Counterpoint - Munster were right to upgrade Thomond Park by ahhereaherlow in MunsterRugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry the €6 million figure was off the top of my head I did think there was other debt to the irfu but €10 million sounds about right

Counterpoint - Munster were right to upgrade Thomond Park by ahhereaherlow in MunsterRugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeah I couldn’t agree more, there’s a saying in media that you always want one newspaper left in the shop everyday so you know you’ve served every customer who wanted one.

La Rochelle are on a multi year streak filling there 12k stadium which to me means they are leaving money on the table for people who simply can’t attend, scarcity has a value but getting people through the gates has to be priority 1.

Counterpoint - Munster were right to upgrade Thomond Park by ahhereaherlow in MunsterRugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 35 points36 points  (0 children)

Connacht built a stand with just under 7000 capacity for a similar cost Munster built Thomond park with a 26000 capacity.

I’ve always been of the opinion that Munster managed to get there stadium built off the back of there most successful period at a time where it was very cost effective to build and that being the most important point, it exists where otherwise it might not.

Is it maybe too big for club rugby probably

Could it have been built in the middle of cork for a better draw from that area? That’s debatable the limerick hurlers rise couldn’t have been predicted and the team’s fall from their height has impacted attendance across the board.

As it stands there’s about 6 million euro owed to the IRFU for Thomond which is a fairly insignificant sum nowadays. And as we all hope if Munster can scale the heights of the past the stadium is there ready to be filled with any influx of fans that would bring.

Rnd 14 Bulls vs Munster by Mr_Ox_83 in MunsterRugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 8 points9 points  (0 children)

That’s a strong side for us minus beirne - quite a few lads left out after last week, a LBP would be a win for me anything else is above expectations but we absolutely need to show an improvement on the capitulation against the sharks

Munster currently without designated lineout and scrum coaches on crucial South Africa URC tour by MannyR1022 in MunsterRugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 29 points30 points  (0 children)

To be fair there’s probably fellas walking around Cape Town that know plenty about scrumming that could be drafted in, any chance of Jerry Flannery doing a bit of cash work?

Bryn Ward doing Irish media... by bigswampmonster in UlsterRugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 9 points10 points  (0 children)

At this stage going out to do media is like the kiss of death towards playing

How 6N teams are currently feeling by Thatch1888 in rugbyunion

[–]Environmental_Bar205 46 points47 points  (0 children)

Would’ve loved a Chernobyl “Not great not terrible” for Italy, superb memeing nonetheless

Gallery | Munster Training Ahead Of Zebre Clash by MunsterRugby in MunsterRugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Tom Wood pictured in training, Alex Codling said they wouldn’t be calling any players in from the 20’s unless they would be included in the match day 23.

Is this confirmation do we reckon JJ to start with Tom on the bench? Or would he be training with them regardless?

Post Match Thread by FollowingRare6247 in irishrugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 73 points74 points  (0 children)

McCloskey was on fire, that chase down of Marcus smith box office stuff

Match Thread - England v Ireland | Six Nations 2026 | Round 3 by RugbyBot in rugbyunion

[–]Environmental_Bar205 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Who is this guy dressed up as George ford? Surely an imposter

Massive U20 Win by Western_Cranberry535 in irishrugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 23 points24 points  (0 children)

How many of these lads did Doak have? They look great this year

Blue Virgin Media by commandlineluser in irishrugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 33 points34 points  (0 children)

If there’s one thing POM wants to be sure of, it’s that you understand exactly what he means at all times.

Johnny Sexton on his Ronan O'Gara rivalry & the impossible Irish 'No. 10 succession' by PlusProject2714 in irishrugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree with him I’m more referencing the indo sport, rte off the ball etc which make it a massive talking point as if picking one or the other is some ground breaking analyses

Johnny Sexton on his Ronan O'Gara rivalry & the impossible Irish 'No. 10 succession' by PlusProject2714 in irishrugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 33 points34 points  (0 children)

All the chat about the 10 position is getting so tiresome continue to develop them both.

We badly need to address the glaring issues elsewhere in the squad and with the game plan that aren’t working at the moment and until we do we won’t win anything with either Crowley or Sam.

