Rugby/Six Nations: Keith Wood explains to Gerry Thornley why Eddie O'Sullivan and his men should be aiming for the pinnacle.
There have been highs and lows in Keith Wood's career, not least the failure to beat Australia in the last World Cup pool match to miss the chance to play Scotland in the quarter-finals. Yet it is a Six Nations defeat in Murrayfield which rankles the most.
In 2001, Ireland had beaten Italy away in their opener before overcoming France at Lansdowne Road, whereupon the outbreak of the foot-and-mouth epidemic forced the cancellation of their three remaining games. Home wins in the re-arranged matches over Wales and England would follow in October, but only after the 32-10 defeat to Scotland in September.
"That was the biggest downer of my career. We should have won the Grand Slam that year. And I'd say there wasn't one player who played well that day."
As a BBC pundit for the coming Six Nations, the former Irish captain will again be adopting more of a watching and opinionated brief, but after previous near misses, he has no compunction about forecasting that this could well be Ireland's year.
"I would say this is the chance. I don't think that chance lies there next year really, not with this team anyway. I think some of the players won't be here next year, truthfully. A lot of the guys are over 30 and I think it's coming to the point where if it's vaguely similar then I think you have to go with the younger guy, because you need to start building the team now to the World Cup in 2007.
"It's disturbing to say it, but I think everything is falling into place. I think we have a good team, a good coach, and a small injury list compared to the other teams. And I have to say this in a big way: the chunk of that credit goes to Eddie for that 10-week period at the beginning of the season.
"I've spoken to some of the coaches and administrators over here (in England) and they are envious that this is able to be done and every single one of them recognises that this is what's right. "
Then Wood looks across at Ireland's rivals. "While everything is going rosy for us, Scotland are totally in the doldrums and Wales keep talking about this new dawn. I'm young, but I've heard of seven or eight new Welsh dawns, and they keep calling it a new dawn because they keep coming incredibly close to beating teams. It will be a new dawn when they're beating some of these teams.
"France? It's dependent on which France turns up," Wood maintains. "I know it's such a pain in the arse to speak in clichés, but that's what it is. If an imperious France turn up and play like they can, they can beat anybody. But if a team turns up that is in some way laissez-faire, it's on the day. You never know what can happen with France, truthfully, and England are decimated.
"They have a new team, they've had a raft of retirements and the new team they've built are all injured, so it's pointing towards Ireland winning the championship. And it does. That's where Ireland have to aim, and they've been aiming for it for the last number of years."
Wood doesn't make the forecast blithely and, naturally, it comes with reservations. He admits it was slightly disturbing to see the Leinster scrum under pressure in Bath, as was Munster's at the outset against the Ospreys, not to mention Leinster's lineout being obliterated at the Rec.
"We're just not blessed with tight-head props or hookers, or any of the technical positions - front row, scrum-half, outhalf. There's been a lot of talk about depowering the scrums at under-age for safety reasons, but scrummaging is rapidly diminishing."
Even so, Wood remains optimistic about Ireland's chances, not least because the match-winners in the backline are all in prime nick. Ronan O'Gara has recovered from his fractured hand, and up front several of the pack are also in form. Anthony Foley has been Munster's best player this season "by a country mile", with Denis Leamy the pick of the rest, although Wood maintains there is still a strong argument for converting the openside into a hooker.
Paul O'Connell is playing well, according to Wood, if not outstandingly well, but there might be a very good reason for this which may, in a way, be a sign of the player's increasing maturity. "I think he's beginning to develop the ability to play well all the time, and extra well when the game warrants it. Does that mean he's not trying sometimes? No, but you can only peak at certain times during the year. The trick is to try and find a level of around 80 per cent, and for a player of his standards, playing to 80 per cent would be beyond all the other forwards on the pitch really. And I feel he has been doing that, whether subconsciously or not."
Most of all, though, his optimism is founded on the natural progression of this settled Irish team. "In 2000 we spoke about winning one match, then two, then three and then four. Well, we've done the four bit a few times now and the next step would be to win five, which wouldn't be bad really," he concludes with ironic understatement.
