Chignell forgets cardinal rule as dream win proves elusive

 TV View: Blame it on Will Chignell. The Sky Sports commentator was relentlessly positive as Ireland produced a performance of quality and substance in Hamilton on Saturday, before a first victory over New Zealand was scuppered by three crucial errors in the final throes of an absorbing tussle.

Chignell, though, tempted fate for the entire match, suggesting Ireland were within touching distance of an historic first win over the All Blacks.

There was nothing remiss about his analysis except that, for your average Irish sports fan, pessimism is a virtue.

Even if Ireland threatened to win, the viewer wanted it whispered or preferably not spoken about at all. If anything there should have been a shift in the opposite direction, lauding the quality of this New Zealand team and the fact that no matter the circumstance in which they found themselves, the home team could haul themselves back from the precipice of defeat.

Every time Chignell suggested an Irish victory and a place in sporting folklore, this column and his loyal cohorts would start whistling or singing as if not to hear the uttering would stave off ultimate disaster.

It recalled the days when Irish soccer was in its pomp and RTÉ commentator George Hamilton's penchant for constant declarations that the Republic of Ireland were on top and victory would be largely a formality, now they were 1-0 up with 87 minutes to play. It is reasonable to assume some armchair viewers made the sign of the cross every time he voiced those opinions.

It's probably something to do with the Irish psyche but that umbilical emotional bond to a sporting cause can induce the most skittish anxiety.

Chignell is a fine commentator, knowledgeable and easy on the ear, but from this day on he is to make no more references to impending Irish victories during matches.

There is a mathematical equation that he could follow for future reference.

The corollary is the Irish rugby team must be, in terms of points, eight times the number of minutes left up (eight points up with one minute left), taking into consideration injury-time as well. Only then may he suggest the possibility of an Irish win.

Sky's coverage of Saturday's game in Hamilton was prone to understatement from the moment former Ireland wing and Chignell's co-commentator Niall Woods admitted "It's not a great start for Ireland", following the first All Blacks try after just 45 seconds of the match.

Even All Black legend and former hooker Seán Fitzpatrick, a studio guest alongside Paul Wallace, wasn't immune, pointing out at half-time that "the All Blacks have a lot to do in the second half". They were trailing 16-8.

One cavil with what was generally a decent package for the viewer was the absence of any real, critical analysis of Australian referee Stuart Dickinson's performance. He was, after all, a central figure in the drama. He afforded the All Blacks an inordinate amount of time to fine-tune their lineout, but more controversial was his interpretation of the breakdown.

Richie McCaw resembled a black blanket over the Irish ball, the home side allowed to kill the ball under guise of "counter-rucking". Sky preferred the softer topics for discussion.

The studio panel of Dewi Morris, Dick Best and Shane Byrne had no such inhibitions when it came to poring over the performance of Andrew Small, the New Zealand-born, English -domiciled referee of the Ireland A's defeat by the New Zealand Maoris in the Churchill Cup later that day.

He awarded two tries to the Maoris, both of which should have been disallowed for infringements, something that was highlighted in detail in the post-match analysis.

In fairness to Small, it should be pointed out that his handling of the disciplinary issues in the match, the sin-binning of three players and Roger Wilson's sending off, was both firm and fair.

There was one maxim that could be gleaned from the day's viewing: stick a former Irish international on a panel and ask him to predict the outcome of a match involving an Ireland team and there will be no questioning allegiance. It is the ultimate case of the heart ruling the head.

But that's okay. What is imperative is that once the match starts there is to be no talking about potential Irish victories and no references to snapshots in history until the referee blows for no side and Ireland are ahead on the scoreboard. Then it's permissible to be bullish with impunity.