half) - He carried 15m and got past 2 defenders with having a good day from the tee. An OK game from him.

  3. Jimmy O'Brien (Outside Back) - He put in 5 tackles and carried 35m. A solid game from him.

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 28 days ago
▲ 10 r/GAA

All-Star team so far

Following up from my post about the Gaelic Football version of this, here's my current All-Star hurling team with nominations below it:

  1. Nickie Quaid (Limerick)

  2. Niall O'Leary (Cork)

  3. Ben Conneely (Offaly)

  4. Ronan Glennon (Galway)

  5. Diarmuid Byrnes (Limerick) POTY

  6. Robert Downey (Cork)

  7. Mark Coleman (Cork)

  8. Brian Hayes (Dublin)

  9. Tom Monaghan (Galway)

  10. Gearoid Hegarty (Limerick)

  11. Dónal Burke (Dublin)

  12. Aidan O'Connor (Limerick)

  13. Eoghan Cahill (Offaly)

  14. Conor Whelan (Galway)

  15. William Buckley (Cork) YPOTY

Goalkeeper nominations: Liam Hoare (Offaly), Billy Nolan (Waterford)

Defender nominations: Séan Finn, Barry Nash (Limerick), Liam Rushe, Conor Burke (Dublin), Diarmuid Ryan (Clare)

Midfielder nominations: Cathal King (Offaly), Darragh Fitzgibbon (Cork), Conor Donoghue (Dublin)

Forward nominations: Rory Burke, Jason Rabbitte, Aaron Niland (Galway), Cathal O'Neill, Shane O'Brien (Limerick), Fergal Whitley, Conal O'Riain (Dublin), Shane Barrett, Brian Hayes (Cork), Dan Bourke (Offaly)

COTY: Johnny Kelly

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 29 days ago

Irish Player Watchlist: URC Quarter-Finals

Same format as usual; tackles made and metres carried counted in 5s and defenders beaten by 2 via Superbru Fantasy and dominant tackles included via RugbyPass.

Criteria for selection: https://www.reddit.com/r/irishrugby/s/i68HE3n6uN

Apologies for no post for European finals, the post slipped my mind during a busy week.

Connacht

  1. Billy Bohan (Loosehead Prop) - He was key in getting parity in the scrums for Connacht and also put in 10 tackles. A solid game from him.

  2. Dylan Tierney-Martin (Hooker) - He held his own in the scrum and had nice arrows, put in 10 tackles, carried 15m and broke the line and got an assist. A decent game from him.

  3. Darragh Murray (2nd Row) - He helped secure Connacht's own line-outs and put in 15 tackles with 1 being dominant in a decent defensive game.

  4. Cian Prendergast (Back Row) - He put in 15 tackles (1 being dominant), carried 20m and got a nice try. A decent game from him.

  5. Shamus Hurley-Langton (Back Row) - He put in 15 tackles, carried 5m and broke the line. A solid game from him.

  6. Paul Boyle (Back Row) - He put in 15 tackles (1 being dominant), carried 35m and got the better of 2 defenders. A decent game from him.

  7. Matthew Devine (Scrum-Half) - He carried 25m, broke the line and got past 2 defenders with decent kicks and nice ruck speed. A decent cameo from him.

  8. Ben Murphy (Scrum-Half) - He carried 35m and got past 2 defenders with decent kicks and ruck speed. A solid game from him.

Munster

  1. Alex Kendellan (Back Row) - He put in 5 tackles (1 being dominant), got a turnover and carried 15m. A solid cameo from him given the circumstances.

Also a mention to Alex Nankivell who put up insane stats for a team that lost by over 30pts.

Leinster

  1. Alex Usanov (Loosehead Prop) - He retained the scrum for Leinster and got parity in scrums.

  2. Gus McCarthy (Hooker) - He got a turnover, carried 10m and got a nice try. A decent cameo from him.

  3. Diarmuid Mangan (Back Row) - He got a turnover, carried 20m and broke the line. A good cameo from him.

  4. Scott Penny (Back Row) - He put in 5 tackles, got a turnover, carried 15m, broke the line and got a try. A good game from him.

  5. Sam Prendergast (Fly-Half) - He put in 5 tackles, got a turnover, carried 80m, broke the line and got 3 assists and an intercept try as well with good link-up play and kicks. An excellent game from him.

