Do you believe?

BACK IN school there was this poem we did, the only one that lingers in memory, and it came to mind ahead of tomorrow’s World Cup quarter-final with France.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T.S. Eliot, describes a middle-aged man wrestling with his fears of unfulfilment. The central message is that you may only have one chance in life to do something exceptional, fluff it and you spend the rest of your unexceptional days gazing backwards musing on the might-have-beens.

There will be time for you and me. And time yet for a hundred visions and revisions. Before the taking of a toast and tea.

Tomorrow is Prufrock Day for this Irish team. Some of them may well be back in the World Cup in four years time, but Geordan Murphy could advise these players on the perils of looking too far ahead.

Tomorrow, you will notice a large tricolour draped over the hoardings in the Telstra Dome. On it is emblazoned the word Believe in proud black script. A word that has become an advertising cliche, but also a message the supporters wish to convey to the men on the pitch. A statement.

Roy Keane may not have had much experience of rugby, but the hard man from Mayfield has a philosophy about success that has a direct bearing on Ireland’s rugby team tomorrow.

Do I dare disturb the universe?

We have been here before as a sporting nation. When New Zealand, a small proud nation like ourselves, lost the 1999 World Cup semi-final to France, the coach was fired, the government was ousted and the country went into a state of mourning from which it has yet to emerge.

The longer we pat ourselves on the back for near misses and moral victories, the longer we linger in unexceptional days.

I grow old, I grow old, I shall wear the bottom of my trousers rolled.

THE DARK days of the 1990s are thankfully just an unpleasant memory. Ireland are a settled, professional outfit, well prepared and well accustomed to victory since the turn of the century.

They have defeated France in three of their last four encounters, denied England a Grand Slam, beat the world champion Wallabies last year and should have repeated the dose last weekend.

We no longer go in with a “boot, bollock and bite” philosophy, hoping things will fall our way. This side is capable of getting to a World Cup semi-final and beyond. Yet, there was a distinct and disquieting feeling earlier this week that the Irish camp was content with what they have achieved thus far.

At the press conference in the team’s Holiday Inn base last Wednesday, everyone appeared laid-back and at ease with the world. Brian O’Driscoll seemed bored, captain Keith Wood laughed and joked with the press and Eddie O’Sullivan was in extremely benign humour.

“We said before we left that we wanted to reach the quarter-finals and we have achieved that,” said O’Sullivan. “As a coach you’re never happy, but if the performance (against France) is the same as last Saturday you’d be very happy with that.”

Uh oh. Worrying statements in the week of Ireland’s biggest game in four years.

In 1995, at the World Cup in South Africa, the Irish did a lap of honour after they beat Wales to reach the quarter-finals.

Then the French beat us out the gate. Last Wednesday, there was a hint of a “whatever happens now, we’ve done well”, an attitude that would almost put us on the plane home come Monday morning. Mercifully, by yesterday’s press conference that attitude had vanished.

Now, there was a flinty look in Eddie’s eye and a grim expression on his face as he sat down alongside assistant coach Declan Kidney and manager Brien O’Brien. We weren’t long finding out why.

Informed late of a change to Ireland’s training schedule, O’Sullivan was only able to get in a two-and-a-half hour session in the Telstra Dome, as opposed to a three-hour session and Eddie was pissed off.

This was more like it. It was O’Sullivan speaking the words, but one could not help stealing a glance at the man sitting next to him.

These were classic Kidney pre-match tactics when he was coach at Munster. When Munster were up against it, there was almost always an issue that created an “us against the world” buzz in the camp. It worked beautifully, Munster always played better when something had got their goat up. Unite, focus and get angry.

On Wednesday beating France would have been great, by Friday it was imperative.

So, if we take it that the attitude is correct, how do we go about actually scoring more points than the French?

Well it helps that we are going into the game with the best possible 15 in the circumstances. I have been critical of O’Sullivan’s selection policy in the past, and would have preferred had we gone into the competition with O’Callaghan, O’Gara and Wallace all established in the team.

However, as it stands, this is the strongest side we can put out.

There are those of us who used to break out in a rash every time we saw the surname Easterby in the squad, but, in Simon’s case at least, the rash is fading.

O’Sullivan has had a first choice back-row of Costello, Foley and Gleeson since we beat the Wallabies last year, but Simon Easterby’s performances and Anthony Foley’s struggles since his injury, have gate-crashed that triumvirate.

Against the Aussies, Easterby was excellent, cleaning up at the tail of the lineout and imposing himself around the park.

What about the game plan? First of all, we must attack them up front, deny their magnificent back-row a platform. Galthie and Marsh are the brains trust, the conductors in this French outfit and, if they are given leeway, they will orchestrate victory. Dominating up front will limit their influence.

You look at the French side and it is hard to spot a weakness. Yet, ironically, their star player at this tournament, out-half Frederic Michalak, is also their most vulnerable.

As the French waltzed through their pool games, Michalak was never tested. He may strut about full of stubbled swagger, but the guy is only 21 and still establishing himself as France’s No 10. Target Michalak, rattle him early and see how he deals with it.

And what about when we have the ball? Brian O’Driscoll talked earlier in the week about “meeting fire with fire” hinting that the Irish would try and match the French flair. That would be folly.

O’Gara needs to produce one of his top-drawer kicking games. Pin the French in their own half without allowing their back three the opportunity to run back. Then, when he gets the right possession look to set Horgan and O’Driscoll running at them. Pragmatic rugby is the key to victory.

So it’s Carpe Diem time. Prufrock Day. We have come a long way since Lens four years ago and, yet, we haven’t. Attitudes towards the Irish remain as patronising as ever. Over here, we are the good time Charlies, great for a laugh and a sing-song.

We are the guys who entered a horse that didn’t like galloping in the Melbourne Cup.

Putting up a good show tomorrow does not mean we have had a good World Cup, beating France means we have had a good World Cup.

Do I dare disturb the universe? Do I dare eat a peach?

Well, do we dare eat the peach?