Stepping up to the mark

THE DEBATE rages on. Such was the extraordinary nature of events in the Stade de France last Saturday, finding a degree of consensus for what actually happened has proven difficult.

With such a contrast in the quality of Ireland’s performance from the first to the second half, one awaits the emergence of the true Irish team in this championship.

What is clear is there has been a seismic shift in the manner in which the team is attempting to play.

In recent seasons the quality of Ireland’s line-out dictated a game where territory and possession were paramount. With a kicker of Ronan O’Gara’s quality, Ireland played to the corners, confident the likes of Paul O’Connell, Malcolm O’Kelly and Simon Easterby would compete favourably on the opposition throw.

In practice, that game became too one-dimensional and easy to read by opposition teams. It also underused the quality in the three-quarter line.

A succession of injuries over the last two years to Shane Horgan, Gordon D’Arcy, Brian O’Driscoll, Denis Hickie and Geordan Murphy also deprived the team of their seasoned game-breakers at times and narrowed their vision. This season, with a full deck to choose from, Ireland has tried to put more width in their game.

The player diaries in the national press over the past few days have confirmed that Ireland had prepared to adopt a high-risk strategy when taking on the French at their own game. Unfortunately, the opening half on Saturday showed Ireland have some way to go to master the skill to execute this approach.

Under extreme pressure from a well-marshalled French defence, errors abounded in the form of knock-ons, forward passes and blocked kicks.

While Eddie O’Sullivan recognised that Ireland’s game plan needed to be expanded in order to become less predictable, it is imperative it is executed in a controlled environment.

In the opening period, Ireland never sought to engage the French pack and take them on. Given their abject failure against Scotland, it was inevitable that France would physically test Ireland in the set-piece, yet it looked as if the hosts’ confrontational nature caught Ireland by surprise.

The Irish scrum was too loose and the ferocity of the French hit almost split them apart.

At Murrayfield, Scotland showed the French were vulnerable to the driving maul, yet it took Ireland 35 minutes to adopt this tactic.

On that occasion they drove the French over 30 metres. The opening two games in this year’s championship have shown that the French are not the finished article their autumn performances had suggested.

The most disappointing aspect of the game was that when Ireland miraculously put themselves in a position to win the game with 10 minutes to go, they lost composure and turned over possession three times within 10 metres of the line.

On a positive note, the physical conditioning of the Irish players was superb. Despite the bruising nature of the contest, most of the Irish players were still full of running at the final whistle.

After the game, word from the French camp suggested their players had paid the price for three contact sessions undertaken during the week.

Normally, one would suffice. With only a six-day turnaround from the Scottish game, many of their forwards looked knackered. While this may have been a contributory factor to their demise in the second half, the character shown by the Irish players amid growing adversity should not be underestimated.

Despite the negativity surrounding the performances in the opening two games, Ireland are still very much in a position to challenge for this year’s championship.

While the game between Wales and Scotland on Sunday was frenetic and entertaining at times, there was nothing to suggest Ireland should be overly concerned when both teams visit Lansdowne Road. As a contest, Sunday’s game was over when Scott Murray was dismissed prior to half-time.

Despite the change in personnel, due primarily to injuries since last year, Wales continue to play a high-tempo, free-flowing game. They commit very few forwards to the breakdown. Therefore, it is vital Ireland do not accommodate them in attempting something similar.

The focus now will revolve around the team selected for the Welsh game.

In the wake of last Saturday’s defeat, it is inevitable there will be changes.

O’Sullivan always viewed the opening two games as an entity in itself and was therefore unlikely to alter this starting fifteen despite the evidence of the Italian game.

While Marcus Horan is certain to return to the front row, Donncha O’Callaghan has surely done enough to earn an international recall.

Understandably, O’Callaghan suffered somewhat after the rigorous Lions tour, but against Sale in Munster colours and when introduced against France, he showed he is back to his best. O’Kelly’s inclusion will depend on the extent of O’Connell’s injury.

Behind the scrum, Tommy Bowe looks the most vulnerable. I still think his future could be as a full-back. He is a talented player but has suffered in recent weeks.

Andrew Trimble was again impressive when introduced, but may lose out if Girvan Dempsey is restored to full-back. O’Sullivan would then reposition Geordan Murphy on the wing, where he has featured most for Leicester this season.

While some have been advocating a change at scrum-half, such talk is wide of the mark. Peter Stringer has been in excellent form and Saturday’s performance was one of his best in a green jersey.

Ireland badly need an 80-minute performance to reflect the quality and experience in the side.

With back-to-back home games, it’s now or never.