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Ex-Ireland player's one score prediction for Six Nations opener
Former Ireland back-rower Alan Quinlan has tipped Andy Farrell’s side to come up with a one-score victory away to France in the Guinness Six Nations. The champions open their title defence with a massive fixture in Marseille 16 weeks after both the Irish and the French were knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the Rugby World Cup.
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These European teams had been tipped to make the final, but they instead respectively bowed out to New Zealand and South Africa and they will now look to pick up the pieces with their opening round Six Nations encounter.
It’s a Friday night match-up that Quinlan, the media pundit who last played for Ireland 16 years ago, reckoned will go the way of the Irish, but only just. He told Betway: “We will see a spring in Ireland, a new era, a couple of new players coming in.
“I’m incredibly excited about the power and physicality of Joe McCarthy. Jack Crowley might be under less pressure because he knows he is the main man now, and Calvin Nash is in on the wing.
“He replaces the injured Mack Hansen, who is a big loss because he is such a good footballer and for his ability to come in off his wing to be a playmaker. I have a good feeling that Ireland can win, but it will be tight. One score.
“From my experience of being involved in Six Nations campaigns for many years, the tournament excites and ignites that joy of playing rugby. It is a wonderful competition with great tradition and so much history.
“Nothing would focus Irish minds more than the task in hand on Friday night. If they are not right mentally and physically, they could struggle and suffer. But if they are on their game they can do very well and in the Six Nations itself.
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“If they use the World Cup setback in the right way they will bounce back. Listening to Farrell this week he said we have to move on, we can’t change what happened but we have to learn from it.
“There are some incredible world-class players in the Ireland team and, as we have seen with Leinster in recent weeks, they are finding their mojo and that bit of sparkle again.”
Quinlan added his vote of confidence about the selection of Crowley at out-half ahead of Ciaran Frawley and Harry Byrne. “Jack is the most natural player available that could emulate Johnny Sexton in terms of temperament, physicality and overall quality. He is very young on the international stage and he has matured a lot.”
As for the challenge Farrell has had getting Ireland going again following their World Cup demise, Quinlan suggested: “Ireland would have been incredibly frustrated to lose to New Zealand at the World Cup.
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“It was a bit of a revenge mission for the All Blacks with Joe Schmidt involved with them. Ireland seemed to be a little off that night.
“We haven’t had any public review of RWC. Internally they will have reviewed what went wrong and where they could have been better. This Irish team still has a really good culture in the group and is still driven to succeed and get better. From the head coach down, they have been pretty grounded.
“Andy Farrell would have had a tough job picking them up again. It was a team that potentially could have won the World Cup. That’s not being cocky.
“Andy is a very optimistic person but also grounded and has often said that while sport is very important, there are more important things in life.
“Andy is the right man to pick them up again, get them positive and ignite that bit of emotion; have a glass half-full scenario rather than have regrets.”
Comments on RugbyPass
One significant tell, not a single Waratahs player stopped to whinge to the ref about Finau’s tackle. They got on with playing the game. Great tackle.
8 Go to commentsWouldn’t be a bad move if Ireland pulled into SA with a young side. Particularly in Pretoria. Invaluable experience getting thumped in the bosveld.
53 Go to commentsIreland. The Princess Diana of Rugby. I never cheered so much for a team as i did for the All Blacks in that QF.
53 Go to commentsWill be great to see the Leinster first XV back in action again after their cotton wool time…
1 Go to commentsLooked up Grant Constable on google and reply was doppelgänger for Ben Smith
53 Go to commentsIt is so good that we now all get excited and debate who is best and emotionally get involved. We all back our teams which is great. Up until about 15-20 years ago, NZ was basically on its own, and then Saffa, Aussie and sometimes French and English were there. We now have at least 5-6 really top sides and another 4 who keep improving. This is so healthy. So we should not resort to rubbish comments and unhealthy debate, but rather all be chuffed that the product we watch is not competitive, exciting and often uncertain. It would be so good if World Rugger could find a way to align the rules to professional players as well as spectators. Live rugby games are SO boring as there is SO much down time as we wait for refs and TMOs and whoever else to look at every small event going back endless phases with the hope of eventually find a minute infringement to then decide cancel what was a wonderful try. This is the ultimate cork back in the bottle moment and feels like every balloon is always being popped. Come on- we must be better with the rules.
