Proud Scots are no pushover
Scotland in Paris and Wales in Cardiff performed well enough to confirm Eddie O'Sullivan's view that "this is the most open Six Nations for a long time."
Crucial refereeing decisions at the Stade de France and in the Stadio Flaminio went against the underdogs, but isn't that invariably the case?
Any complacency in the Irish camp and their slow start in Rome suggests that deep down, despite their protests to the contrary, there must have been a touch of underestimating the opposition will have been washed away not just because of the fright they got from the Azzurri, but because of how well the Scots performed in Paris.
Matt Williams would like nothing better than to put one over on the Irish at Murrayfield next Saturday and will have his men really up for it.
True, this was arguably the worst display by the French for many a long day but Williams will claim with a degree of justification that that was as much due to the spirited performance by his side as to ineptitude on the part of the opposition.
If anything, Scotland's near miss will have brought home to O'Sullivan's men that the visit to Murrayfield will be far from the cakewalk many predicted. The Scots are a proud nation and don't fancy propping up the Six Nations table for another twelve months. With "Flower of Scotland" ringing in their ears and the crowd behind them, we can anticipate another fraught opening twenty minutes for the visiting side.
Ireland got away with it on Sunday thanks largely to the brilliance of Brian O'Driscoll. Now both he and his centre partner Gordon D'Arcy are doubtful for Edinburgh, and O'Sullivan will see the resolute if hardly inspiring Kevin Maggs as a straight and worthy replacement for D'Arcy.
In the absence of O'Driscoll, it is likely to be a reshuffled three-quarter line, with either Geordan Murphy or Shane Horgan taking over the number 13 jersey, but the coach's clear preference is for keeping Murphy at 15 so it will probably be Horgan in the centre with the right wing spot wide open. A chance perhaps for exciting Monaghan youngster Tommy Bowe to get his chance, although Shaun Payne, the only real bright spark of late in the Munster three-quarters, is in the squad and could get called up for a first cap.
O'Sullivan's injury difficulties are manifold but the problems don't stop there, as Sunday's game seemed to pass too many of his players by.
Denis Leamy may have been seized by nerves as he failed to make the expected impression, just as his predecessor on the open-side, Johnny O'Connor, was remarkably quiet in his pre-Christmas outings. Leamy contributed handsomely in the rucks and mauls and dealt capably with several restarts but struggled in his role as an out-and-out open side. On one notable occasion he got on Shane Horgan's shoulder and would have been clear had he been able to take the pass, but the ball shot forward. In contrast, his rival Mauro Bergamasco had a towering eighty minutes and must be a contender for any World XV.
The number seven jersey is still available to a number of contenders, though Leamy will almost certainly be retained when O'Sullivan today announces his side for Murrayfield. However, after that it could open up for the England game two weeks later should the Tipp man have another moderate outing. O'Connor remains his chief rival, though Alan Quinlan is also a serious option. I suppose it is too much to expect that David Wallace, the inexplicably forgotten man of Irish rugby, might come in.
Debate will also continue as to the best front-row line-up. Once again John Hayes did his stuff, on his 50th international appearance, and heaven knows what Ireland would do if he were to be hit by injury. Little fault could be found with either Shane Byrne (who sported a heavily bandaged thumb after Sunday's game) or Corrigan, except that Marcus Horan and Frankie Sheahan have been playing very well for Munster. There were echoes on Sunday of the desperately poor forward display by Leinster in their Heineken Cup clash with Bath last month and sooner or later the Munster pair will provide the better option for O'Sullivan. Paul O'Connell and to a lesser extent Malcolm O'Kelly performed splendidly on Sunday and with Donnacha O'Callaghan on the bench, Ireland are well served in the engine room.
Lions head coach Clive Woodward was an interested spectator on Sunday and will surely have left the Stadio Flaminio with mixed views on the Irish half-back partnership. Whereas Peter Stringer was a real live-wire at the base of the scrum and generally passed well, Ronan O'Gara had an off-day. He missed touch on twelve occasions by trying for too much length with a football with which he is unfamiliar and probably a little uncomfortable. As considerable consolation O'Gara distributed the ball with his customary brilliance and that was one good reason why Brian O'Driscoll and Geordan Murphy were able to stretch their legs on a number of occasions.
Although his hesitancy in dealing with a seemingly harmless looking box kick nearly led to a try for Italy that would have put them in front with only nine minutes remaining, Denis Hickie had a good game, covering well and taking his try with typical opportunism. Because of injury, however, the back division is now sure to be disrupted and that is a great pity.
Ireland will be trying to figure out what effect, if any, the new tackle law will have on their forthcoming matches. Many nodded in agreement on Sunday night when Anthony Foley claimed that "there was nothing new today. We're still trying to figure out the referees' interpretations."
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