RUGBY:Two mediocre international sides have managed to push us to the absolute limit, writes LIAM TOLAND
IT’S BEEN four days since my last confession and I’m still a tad bit confused. My confusion wasn’t helped by the events in Bangalore on Wednesday where discipline and talent met beautifully in beating England. I must say how disappointed I was with the RTÉ News at 9pm relegating the Irish Cricket team’s performance into the second half of the show electing to subject us to “real” news items for the first half. I assume beating England in the Cricket World Cup, and breaking many records along the way, was but an everyday occurrence.
The cricketers did bring to mind yet another Blackadder quote this time from Lieutenant The Honourable George Colthurst St Barleigh; better known as Lt George. He elected to use cricket parlance to describe his ever depleting colleagues. “Well, Jocko and the Badger bought it at the first Ypres, unfortunately – quite a shock that. I remember Bumfluff’s house-master wrote and told me that Sticky had been out for a duck and the Gubber had snitched a parcel sausage-end and gone goose-over-stumps frog-side.”
Clearly after beating both Italy and Scotland and coming extraordinarily close to France we can hardly be accused of going goose-over-stumps frog-side but regardless of the history books where do our performances leave us? In an effort to strike the balance between a glass half full and empty I wish to think aloud and ask some questions. Firstly to lay the foundation for the question I’ll point out that Scotland’s starting team contained seven players drawn from Glasgow Warriors who are both out of Europe and last in the Magners League but for Aironi. Five more are drawn from Edinburgh also out of Europe and last in the Magners League but for Connacht, Warriors and Aironi. Scottish rugby is far from strong. Nine of the Italian team that started out against Ireland are drawn from Treviso or Aironi. The rest are scattered throughout France, with Martin Castrogiovanni in England.
Ireland, on the other hand, over recent years have amassed a Grand Slam (Italy and Scotland have not), three Heineken Cups (Italy and Scotland have not) and several Magners Leagues (Italy and Scotland have not). Currently Ireland’s base is built on three provincial contenders in the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup. In other words two mediocre international sides have managed to push a side comprising players from the form team in Europe, the runaway Magners League leaders and Heineken Cup quarter-finalists to the absolute limit.
In the ongoing requirement for development of a more adventurous running game in tune with the Southern Hemisphere teams (a move I would avoid) it would be more than understandable that mistakes, errors and penalties would be conceded. But have Ireland moved away from the Grand Slam-winning style or have they re-embraced the old style? Ronan O’Gara had an unbelievable game in Edinburgh and his half-back partner Eoin Reddan wasn’t far behind. Now Declan Kidney what’s your next selection move? O’Gara’s performance confused me greatly, due to its success.
It was a classic Munster Cup-winning technique of old. Shannon with Sonny Kiely at scrumhalf and James Galvin at outhalf playing against a Garryowen or Cork Constitution in the Munster Cup final. Kiely keeping his forwards going and Galvin kicking the corners. Shannon won a lot of cup matches using this method and it should not be discounted but is it the future or a one-off to beat the sticky Scots?
This game plan comes at a huge cost to our very talented backline who for some reason are not as fluid in a green jersey as a blue one. Is this a result of coaching, tactics, the higher level or all three? Kidney needs to find out the answer fast because this backline will tire of chasing balls when the Leinster way is both successful and so much fun. If they tire then they will grow frustrated and frustration will bring with it unrest. The weeks are ticking by and it is absolutely the last-chance saloon for a lot of this backline (and many of the forwards). Kidney’s answer to this question will be intriguing.
When tossing around the above questions ask yourself how many of the swashbuckling English would make our Irish side. Of the 15 English possibly half. If so why are they storming ahead with us slobbering about? There are far too many class players in this side to accept that ball in the hand is beyond us. Our provinces have matched, in varying degrees, all comers this season and done so with style. This is a generation of players that can achieve much more than hanging on for dear life in Rome and Edinburgh.
Next week’s selection by Kidney will tell a lot, as, too, the tactics employed. Glass half empty for a moment if you will. If Ireland lose to Wales in Cardiff, which is not beyond the realms, then all bets are off for Kidney in the Aviva Stadium the following week against England. Under real pressure both in Cardiff and Dublin what tactics will Kidney employ?
There is no doubt that an evolvement of our traditional game has been taking place. And with it errors will find their way. If territory is now the way why then take O’Gara off and risk a dilution from Jonny Sexton? What must Sexton believe to be Ireland’s future? Watching O’Gara give instructions to video analyst Mervyn Murphy with minutes remaining in Edinburgh brings real strength to his position. Did Kidney instruct Sexton to mimic O’Gara, who knows how to win? If so then how does this sit with the future?
Whether he likes it or not attention will soon turn on Kidney and his commitment for ball-in-hand rugby. If the errors and penalties continue, beating Wales, and certainly England, will be beyond us. While the errors continue then Kidney will continue to find the balancing act between territory and tactics a torture. Mind you the players must take their share of responsibility and cut out the schoolboy stuff.
Finally I’m delighted to see Rob Kearney and the IRFU have found common ground. I hope that Fine Gael and Labour don’t take quite so long. That said I can’t wait for Kearney’s comeback where I’ll be very excited to see how the break and the competition for places enhance his play.
