All-action Reddan rises above the mediocrity

EOIN REDDAN made GAA headquarters his stage on Saturday and was one of the few positives from another nightmarish day for Irish rugby.

The crowd, numbed by a staid contest and horrified by what seemed like a flashback to the performances against Namibia and Georgia last September, needed someone to rise above the mediocrity on show.

Reddan provided the lift they required.

Ronan O’Gara pulled the strings from out-half and produced his best display in an Irish shirt since that sun-kissed afternoon in Rome last March. But his partner at half back gave the master-class.

On a day when we searched for positives, the Wasps scrum-half gave an apathetic crowd something to relish with his dazzling line-breaks.

But, in his and O’Gara’s efforts to electrify a back line, the others weren’t on the same wavelength and the overall Irish performance was flat-lined.

Reddan made three to four such breaks in a performance that earned him the RBS man-of-the-match award, and a standing ovation from the Irish support when he was replaced by Peter Stringer.

He got into the action early at a couple of rucks, feeding O’Gara and Brian O’Driscoll, but there is more to the game than playing, as with his “head on a swivel”.

On Saturday we finally saw what makes this man a fans’ favourite at High Wycombe. One was when he made a searing 23rd minute break along the Cusack Stand side reminiscent of a latter-day Ciaran Carey in full flow, but Reddan’s intended inside pass for a supporting runner was thieved in mid-flight by opposite number, Pietro Travagli.

“The one positive to come from the game was Eoin Reddan,” says Paul Wallace, brother of David.

“With the malfunctioning of Ireland’s centres, so long the attacking engine of the side, he was our shining knight in shiny green hi-tech fibre.

“His running game gives Ireland a new attacking threat around the fringes.”

But Reddan alone cannot revolutionise Ireland’s game, and it’s why Eddie O’Sullivan needs to make some bold selections for Paris to assist with the new brash alternative face of Reddan at nine.

O’Sullivan is criticised for his conservatism and accused of bringing too much structure to Ireland’s game. But at least Reddan is liberated to play his way now — the Wasps way — and not forced to wear the metaphorical straitjacket. We saw at the World Cup when the 26-year-old simply provided basic passing service to O’Gara this wasn’t the true Reddan, but someone playing against his natural attacking instincts.

Reddan lightened the mood again just after half time. Bursting onto a Donncha O’Callaghan tap down from a lineout move, he broke through the Azzurri line before being tackled inside the 22. The move, like so many others created on a forgettable afternoon, broke down through inaccuracy and poor execution of the basics.

He was steadfast in every facet of Ireland’s attack, directed mauls and screamed instructions. A few passes went astray but I think he will be forgiven when he sits down with video analyst Mervyn Murphy this week.

At least Reddan won’t be afraid of the viewing.