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What draw specialists Irish make of Premiership golden point idea

(Photo by Jon Bromley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

London Irish boss Declan Kidney has admitted he would need to put a little more thought into the suggestion by Curtis Rona that a Gallagher Premiership match should go into overtime in order to produce a winner on the day if it ends in a draw after 80 minutes. The Exiles have become the draw specialists of English rugby, drawing three of their eight Premiership matches this season while they also drew two other league games earlier in 2021. 

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They have all been dramatic, high scoring affairs. It was last January when London Irish came from behind to draw 27-all at Harlequins, while a second-half surge also netted them a share of the spoils in a 34-all home draw with Bristol the following month. Switching to this season, the Irish have battled out 31-all, 25-all and 34-all draws versus Sale, Gloucester and Saracens respectively, again coming from behind in all three of those matches to clinch equality.

A veteran of the NRL in Australia, where overtime is used to ensure a winner is declared on the day in the event of a draw at full-time, London Irish midfielder Rona recently told RugbyPass he would be in favour of some method being introduced into the Premiership so that matches stop ending in draws.      

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Guess the celebrity Rose | Karen Carney | England Rugby

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Guess the celebrity Rose | Karen Carney | England Rugby

“Fans want to see a winner. If we had a vote, I’d vote for it,” enthused the ex-Wallabies international. “I’d probably say it must be a try. A lot of teams would say just points because you get a penalty and kick for goal and that is the game, but a golden try would be amazing for this league. 

“Look at what they have done with the 50:22, which is awesome for attacking players. The whole dimension of rugby has changed now. People have to resort to dropping their back three to cover for those 50:22s, and it [a golden point] would make the game more exciting. People want to see winners.”

It was in 2012 when Kidney, the then Ireland boss, infamously described a draw in the Six Nations versus France as “like kissing your sister”. Nine years later, RugbyPass reminded the current London Irish coach of this quote but he admitted he hadn’t thought all that much about a solution to his team’s extraordinary glut of Premiership draws. “It depends which draw you were asking about. There were some draws I was happy to get and there were some draws I was happy thinking, yeah, give me another five minutes… Would I like that? I think I’d bow to Curtis’ experience of it. I don’t have the experience of going down to that extra (time) one. 

“I’m not sitting on the fence, I just don’t have the experience of it and in a league campaign of 22 matches, there is going to be a few draws here and there anyway. If it got to ridiculous stages, I would investigate it a little bit more but would I be sorry if it [a tiebreaker] came in? I’d have to see how it would work. Is it the first score, is it a case of who wins the toss? I don’t know but if that [tiebreak] is the experience of Curtis and other lads, I’d back them.

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“Our last draw was Saracens and you were kicking to draw the match, your supporters couldn’t be happier. The previous draw against Gloucester, they came right back into it when we had the lead (before it finished with Irish getting late points to draw)… we’re still picking up points and that is sometimes what you have to do – you are not going to win a league before Christmas but you can certainly lose it. 

“It’s just a really good, competitive league. I’m not just talking it up because I work in it. What it has going for it is any team can beat any team on any given day. There are no done deals before the matches start. I know there have been some scores where a team has gotten away on them but by and large that [competitiveness] is the excitement of the whole league and it is a really impressive league to be involved in.”

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J
JPM 58 minutes ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

Unfortunately you don't know anything about French rugby, coaches and players but still making a lot of assumptions and judgements to push your prefabricated and simplistic point of view that Dupont is manipulating everything and is a bad guy. I am not a NZ rugby specialist and wouldn't dare make such theories about what is going on within the ABs team. Therefore my advice to you is to do like Dupont and stay humble when you don't know all the background of the issues !!!


Firstly if you knew a bit of Galthié, he is not the type of coach who is going to ask advice to his players and even his captain about team selection. He is as stubborn as you...


Second Ramos has played a lot of times as 10 with Toulouse and therefore Dupont (in particular when Ntamack is injured and unfortunately it has often happened recently and for long periods). He even played 10 during the last 3 games of the 2024 6N and this was far better performance than the first two games with Jalibert as 10.


Thirdly Jalibert lacked of respect to a La Rochelle player so your theory is once again out.


Fourth as I explained to you Galthié went for a 6-2 bench and Jalibert can only play 10 which doesn't fit that plan. Furthermore as 15 Buros is better under high balls than Ramos and everybody is prepared for a tactical kicking game.