  6. Jimmy O'Brien (Utility Back) - He got a turnover, carried 55m, broke the line 3 times, got past 2 defenders and got 2 assists and a nice try. A good game from him.

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 1 month ago

Irish Player Watchlist: URC R18

Same format as usual metres carried and tackles counted in 5s and defenders beaten in 2s via Superbru Fantasy and Dominant tackles via RugbyPass.

Criteria for selection: https://www.reddit.com/r/irishrugby/s/McpjHU4CJE

Ulster

  1. Tom Stewart (Hooker) - He put in 15 tackles (5 dominant), got 2 turnovers and carried 25m. A solid cameo from him.

  2. Cormac Izuchuckwu (Hybrid Forward) - He put in 5 tackles, stole a line-out, got a turnover, carried 25m and broke the line. A decent cameo from him.

  3. Charlie Irvine (2nd Row) - He put in 25 tackles and got a turnover. A solid defensive game from him.

  4. Joe Hopes (2nd Row) - He put in 25 tackles, stole a line-out and carried 5m. A solid game from him.

  5. Bryn Ward (Back Row) - He put in 20 tackles (1 dominant), carried 70m, broke the line, got past 4 defenders and got an assist. A great game from him.

  6. Jack Murphy (Fly-Half) - He put in 5 tackles, broke the line and scored a try. A decent cameo from him.

  7. Wilhelm de Klerk (Midfielder) - He put in 15 tackles, got a turnover and carried 20m. A solid game from him.

  8. Zac Ward (Wing) - He put in 5 tackles, got 4 turnovers, carried an impressive 145m, broke the line twice, got the better of 3 defenders each time and scored a brace and got MOTM. A great game from him.

  9. Michael Lowry (Fullback) - He carried an impressive 100m, broke the line twice and got past 2 defenders each time with also getting an assist each time. A good game from him.

Connacht

  1. Cian Prendergast (Back Row) - He put in 15 tackles, stole a line-out, got a turnover whilst being everywhere in defence that even at times if he wasn't the player that won the ball it felt like he was and carried 25m. An outstanding game from him.

  2. Shamus Hurley-Langton (Back Row) - He put in 25 tackles (1 dominant), carried 30m, broke the line, got the better of 2 defenders and got a brace. Another great game from him and some form since return from injury with 7 tries in 7 games.

  3. Séan Jansen (Back Row) - He put in 10 tackles (1 dominant), carried 45m and got the better of 2 defenders. A decent game from him.

  4. Matthew Devine (Scrum-Half) - He put in 5 tackles, got a turnover, carried 35m, broke the line after showing good IQ to get a foot to a loose ball and then some wheels to collect the ball to score. A good cameo from him.

  5. Ben Murphy (Scrum-Half) - He put in 5 tackles, carried 25m, broke the line and got past 2 defenders with decent ruck speed and box kicks and reactions. A solid game from him.

  6. Séan Naughton (Utility Back) - He got a turnover, carried 25m and broke the line twice. A solid game from him.

  7. Harry West (Utility Back) - He carried 25m, broke the line and got an assist. A decent showing before he picked up his unfortunate injury.

  8. Shane Jennings (Wing) - He put in 5 tackles (1 dominant), got a turnover, carried 20m and broke the line. A solid game from him.

  9. Shayne Bolton (Wing) - He put in 5 tackles, carried 85m, broke the line and got past 2 defenders. A good game from him.

Leinster

  1. James Culhane (Back Row) - He put in 10 tackles, carried 25m, broke the line and got an assist. A decent game from him.

  2. Ciarán Frawley (Utility Back) - He stole a line-out, got a turnover, carried 30m and converted 5 tries. A decent cameo from him.

  3. Jimmy O'Brien (Back 3) - He put in 5 tackles (1 dominant), carried an impressive 150m, broke the line and got past 2 defenders and got an assist and a try. A good game from him.

Munster

  1. Thomas Ahern (Hybrid Forward) - He put in 5 tackles stole a line-out and helped secure the Munster one and got a try. A good game from him.

  2. Evan O'Connell (2nd Row) - He put in 10 tackles (1 dominant), got 2 turnovers, was calling the line-out and got success, carried 5m and got the better of 2 defenders to get his try. A great game from him.

  3. Alex Kendellan (Back Row) - put in 5 tackles, got a turnover and carried 10m. A solid cameo from him.

  4. John Hodnett (Back Row) - He put in 5 tackles, got a turnover, carried 35m, broke the line and got past 2 defenders. A decent game from him.

