Weekend should liven up damp squib

IT’S been a bit of an anti-climax. One week into Rugby World Cup 2003 and we’re still waiting for it to take off.

A succession of mismatches has made for poor entertainment and has led to a predictable barrage of "something has to be done" calls as the gap between the haves and have-nots of world rugby appears wider than ever.

Rest assured, the same calls will be made in France in four years' time.

The Fiji-USA clash was a cracker and there was a wonderful period in Scotland's game with Japan game when it looked as if the Scots would be caught with their kilts down. But, those games aside, there has not been a great deal to enthuse over.

The live contenders have all begun comfortably, though a nervy Australia did look vulnerable in the opening game with Argentina, only to be reprieved by Contepomi's woeful kicking and Ledesma's equally abysmal

lineout throwing. Tomorrow's much-hyped meeting of England and South Africa is being billed as the game to ignite the competition.

The Boks, in true Boer style, have circled the wagons in the face of unrelenting attacks over the Geo Cronje race row. They see the England game as their chance of redemption and a chance for revenge for the mauling they took in Twickenham a year ago.

Stories are doing the rounds about the South Africans putting England shirts on their tackling bags and adorning their training room walls with subtle messages such as "Kick Pommy Butt."

Then there was the ridiculously hypocritical assertion from Springbok captain Corne Krige that his counterpart Martin Johnson was "one of the dirtiest captains in world rugby." It all adds up to a furious opening quarter after which the remorseless England machine will take over. Fear not Anglophiles, the Brits will win handy.

And what of the Paddies? Although the reaction in the immediate aftermath of the 45-17 win over Romania was "got the win, got the bonus point, job done," the truth is that there were many worrying signs.

The overused excuse of "rustiness" does not stand up because if the Irish were rusty what were the Romanians, a team with a fraction of our resources and preparation?

David Humphreys and each of the Irish backs played well individually, but they did not function well as a unit, while the forwards were quite simply beaten up by their Romanian counterparts.

The Argentinian front row bears will have observed the Irish scrum, even after it solidified with John Hayes' introduction, and licked their lips in anticipation.

Worryingly, the Romanians also managed to turn over Irish ball in the rucks on several occasions and the Argies will also have noted the Irish vulnerability in the face of the rolling maul.

With most of the lineout throws going to the excellent Paul O'Connell, the focus turned on Malcolm O'Kelly's performance around the park, and it was a performance of the powder puff variety.

Loitering without intent at rucks and mauls may not cost you against the minnows but against the big boys it will be fatal. The case for Donnacha O'Callaghan's peculiar brand of muscular mayhem against Argentina strengthens by the day.

THANKFULLY, the performance against Romania seems to have forced O'Sullivan into a rethink. The fear initially was that he would stick with his favoured 15 for the entire tournament but he has made the changes and, as he said himself, they were not for the sake of it (with the possible exception of Simon Easterby).

Although the folly of not selecting David Wallace as specialist openside cover for Keith Gleeson still exists, Alan Quinlan and Eric Miller will come in and spice up the Irish forward performance. But the most significant selection is quite obviously Ronan O'Gara at out-half.

Well though Humphreys played the last day, the conviction remains that, if we are to make progress in this competition, O'Gara has to start at 10. For it will be tight and ugly next weekend, just as it has been so many times in the past for Munster in Europe, and O'Gara's greater defence and overall control will be crucial.

But first it's Namibia.

Expect the forwards to improve and the backline (incidentally the same one that beat France in 2000 when O'Driscoll scored three tries) to sparkle.

Ireland to win in some style then it gets really interesting ...