53 Go to comments“upon leaving said establishment I tripped over a stool knocking some bottles into the air and as I fell I accidently dislodged a police officer’s teaser who was passing by on an unrelated matter there by landing on said taser which caused it to discharge 50,000 watts into me. Out of shock I shouted Ireland are going to win the world cup. Upon waking up I apologised for the distress caused by my Ireland comment. The matter is closed. If you wish to pursue this matter may I remind you what I told Wayne Barnes when he sent me off. I AM A BIG ASS MAN”. Or was it “I AM A BIG ASS, MAN” or was it “I AM A BIG ASSMAN”?
1 Go to commentsThe only championship the Boks hold are: Great value for the incompetence of referees during the RWC Moaning endlessly and champions of spewing utterly ignorant 💩 at all times. Displaying the dangers of a third world education End of.
53 Go to commentsSouth Africa and Rassie do a phenomenal job of treating the 4 years in between World Cups as nothing more than a training exercise to build squad depth. The Six Nations money that keeps Irish rugby afloat is unfortunately too important to allow the same approach, and basic population size means we'll never get close to matching the depth of South Africa, England and France. That being said, Irish rugby is in a relatively good place and slowly improving inch by inch. If the other three provinces can pull the finger out and actually develop some players it'd be even better.
53 Go to commentsGood on Clarke for taking on the criticism and addressing his deficiencies, principally his laziness.
2 Go to comments“It is the people’s favourite against the actual favourite. It is the people’s champions against the actual champions. I’m joking, but it’s going to be a fantastic series.” Why did Darcy make that joke knowing it would be used as click bait? Why did RP headline it as a serious comment? Anyway, the tired comment isn’t very astute. SA players may have played more games etc. Darcy over estimated as a pundit.
53 Go to commentsNot sure Frisch will ever make the French team with Depoortère and Costes waiting in the wings to take over from Danty and Fickou.
1 Go to commentsThe Irish are tired and the Boks are old. The test series won't confirm who is best in the world, it will confirm which team needs to pursue the task of rebuilding with the most urgency.
53 Go to commentsGrant, the first time I have seen an article written by you. Maybe I have missed your previous stuff. These days all professional players effectively play a common season so all top players are equally tired, or rested. That is the job of the coaching ticket to build squad depth and juggle resources so players are ‘ fresh’ when the big games come. Possibly Ireland are less inclined to juggle squad compared to Rassie, who is prepared to take the risk to rest players as well as build depth throughout the year so come WC he has a full squad, experienced and rested enough to win 7 games. After all, to win WC you need to get through the tournament and then win the final big 3 games. Ireland should try and build a bit so come final 3 they are ready. So far only played final 1(QF). I am so looking forward to the Irish tour. Hopefully Rassie has enough time to align his guys, as he draws them from across the globe, and not from 2 sides locally( eg Leinster, Munster). No excuses, going to be exciting.
53 Go to commentsIn football, teams get fined and sometimes docked points for deliberately fielding weakened teams yet Leinster can pretty much do as they please with no comebacks. Could it be because Ireland run the URC? Could it be that Ireland run the ERC? Whichever it is, it stinks!!
6 Go to commentsIreland are only the People’s Champions in Irish eyes. The rest of the world do not care for them very much because of attitudes of people like Gordon, Ferris, Best, Jackman…I could go on!!
53 Go to commentsNot sure how Karl Dickson can ever ref a Quins game, he played for the club for 8 years as understudy to Care and is still close friends with half the team
3 Go to commentsAre bookies taking bets on how many times Vunipola's eventual statement will use the term “elders"? My money is on at least 4 times.
4 Go to commentsSo Ireland will be tired, despite having the most rested test squad in the world. They only play tests, champions cup and urc play off games ffs! Case in point; Leinster sent a B squad to SA for their last two games while their first xv rested up and trained at their leisure for the sf vs Saints at the so called ‘neutral venue’ of Croke Park. So tired? Do me a favour… And as for “people’s champions”? Seriously??? Outside of Ireland they are respected for their ability to win 6N. And of course plenty of inconsequential test friendlies without any real pressure. WC ko games when the pressure is white hot? Not so much…
53 Go to commentsSurprising how standing down or benching a player can do wonders for their motivation. Several players this week in that category.
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