A selection of the “keyboard warrior” reactions after the full-time whistle of our featured matches of the weekend.
If you’d like to contribute stay tuned to our Facebook page for our “Feel free to leave your thoughts…” posts which show up around full time after Leinster & Ireland matches.
Richard Mifsud Having thankfully not watched it as I’m on holiday I’ll await the write up on Monday. I’m sure Jeff will put this in its proper context as to cohesion, level of preparation etc. Still a stonking though 🤷🏻♂️. Question is, how will they bounce back? Like champions or has beens #simples
Richard Collumb Very poor performance, looks like other teams have the measure of our approach
No excuses no reasons for that ..they were shamefully embarrassing. Systems gameplan etc dont excuse lack of effort..the fuck ups at the LO the missed.tackles and the awful reads in the backline defence. Shocking— Mark (@hoomanbear) August 24, 2019
Peter O'Gorman So a friend of mine is adamant that it's meaningless; just game time to get through without injuries, giving nothing away from the playbook. He has a point, but given how off the boil we looked last 6N, and how we failed to cope with other teams' defenses and physicality, I would have liked to see a strong, confident performance, up in the opposition's face. If they don't do it in these warm ups when will they? Very unreasonable to expect them to just turn it on first big game in RWC.
One slight positive is the suggestion of England playing themselves out and peaking a bit too soon. I think those players will let it get to their head and could crash spectacularly. That might just be wishful thinking thoug
Colin Mehigan Hideous. Nightmare. Inept. Abject. And that's the positives.
Luke McGrath was our best player. Ben Youngs our second best player.
— Hazel Healy (@hazelhealy) August 24, 2019
Gavin Macarthur Time for a serious review of the team selection criteria for the world cup. The line-out failed completely and the scrum cost field position at critical points. The defence was also weak at critical moments, giving the impression of a team that does not know what to do and when to do it. I have always liked Jack Conan for the complete ball-player that he is yet, along with other quality players, no space has been found for him in this one-dimensional team. Maybe it’s time to start building a team around ball-players, rather than a team of players who aim to frustrate their opposition but, having been found out, are now only frustrating themselves and their supporters.
Riocard Ó Tiarnaigh Hopefully we've hit rock bottom post the first home victory vs NZ and it's upwards and onwards from here on!!!!!
It’s part of a cunning plan to let on we are really bad and just scrape through our group and then SURPRISE when we hit the business end of the WC.All we have to hope is no other team reads this tweet.#ENGvIRE— martin lawlor (@martinlawlor) August 24, 2019
Tony Mcdevitt The number of high no arm tackles by England was unbelievable.something has to be done before someone is badly injured. Having said that we we not in the hunt today.but I think joe has a lot to go over. Not too worried YET.
Colm Cunningham Hoping bringing back the likes of Sexton, Ryan, Conan, Toner and Henshaw will help but I don't know.
Like, I *get* the urge to panic. And by all means, panic away if you feel like it, but I don’t think this game will have much of an impact come the RWC.
Horrific scoreline, yes. Horrific performance, yes. But there’s a bit of perspective required. #ENGvIRE— Three Red Kings (@threeredkings) August 24, 2019
Conor Cronin No line out, even when we'd three second rows on and the hookers couldn't hit any of them.
Very poor defense. Men just not even trying to make tackles. Watching fellas run past them
No line speed, especially on comparison. It's like we learned absolutely nothing from the 6 nations.
And worst of all players who looked like they did nothing. I'm sure when we see the stats and watch it back we'll see they've done something, but it didn't look like much.
This game counted for nothing but pride and world ranking points, but it's a bitter pill to swallow, watching the lads play that poorly. And they'll feel it even more in the video room on Monday. Especially when Joe cuts a few of them from the squad.
Onwards and upwards, we can only get better.
Iain O'Connor It's a warm up. Everyone chill out
#ENGvIRE England were good but Jesus we made them look great.— jesusinthehouse2@gma (@jesusinthehous2) August 24, 2019
Gavin Doyle Forget questions like would it be better were @IrishRugby to face the @AllBlacks or the @Springboks in the #RugbyWorldCup quarter finals. Ask instead how are we going to beat @JRFURugby!
Today was a shambles. It’s all gone south ever since Joe announced he was leaving. #ENGvIRE
Aoibhin Kenny I don’t want to use bad language as I fear my Tourette’s May come back!!
