Roses are red, seaweed comes on the tides

Like most modern Star Trek, I came to the new Starfleet Academy after all the outcry about how rubbish it was. Turns out it's... decent. Good, even. Just different from TNG, DS9 and the rest.

SUPER DELUXE WALLY RATINGS #332 :: England 21 Ireland 42 There was a lot on the line for Ireland. Six Nations points, obviously. A Triple Crown starter? Yes. But, more importantly, we had vibes on the line. Where are we going as a rugby nation? Is the party over? www.patreon.com/posts/super-...

Big bump in subscribers between yesterday and today because when Ireland do well, I do well. Usually how it works in this game.

It's a tough one for the IRFU because Twitter — on the face of it anyway — is one of their most followed accounts & still a vector of news. In reality, most traffic is bots, there's very little click through on links, and you're exposed to some of the worst aspects of modern on-line discourse.

The perfect illustration of England's botched approach over the last two weekends. Taking your best kicking #10 and trying to run a static on-ball game through him. Ireland will eat that up all day, every day, and come back for more.

The opposite, actually. Too much ball in hand. Not enough kicking, if anything.

England saw what France and Italy did to Ireland that worked and decided, you know what, we're not going to do that. We're going to do the exact opposite, actually. Gave a 2023 picture to Ireland, and ran into 2023 Ireland as a result

What a performance. Ireland dominated a scatty, mentally fried England who did almost nothing well We'll take it. Ireland looked energized. JGP, Crowley, McCloskey, Doris and Beirne superb.

Large Bob Baloucoune is a revelation

Best Irish half in ages. Aided and abetted by England playing their daftest rugby in a year at home, but we've taken our chances so well. England playing right into our hands by keeping the kicking to a minimum and blowing themselves out. Next ten will be huge, but we can fucking win this

Those 20s are ballsy. Some top, top performances there. Barrett, Wood, Neill, O'Leary, Carney, O'Connell, Byrne — all so so good in a very good team performance.

WHAT'S THE STORY WITH :: Marnus Van Der Merwe Munster's first multi-year NIQ signing in the front row since BJ Botha... so what's he like? www.patreon.com/posts/151232... #SUAF

IRELAND NAME TEAM FOR #ENGvIRE Brought to you by @ntesit.bsky.social

I hope the rumours of Prendergast being out of the squad aren't true. I know if you're not starting him, it's hard to accommodate him on a 6/2 bench, but it seems like the worst of both worlds to me. If you've invested time already — and we did — then you can't risk the knock to his confidence.

I think the four pancakes I fucked up this morning indicate that I am both unc and chopped, and that it very much is a skill issue.

A read of Gerry Thornley this morning really gives the impression of a man who sees criticism of Sam Prendergast as being criticism of Gerry Thornley for championing him. And he's not the only one.

Whenever I see Irish people being racist or xenophobic, I want to rattle their heads off a wall. A people who were scattered to the four corners of the planet because of famine, then driven out because there was no work or money, and even now leave in waves for Australia. Somehow anti-migrant.

Man.

Media filled with more Prendergast & Crowley stuff this morning. Wonder why? Ah. Better than talking about Ireland looking peer-to-peer with Italy in the Aviva Stadium, I suppose.

The IRFU have had to limit replies on every post, including Edwin Edogbo, due to the blue tick racist filth. When you look at the account locations — USA, UK, or "proxied" — alongside the Irish sadcases. Everyone in real life is delighted for Edwin.

Prendergast's passing is fine, great even, but because he isn't a carrying threat — either with power or pace — there's always a floating defender who can press out onto the passing lanes.

61% of Ireland's 101 rucks were under three seconds, and the vast majority of those were in the first 50/60 minutes. Quick ball isn't the problem for Ireland. It rarely has been. It's what happens once the ball is away from the ruck is the issue.

