Time for Ireland to up the intensity
And now, even the real weather seems to be plotting against the head coach as France prepare to visit the Aviva Stadium this evening.
The rain that is forecast for Dublin around kick-off time will stir bad memories of the day just a month ago when England came to town, got their basics right and were kicked to victory by Owen Farrell’s pinpoint penalty taking.
That put paid to hopes of a second Grand Slam in Kidney’s five-year tenure as Ireland struggled to adapt their running game to the conditions, while missed kicks and a tendency for touch rather than attempts on goal helped to send the Irish to a second successive defeat a fortnight ago in Scotland.
So, with even their title hopes gone and the pressure mounting on Kidney to save his job when his contract expires this summer, regardless of whether those setbacks were his fault, Ireland have to learn the lessons of those losses and start turning possession and territory into victory.
The French have already signalled their intention to ditch the flamboyant style that has seen them lose their first three games and revert to “win ugly” rugby this evening. By all means necessary is clearly in the thinking of their coach Philippe Saint-Andre, who has packed his backline with sure-footed kickers and instructed full-back Yoann Huget to unleash an aerial bombardment of the Irish back-field. They can still play with verve and creativity but after three defeats in a row, they’ll do anything to get their house in order and get France winning again.
Have those same lessons been learned by Ireland? It is difficult to tell because Kidney was happy this week to endorse his captain Jamie Heaslip’s decision-making at Murrayfield, when a number of kickable penalty attempts were redirected to the corners only for a misfiring lineout to squander the platform. Juxtapose that with the Scots, who kept their explosive back three runners on ice for much of the game and went for the posts at every opportunity, defying the match statistics to win 12-8.
Still, Kidney has made a point since that defeat to stress how his players are very different beasts to the his Grand Slam winners of four seasons ago. Pragmatism may suit the likes of England and Scotland but this current generation of Irish players are better suited to running and passing their way to success. Try, try and try again.
On a sunny day in Cardiff five weeks ago, that paid dividends but in the Dublin rain a week later it cost Ireland the game as passes either missed players or were spilled. Kidney praised England’s ability to keep the scoreboard ticking over in increments of three points rather than going for seven at a time but when asked this week if that modus operandi should be applied to an Irish game plan, the head coach was sticking to his guns and trusting his players to make the right choices.
“Sometimes it is, but if you’ve the opportunity to go seven, 10, 13 points up, that’s all the better. That’s what you must feel out on the pitch. England have set their stall out to play that way. I know for us to reach our full potential we need to leave those decisions where they are at the moment. If that means we go for it, then I’ll back it.”
Here’s the thing, though, whether you go seven, 10, 13 or three, six, 13, it still adds up to 13 and Ireland have not scored more than eight in their last two outings.
Something has to change and for Ireland’s sake, one can only hope that Heaslip subdues his inner adventurer and instructs Paddy Jackson to go for goal, at least until Ireland are in a position to think about cutting loose. Heaslip’s predecessor as captain, Brian O’Driscoll, was often fond of saying teams had to earn the right to go wide but the mantra seems to have been trampled underfoot by the eagerness to play expansive rugby.
No-one is suggesting a form of anti-rugby. We all want to see the game played at a high tempo with clinical wingers finishing off stunning moves, or at the very least converting pressure and possession into patiently crafted tries.
Yet current thinking seems to ignore O’Driscoll’s plea to put in the hard yards first.
Against a powerful, physically intense French side bristling with hurt pride, Ireland will have no choice but to earn the right.
They have to start hard and fast and keep the visitors from settling into a rhythm by getting on top in the tackle area, preventing the French back row from gathering momentum in the carry, holding their own at the set-piece and shutting down the brilliant but unreliable Freddie Michalak at fly-half. Getting those right will earn any team the right to go wide.
This is a performance that has to be spot on and accurate and intense in every aspect, every minute.
Anything less and Ireland will be in real trouble.
The return of Cian Healy to the loosehead berth after suspension should return some stability to a scrum that creaked against a weakened Scottish front row last time out. Healy, Rory Best and Mike Ross enjoyed the better of their exchnages with England last month and Tom Court has been axed since his turn at loosehead at Murrayfield.
The French tour de force against England at Twickenham last time out as the recalled loosehead Thomas Domingo and tighthead Nicolas Mas turned the screw. They have since lost hooker Dimitri Szarzewski to injury with Benjamin Kayser replacing him and all three front rowers played for their clubs last weekend so the fresher Irishmen may be able to exploit French tiredness.
A miserable first-half against Scotland saw the Irish lose ball on their own throw four times in 40 minutes. Hooker Rory Best and lineout leader Donnacha Ryan mixed it up better in the second half and secured vital possession but it needs to pose questions over 80 minutes of Yoann Maestri and co. this evening.
Maestri and fellow lock Christophe Samson offer a huge physical presence that piled pressure on the English lineout but they have a new hooker in Kayser, who will also be asked to target back row options Dusautoir and Nyanga a fair amount.
2½/5
Points make prizes, as the saying goes, and for all Ireland’s possession against Scotland, too many penalties conceded around the tackle area handed victory to the Scots on a plate. Ireland’s dominance was undermined by a failure to win quick, clean ball at ruck time and it will need to be improved against the physically intense French.
Expect a high-octane, intensely physical approach from France at the breakdown. What Maestri lacks in lineout technique he more than compensates for in the breakdown battle alongside Dusautoir, Picamoles and company, all of whom will be smarting from three straight defeats. Yet while Dusautoir has the most won turnovers in the competition this season, the French have conceded more in this Six Nations than any other team.
Paddy Jackson converted just one of four attempts at goal but regained confidence with seven from eight for Ulster last weekend. He needs to hit the target early to settle Ireland into a rhythm although Kidney is not dissuading his fly-half from kicking penalties to the corners, something he did not always manage on a bad day all round for Irish tactical kicking.
The return of Freddie Michalak to starting fly-half will probably see him assume the place-kicking duties, leaving Morgan Parra to convert the longer-range efforts. Tactically, Michalak has been his usual unpredictable self with the boot but the all Toulouse back three’s kicking options have been boosted by the return from long-term injury of left-footed Maxime Medard although he starts on the wing, while full-back Yoann Huget, is not especially comfortable kicking high balls. Curious considering the French aerial bombardment that will be unleashed in the expected Dublin downpour. Lots of questions here.
After a tryless outing against England, Ireland at least got over the white paint against Scotland with a Craig Gilroy try that showed the best of 15-man rugby – a line-break, multiple phases, pick and go forward power, patience and a clinical finish. Shame it was only the once. Handling errors, impatience and poor decision-making cancelled out hope of more scores and now Gilroy has joined Sexton, D’Arcy, Zebo and Bowe on the injury list. Still, Jackson loves to play on the gainline and ask questions of defences and in Luke Marshall he has a creative foil outside him. There’s still hope....
The French revival started at Twickenham last time out with a half-back pairing of Morgan Parra and Francois Trinh-Duc. Then coach Saint-Andre had a brain freeze and threw on Mechenaud Michalak and Les Bleus reverted to the dodgy rugby that saw them lose their first two games.
Remarkably Michalak takes the starting role at 10 but if he clicks there is a dangerous backline outside him, including Wesley Fofana in his favourite 12 jersey, to trouble an Irish defence that has not condeded a try in two Tests. Given Fofana a centimetre of space and he can punish the best defences while the return of Maxime Medard also gives France another exciting option out wide with Vincent Clerc on the other wing. Still, it’s going to be wet and if Michalak doesn’t click....
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