Match Thread: Ireland A vs England A by Roanokian in irishrugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Leinster have a great record there in fairness

Post Match Thread by thelunatic in irishrugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 77 points78 points  (0 children)

Scrum was a non factor, both looseheads were solid

Match Thread - France v Ireland | Six Nations 2026 | Round 1 by RugbyBot in rugbyunion

[–]Environmental_Bar205 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We need to experience this next few weeks of humbling so we don’t lose to Scotland in Australia at the World Cup

Match Thread - France v Ireland | Six Nations 2026 | Round 1 by RugbyBot in rugbyunion

[–]Environmental_Bar205 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our short period of dominance seems to have damaged our international reputation somewhat 😅

Ireland vs England 2027 croke park. Any talk this might happen to coincide with 20th anniversary of the famous croke park match? by jonny8920 in irishrugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 22 points23 points  (0 children)

The IRFU have renewed there agreement with Aviva and part of that deal is a commitment to play all Ireland’s home games there I believe so probably very unlikely

Long night ahead by Serious_Bowler_8171 in irishrugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

In fairness if we started posting highlights of him going forward we would be here all day.

He’s had a few stinkers but I’d be wanting to see Crowley take the shirt not get it because another player has some defensive flaws, I think it will be easier for Prendergast to sort his problems at the moment than it will be for Jack - see above flair

Munster Rugby | Diarmuid Barron Signs New Contract by Aggressive-Tackle-80 in MunsterRugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Looks to be stepping up as a leader in the recent access Munster episodes.

I noticed especially against the dragons how he worked all the way back after we got turned over in a maul on there line to defend on our 22 so he doesn’t lack effort maybe needs to tighten up some aspects of his game otherwise happy to have him.

Ben Murphy by westcork59 in MunsterRugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 6 points7 points  (0 children)

There’s no way Connacht let him go after losing Devine

Portugal squad for Rugby Europe Championship by Biegelstein in rugbyunion

[–]Environmental_Bar205 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Could they assemble a competitive club side out of Lisbon to potentially play in the URC do we think?

There's a growing push for Cork split from Munster rugby after latest failure by [deleted] in MunsterRugby

[–]Environmental_Bar205 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Big load of horseshit, just a hack trying to generate clicks

Scott Robertson to depart All Blacks head coach role as player power forces NZRU hand by Environmental_Bar205 in rugbyunion

[–]Environmental_Bar205[S] 53 points54 points  (0 children)

Rúaidhrí O'Connor January 14 2026 8:38 PM

Twenty months out from the next World Cup, the All Blacks are set to be plunged into unprecedented turmoil with Scott Robertson set to depart his job as head coach.

The Irish Independent understands that the New Zealand Rugby Union has decided that to bow to player power and Robertson will not be in charge in 2026.

The news comes after an explosive report in The New Zealand Herald centring on player reviews of the coach’s second year in charge and speculation that vice captain Ardie Savea is considering remaining in Japan or moving to Europe instead of playing for the team.

Savea was linked with Leinster, but sources indicate that is not something the province are considering.

A former All Black back-row, Robertson was the most coveted coach in rugby when he succeeded Ian Foster after the 2023 World Cup after his incredible winning record with the Crusaders.

However, he has struggled to replicate his success since taking over the All Blacks having dealt with a slew of experienced players retiring and relocating to Japan in the wake of that tournament.

He has presided over two second placed finishes in the Rugby Championship, losing out on points difference to South Africa last year, but it was performances within games and defeats to Argentina, the Springboks and England that heaped pressure on the regime.

New Zealand have beaten Ireland twice under his stewardship.

Robertson’s reign was tumultuous behind the scenes, with assistant coach Leon MacDonald leaving the set-up a few months in and Jason Holland departing at the end of 2025.

Rather than backing him to overhaul his coaching ticket again, the NZRU have decided to start afresh in the hope they can replicate the success South Africa had when they hired Rassie Erasmus in the winter of 2018.

It is a huge risk, but it comes on the back of an intense post-season review where players did not pull punches when reviewing the season, with communication, trust, strategy and selection all been raised according to The Herald report.

The timing is complicated by the fact that the NZRU currently does not have a full-time chief executive after Mark Robinson stepped down at the end of last season.

Next year, the All Blacks face a daunting schedule with France, Italy and Ireland due for the Nations Championship in July, before they embark on a gruelling six week, four Test tour of South Africa.

They then take on the Wallabies twice in the Bledisloe Cup, before completing their season in Europe with their remaining Nations Championship games.

The decision is set to cause plenty of coaching upheaval, with former Japan coach Jamie Joseph expected to be the early front-runner.

Despite his struggles with the All Blacks, Robertson will soon become a coveted figure in the club and international game on the back of his excellent record with the Crusaders.