Record breaker Hickie not interested in reflecting on personal glory

BRIAN O’DRISCOLL overtaken in the try-scoring records by Denis Hickie at Thomond Park on Saturday, had the pleasure of informing his team-mate of the achievement.

Four tries in one game, a record held by Keith Wood and Brian Robinson, gave Hickie a 19-try haul for Ireland, one better than captain O’Driscoll.

“I hadn’t seriously thought about it until Brian congratulated me. Somehow, I may find myself doing the same to him sometime in the future.

“I’m happy though. My focus really isn’t on scoring records but, obviously, I much prefer scoring tries than not scoring tries. That’s what I’m there for and, so, I would have to be happy by getting four in any game.”

Thomond Park has been a happy hunting ground for Hickie in that respect, as he scored four tries in one afternoon at the same venue a decade ago, when playing for Ireland Schools against their Scottish counterparts. “I suppose it’s quite a coincidence to do it twice at competitive level on the same pitch. Yeah, that’s nice.”

Hickie insisted, however, that there wasn’t much sense in reflecting on personal glory. “I think the important thing here is that we play well as a team in the build-up to the World Cup and I think, on each occasion to date, the team has performed.

“Certainly I wouldn’t like to have to be the person picking 30 players for Australia because the guys are putting out challenges throughout the squad.

“I thought there were a lot of good performances out there and Eddie is going to have a tough job to reach his final conclusions. It’s good for Irish rugby, but it doesn’t make his job an easy one.”

O’Sullivan conceded the point as he praised his charges for their performance against the Italians.

“They’re one of the most physical sides in the world and it was a bit frustrating for a while. They really slowed up ruck ball and played well when they had the ball in hand.

“The turning point was when they took play right up to our goal line but we held out and launched our own counter-assaults from which we scored two tries. That took the sting out of their challenge.

“I would make the point that in the modern game, better teams can be challenged for long periods. It can take 50, 60 or even 70 minutes to break down the opposition and in that time you can become a bit frustrated, even do silly things that might turn a game against you.

“I was happy that the lads kept their composure and, while there were frustrating times, they didn’t do silly things with the ball. They just played for position and wore Italy down. That was probably the most gratifying aspect of the performance as well as the fact that we didn’t give up a try. They had their chances, but our defence was rock solid.”

Italian coach John Kirwan also paid tribute to Ireland for their defensive qualities and their imaginative attacking play.

“They were pretty determined in that sense, but they were equally as ruthless in attack.

“Some of those tries were very cleverly created and pretty unstoppable really, although I was disappointed with some of our first-up tackling. I felt we competed well for 39 minutes, but those two tries before half time were huge blows.

“I wasn’t happy with one refereeing decision when the scrum was wheeled but we gained no advantage. They cleared their line from that particular passage of play and then they ran in two tries in a couple of minutes.”

Kirwan believes that Ireland can make an impact in the World Cup. “I’m not sure how well they can do, particularly against the big boys, but they have a nice tidy look about the team and they have had the benefit of a successful build-up which will surely boost their confidence.”