This week Keego looks ahead to the autumn and wonders if Kidney will churn out the same old faces yet again.
And welcome to blog number 14…..it is only slightly more acceptable than being the oldest man in the club.
I thought I would talk about the Irish training camp and the upcoming November internationals. This is one of my favourite sporting times of the year. Some great moments have happened during the games in the freezing cold November. We have beaten South Africa in the fog, this was the time Jamie Heaslip had his 70’s porno stache.
When I first heard the names going to the two day training camp I though, ah jaysus, same old same old. Kidney has been suffering from ‘Trapatoni-itis’ for a long time. Or maybe Trap has a dose of Kidney-itis, regardless of who the disease is named after it needs a fair dose of ‘stop taking the piss’ from the doctor.
Then karma stuck her pert bottom right in Kidney’s face. The great Ronan O’Gara (not being insincere, he is great) got a knock to the shoulder which opened the door for Ian Madigan. As we spoke about last week, I was hoping someone was in his ear telling him to bide his time and he will get a shot in the green jersey. I understand that this is just the training squad, but it is hugely important for Kidney to see him up close in a relatively stress free environment. If Madigan puts in a good shift here he will be hard to be ignored in November (which is when some experimentation should take place….I've just jinxed the whole thing now haven’t I?).
So first off we play the Springboks on November 10th. Always a savage game, the Boks are mean tough mahfackah’s and always bring an intensity that needs to be matched from the first minute. The Boks have been trying new things recently, Morne Steyn being left on the bench after playing 3 million games in the last 12 months and is replaced by Johan Goosen. An interesting change, something that not all teams would be prepared for. Maybe we should be taking a page out of the Meyer playbook, and trying something new (noticing a pattern)??
Cough cough….Kidney…cough cough….something new….cough cough….tickets are expensive and we would like to see some improvements….
We then play Fiji on the 17th of November in Thomond Park. That will be some crack. Between the Fijian accent and the Cork accent no one will have a feckin clue what’s going on ;). This isn’t a full international so I would expect/hope that we would see some debuts handed out in this game. Although now that I said it, we will see DOC at 4, ROG at 10. I have just gone and jinxed it haven’t I? This will be another tough physical game, but the Fijians should wilt in the second half allowing us to put a few more points on the board which will flatter us. This is the rugby equivalent of that part in the evening when you look across the bar at a girl who was not attractive an hour ago, but after 3 double vodka and west coast coolers, she looks like Britney in her prime. (For the women folk, exchange the gender and insert whoever you think of between the hours of midnight at 4am instead of Britney)
And finally we play Argentina on the 24th November. I love it when we play Argentina because it becomes a straight out fight. This will be a big test for the lads. It will show us whether they have gotten over the summer tests and are moving forward in a positive way or not. It is also huge for us, the fans. We will see if Kidney is not as stubborn as he is appearing.
Keego’s predictions are 2 wins and a loss for the three games.
And in closing. The countdown is on! We are 10 days away from the big match! We welcome with open arms and undone flies the people of Munster for the pre Crimbo battle in Lansdowne. I can’t wait! Although I am quite worried this time around. The reds have been playing well and have not needed much time getting used to a new coach. They are looking razor sharp. We, on the other hand, looked very sluggish last week. Nothing catastrophic happened, but we just didn’t look good against Edinburgh. We need to be on against Munster. I am sure the big game will bring a big performances from big players.
Next week will be all about the big game. The ins and outs, the swings and roundabouts, the cup size and flexibility of the whole thing….sure you know yourself….
Keego (@nkeegan): Newbie blogger, former professional wrestler, sometime attempted rugby player (@TheThirsty3rds), professional procrastinator and attempted musician with a fondness for long walks on the bar, tea and the couch. Opinionated Leinster fan and constant gardener.
