English pack: An irresistible force of eight

THERE is nothing worse than the empty feeling experienced waking up in the aftermath of a hammering.

I know, I’ve been there. The fact that it’s after a Grand Slam winning opportunity only serves to make it worse.

In the days preceding last Sunday’s game, everybody associated with the Ireland team would have visualised a moment when the referee blows the final whistle and England are beaten. In the end unfortunately, it was not to be. When the English players are as focused as they were last Sunday, they are a very difficult team to beat. Back-boned by a pack containing five test Lions, it was always going to be difficult. As a barometer for the future, it sets a standard that Ireland must aspire to.

When a defeat of such magnitude comes on the last day of the Championship, it leaves a sour taste for a long time. Ireland must now wait nearly two months before being afforded the opportunity of absorbing the lessons of such a loss. The fact that fixture will be against Australia in Perth, still smarting from their loss in Lansdowne Road last November, makes it more difficult.

However, when Eddie O’Sullivan sits down over the next few days to plan his build up to the World Cup, he can look back with much satisfaction on what has been achieved over the past eight months. A sequence of ten wins from eleven matches is an outstanding return. The fact that two of these victories were achieved against teams ranked in the World top five is further evidence of progress. Yet O’Sullivan fully realises that in order to sustain this level of improvement and challenge those ranked above us on a regular basis, further adjustments will have to be made.

Recent performances have yielded a number of positives. Our line-out is now one of the most competitive in international rugby, capable of producing quick ball for attacking purposes and alternatively as a platform for our driving maul. It was somewhat of a surprise that we chose to abandon this aspect of play last Sunday. While one can understand a reluctance to take on the England pack purely on a physical basis, Irelands maul is of sufficient quality to have troubled Clive Woodward’s side. By failing to utilise that strategy, the England back row was free to roam the park. The scrum, with the exception of the game against Wales, has stood up well this season.

The biggest area of concern from an Ireland perspective is the lack of penetration from the back line as witnessed in many of the recent games. With limited opportunities, Geordan Murphy showed just how dangerous he can be, even at international level.

However the potency of our backs was certainly reduced by the lack of quick ruck ball in many of the games. England are the best in the world at slowing down opposition ball. Johnson and Back in particular are past masters at it.

This buys their defence the vital few seconds to re-adjust and organise their defensive line. Ireland must now achieve a better balance in committing players to the ruck in order to free up the ball for Peter Stringer. It is a sobering thought that despite line breakers of the quality of O’Driscoll, Hickie, Maggs and Murphy, Ireland have failed to score a try against Australia, France and England in the recent games. To prosper in the World Cup, this issue must be rectified.

The regularity with which we have kicked the ball away is another aspect that has impinged on the back lines ability to score, something that Eddie O’Sullivan will review over the coming weeks.

All successful sides have a good kicking game as part of their armoury. However, to be successful you must kick to regain the ball in the tackle or to pressurise the opposition into kicking to touch thus obtaining the line-out throw.

On Sunday Josh Lewsey, playing in his first Six Nations game in Lansdowne Road, was never put under any pressure. Likewise Jason Robinson fielded at least three kicks without being closed down. I am sure that when Ireland play on the harder grounds in Australia, they will look to bring more variety to their game.

At times on Sunday, Ireland played some of their best rugby in the championship. Some of the close inter passing between backs and forwards was excellent and would surely have returned a better reward against less disciplined opposition. On the subject of discipline, Irelands achievement in only conceding one kickable penalty to Jonny Wilkinson was incredible given the pressure they were under.

The other worrying issue that needs to be addressed in the coming months is the lack of cover for certain positions on the field. This is going to be more difficult to solve in some situations. In the next few weeks we are likely to see the return to action of David Wallace, Shane Horgan, Girvan Dempsy, Reggie Corrigan and Rob Henderson. However, cover for the tight head prop, scrum-half and outside centre positions look decidedly bare at present.

The likes of John Hayes has had to endure a huge workload this season and it is crucial, in the continued absence of Paul Wallace, that this vital position is strengthened.

On the plus side we have seen the emergence of some exciting options for certain positions that were causes of concern. Geordan Murphy offers a real alternative to Girvan Dempsey at full back and provides additional cover on the wing.

Peter Clohessy’s retirement at loose head prop has been covered successfully by the re-emergence of Reggie Corrigan and the youthful promise of Marcus Horan. Likewise options in the second row have been further enhanced by the continued development of Leo Cullen and Donncha O’Callaghan.

When reflecting on the achievements of the season to date, one of the most encouraging aspects has been the development in the mental toughness of the side, something which was very evident in the victory over Australia in the autumn. The tangible results of that victory were plain to see in the closing stages of our recent games against France and Wales.

One hopes that Sunday’s defeat will not have a debilitating effect on the mental progress that has been achieved. In my view, it shouldn’t.