At some point Andy Farrell's mismanagement of Jack Crowley and Sam P will have to be called out. He has engineered - for no good reason I can see - the maximum amount of pressure imaginable on both of them, every time they play, for country or for province.

The addition of the tannoy trying to get IRELAND, IRELAND chants going in between We Will Rock You is the real decline that can't be framed as being disingenuous

Big win in context. That looked like a loss for 60/65 minutes Italy are so much improved. Big, physical, and with a killer set piece. We were so fortunate to win that.

I don't need to say anything. Your eyes tell you all you need to know.

Such a pure feeling of excitement for Edwin Edogbo tomorrow. It's been a while. Always adds something extra

Buzzing for Edwin. Spoke to a few people in Cobh (lived there for a few years) and the excitement is through the roof. A huge moment for him, his family and the town itself.

IRELAND NAME TEAM FOR #IREvITA Brought to you by @ntesit.bsky.social

THE GIF ROOM :: Without The Ruck The game has changed — first slowly, but then all at once — and until Ireland can get a handle on it, our undisputed hard work won't cut it anymore. www.patreon.com/posts/gif-ro...

THE GIF ROOM :: Without The Ruck The game has changed — first slowly, but then all at once — and until Ireland can get a handle on it, our undisputed hard work won't cut it anymore. www.patreon.com/posts/gif-ro...

Provinces. Plural. You might think of Ireland as Leinster First, but don't project that onto everyone else who's opinion upsets you.

I think Ringrose — outside of maybe his first few seasons — has been really overrated as an attacking threat. His best qualities for me have been his line-running, ruck efficiency and being a really, really good defender.

“There is also an increasing suspicion that hiring Jacques Nienaber and radically adopting his defensive system has destabilised the province and, by extension, Ireland.” Gerry Thornley in the Irish Times this morning. What can you say to that?

A long read on how Ireland got to this point, why we look like malfunctioning robots and why the new rugby looks so far out of our natural game. www.patreon.com/posts/150197...

What a brilliant assessment on the state of Irish rugby in the context of a sport that has changed fundamentally due to a relatively minor tweak in the laws. Monday morning coffee read for the ages!

I can't stress enough how fundamentally laughable the supposed Neinaber Factor at Leinster is when it comes to Ireland; the very definition of navel-gazing by the Virgin Media panel. www.rugbypass.com/news/finger-...

Our issue isn't player quality; it's the playing system that filters players into the test system. You see it all the time about how "players have to learn the system" and "get into the environment". None of the current top four sides have that self-filtration on this scale.

A long read on how Ireland got to this point, why we look like malfunctioning robots and why the new rugby looks so far out of our natural game. www.patreon.com/posts/150197...

Shane Horgan is obsessed with the idea that Scotland are non-stop talking themselves up. Scottish people only he knows. They go to another big four law firm.

Great performance by Italy. Great on transition and defended with their lives at the end. Six Nations!

I would disagree with this, actually. If Leinster are the best side — and they have been for most of the last ten years — it's natural that they should make up most of the team.

I think central contracts were important in the early 2000s but they naturally create a lot of inertia in the Irish system. Look at how many of the world championship winning French 20s side have made their way into full test jerseys as of late compared to Ireland, who they played in the final

Really looking forward to the 20s tonight. Keep an eye on Christian Foley (dawg), Josh Neill (animal), James O'Leary (bull) and Dylan McNeice (bit of a freak), plus the halfbacks (the three Munster lads in particular) Tough ask in France, but this is a decent squad.

What I love about Cian Prendergast is that he's a pure hard nut. Not an elite power guy, but hardy as they come. A grafter. Timoney the same.

On Ireland's defensive system here — as Murray was saying on the Virgin coverage — it seems to me to be asking a lot of both O'Brien and Prendergast to be successful if this is the scheme with O'Brien trying to close in 8m diagonally, leaving Prendergast 12m to close down Bielle-Biarrey.

I'm not sure that was a realistic prospect for this game anyway, and the squad seemed to play like they knew that pretty well