  5. Brian Gleeson (Back Row) - He put in 5 tackles, carried 60m and got the better of 4 defenders. A decent game from him.

  6. Craig Casey (Scrum-Half) - He got a turnover, carried 20m, broke the line and got a try with having good ruck speed and decent box kicks and deservingly got MOTM. A good game from him.

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 2 months ago
▲ 1 r/GAA

HoganStand (App/Website)

Might be trying to find a needle in a haystack here, but if anyone else here uses it.

Does the '400 bad request' come up?

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 2 months ago

Irish Player Watchlist: URC R17

Same format as usual metres carried and tackles made counted by 5s and defenders beaten counted by 2s via Superbru Fantasy and dominant tackles via RugbyPass.

Criteria for selection: https://www.reddit.com/r/irishrugby/s/yKjjeoxuOx

Ulster

  1. Tom McAllister (Tighthead Prop) - He put in 15 tackles, carried 20m and broke the line an impressive cameo.

  2. Tom Stewart (Hooker) - He had accurate line-outs, put in 15 tackles (1 being dominant), carried 10m and broke the line. Another decent cameo for Ulster against Stormers.

  3. Cormac Izuchuckwu (Hybrid Forward) - He put in 15 tackles, got a turnover, carried 15m and got the better of 4 defenders. A solid defensive game from him.

  4. Nick Timoney (Back Row) - He put in 15 tackles (1 being dominant), got 2 turnovers, carried 25m, broke the line and got an assist. A good game from him.

  5. Nathan Doak (Scrum-Half) - He put in 5 tackles, carried 40m, broke the line and had decent ruck which got him an assist with his good kicking game despite the tackle at the end a good game from him.

  6. Jack Murphy (Fly-Half) - He put in 5 tackles, carried 5m and got an assist. A decent game from him.

  7. Jude Postlethwaite (Midfielder) - He put in 5 tackles, carried 25m and got the better of 6 defenders. A good game from him.

  8. Zac Ward (Wing) - He carried 70m, broke the line, got past 6 defenders and scored a try. A good game from him.

  9. Michael Lowry (Fullback) - He put in 5 tackles, carried 90m, broke the line 4 times, got past 2 defenders and got an assist and a try. A good game from him.

Leinster

  1. Thomas Clarkson (Tighthead Prop) - He carried 15m, broke the line and got a try. A decent game from him.

  2. Diarmuid Mangan (Hybrid Forward) - He put in 10 tackles (1 being dominant), got a turnover, carried 45m, broke the line and got MOTM. A good game from him off the bench.

  3. James Culhane (Back Row) - He put in 15 tackles (3 being dominant), got a turnover, carried 60m, broke the line and got the better of 2 defenders. An impressive game from him and seems to be coming into a streak of form.

  4. Hugh Cooney (Outside Centre) - He carried 30m, ran a good line to then assist Rieko Ioane. A decent cameo from him.

  5. Jimmy O'Brien (Back 3) - He put in 5 tackles (3 being dominant), carried 65m, broke the line twice and got past 2 defenders each time and got a try. A good game from him and another player who's finding a bit of form.

  6. Ciarán Frawley (Utility Back) - He carried 60m, broke the line and got past 6 defenders. A decent game from him.

Connacht

  1. Billy Bohan (Loosehead Prop) - He was dominant in the scrums, put in 10 tackles (1 being dominant), got a turnover, carried 15m and got the better of 4 defenders. A great game from him.

  2. Sam Illo (Tighthead Prop) - He along with Bohan were dominant in scrums, put in 10 tackles (1 being dominant), carried 15m and also got the better of 4 defenders. 2 great games from the starting Props for Connacht.

  3. Darragh Murray (2nd Row) - He stole a line-out, put in 15 tackles and got a turnover. A superb defensive game from him.

  4. Cian Prendergast (Back Row) - He stole a line-out, put in 10 tackles (2 being dominant), carried 35m, broke the line and got the better of 4 defenders. A great game from the Connacht skipper showing a true captains game in an interpro.

  5. Shamus Hurley-Langton (Back Row) - He put in 5 tackles (1 being dominant), got a turnover, carried 20m, broke the line and got a try. Another great game from him since his injury return.

  6. Séan Jansen (Back Row) - He put in 20 tackles (2 being dominant), got a turnover, carried 40m and looked super aggressive and dominant each time he had the ball, whilst getting the better of 2 defenders and showed it once again to score his try and deservingly got MOTM. Another great game from him.

