Tough task but O’Sullivan is upbeat
The Irish coach dismissed any suggestion yesterday that All Black coach Graham Henry’s complete overhaul of the New Zealand side is treating their hosts with disrespect.
“He’s here to help New Zealand win a northern hemisphere Grand Slam. Don’t tell me, if you look through the All Black team, that it’s a weaker side than the one that played Wales,” he said.
“I’ve heard people say this is a second XV so I had a look at the team sheet. There’s Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock, Ali Williams, Richie McCaw, Piri Weepu, Aaron Mauger, Leon MacDonald, Doug Howlett and Sitiveni Sivivatu - I rest my case. If that’s a second XV I’ll eat my hat.
“We figured out from an early stage what Graham’s intent was. Look through the team, look at the players, study their form and see what they have achieved in the last number of months. This is a quality New Zealand side full of players who have achieved.
“Graham is being very smart. He picked a very good side last week, but he has picked a very good side this week as well.”
Neither does O’Sullivan agree with the perception that the All Blacks rookies will succumb to opening night nerves.
“It’s also the first day out for us. This Irish team is a new combination; we have never played together as a group before; it’s months since our last international, so it’s really the same scenario for both sides.”
O’Sullivan acknowledges Ireland have to be at their best to have a shot at victory. Referring back to the Wales game he noted: “New Zealand strangled them in the set pieces, at the scrum and at the lineout. You can’t afford to mix with a team of that quality when that happens.”
Wales, he said, had nothing to work off, and Ireland will get nothing to work off if similar circumstances apply today.
“Wales are a great team with good possession running off the ball, but they got nothing from the forward exchanges and they had to force things to compete. It was an impossible situation really. Wales turned the football over and were punished.”
O’Sullivan promised that Ireland would be more streetwise, they’d play the game as they see it, but on a straight-up quality comparison ... well, there’s no comparison.
“We have got to give as good as we get in the lineouts and in the scrums. We have to give our back row a chance of competing for possession on the deck. New Zealand have probably the best open side flanker in the world (Richie McCaw), and we have picked a back row which, hopefully can compete with them.
“It’s a simple enough thing really; if we get beaten up in the pack, then we’re going to struggle. But if we can compete successfully with them in those areas, we’ve got a chance. I think we have the players to do that.”
Now that New Zealand have got this Grand Slam tour up and running with the win over Wales under a closed roof, there is a view within that Dublin’s leaden skies, the possibility of torrential rain and a heavy pitch could all conspire against the silver fern.
However O’Sullivan disagreed. “We would like the wind to drop and the rain to ease so that we can have a decent game of rugby. We don’t want to play in a mud bath although I don’t think that will be the case.
“The pitch looks good, it feels good underfoot and it’s in as good a nick as it has ever been. It’s really top of the ground conditions at the moment and we’re hoping it will continue into the game.
“No more than New Zealand, we don’t want to play this game in bad conditions. We want to play rugby and test ourselves against a quality side. If we win, we don’t want to be accused of having won because the weather was bad and suited us more than them. That’s not what we’re about.
“I want the team to go out, perform, and win ... and they want that as well.”
It’s also a test of the O’Sullivan’s present selection policy. He has opted for Tommy Bowe on the wing, and Denis Leamy at number eight, to the exclusion of the seasoned Anthony Foley. Five of the seven replacements have little or no international experience.
It’s a lot to ask.
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