Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 16/03/2026#GOOD Ulster no longer being the punch line of Irish rugby with plenty of players in the national team, including the best performer in McCloskey, and currently the highest Irish province in the league. #SHIT The advantage law. Inconsistent and increasingly bizarre interpretation and application. 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 07/03/2026Would also be the funniest way Scotland have bottled winning something (which is some effort given Scotland's history). 000
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 07/03/2026If Ireland were to win this 6 Nations, it would definitely be the funniest way they've won a championship. 110
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 28/02/2026Scottie Wilson is a weapon in the loose, but he's an absolute liability in the scrum with no sign of improvement. When Tom O'Toole is your best scrummaging prop, you are in bother. 000
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 28/02/2026For all Ulster's improvements, they've got one prop on contract next season who is not a dreadful scrummager. Both set pieces were poor, but scrum being utterly uncompetive meant they had no respite in the second half. 100
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 28/02/2026The two officials absolutely ripped the bag out of those last 10 minutes. Also, I wish refs would shut the hell up. I've still got that refs voice ringing in my head as he was doing so much 'coaching'. 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 28/02/2026I'm all for binning the TMO in club rugby. It's a pain in the hole with the best officials, so allowing non test officials who see rugby reffing as a commentary job makes a bad situation worse. 110
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 14/02/2026Rugby has changed a lot since the last World Cup and a lot of Irish rugby has bitched and whined about it. The exception has been Ulster, so it's unsurprising to me that the best Irish players today were the Ulster players and lads not originally from Ireland. 011
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 09/02/2026Settle does appear to be a nice landing zone for unlucky Jets with Pete Carroll, Geno, and now Darnold. So as a Seahawks fan, I'm happy to perform Jets reclamation jobs. 020
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 09/02/2026Field goal probably would have basically won it, but I get MacDonald sensed the dam was about to burst as that defence must be gassed, and gave Kubiak licence to dig into his bag of tricks. 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 09/02/2026After a very miserable sporting weekend, this Superbowl is helping the mood. 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 07/02/2026There is an argument for a change to laws that you can't slap and have to attempt to catch the ball, but how it took until the second half on Thursday for Stockdale to be the first player to work it out is just not good enough. 110
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 07/02/2026If they could not make such a mess of the high ball and understand the concept of offside, this would be going a decent bit better. 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 06/02/2026I think the autumn were a wasted opportunity. It was fairly obvious over the previous 12 months that Van der Flier, Lowe, and a couple of others were a good bit past their best. The autumn was a chance to blood players in proper tests with the first 15. Instead they got a token cap against Japan. 110
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/02/2026Should say, that will be with fans rather than the media or the IRFU. The media seem to think this coaching ticket is beyond reproach and criticism, while in the last 20 years, the IRFU only seem to move members of the senior men's coaching staff on when their contracts expire. 000
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/02/2026The coaching staff have been divorced from reality for too long that any credit in the bank has been used up. They've kept picking players who have looked miles off the required athleticism for 18 months, while making the job impossible for whoever starts at 10 cos the platform up front is so bad. 140
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/02/2026Totally agree. I think Farrell needs to move on from a few of the players who have served him so well, and go for athletic and/or man mountain options. I'm thinking players like Edogbo, Izuchukwu, and any of the wingers who came through the 7s (Baloucoune, Ward, Kenny). 000
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/02/2026There has been a fair bit of whining in Irish rugby (except Ulster really) about World Rugby's emphasis on kick escorts and certain breakdown issues, and they've not come up with a good idea to deal with it other than kick contestables (which we are terrible at). 000
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/02/2026I also think our kicking strategy opened up the game so much for them to counter. It was a poor team selection compounded by a dreadful game plan, which was compounded by several players who can no longer fight the dying of the light and a few others not ready or good enough for test rugby. 000
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/02/2026He's the only player in that starting pack who can consistently gain you metres when carrying in tight areas, so it's mad if teams don't double up on him. Ireland have to get at least one more ball carrier in the forwards who will give the opposition something to think about. 100
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/02/2026It'll be inexplicable if Timoney doesn't start next week, and Edogbo should be on the bench as well. And then, there are other players who just look unconvincing at the level. 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/02/2026The clock should be ticking on quite a few senior players and the coaches, but it probably isn't. There is enough evidence now that Van der Flier, Ryan, and Ringrose don't have the juice for test rugby any more, and there are question marks around a few of the other older players. 110
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/02/2026That was a mess of a performance from Ireland. There was lipstick added to the pig, but they look a poorly coached and poorly selected team. Farrell needs to do what Gatland after the Twickenham destruction in 2000, but he won't. 110