  7. Matthew Devine (Scrum-Half) - He got an impressive 3 turnovers and carried 5m with also continuing on the work from Ben Murphy. A solid cameo from him.

  8. Ben Murphy (Scrum-Half) - He carried 25m, broke the line, got past 2 defenders for his and had good ruck speed and great box kicks. A good game from him.

  9. Harry West (Utility Back) - He put in 5 tackles (1 being dominant), carried 75m and broke the line twice whilst linking up the play nicely also. Another great game from him.

  10. Shane Jennings (Wing) - He put in 10 tackles (1 being dominant), carried 30m and broke the line. A solid game from him.

  11. Shayne Bolton (Wing) - He put in 5 tackles, got a turnover, carried 80m, broke the line 4 times and got past 6 defenders and scored a try. A great game from him.

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 2 months ago

Séan Jansen

I'd be quite surprised if he isn't in the Nations Cup squad for Ireland.

It's always said that if you want to break into the squad and you're not playing for Leinster that you need to standout in the Interpros.

He's seriously shown up in every interpro apart from Munster (A) this season where he's been the best player in the games against Leinster and Munster at home and also Ulster away.

reddit.com
u/Colm_Flaherty — 2 months ago

26/27 season 1st choice 23

Assuming we've no more players coming and the players that are expected to leave do end up doing so, what's everyone's 23 for next season.

Provided that each player goes into the following season with their current form and we have everyone fit.

Mine would be as follows:

  1. Billy Bohan

  2. Dave Heffernan

  3. Finlay Bealham

  4. Josh Murphy

  5. Darragh Murray

  6. Cian Prendergast

  7. Shamus Hurley-Langton

  8. Séan Jansen

  9. Ben Murphy

  10. Ciarán Frawley

  11. Shayne Bolton

  12. Bundee Aki

  13. Cathal Forde

  14. Mack Hansen

  15. Sam Gilbert

  16. Dylan Tierney-Martin

  17. François Van Wyk

  18. Sam Illo

  19. Niall Murray

  20. Paul Boyle

  21. Caolin Blade

  22. Josh Ioane

  23. Harry West

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 2 months ago

So the season is concluding soon with all provinces in the hunt for a place in the playoffs with 2 of the provinces also playing in their European Cup finals.

However this is about the Irish teams upcoming Nations Championship campaign in the new tournament decided by the blazers to get themselves more money.

We all have a fair idea of who will be in the Irish team and discussion on it has been done to death so I thought I'd do an analysis on our opposition.

The Wallabies

  1. Angus Bell (Ulster/NSW Waratahs)

  2. Billy Pollard (ACT Brumbies)

  3. Allan Ala'alatoa (ACT Brumbies)

  4. Nick Frost (ACT Brumbies)

  5. Tom Hooper (Exeter Chiefs/ACT Brumbies)

  6. Rob Valentini (ACT Brumbies)

  7. Fraser McReight (Queensland Reds)

  8. Harry Wilson (Queensland Reds)

  9. Jake Gordon (NSW Waratahs)

  10. Ben Donaldson (Western Force)

  11. Dylan Pietsch (Western Force)

  12. Len Ikitau (Exeter Chiefs/ACT Brumbies)

  13. Joseph Aukuso-Suaali'i (NSW Waratahs)

  14. Filipo Daugunu (Queensland Reds)

  15. Max Jorgensen (NSW Waratahs)

  16. Brandon Paenga-Amosa (Western Force)

  17. Tom Robertson (Western Force)

  18. Zane Nonggorr (Queensland Reds)

  19. Jeremy Williams (Western Force)

  20. Carlo Tizzano (Western Force)

  21. Kalani Thomas (Queensland Reds)

  22. Carter Gordon (Queensland Reds)

  23. Andrew Kellaway (NSW Waratahs)

The Wallabies attack is similar to style of Union Bordeaux Begles with turning the dial from defence to attack as quick as particularly from rucks as it as key area of their game plan to then spread the ball through the hands of Len Ikitau to find the wings or Joseph Aukuso-Suaali'i in space.

