Irish concerns, real and imagined
If that is the case, then what does it say about us? Ireland have now lost nine of the last 10 encounters against the French. Paul O’Connell has only ever beaten them once, and that during a period when we have fielded one of the greatest Irish teams of all time.
France have made an art form of beating us in World Cups — 1995, 2003 and 2007 — and are singularly responsible for ruining two very special days in recent Irish rugby history, the first ever rugby international in Croke Park in 2007 and the first Six Nations game to take place in the new Aviva Stadium. If Ireland seek to make their new home a fortress then we haven’t got off to a great start, beaten in three of the first five Tests played there.
It is very difficult to turn your home venue into a fortress when the visiting fans make more noise than those dressed in green. I have never seen so many French supporters in Dublin, no doubt facilitated by the availability of tickets from Irish clubs off-loading their IRFU allocation to travel agents in an effort to pay the bills. La Marseillaise was heard with passion and fervour on a number of occasions and it was also a huge boost to the French players to hear their followers cheer their every move during their warm up, when most of the Irish fans were still availing of the catering facilities.
If last Sunday’s Six Nations experience is anything to go by, England will enjoy an even bigger support in Dublin next month with Swing Low cascading from the stands. Now that is a real concern.
In addition we have invited the French to play us twice in August as part of the World Cup build up – as if we hadn’t seen enough of them already. Despite the success of our provinces against French teams in the Heineken Cup, we still find it very difficult to beat them in the international arena. Much of that comes down to belief. France expect to beat us and they usually do.
It must have been disconcerting for the Irish players watching the ease with which England exposed the defensive frailties of the Italians from broken play on Saturday. England played the same way that Ireland had planned to for the game in Rome by keeping possession, stretching the Italian defensive line through multi-phase rugby and exposing them once stretched. England scored eight tries; Ireland scored one, primarily because of a breakdown in skill levels whilst attempting to retain possession.
Having seen both games live, I was struck by the ability of England to retain their attacking shape despite going through several phases. They realigned quickly and held their depth, offering several options for the ball-carrier when it came to off-loading. In this respect, Chris Ashton is a bit of a freak in the manner with which he always seems to be available to take a pass.
In similar circumstances, Ireland’s realignment is not as good. They are regularly too flat and this, in my view, has contributed to the number of dropped passes as the receiver is nearly level with the passer and an element of panic ensues. It is something that needs to be addressed.
Ireland are beating themselves at the moment. I am not a great believer in some of the official statistics that are circulated after games as sometimes they bear no relation to the game. However, two key and worrying stats stood out once again after Sunday’s game and they are crippling Ireland.
The error count against France stood at 17, three more than in Rome, while Ireland also turned over possession on 18 occasions, when one includes the three lost line-outs. That is crippling. Handing the French possession an additional 18 times is asking for trouble. Factor in a high penalty count and seven kicks at goal and it is remarkable that Ireland were so close at the finish.
While I accept the top sides put boot to ball less than ever before, Ireland have always been blessed with astute tactical kickers with an appreciation of where the game should be played. Given Ireland’s strike rate when they get a foothold in the opposition 22 that has to be factored into the way we play. Let’s do what suits us. If Ireland could somehow halve the turnover count from Sunday, that would afford a greater licence to kick. The final stat that caught my eye in the French game was the number of times we kicked possession (10) compared to 15 for France – and they’re the ones who have a reputation for keeping ball in hand. In fact, of the six teams in action over the weekend, Ireland kicked less than any other side. England kicked on 16 occasions, Wales 25 times and Scotland 27. It is something Ireland need to revisit.
ON the plus side, the Irish management have a welcome dilemma when Stephen Ferris returns to fitness as it will be very difficult to omit any of Sunday’s starting back row. Heaslip was immense on his return as was David Wallace, while Sean O’Brien finally found his feet on the international stage. He was exceptional in all facets of play and Ferris may be consigned to a period on the bench.
The composition of Ireland’s half-backs will also create a lively debate within the Irish management but at least they are picking from strength. Jonny Sexton has done well and has demonstrated on countless occasions with Leinster that he has a sharp tactical brain. However, Declan Kidney still deems it necessary to call on Ronan O’Gara’s game management skills to run the show in the final quarter. That is not helping Sexton at present. Both Irish No 10s are infinitely better that France’s lone choice, Francois Trinh-Duc. He was very average last weekend.
Ireland must now prepare for two potential banana skins away from home against inferior opposition. Scotland were really disappointing against Wales and that will increase the pressure on them against Ireland on Sunday week. Andy Robinson faces a real challenge at a time when he thought he was further down the road in terms of team development.
Elsewhere, the newly constituted Super 15 – the Melbourne Rebels, with Danny Cipriani (remember him?), compete for the first time – starts in the southern hemisphere next Friday and signals the start of the SANZAR nations’ build up to the World Cup. They will have to manage their players carefully from now until September. I will be keeping a close eye on developments on the other side of the world to see if any new trends emerge.
