Stringer treating each game as if it’s his last

CHRISTMAS is coming early for Irish rugby fans as another Southern hemisphere giant rolls into Lansdowne Road tomorrow.

These days, Ireland meet New Zealand, Australia and South Africa with a regularity that was usually reserved for our old Five Nations sparring partners and, while results may not always be to our liking, the spectacles are always relished.

Sixteen years ago, the All Blacks rumbled into town for the first game between the sides in 11 long years. One look at Willie Anderson eyeballing Wayne Shelford during the ‘haka’ that day was enough to indicate the Irish were unable to wait a single second longer for a shot at their illustrious visitors.

However, the frequency of the meetings now means there is no longer quite the same expectation about such contests.

Take Peter Stringer’s career as an example. Since his debut in 2000, the scrum-half has earned 59 caps. An astonishing 11 have come against the ‘Big Three’.

Fitness and form permitting, that number will jump to 15 by the time Ireland’s tour of Australia and New Zealand is completed next summer, but the Corkman insists there’s no way that such familiarity could ever breed contempt.

“It doesn’t for me anyway. You play as though it’s your last game. You’ve got to look at it like you could be gone the next time that sort of game comes around.

“I remember Peter Clohessy telling me that in 50-odd caps for Ireland (The Claw won 54 in a nine-year career), he never played against the All Blacks. You’ve got to make the most of these games.”

Though the Kiwi scalp remains more elusive than ever, he points to three years ago when Ireland soared to unprecedented heights with the defeat of the Australians in Dublin.

Even after seminal victories over England, France, South Africa and - let’s not forget - Argentina, Stringer is quick to highlight the importance of that win.

“We’d pulled off a win against France and England a couple of times but the Southern hemisphere was the big thing, to break that barrier. You still have that in your head when you pull off a victory like that.

“You think to yourself: ‘hang on, we’re in the same bracket as these guys’. From that point of view, it was a massive breakthrough and it gave us the confidence we needed going into the next year.”

That day Ireland glossed over game plans on a bitch of a day, wet and windy, and concentrated instead on “getting in their faces.”

The onus was on minimising Australia’s time on the ball and their failure to do so last week was the main cause of their troubles against the All Blacks.

The worry then, is that with Graham Steadman still finding his feet in the Irish set-up after succeeding Mike Ford as defensive coach, Ireland could be similarly exposed by the Aussies.

“It’s not really a new system,” countered Stringer. “Graham has slotted in very well. He worked very closely with Mike Ford for a few months to make that transition as smooth as possible.

“Things will take a bit of time. Graham is a fantastic guy. I’ve worked with him with Munster and I find him to be excellent.”

Unlike the slick All Black machine that swept through town last week, Australia clearly have their problems while, at the same time, packing the sort of creative potential behind the scrum that is arguably on a par with anything Graham Henry can muster.

“They’re still a class side. They have quality backs and they’re very structured in their play.

“They’ve always had backs who could move the ball with great hands and great feet. Their forwards like to play rugby as well and move the ball around.

“They’ll be more hungry and they’ll be eager to avenge their defeat here a few years ago. Certainly within the squad, there’s a belief that we can beat them.”