Scots on the rocks for parting shot
This afternoon, Ireland do battle with Scotland in the last Six Nations game before the famous old stadium is rebuilt.
Eddie O'Sullivan knows it will be a nostalgic and historic occasion for the fans but also acknowledged: "we would love to go out with a win but if that's our modus operandi for beating Scotland, we're in big trouble; there's a lot more detail involved than that."
The sides have two wins from three outings and are exactly on the same level as France and England, who clash at the Stade de France tomorrow, so the importance of getting a result cannot be overstated.
The Scots arrived in Dublin yesterday with a fresh swagger about them thanks to the remarkable recovery they have made under new coach Frank Hadden after the misery of the Matt Williams era. Having deservedly disposed of the two pre-tournament favourites, France and England, they won't be short on confidence. But this is a game Ireland should win and perhaps with ten or 12 points to spare.
Compare the two teams man for man, add in the priceless home advantage, and you will see what I mean. Scotland just don't have the personnel to cope with an Irish pack reinforced by the return of Paul O'Connell. Their front row of Gavin Kerr, Doug Hall and Bruce Douglas has struggled and while their back five contains some big name players like Simon Taylor, Jason White and Scott Murray, their in-form Irish rivals carry too much depth and class. For all he has achieved to date, Hadden hasn't really settled on his best half-back partnership and is likely to replace Dan Parks and Mike Blair with Gordon Ross and Chris Cusiter before the second half.
Shaun Lamont scored two tries against France and is undoubtedly a strong running wing. Chris Paterson is a polished and reliable full-back but as a whole, the Scottish backs shouldn't cause too many problems in attack and may find themselves under pressure against an Irish back line that on paper at any rate looks streets ahead for pace and guile. In fairness, this level of confidence could be sadly misplaced if Ireland again play with the lack of discipline that made the first half of the French game something of a nightmare and also if they allow the Scots to play their traditional rucking game, which has upset many Irish teams in the past.
True to form, O'Sullivan isn't taking anything for granted and last night preferred to speak about the significance of the game and how well Scotland have performed and lavished praise on his counterpart.
"Frank Hadden has had a massive impact on the Scottish team", he declared. "They're playing a very well organised and structured game with a good balance to it, taking the ball up, moving it wide, kicking to the corners and turning teams. Their defence has improved quite dramatically and they've forced teams into errors and capitalised on them. They're playing with a lot of passion and pride and are unrecognisable from the last few years. It's pretty much the same squad, the only difference, really, is Frank Hadden. There's a synergy there that has made them the surprise packets."
The coach admitted that it was like "a wind tunnel" out on the Lansdowne Road pitch yesterday and with rain also predicted for today, he fears that the game could disintegrate into "trench warfare", something he believes wouldn't suit either side.
Either way, he insists it's going to be "a fair old battle up front. We're going to have to at least get parity there although that's something that never changes in rugby."
Ireland have started their three games so far quite poorly and the lack of atmosphere so apparent against Italy and Wales and commented on by a number of observers including Paul O'Connell, has been attributed to that factor.
Skipper Brian O'Driscoll took the point on board, stressing: "It's largely down to us to create the atmosphere, by starting well and giving the crowd something to cheer about. That's always been part of my team talk."
O'Sullivan supported O'Driscoll while pointing out: "When the opposition have the ball and they're coming at you and you spend much of your time defending, it's hard to get the crowd into it. The crowd respond to us doing something with the football. There was that sense of an eerie quietness when Wales were coming at us and in the Italian game when they also had the ball, so it's up to us to generate a momentum for the crowd."
O'Sullivan made light of O'Connell's observations on the lack of atmosphere in the Welsh game, as he wouldn't be used to sitting in the stand, but made no secret of his delight at the return of his talismanic forward.
"We wanted to make sure we got Paul right because he's an important player not just to us but to Munster as well", said O'Sullivan. "That's why we didn't take the risk against Wales and waited till the last minute this week. He came through with flying colours on Thursday and he ran out again this morning without any ill effects. He's really good to go. We'll see how long he lasts because he's been without a game for a month and it's hard to see him lasting 80 minutes."
That would probably mean the introduction of the luckless Donncha O'Callaghan for the last 20 minutes or so, a happy situation for O'Sullivan to find himself in. And with Mick O'Driscoll back in the squad after yesterday's withdrawal of replacement Johnny O'Connor, it behoves Malcolm O'Kelly to maintain and improve still further on the Welsh game, otherwise he could be headed for a third early shower in four outings.
It's good to see the competition for places, with the front row about the only area with few alternatives.
I expect to see seriously big contributions from Denis Leamy, David Wallace and Jerry Flannery up front and the entire back division which has a look of class and polish about it.
O'Sullivan is right, it is a big game for both countries, but one Ireland are capable of winning with style and effectiveness on a day of nostalgia for the game in this country.
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