Frustrated Leamy not giving in

IT’S becoming an all-too-familiar sight — depressing post-mortems after embarrassing displays against weaker opposition.

Since the summer tour to Argentina, Ireland have repeatedly failed to convince on seven successive occasions — against the Pumas (twice), Scotland, Bayonne, Italy, Namibia and now Georgia.

The last two performances against the Pool D minnows are a major cause for concern, with evidence of a general malaise in the Irish camp and of a team in serious decline.

A few hours after being involved in another shambles, Denis Leamy bravely stepped forward in the mixed zone. If there are feelings of hurt pride after the ‘Lelos’ second string team almost beat Ireland (after their coach made 11 changes from the previous match), then the players are doing a very good job of masking the hurt.

Nobody was getting too downhearted in the dressing room, according to the Ireland number eight: “I think there’s a sense of disappointment that we didn’t get what we wanted out of the game but to be fair to Georgia, they made it very difficult for us. It’s tough, tough to take.

“We defended very well at times there and it could have gone really wrong for us if they had sneaked a try.

“So let’s take the positives out of it. Nobody is getting too downhearted — there’s no bashing of heads ahead the wall. We’ll pick ourselves up, we’re still in this tournament whether people believe it or not and we can still do something.”

“Certainly, we need to stop pushing off-loads. I mean everyone. I am guilty of it myself, everyone is guilty of it and we need to tighten up our game and get back to basics.”

“I think frustration can come into it. We have to leave this match behind and it’s a winner-takes-all situation now. It will be a typical cup match but we have got a lot of experience in this team and I hope that we use every little bit of that and bounce back from this but we are going to be underdogs going up there.”

Leamy was at the centre of a controversial incident near the half- hour mark when he appeared to stamp on a Georgian player’s foot.

Leamy regretted such an action and hopes nothing will be made of it. But with the likes of Phil Vickery being cited for a trip/kick, Leamy could very well miss the France match as the match commissioners are coming down hard on any perceived misdemeanours. The Tipperary man’s absence would leave a gaping chasm in the Ireland back row.

“It was a silly thing to do,” admitted Leamy. “I shouldn’t have done it. I just got pulled back while I was in the defensive line and I just lashed out really without even thinking. I clipped him on the side of the leg or the foot I think. It was a stupid thing to do. The ref saw it and he didn’t make too much out of it so hopefully that will be it.”

As for the France challenge, the prospect of a backlash from a wounded les Bleus side, Leamy said: “Going to Paris to play a very good French team who are also under pressure to stay in it, it’s going to be very difficult but it’s a challenge.”