I don't think I've ever seen anything as diabolical as that Ireland performance. The optimist in me is saying its because England are just ahead in their world cup preparation. If not we're fucked. Defensively outclassed and Farrells the next head coach #IrishRugby #ENGvIRE— Anthony English (@ABearla23) August 24, 2019
Gavin Macarthur I was never a fan of Best, simply because of his dreadful record at line-outs. It’s a core skill for hookers. He kind-of made up for it in previous seasons with his ruck/maul play, but he is now too small, too old, too slow and too crap to play international level rugby. Anyone else would have bowed out by now but no no - he will continue as long as Joe backs him. Why does Joe back him?
Where were Taidhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Kieran Marmion (the guy who tackled Kieron Reid when the Irish line was at his mercy in our only win over New Zealand) and any centre other than Bundee Aki, who fails, fails and fails again to make the grade as a defensive player? Kleyn is great for hitting rucks, but what happens when there are no rucks to hit? Why was the scrum somehow weakened by his inclusion?
The game has moved on and the players need to change accordingly. For example, again and again, our world-class backrow Josh VdF was in a position to spread fast ball to the mobile backrow he plays with as a matter of course at Leinster, yet at Ireland level he has to deal with the fact that neither of his backrow fellows is anywhere near quick enough to be in the right place at the right time. O’Mahony is a total warrior but this is the season where he got found out for pace. There’s no shame in getting older and slower but there are better, faster players who are missing these golden opportunities to develop because of this weird Irish tendency to keep asking old, slow players to play like they did 2-3 years ago. Australia are past-master at cutting deadwood loose and retooling in time for each world cup - why can’t we do the same? What’s so weird about dropping underperforming players that it simply does not happen in Irish rugby?
As things stand, we will be whipped off the pitch at this world cup and it’s so annoying that it will happen for the exact same reasons as all the other times we got whipped.
Cian Ó Muilleoir My trembling hand is poised just above the panic button.
Jaysus. I hope that was us 'playing possum'. Because our defense, attack and fitness looked horrendous #ENGvIRE— Tom O'Mahony Comedy (@TOM_OMAHONY) August 24, 2019
Lornagh Coyle Atkinson They need this beating to give them a kick up the arse, they went in to the last World Cup with their heads up their arses, and they crashed & burned, I for one am not disappointed with the score 👍
Chris McDonnell Cronin, Ryan, toner, Conan, Sexton, Henshaw, Earls and maybe Ruddock and we are sorted.
Much will be said about today Manu Tuilagi’s try today and it was impressive but we all knew he could do that what is more exciting is that I saw him complete a pass #ENGvIRE— David Whitney (@DWhitney) August 24, 2019
Sean Michaels Just sitting in a bar in Twickenham after coming out of the ground still in shock. If it looked bad in tv it was a 100 times worse watching it in the flesh. England had Ireland worked out from the start, whatever footholds we gained were undone by our set pieces, especially the line out which was quite pitiful. Don’t think Mr Owen had. his best game but berating his performance is clutching at straws. Where has our hunger gone? We seem to be completely flat in our attitude. I haven’t any answers, I’m just forlornly hoping Joe’s has
Eiméid O Fathartaigh I've given up, what be the point in going to the RWC if it looks like this is how we are gonna play? We're gonna struggle against Japan and Scotland, hell even against Samoa if we play like this. If this is the best we can do, it'll be France 2007 all over again!
As good as England have been, they've barely had to break a sweat in 29° heat. This is a thoroughly embarrassing & pathetic capitulation by Ireland. This result & performance is on a par with the worst nadirs of the Brian Ashton era, never mind latter day Kidney games #ENGvIRE— Del McG (@DelMcG) August 24, 2019
Darren McGovern I wouldn't panic just yet! The English looked really good today!! But saying that they have played 2 tough games against the Welsh! It was really Ireland's first test as it was a completely different team that played Italy!! Still a few weeks off the wc few little tweaks we will come good!!
Lorraine Matthews I can't type through the tears just yet...
One team is off two hard matches v Wales, the other off a trip to Portugal, but that would only excuse a relatively close defeat - not this margin. Eng good but a lot down to our own basics failing. Pressure on now to make statement v Wales. It's gonna be a long week. #ENGvIRE— Harpin' On Rugby 🏉 (@HarpinOnRugby) August 24, 2019
Many thanks to all who offered opinions.
Look out Monday for our match writeup JLP
