Gerry Thornley On Rugby: An antic-climactic tournament for Ireland, undoubtedly.On Rugby
A patchy tournament too, we are told, as well as, supposedly, a bad augury for the Lions' forthcoming tour to New Zealand, not least because in part Wales somehow stole the title with a brand of rugby which cannot be a template for taking on the All Blacks and was, Dick Best maintained, built on sand.
Some sand, some stealth. Granted, Wales averted trench warfare whenever they could, and scampered in defence for all their worth, especially in the first-half, damage-limitation exercise against France. But Mike Ruddock has added some steel to their forward game, as well as awakening an innate Welshness, and when they had the ball they played to their strengths and opted instead for high-speed ambushes, daringly feeding off opposition mistakes and putting a premium on skill and wit, with backs and forwards interlinking seamlessly.
They mightn't necessarily strike fear into everybody next season and they rode their luck at times and undoubtedly built up momentum, notably after the edgy but psychologically momentous win over England. In any event, Wales were a joy to behold throughout the championship as a team and, on Saturday, as a nation.
You couldn't but be happy for Ruddock, a true gent, their players - always charming, and unlike some of their counterparts, always available to the media up to five days of a Test week - and their people.
The final table tells no lies and ultimately it was right and fitting that the tournament's outstanding contest between France and Wales turned out to be the title decider. Bernard Laporte and France, as much by dint of injuries and the force of public opinion, also built up a momentum, if a bit too late, while unearthing a host of potential 2007 World Cup stars such as the phenomenally gifted Yannick Nyanga - the newcomer of the tournament.
England's was even later and less meaningful. It was, admittedly, a patchy tournament, albeit studded with some outstanding passages of rugby and brilliant tries, but the notion that it was non-vintage seems somehow inextricably linked with England not being prime contenders.
Does it have to be so?
Scotland seemed to be showing shoots of recovery, while for all the Italians' continuing strength up front, their back play - offensively and defensively - was woeful.
The palpable enjoyment with which Wales played their rugby was infectious. Ruddock provided some shape to their game - they had their set moves - but as he said himself they were given licence to thrill, whether counter-attacking off deep kicks or turnovers, or playing what they saw in front of them after two or three phases.
In contrast, watching Ireland during the course of this championship - all the more so last Saturday - the thought occurred that they looked like a team who were not particularly enjoying their rugby; the restricted, non counter-attacking Geordan Murphy being a classic case in point. Too much hyperbole, expectations and pressure maybe (mea culpa); too much coaching and instructions, too, perhaps.
With a 10-week pre-season, comparatively few injuries (albeit providing a double hit to the midfield) when set alongside all the rest, central contracting and better man-management, there can be few excuses. In all, by Sunday, they had spent 41 of the previous 49 nights together. Maybe they were too cooped up in hotel rooms.
A good number of them had a knees-up on Sunday. They looked like a team who could have benefited from one weeks ago. In any event, the outbreak of mistakes and ill-discipline at the Millennium Stadium were possibly caused by festering pressure and frustration, or a combination of both.
Eddie O'Sullivan's approach has been the antithesis of Ruddock's. He wouldn't, by inclination, be tempted to trust his players to the same extent or give them the same sense of freedom. Ireland play a comparatively more structured game - increasingly so it seems - which doesn't set the pulse racing nearly as much as Wales do.
To a degree, of course, Ireland were endeavouring to play to their strengths, but the pack only gave the kind of domineering platform necessary in Murrayfield.
Perhaps the warning signs were there all along, the difficulties which the Leinster pack had in Bath, and Munster had against Harlequins and the Ospreys; which the Irish pack had in Rome and the survival by herculean defence against England when the opportunism of Brian O'Driscoll and co came to the rescue. But we chose to ignore them. It's hard to be too critical of O'Sullivan for a strategy and a selection policy which had been seen as a virtue going into the tournament, extending the winning run to six and, briefly, a world ranking of fourth. Nor when he bridled at suddenly making changes after the defeat to France.
Yet there was clear evidence that the team was beginning to need freshening up. Retaining complete faith with the same players who steer a side through a winning run is often tempting for many coaches, and is a difficult balancing act. One hates to scapegoat Girvan Dempsey, for example, who has been consistency personified at fullback for many years and on the wing remained a defensive stalwart, notably against England. Yet, no less than the infusion of some ball-carrying in the backrow, his retention ahead of Tommy Bowe conveyed a defensive mindset going to Cardiff.
Likewise, it's hard, too, to be too critical of the Irish players - the rash of mistakes in Cardiff apart - given they'll regard these years as something of a missed opportunity. They dug deep to fend off England, and also to mount fightbacks against France and Wales which prevented sound beatings being reflected on the scoreboard.
O'Sullivan, by his own admission, is conservative when it comes to selections and to using his bench, yet as in the World Cup quarter-final and in Cape Town, belated employment of under-used players made a discernible impact. Indeed, the way Ireland went to the well but found it dry on Saturday with largely the same XV was reminiscent of both those games.
O'Sullivan has brought a new level of professionalism, preparation and consistency. It would appear that he needs to take more chances now, in personnel and in giving the players' their heads.