Some potential left-field players that might make their team: Lukhan Salakai-Loto (Queensland Reds), Josh Flook (Queensland Reds), Sid Harvey (NSW Waratahs), Zac Lomax (Western Force)

Japan I'd guess would be the same team from the last time we played with their main threats being Warner Dearns (Hurricanes) and Dylan Riley (Saitama Wild Knights)

All-Blacks

  1. Ethan de Groot (Highlanders)

  2. Codie Taylor (Crusaders)

  3. Fletcher Newell (Crusaders)

  4. Josh Lord (Gallagher Chiefs)

  5. Sam Darry (Blues)

  6. Tupou Vaa'i (Gallagher Chiefs)

  7. Peter Lakai (Hurricanes)

  8. Ardie Savea (Kobelco Kobe Stealers/Moana Pasifika)

  9. Cam Roigard (Hurricanes)

  10. Damian McKenzie (Gallagher Chiefs)

  11. Caleb Clarke (Blues)

  12. Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes)

  13. Quinn Tupaea (Gallagher Chiefs)

  14. Caleb Tangitau (Highlanders)

  15. Will Jordan (Crusaders)

  16. Samisoni Taukei'aho (Gallagher Chiefs)

  17. Xavier Numia (Hurricanes)

  18. Pasilio Tosi (Hurricanes)

  19. Patrick Tuipulotu (Blues)

  20. Wallace Sititi (Gallagher Chiefs)

  21. Cortez Ratima (Gallagher Chiefs)

  22. Beauden Barrett (Blues)

  23. Leicester Fainga'anuku (Crusaders)

The All-Blacks attack is to out-muscle thier opponent and then to get the ball to their main threats of Jordie Barrett, Quinn Tupaea and Will Jordan and Caleb Tangitau (provided he's in the team).

Outside bets to make their team: Anton Segner (Blues), Adam Lennox (Highlanders), Ruben Love (Hurricanes), Timoci Tavatavanawi (Highlanders)

Los Pumas

  1. Thomas Gallo (Benetton Treviso)

  2. Julian Montoya (Section Paloise)

  3. Pedro Delgado (Harlequins)

  4. Franco Molina (Western Force)

  5. Pedro Rubiolo (Bristol Bears)

  6. Juan Martin Gonzalez (Saracens)

  7. Pablo Matera (Mie Honda Heat)

  8. Joaquin Moro (Leicester Tigers)

  9. Simon Benitez Cruz (Newcastle Red Bulls)

  10. Tomas Albornoz (RC Toulon)

  11. Matteo Carreras (Aviron Bayonnais)

  12. Santiago Chocobares (Stade Toulousain)

  13. Matias Moroni (Bristol Bears)

  14. Bautista Delguy (ASM Clermont Auvergne)

  15. Santiago Carreras (Bath)

  16. Ignacio Ruiz (Perpignan)

  17. Mayco Vivas (Gloucester)

  18. Boris Wegner (Harlequins)

  19. Guido Petti (Harlequins)

  20. Joaquin Oviedo (Perpignan)

  21. Gonzalo Garcia (Zebre Parma)

  22. Geronimo Prisciantelli (Racing 92)

  23. Justo Piccardo (Montpellier Herault)

The Los Pumas attack is very similar to the France style most likely down to most of their players plying their trade their.

Other players in the reckoning: Marcos Kremer (ASM Clermont Auvergne), Santiago Grondonna (Bristol Bears), Juan Cruz Mallia (Stade Toulousain), Rodrigo Isgro (Harlequins)

Flying-Fijians

  1. Haereiti Hatet (Fijian Drua)

  2. Tevita Ikanivere (Mie Honda Heat)

  3. Luke Tagi (Aviron Bayonnais)

  4. Temo Mayanavanua (Fijian Drua)

  5. Joseva Tamani (Fijian Drua)

  6. Elia Canakaivata (Fijian Drua)

  7. Levanni Botia (Stade Rochelais)

  8. Nathan Hughes (Racing 92)

  9. Frank Lomani (Fijian Drua)

  10. Isiah Armstrong-Ravula (Fijian Drua)

  11. Jiuta Wainiqolo (RC Toulon)

  12. Joshua Tuisova (Racing 92)

  13. Semi Radradra (Shizuoka Blue Revs)

  14. Kalaveti Ravouvou (Bristol Bears)

  15. Salesi Rayasi (Union Bordeaux Begles)

  16. Zuriel Togiatama (Fijian Drua)

  17. Eroni Mawi (Saracens)

  18. Mesake Doge (Fijian Drua)

  19. Etonia Waqa (Fijian Drua)

  20. Peceli Yato (ASM Clermont Auvergne)

  21. Simione Kuruvoli (Fijian Drua)

  22. Caleb Muntz (Provence)

  23. Virimi Vakatava (Fijian Drua)

Afaict Fiji don't particularly have a structured attack and thrive on the chaos of a loose unstructured game.

