RUGBY:NO CHANGES for Ireland, but two significant ones for Wales; the net effect being that both sides seem intent on putting their best attacking feet forward.
Throw in a southern hemisphere referee with two positively inclined teams, and Saturday’s latest meeting between these feisty Celtic rivals looks set reasonably fair.
The only possible blight on this landscape may be the weather, although Saturday’s forecast for Cardiff is for a fairly nippy evening with little in the way of wind and some light drizzle. Either way, it requires both camps to agree for the Millennium roof to be closed, and Declan Kidney strongly indicated yesterday that Ireland will not be so inclined.
Asked about the roof, the Irish coach quipped: “It’s open apparently. I wouldn’t mind that, a lot of noise goes out through the roof.” But asked specifically whether he would agree to the roof being closed, he smiled again. “A bit of fresh air never did anyone any harm.”
His counterpart, Warren Gatland, ventured: “We would like the roof to be closed, but it’s up to them. But we hope it won’t be an issue.”
Ala Andy Robinson, when Scotland rejected such a request last season (which did not amuse Gatland), perhaps part of Kidney’s rationale is to allow an escape valve for the noise generated by the predominantly home crowd. By contrast, when he was Munster coach, Kidney permitted the roof to be closed for the 2006 and 2008 Heineken Cup finals – when the majority of support was for Munster.
The most notable aspect of a predictably unchanged side which boasts 688 caps and has an average of 29 is, perhaps, the retention of Eoin Reddan and Ronan O’Gara at half-back. O’Gara could hardly have been omitted after his Murrayfield master-class, while it transpires that Tomás O’Leary needs another week’s running to put himself in the frame for next week finale at home to England.
Nonetheless, Reddan’s sharper service will be even more paramount against Wales’ faster defensive line speed. O’Gara, though his bravery can never be doubted and his tackling has improved in recent times, will need protection given the tendency of Gatland’s teams to target him.
On O’Gara’s defence being tested by Jamie Roberts, recalled Welsh outhalf James Hook admitted: “The size difference is massive. If we can get one on ones it will be great but it’s not that easy.
“Defensive systems make it harder to target players like that but, if we get mismatches, great. We need to get our big men over the gain-line, which would allow the likes of Lee Byrne and Shane Williams to pick holes to attack.”
Denis Leamy’s selection on the bench has its detractors, but it’s worth recalling his storming performance as a seventh-minute replacement for Stephen Ferris in Ireland’s Grand Slam coronation here two years ago.
Kidney maintained that Ireland are “another few rungs up the ladder” toward making themselves a difficult side to beat. “There are elements of our game that are going very well and you see patches of play which are quite good,” he said, highlighting “some very good defensive moments” and “some very good attacking moments. There have been a few things that have happened in between times that are within our control to fix and if we get those right the jigsaw will come together more. You are always looking for that perfect game – by definition you can only play the best game of your life once so that’s what we are striving for.”
Ireland have been seeking to stand up opposition ball-carriers in the tackle to force a maul and with it a turnover, and in this regard at least Kidney appears to be encouraged by the appointment of a southern hemisphere referee, Jonathan Kaplan.
“From what we’ve seen in the Super 15, Jonathan has been calling a maul when he sees it as a maul and that is always helpful,” he said, in highlighting “incidents over the past few weeks” before adding: “And word has gone out to that effect to recognise when it does turn into a maul. Referees are like players, it can take a small bit of time to adapt. They are human too.”
Gatland appears similarly enthused. “We have given away a few penalties ourselves. With someone like Jonathan Kaplan, who is a world-class referee, we just hope that he allows us the opportunity to get quick ball. That’s going to be a key focus for us. We’ll be talking to the referee about hopefully getting his co-operation in that area.”
They will also target one-off runners such as Seán O’Brien, Jamie Heaslip and Paul O’Connell. “It’s important we get off the line and try and nullify that. It’s something we’ve been effective at in the past.”
As Brian O’Driscoll observed, Wales have crammed all their best available attacking players into their backline, by recalling Jonathan Davies at outside centre and Leigh Halfpenny on the wing (partly for his long-range goalkicking), with James Hook returning to outhalf. Morgan Stoddart and Stephen Jones drop to an experienced bench where two from Rob McCusker, Andy Powell and Jonathan Thomas will be confirmed tomorrow.
Gatland also spoke of owing their supporters a big performance in their last home game of the season in what he admits will be “a really tough game”. Again admitting he used “the wrong words” in his pre-match observations about modern Welsh-Irish rivalry, Gatland added: “It’s all about bragging rights and performing. You’ve got to give credit to how successful the Irish provinces have been, particularly in Europe and in the Magners League as well.
“For us, it’s about the players being really motivated to do well in any match against Ireland.”
