Job well done so far on road to immortality

ON RUGBY:TEMPTING FATE is always a risky business as far as Irish rugby is concerned. After all, it's been 61 years since Ireland slam-dunked all and sundry for the one and only time and it's been 24 years since their last of a relatively meagre 10 outright titles. Only France, in their 40-year wait for a first title, have had a longer barren period to endure. So, two down, three to go. Not even halfway there yet. Halfway to a possible tilt at immortality.

If nothing else, though, Declan Kidney and his Irish Brains Trust have restored confidence to the Irish rugby team and restored the smiles on the faces of the players and those supporting them. Coming from where they were for much of the previous 19 months, that alone is an astounding achievement.

There will have been a mite too many errors for comfort in the opening half-hour or so in Rome when they come to view the video, but overall the management and players alike can feel content with a job well done so far.

Kidney appears to be pulling the strings masterfully and not alone has he decided superbly on his back-up staff, but he has delegated as well. A massive dollop of credit so far must go to forwards’ coach Gert Smal, for the set-pieces have been the bedrock of the two wins to date.

Clearly Kidney landed a plum coach in the former Springboks number eight and World Cup-winning forwards’ coach. A relatively quiet individual with a dry wit, Smal commands respect when he does speak and the players talk of him as combining an old-style motivational approach with technical expertise. The solidity of the scrum is as much, apparently, the confidence he has imbued in the players as anything.

Defensive coach Les Kiss will have harder games to plan for than against a relatively impotent Italy, but not only did the defence keep their try-line intact, the quicker line speed under the new regime also contributed to two interceptions and 14 points.

And, miracle of miracles, Ireland are scoring tries again. The rejuvenated Brian O’Driscoll and the outside three are becoming increasingly more influential. Their conversion rate of chances into tries has been quite clinical, and in stark contrast to Leinster’s failure to take their chances in January.

Leinster backs’ coach Alan Gaffney has taken none too kindly to the relatively slight questioning of the Leinster and Irish backplay, and primarily their depth. But Ireland certainly seemed to be playing with more width and depth again on Saturday, especially in the second half when adapting to Italy’s rush defence. Indeed, at times, they almost seemed to be a little too deep.

Along with Wales, Ireland look the most potent side in the tournament again, although that partly depends on which French side turns up on any given day. Or perhaps that should be where they turn up, for it is becoming increasingly apparent that Stade de France gives them a form of stage fright. The boos which greeted them at half-time on Saturday against the Scots (half-time for heaven’s sake!) brought to mind Bernard Laporte’s description of the Stade crowd as bourgeoise shits.

If there is no slam winner, and both history and the bookies’ odds make this the likeliest outcome still, at least Ireland’s healthy winning margin in Rome leaves their points differential in a healthy state were the destination of the title to come down to that.

Another way of dampening hopes is to take a closer look at Italy – and the suspicion lurks that the Azzurri are the weakest link in the Six Nations. Italy desperately need to have two regionalised, largely indigenous sides competing in the Magners League, and for the betterment of the European and global game the Celtic nations and the IRB have a duty to make this happen, as now looks likely.

The improvements wrought by both England and Scotland in round two suggest this is still far from a clearly demarcated tournament destined for a winner-takes-all shoot-out in Cardiff.

One way in which Kidney has much in common with Eddie O’Sullivan is how they talk up the opposition, but this is fairly standard “head-coach speak”, for not only does it make expectations more realistic, it’s also part of treating the opposition with respect.

The dust had scarcely settled in the Stadio Flaminio and Kidney was reminding us in contrast to two years ago England’s players would be rested from club duty next weekend as a result of the accord between the clubs and the RFU. The contrast with two years ago is indeed stark. Then, as now, England came to Croke Park in round three, but whereas Ireland’s players were rested from Magners League duty the weekend before following their win away to Wales and home defeat to France, the Premiership went ahead with a full programme the preceding Sunday.

Poor Brian Ashton. Having presided over Ireland’s record defeat to England, he duly coached the injury-ravaged Red Rose to their heaviest defeat against Ireland that day in completing a unique Test double. Afterwards, Ashton pointed out that due to the recovery from the previous Sunday’s exertions, a travel day and a six-day turnaround, effectively they only had one full session that week. And, recalling how Shaun Perry’s notional pass to Jonny Wilkinson was picked off by Isaac Boss late on, they certainly played like strangers.

They weren’t by any means a team of lightweights, but only three of that starting XV – Wilkinson, Phil Vickery and Martin Corry – lined up in the World Cup final nine months later. This, though, will be different. England will be vastly better prepared under Martin Johnson and against Wales had improved immeasurably defensively with the inclusion of Joe Worsley, amid signs also that Riki Flutey and Delon Armitage are adding something going forward.

Furthermore, and perhaps just as significantly, while there is always something special about England coming to town and all the more so with a Saturday tea-time crowd that rediscovered its voice and belief in Team Ireland just over a week ago, the hype and rich sense of history attached to England’s first visit to Croke Park simply cannot be replicated. That was a complete one-off in so many ways, and the Irish players were also looking to atone for that defeat to France.

The prize this time is a purely rugby one.