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/02/2026If the players haven't worked it out, then the coaches should have done so. Just a sorry set up at the moment. 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/02/2026This needs to be the end of a few test careers. 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/02/2026With a proper union, there would be consequences for how bad we've been for 18 months. Instead we'll probably give these coaches new contracts and give new central contracts to lads who have shown nothing in multiple campaigns. 100
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/02/2026Yeah, rather like the opening game last year, hard to get a read on France given we are a genuinely pathetic, badly coached rugby team. I'd not be remotely surprised if Italy beat us. 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/02/202618 months looking like this, yet apparently all the coaches are great and beyond reproach if you believe the media. 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 27/01/2026#GOOD Eoghan Cross reffing Irish interpros. His utter disdain for how fucking whiny every Ireland player is should be an example to other refs. #SHIT Jake Flannery. Making a token effort of a tackle in the 84th minute of a one score match is a bad look. 000
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 17/11/2025#SHIT Gregor Townsend. How did the man who led two consecutive soft as shite World Cup showings get a new deal in 2025 while finding a way to have a bit on side with Newcastle? #GOOD Stuart McCloskey for Ireland before his seemingly inevitable injured 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 10/11/2025#SHIT Paul O'Connell and the Irish lineout. So bad that Paul O'Connell must be close to taking up smoking again 000
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 01/11/2025I think we've identified it (trying to progress Bolton and Ward off the back of decent provincial stuff), but it might not be there other than Stockdale for lads who are currently in the squad. 110
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 01/11/2025Yep. The problem with Fogarty is it's so clear we don't even attempt to scrum legally that refs are instantly punishing us. The whole coaching ticket looks stale. Barring Goodman, they've all been there 6+ years and Goodman hardly looks to have brought anything fresh to the table. 110
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 01/11/2025I've been forcing to listen to me having that conversation for at least 12 months now (see also, John Fogarty). 120
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 01/11/2025We've had two good last 30 minutes since the 2024 6 Nations. It's what happens when you can't retire anybody and your defence has real Jonny Bell vibes. 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 01/11/2025Honestly, I think we might be shite. No attack, no set piece on a fairly regularly basis now, but hey, we'll barely change a thing 000
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 01/11/2025Something needs to change with this Ireland team. Haven't really looked like scoring a try since Furlong scored. They consistently don't have a set piece and there is no pace anywhere in this team. 120
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 20/10/2025#SHIT The mystery of how the hell John Plumtree hasn't been sacked yet. #GOOD Finally having some hope with Ulster. A deeply unserious team with a bad team, but at least we are fun again. 000
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 18/10/2025Take out the scrum and Ulster have been really good here, but injuries could come back and bite here. Also, hard to see how we aren't flying out backrows for next week given Augustus went off at HT, Reffell looks to have a banjaxed arm, Timoney off on Ireland duty. 000
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 15/10/2025It's just miserable that the evidence of the last 12 months of test rugby and Champions Cup knock out rugby from certain players is ignored as loyalty and cohesion is more important than players who can physically play test rugby. 000
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 15/10/2025The Ireland squad is so pathetic and cowardly from the coaches. Zero ambition to try and change. It's a squad that would make you believe that Ireland weren't crap in 6 of their last 8 tests against Tier 1 nations (and one of those was against Scotland who usually shit the bed v Ireland). 100
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 14/09/2025This is at least a 15 point wind (unless France are permanently stupid for the full 80). 100
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 14/09/2025I've never been to Bristol, so looked at Google Maps and just lol'd when I saw how out of the way it was. 000
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 30/08/2025As a bad boss of PGMOL, having been a bang average ref, and a former South Yorkshire bizzie, Howard Webb may be one of the worst humans in football. 000
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 28/07/2025Probably Curry for me. I knew he was good and important for England, but my word, he has to be really good at both the big, obvious moments and also the nuts and bolts ugly stuff cos I've noticed that Earl is basically a highlight reels player. 261
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 12/07/2025I think this means that we are watching the 1st test centres tonight and probably increases Owen Farrell's chances of being on the bench as 10 and 12 cover, with Hansen and Freeman in contention for 14 shirt and the other on the bench. 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 05/07/2025I turned it on after 52 minutes, and on the basis of the 28 minutes I saw, I reckon the best version of the currently rancid, miserable, infuriating Ulster would have beaten Wales. 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 03/06/2025Gibbes was fine as a coach, but was another example of Bryn's being exceptional at office politics. He created the dynamic of three jobs for the workload of two people, and yet he survived and became more powerful than he had been after Kiss was sacked, and Gibbes felt undermined and wanted out. 010
Colin McBride @colinmcbride.bsky.social · 03/06/202510 years in the job, and I think there's been two good coaching decisions (Peel and Payne), and one of those was basically an accident through circumstances. You could maybe include McFarland initially, but his people skills were that poor, Bryn looked like a compassionate figure. 100
