Ireland Win - but French thump O' Driscoll and everyone else

[Thequeerone]

Rugby: Ireland take battering in Cup warm-up
10:03AM Friday August 17, 2007
Rugby World Cup

* Rugby: Ireland suffer O'Driscoll injury scare
* Rugby: Connolly dismisses All Blacks' chokers tag

BAYONNE, France - Ireland suffered a battering at the hands of French first division club Bayonne in a World Cup warmup rugby match today, with five yellow cards shown and Irish captain Brian O'Driscoll forced from the field after being punched in the face.

In a fraught encounter played in front of a capacity crowd of almost 15,000 at Bayonne's Jean-Dauger Stadium, Ireland won 42-6 thanks to six tries, including a Dennis Hickie hat-trick and a brace from Paul O'Connell.

Andrew Trimble also crossed for a try while Ronan O'Gara contributed 12 points with the boot.

Bayonne's only points came from a first-half penalty and dropped goal from former France international centre Richard Dourthe.

O'Driscoll left the pitch in the 62nd minute after receiving a punch to the face during a general free-for-all.

[Burgs]

You reckon they just may have been under orders for a bit of softening up from Laporte?
How many French World Cup players where playing?

[slomo]

no french world cup squad members were playing, as there all in camp in marseille to play england on saturday. ireland have only got themselves to blame over these injuries, nothing positive is going to come out of playing a (foreign) club side, bayonne have nothing to loose if they are cited, but if your playing another international team they cannot afford loose players so close to RWC.

[Flat-top]

Don't agree that there is nothing positive to be gained and neither must most national coaches otherwise these games wouldn't happen.

This is after all a contact sport, teams and players only get better if they play and play together, training sessions between the players cannot replicate match conditions. Of course there is a risk that injuries are picked up but there is as much risk that an unprepared or not match-fit player will get injured within seconds of the competition starting.

I may not have too much time for the French but I would like to think these guys are professionals, despite what any media may say they are not Laporte's "hit squad" sent out to disrupt the Irish build-up, more likely they are proud frenchmen who want to stick two fingers up to him and show him that some of them might be better than the 30 he has already chosen. I think people are being niave if they assume O'Sullivan didn't expect this tough encounter when he planned the fixture.

All that being said I am of course concerned in the type of injury BOD has received and the manner in how he received it but I wouldn't go so far to say that a player knowingly inflicted it in the knowledge that a citing wouldn't be serious news for him...not without evidence.

[Burgs]

You are most likely correct F-T.
The one aspect is I guess that while it is better than just training, you would hope to replicate match (ie Test) conditions by playing such a match to test out combinations against stiff "conventional" opposition.
Neither the scoreline nor the number of yellow cards would suggest that is what occurred here, admittedly however hard to judge without watching the actual match.

[Thequeerone]

Don't know who Eddie is softening the lads up for the Pumas or the French - he's a cunning Fox that Eddie - Pool D will not be a pretty site - perhaps we should have a side book on how many red and yellow cards

[slomo]

I may not have too much time for the French but I would like to think these guys are professionals, despite what any media may say they are not Laporte's "hit squad" sent out to disrupt the Irish build-up, more likely they are proud frenchmen who want to stick two fingers up to him and show him that some of them might be better than the 30 he has already chosen. I think people are being niave if they assume O'Sullivan didn't expect this tough encounter when he planned the fixture.

if they had played a barbarians or irish b side odriscoll wouldn't of substained this sort of injury end of story. common sense will tell you that. he'll miss the opening game due to fractured sinus but will be around at the buisness end of the tournament!!! thank god or should that be thank bod

[Thequeerone]

Just found out he is out for 4 weeks with a Fractured sinus and deep lacerations under the eye - he will miss the warmup game against Italy - next Saturday and the opening game against Namibia - guess they won't be playing Bayonne again

IN BOD WE TRUST is what the Irish Fans say - apparently Irish Soccer is upset as everyone is wearing rugby shirts to the matches - strange people these soccer fans

[Burgs]

Just found out he is out for 4 weeks with a Fractured sinus and deep lacerations under the eye ...

Bet that would make pretty picture

[Flat-top]

Common sense has nothing to do with this Slomo, the Irish management went into this fixture with their eyes wide open, they knew and even expected a very hard encounter to provide similar opposition to that they will face with both France and Argentina...any combination of 'B' teams or Barbarians would not have delivered this and would therefore have been pointless. The Irish will in fact play Italy next week, do you think the Italians are going to go easy on them?

The injury was unfortunate, and of course in this occassion down to one individuals outstanding stupidity in what would appear an attempt to make a name for himself. Injuries will always happen between squads being announced and the tournament starting, there is no advantage in putting the squad in cotton wool, just see how both England (Chuter) and Italy (Del Favo) have lost players in non-contact training sessions.

The only thing that makes this newsworthy is the high profile of BOD, there was for instance hardly any column inches devoted to Leamy who was injured in the same game compared to those about BOD.

I know we all like to think that we are better arm-chair coaches than the real thing but it amazes me that people are amazed this fixure was organised, it is exactly what national squads have been and will continue to do before every major competition...sometimes sh*t happens, that's life and rugby!