So you can blame Galthié for a lot of things (as you clearly enjoy doing at the end of your post and you should be very happy as an AB fan) but certainly not Dupont. Sorry once more for your conspiracy theory.


And don't worry about potential disharmony in the French team; they are excellent mates around their captain. Jalibert is well known in the French rugby circles to have not a strong character (and we saw that in the WC quarter finals as he is very nervous in any decisive international game unlike Ntamack and Ramos as for his late penalty kick vs England this year).


In conclusion enjoy the game tmrw night. It is good that the ABs are very upset; we should watch a great game of rugby. I hope for running rugby and not too much kicking. With 5 key players injured on our side (Ntamack, Baille, Atonio, Cros and Penaud) and 2 on your side I and various French fans see you as favourites. I obviously hope for another result.


If you are interested you can read a good article in the Guardian on the subject of France-NZ games.

92 Go to comments
K
KB 1 hour ago
The 'one difference' between Boks and the back-to-back All Blacks

Consistency hasnt been there they have many great players SA were also not unbeaten in the 2023 WC - NZ were in 2015 WC McCaw and Carter Nonu and Smith - SA did not have those Marque players in those postions in 2019 or 2023 - I wouldnt rank them ahead of the 20I5 ABs - They clocked up 60 points against France in the QF - Furthermore I do not believe for one moment SA won 2023 fairly no way - they were so favoured it became obvious that behind the scenes SA the nation bought the title - Their last 3 matches were won by a solitary point there were many contentious decisions that went their way that it became obvious it wasnt coincidence - Sport has been hijacked by a satanic cult just as is Politics

Some players coaches officials and sponsors are involved - they know who they are - its called Freemasonry - any sport that allows betting is corrupt - its not all about money either for these parasites its also about control - Lots of American NFL players have spoken openly about games being scripted - Football is also rigged Referees have been caught on film showing freemason hand signs - The 95 RWC final ranks as the highest and most obvious attempt at cheating There was no way SA were going to allow NZ to gate crash Nelson Mandelas reunification party - NZ were so good they had to posion almost the entire team to get a 3 point win - a Hollywood Movie ( theres your Red Flag ) was made about SAs triumph called Invictus


William Henley wrote a poem called Invictus


It starts


Out of the night that covers me BLACK ( All Blacks ) as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever GODS maybe for my unconquerable Soul ...( Olan says INVICTUS is an evil Malevolent entity who corrupted the Titans ... this is Mandelas double meaning speech ( hes a fraud ) - of thanks for helping overcome SA's adversary NZ - There is only ONE true God Yahuah - Only a false god would be complicit in Cheating Corruption and Harming others to win a RWC for a sick and sinful Nation ) the poem ends with


I am the CAPTAIN of my soul


SA will forever bear the stain of guilt and disgrace over their involvement in poisoning the ABs a day before the 95 RWC Final

12 Go to comments
C
CO 1 hour ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

I cannot believe that you don't think the French rugby team coach and captain are not discussing putting Jalibert on the bench in favour of Duponts club teammate that doesn't even play at 10.


This is a terrible, massive insult to a 10 and I'm sure Dupont would also be very enraged if benched for a player that doesn't even play halfback.


A good captain would've insisted to the coach that it was an idea of madness and either select Jalibert or replace him with another 10 if you want him to be reserve.


Jalibert may not be the world's finest tacklers but that's often not a tens main strength that the loose forwards and second five cover. An intercept pass is never great but they happen.


When any player is playing for his club then it's club first, respect doesn't need to be shown to opposition players simply because they're internationals.


Who exactly are you claiming Jalibert hasn't respected? If it's Toulouse international players then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this bench demotion out.


The outcome of selecting Jalibert to the bench and he then throwing his croissants out the window of the team bus immediately prior to playing the Allblacks is a disaster that will be team disharmony as any team mates of Jalibert are in a state of anger and revolt so a performance that will be sub optimal against a team that is thirsting for revenge against France.


I don't know about you but the Allblacks are very upset they've lost twice in a row to France and want to put out a statement performance so this preparation by Galthie of creating havoc looks to me like a coach that is clueless.

92 Go to comments
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TRENDING Four Ireland talking points as Aki axed and two rookies make bench Four Ireland talking points as Aki axed and two rookies make bench
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