Another huge test of character looms large
It is worth remembering, and Declan Kidney alluded to the fact after Sunday’s draw in Paris, that this side is much changed from the one that captured the Grand Slam in 2009. Of that team, only seven have been regular starters in this season’s Six Nations.
The defeat to Wales in the opening game of the tournament and the result at Stade de France at the weekend highlights the small margins at play in top-flight rugby but also shows that Ireland remain a work in progress.
This group of Irish players have been brought up at provincial level where internal forensic analysis and constructive criticism of their performances has become the norm. The same mantra has carried through to the international set-up.
But the question must be asked as to why they are failing to close out tight games with Ireland, when it has become almost second nature to them with their provinces? One simple answer is that there is still a vast chasm between the Heineken Cup and the demands of international rugby.
Ironically the reverse is the case with Wales.
Over the last 12 months, Wales are winning tight games with many of the same players who seem incapable of repeating those feat with their respective regional sides in Europe.
Their display in the closing stages of the defeat of Ireland was a notable example of this new found mindset. The composure, understanding and clinical execution of that final 10-phase passage of play at the Aviva Stadium which led to the winning penalty was played out without any sense of panic or anxiety.
Don’t forget that Warren Gatland’s side also won that opening game despite a horrific catalogue of injuries to their front five and back row, the departure of captain Sam Warburton at half-time while Jamie Roberts and Rhys Priestland were just back from layoffs and short of game time.
Imagine if the roles were reversed, and Ireland took to the field minus Cian Healy, Rory Best, Paul O’Connell, Donncha O’Callaghan and Stephen Ferris before Brian O’Driscoll was forced to depart?
It will be a huge test of Irish character now that the inspirational O’Connell, whose consistent magnificence has been a feature of this championship, is ruled out for the remainder of the tournament. His injury, along with the loss of Conor Murray, couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Fortune has certainly favoured Wales this season, especially in the dying seconds of their victory over England in Twickenham, when the Television Match Official opted not to award a try to David Strettle (Though Toby Flood would have had to nail an extremely difficult conversion to grab a draw). Sometimes you make your own luck and it may be more pertinent to look at the extraordinary effort Leigh Halfpenny made to aid Jonathan Davies and George North as Strettle attempted to ground the ball. Halfpenny tracked 40 metres across his goal line and hurtled himself at the Englishman, which bought sufficient time for Davies to hold him up on the line.
It was an extraordinary intervention.
Wales are playing at a higher tempo than Ireland and are reaping the rewards. One wonders why Declan Kidney didn’t employ the blitz defence against Wales, given that they were able to introduce it with such spectacular success against the French.
With Ireland thirsting for revenge and looking to make a point post-Wellington, why were they so passive at the breakdown and laboured in their defensive line speed against opposition that they were so desperate to beat?
Perhaps they were lulled into a false sense of security after the achievements of Munster, Leinster and Ulster in making the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.
The biggest issue for Ireland over the last year has been a lack of consistency not only from game to game but before and after the half-time break. The last two outings are perfect illustrations of this, with the opening 40 against Italy substandard followed by some sublime rugby, with the reverse the case in Paris.
Go back to last season’s championship when the game against Italy went to the wire, Wales won against the run of play before England were destroyed in Dublin.
They also seem to suffer from a lack of concentration at crucial times and those lapses are proving costly. Consider the two soft tries conceded against Wales at the World Cup, the overthrow on the French line on Sunday coupled with spilled balls by Gordon D’Arcy and Jamie Heaslip without a Frenchman in sight, to mention just a few. Unforced errors are hugely damaging to their chances and need to be eradicated.
Despite Scotland’s recent poor record, Saturday’s game is going to prove a severe test for Kidney’s men. Last weekend’s game was physically and emotionally draining and regardless of the amount of rest and recovery, it is going to be very difficult to reach the frenzied heights of Paris so quickly, especially against a Scottish side desperate to end a winless streak.