Springboks

  1. Ox Nche (Hollywoodbet Sharks)

  2. Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears)

  3. Thomas du Toit (Bath)

  4. Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz)

  5. Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls)

  6. Siya Kolisi (Hollywoodbet Sharks)

  7. Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls)

  8. Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks)

  9. Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers)

  10. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers)

  11. Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls)

  12. Damian De Allende (Saitama Wild Knights)

  13. Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls)

  14. Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath)

  15. Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers)

  16. Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls)

  17. Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls)

  18. Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls)

  19. Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs)

  20. Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls)

  21. Morne van den Berg (Fidelity Securedrive Lions)

  22. Manie Libbok (Hanazono Kintetsu Liners)

  23. Andre Estherhuizen (Hollywoodbet Sharks)

Their attack is structured to wear down their opposition by out-muscling them then to get the ball to the wings with support runners coming either side of the player in possession with multiple options for an offload.

Outside bets for a cap: Ntuthuko Mchunu (DHL Stormers), Ruan Venter (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Paul de Villiers (DHL Stormers), Evan Roos (DHL Stormers), Sibabawle Mahashe (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbet Sharks), Imad Khan (DHL Stormers), Henco van Wyk (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Cheswill Jooste (Vodacom Bulls)

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 2 months ago

Same format as usual metres carried and tackles counted in by 5s and defenders beaten counted in 2s via Superbru and dominant tackles via RugbyPass.

Criteria for selection link. https://www.reddit.com/r/irishrugby/s/glIa2wrOSk

Leinster

  1. Thomas Clarkson (Tighthead Prop) - He helped win a scrum on a Toulon put in and also had the upper hand on scrums on Jean-Baptiste Gros, put in 5 tackles and carried 5m. A good game from him when the Leinster scrum was under scrutiny.

Ulster

  1. Tom Stewart (Hooker) - His arrows were mostly accurate, put in 10 tackles, got a turnover, carried 40m and scored a try. A good game from him.

  2. Tom O'Toole (Prop) - He was solid in the scrums, put in 10 tackles, carried 5m and got the better of 2 defenders. A solid game from him.

  3. Cormac Izuchuckwu (Hybrid Forward) - He put in 10 tackles, got 2 turnovers and carried 15m. A decent defensive game from him.

  4. David McCann (Back Row) - He put in 10 tackles (1 being dominant), carried 10m and scored a try. A decent game from him.

  5. Nick Timoney (Back Row) - He put in 15 tackles (1 being dominant), got a turnover and carried 5m. A solid game from him.

  6. Nathan Doak (Scrum-Half) - He put in 10 tackles, got a turnover and had good ruck speed which led to an assist. A decent game from him.

  7. Jack Murphy (Fly-Half) - He put in 5 tackles and got a try. A solid game from him.

  8. Jude Postlethwaite (Midfielder) - He put in 10 tackles, got a turnover, carried 40m and got past 4 defenders. A decent game from him.

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 2 months ago

Same format as usual metres carried and tackles counted in 5s and defenders beaten counted in 2s via Superbru Fantasy with dominat tackles also included via RugbyPass.

Criteria for selection: https://www.reddit.com/r/irishrugby/s/P57p0fuWr3

Connacht

  1. Billy Bohan (Loosehead Prop) - He continued on from the nice work of Peter Dooley in the scrums with maintaining the parity he had, whilst putting in 5 tackles (1 being dominant), got a turnover and carried 5m. A solid cameo from him.

  2. Matthew Victory (Hooker) - His line-out work was improved with maintaining the 100% accuracy Connacht had whilst also stealing a line-out, put in 5 tackles, got a turnover and carried 10m. A solid cameo from him.

  3. Dylan Tierney-Martin (Hooker) - He was part of the solid scrum that got parity and had good arrows whilst also carrying 5m. A solid game from him.

  4. Fiachna Barrett (Tighthead Prop) - He continued on the nice work of the scrums with maintaining parity, carried 25m and broke the line. A decent cameo from him.

  5. Jack Aungier (Tighthead Prop) - He was good in the scrums in getting parity, put in 5 tackles and carried 5m. A solid game from him.

