Monday, November 17, 2008
THE foundations were in place for one of those special days in Irish sport. Croke Park in all its magnificence rocked from the rafters in anticipation of a long overdue date with destiny, a first Irish win over New Zealand.
That it failed to materialise was down to the simple fact that the All Blacks were a far superior force. The margin of victory should have been greater and the host’s achievement in keeping the visitors scoreless in the final quarter was extraordinary in the circumstances.
On a difficult day for Ireland the only consolation was, it could have been worse. Earlier in the day Scotland blew one of those rare opportunities to defeat South African when they spurned not only several penalties but also left two clear try scoring opportunities behind them. Their narrow 10-14 defeat not only prevented them from leapfrogging Ireland into eighth place in the all important IRB rankings but increased the margin between the sides from 0.26 to 0.42 of a ranking point.
Declan Kidney must now pick up his charges quickly as another date with destiny against Argentina looms large on the horizon. Ireland must win Saturday as a defeat would result in losing 0.73 of a ranking point propelling Scotland - assuming that they don’t lose to Canada on the same day - into 8th place. A defeat against Argentina would therefore relegate Kidney’s side into the third tier of nations before the World Cup draw on December 1st.
GAA headquarters was magical on Saturday, at least for the opening half of this contest. The response of the crowd to the minutes silence for the late Shane Geoghegan, firstly with a heart felt round of applause followed then by impeccable stillness, was emotional in the extreme. New Zealand also played their part. All week they acknowledged the significance Croke Park plays in the history of this country and paid due respect.
In addition when Piri Weepu led the "kapa o pango" version of the Haka, developed by this squad and performed sparingly, you knew they were up for this game.
Right from the off when Ronan O’Gara’s first kick was blocked after just 15 seconds, New Zealand applied a vice like grip on Ireland that Brian O’Driscoll’s men could not shake off. It was incredible in the circumstances that Ireland were level within seconds of the half time whistle. While some of this was due to a strange off day with the boot from Dan Carter, who missed two sitters early on, the rest was down to bravery and organisation in defence. Time and again it looked as if the All Blacks were certain to score but Ireland’s communication and commitment in defence was plugging holes. The physical toil of such an effort would catch up on the players.
EVERY game has its matchdefining moments, this one came moments before the break. With Richie McCaw chasing another measured grubber kick from Ma’a Nonu and looking certain to score, Tommy Bowe illegally batted the ball away from the flanker. My immediate thought was "penalty try".
Unfortunately TMO Johan Meuwesen concurred. Apparently Bowe did the same thing in a recent game for the Ospreys and got away with it. On this occasion, with the world watching, not only was the score awarded but the Ulster man was also dispatched to the sin bin.
Even at 3-10 it was game over.
When Tony Woodcock joined Bowe in the bin after the resumption a ray of hope emerged but it soon vanished.
New Zealand are clinical at exposing any weakness in the opposition ranks. Murphy’s Law dictated that with no specialist second row cover on the bench Paul O’Connell of all people would suffer an injury. For some unknown reason he was left on the field despite the fact that his mobility was severely impaired. Defending out wide and slightly isolated, Joe Rokocoko seized the moment and ran at O’Connell. He had no chance and the net result was a try for Nonu.
With a recent successful Tri Nations series behind them and tests against Australia and Scotland in the last two weeks, New Zealand were simply more battle hardened for the rigours of test rugby than Ireland. Even the Heineken Cup with all its intensity was insufficient to prepare the Irish players for the pace and physical demands of this contest. In their attempts to chase the game Ireland lost both their shape and composure. The high error count that ensued can be traced directly to the relentless pressure imposed by an All Black machine that never hit top gear.
Given the scrappy nature of Ireland’s performance, it never had to.
In the build up to this game, the importance of negating the influence of McCaw and Carter was highlighted time and again. As countless other teams have discovered that is easier said than done. While Ireland competed well at the breakdown and turned over a significant amount of opposition ball, McCaw’s authority was a joy to watch. It was no coincidence that he was at the end of the move for the penalty try. When Sitiveni Sivivatu made his many line breaks it was always McCaw that offered support for the off load.
Likewise Carter, place kicking apart, was the dominant influence on this game. His kicking out of hand was measured and precise, his defence immaculate and his four line breaks a product of pace and awareness. He is the complete package. Unfortunately O’Gara picked a bad game to have a rare off day with his kicking and decision making. Ireland persisted in targeting Sivivatu with a series of up and unders which the Fijian born winger handled with ease. Overall Ireland’s kick/chase game was poor.
On a bright note, Luke Fitzgerald proved categorically that he belongs on the big stage. He constantly asked questions of New Zealand’s midfield defence with his fancy foot work but also displayed a physicality in defence that should erase any question marks about his ability to survive the war of attrition that accompanies that midfield role in the modern game. Tomás O’Leary also has reason to be happy with his first start in an Irish shirt with a composed and effective performance.
The new Irish management team must quickly park this defeat and move on for what was always going to be the most important game of the autumn series against the Pumas on Saturday.
Graham Henry and his party must now refocus for a challenge of a different kind as they move on to Limerick and the rarefied atmosphere of Thomond Park. In many respects and for obvious reasons tomorrow’s game presents an even bigger challenge than last Saturday against a New Zealand team with only two players lacking test experience.
Then again would Munster want it any other way?
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