Frustrated Bowe dwells on positives despite Croker letdown

TOMMY BOWE once dreamed of playing Gaelic football with Monaghan in Croke Park.

He got to GAA headquarters, alright, but suffered the nightmare of watching Ireland’s Championship and Triple Crown hopes going up in smoke.

However, Bowe is convinced the good times will return for Ireland. He made the point that there was a very narrow line between success and failure. There were, he admitted, a couple of turning points in the game, particularly after the first half. “We didn’t get that try (Shane Horgan was held up a couple of inches from the line) early on and it was so close. If it had been scored, we would probably have been 13-0 up at the break and that would have been a huge boost.

“Unfortunately, they came out for the second half and played the same type of rugby we played in the first spell, denied us the ball and it was really catch-up stuff.

“We just didn’t have enough possession for us to attack off. It was really a forwards game with most of the decisions taken there; very frustrating for myself on the wing. It was difficult for any of us to get into the game,” he said.

Still, Bowe felt aggrieved that the result went against Ireland, even if he accepted it was probably the right one.

“It all came down to one small lapse in concentration to allow them in for a try; that’s the kind of thing that can change the course of a match.

“When they got the try, it was an uphill struggle for us to get back in there. I thought we did well to claw our way back to within a point, but unfortunately we then made a mistake and gave away territory by conceding a penalty. From there, they just ran down the clock by keeping possession. It was frustrating, to say the least.”

Bowe, playing out of his normal position on the right wing, couldn’t stop Welsh wing dynamo Shane Williams from scoring that crucial try and he conceded that the Welshman was world class. “He’s the kind of guy who will punish any mistakes; we knew that, but unfortunately he got a bit of space and finished off the chance,” he said.

But Bowe was positive about Ireland’s chances of beating England at Twickenham, even before he learned the result from Murrayfield.

“I think our pack performed very well in the first half; we totally dominated them and I felt we played the right tactics.

“Whenever we took them on up front, I believe we were the stronger side.

“There won’t be any motivation needed for next week against England. That’s a game everyone looks forward to year by year,” he said.

Bowe isn’t worried about England’s undoubted attempt to steam-roll Ireland into submission up front. “That’s what they try to do, but it doesn’t always necessarily work. I think we have a very good pack and the guys will be very aware from where the challenge will come.

“They (England) will come out to try to do to us what we tried to do to Wales and I’m sure it will be a huge battle. Still, I’m confident that our pack is good enough to cope with any opposition; if we manage to get territory and enough possession, we can do it. It’s the last game of the championship and I’m confident there is a massive performance to come,” he said.