  6. Darragh Murray (2nd Row) - He was excellent in both teams line-outs with maintaining Connacht's throw-ins and stealing 2, put in 5 tackles and carried 5m. A good cameo from him.

  7. Niall Murray (2nd Row) - He was excellent in both teams line-outs with maintaining Connacht's throw-ins and stealing one, put in 10 tackles and got a turnover. A good game from him.

  8. Cian Prendergast (Back Row) - He put in 5 tackles, got a turnover, carried 55m and got the better of 2 defenders. A good game from him.

  9. Paul Boyle (Back Row) - He put in 5 tackles (1 being dominant), got a turnover, carried 10m and got a try. A decent game from him.

  10. Matthew Devine (Scrum-Half) - He carried 25m, broke the line, got past 2 defenders and got a brace whilst having decent kicking and good cohesion and tempo with the other backs. A good cameo from him.

  11. Shayne Bolton (Wing) - He got a turnover, carried 35m and got the better of 4 defenders. A good cameo from him.

Munster

  1. Michael Milne (Loosehead Prop) - He maintained the parity in the scrums that Jeremy Loughman got for Munster. A solid cameo from him.

  2. Jeremy Loughman (Loosehead Prop) - He got parity in the scrums and put in 10 tackles (3 being dominant). A good game from him.

  3. Lee Barron (Hooker) - He had good arrows and maintained a steady set-piece, got a turnover, carried 20m and broke the line. A decent cameo from him.

  4. Diarmuid Barron (Hooker) - He had good arrows and put in 10 tackles (1 being dominant). A solid game from him.

  5. Edwin Edogbo (2nd Row) - He put in 10 tackles (1 being dominant), carried 5m and got the better of 2 defenders. A solid game from him.

  6. Tom Ahern (Hybrid Forward) - He put in 5 tackles, carried 25m and broke the line. A decent game from him.

  7. John Hodnett (Back Row) - He put in 5 tackles (1 being dominant), carried an impressive 95m, broke the line 3 times, got the better of 4 defenders and got an impressive 4 tries which deservingly got him MOTM. An outstanding game from him.

  8. Alex Kendellan (Back Row) - He carried 20m and got a hat-trick. A good cameo from him.

  9. Gavin Coombes (Back Row) - He put in 10 tackles (1 being dominant), got 2 turnovers, carried 25m, broke the line, got the better of 2 defenders and gave a nice assist to John Hodnett. A good game from him.

  10. Ben O'Donovan (Scrum-Half) - He carried 25m and broke the line with having decent ruck speed. A solid cameo from him.

  11. Craig Casey (Scrum-Half) - He put in 5 tackles, carried 10m and had good ruck speed which got him 2 assists. A good game from him.

  12. Dan Kelly (Midfielder) - He put in 5 tackles, carried 15m, broke the line, got past 2 defenders and got an assist. A good cameo from him.

  13. Shane Daly (Utility Back) - He put in 5 tackles (1 being dominant), got a turnover, carried 60m and broke the line. A decent game from him.

Ulster (AILster)

  1. Tom McAllister (Tighthead Prop) - He maintained the parity that was had when he came on and put in 5 tackles. A solid cameo from him.

  2. Harry Sheridan (2nd Row) - He was good in line-outs in keeping the Ulster throw-ins, put in 5 tackles (1 being dominant), carried 10m, broke the line and got the better of 2 defenders. A decent game from him.

  3. Charlie Irvine (2nd Row) - He kept the Ulster line-outs in possession and put in 5 tackles. A solid game from him.

  4. James McKillop (Back Row) - He put in 10 tackles, carried 20m and broke the line. A solid game from him.

  5. Lorcan McLoughlin (Back Row) - He put in 10 tackles, carried 40m, broke the line and got the better of 2 defenders. A decent game from him.

  6. Johnny Scott (Centre) - He put in 5 tackles (1 being dominant), carried 35m and got past 6 defenders. A decent cameo from him.

Leinster

  1. Conor O'Tierneagh (2nd Row) - He stole a line-out, put in 10 tackles, carried 10m and got a try. A good game from him.

  2. Jimmy O'Brien (Utility Back) - He carried 70m and broke the line twice. A good game from him.

  3. Ciarán Frawley (Utility Back) - He got a turnover, carried 30m, got past 4 defenders and got a nice try. A good game from him.

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u/Colm_Flaherty — 2 months ago