Same old story as Irish caught cold

IT’S PROBABLY the worst feeling in sport to come off the fieldregretting what might have been.

It was no cake walk in the ‘Cake Tin’ for New Zealand last Saturday, but you couldn’t help feeling that Ireland had allowed another glorious opportunity of a first Test win over the All Blacks to slip through their fingers.

This Ireland team are past the point of glorious defeats and all week they prepared themselves to be mentally strong in the final 10-15 minutes — alas it was during this period that the All Blacks pulled clear. It’s why the word ‘clinical’ is always associated with that black jersey. Give them an inch and they’ll take your smile.

When they look back on this, they’ll realise they lost to an average All Blacks side shouldering the burden of redemption eight months after their shock World Cup exit.

The pressure is still on Graham Henry, who in the match programme said he was “sick” of talking about France 2007 and wants New Zealand to move on. However, you could only sum up from looking at the thousands of empty bucket seats inside the Westpac that the ‘Great Redeemer’ has a lot of making up to do with the NZ rugby public. The All Blacks won but not with the style a demanding rugby public demands. However, credit must go to a side that only convened for the first time since France 07 at the beginning of last week, had four training sessions together and in horrible conditions showed courage epitomised by their inspirational captain, Richie McCaw, to win this Test.

Once again in this great rugby country, Ireland came away with no reward, except pride. There were standout performances from David Wallace and Paul O’Connell and particularly from Rob Kearney, while Paddy Wallace didn’t look out of place at inside centre. Kearney was lauded by the NZ press and, in his first Test on NZ soil, showed maturity beyond his years.

Bradley gave hope for the future when he said Kearney “reflects the type of player Ireland have coming through” and of the performance he said it was “fantastic effort” albeit one with little reward. “It’s been one of those seasons for the lads, starting with the World Cup, going to the Six Nations and now this match as well where the effort has been fantastic but they’re just not converting,” said Bradley. “You just have season like that sometimes. Back when I played we had 10 years of it so… you don’t worry about it.”

There may be some reasons to be cheerful but there were key moments which decided Ireland’s fate on a night Heaven-sent for ducks. While Ireland must be given credit for playing smartly to the conditions — they drove and kicked well — there were moments which proved their undoing. Marcus Horan doesn’t need reminding of his indiscretion in the 63rd minute which allowed NZ to take the lead for the first time since the 15th minute.

But then there are moments in matches you cannot prepare for. Like Dan Carter’s genius. His mesmerising line-break in the 67th minute prefaced Ma’a Nonu’s match-winning try, though the try-scoring pass from replacement prop John Schwalger was just as important. Ireland’s line-out, once this team’s strength, malfunctioned and the decision to throw to the back backfired with Rodney So’oialo pilfering three Ireland throws. Ireland lost six line-outs to NZ’s two. Also the NZ pack were stronger though Wallace and O’Connell and Denis Leamy had fine games for Ireland.

Ireland will face criticism for not utilising their backline more, but those inside the Westpac would testify that it was a night to kick for field position. Brian O’Driscoll said if given the match again he wouldn’t have changed a lot. “The ball was an absolute liability at times,” a shivering O’Driscoll said afterwards. “You wouldn’t even try and play a huge amount of rugby, it was about making sure we played territory and gave ourselves opportunities of challenging for balls in the air. It was very much a pick-and-jam game and a kicking game.”

The Ireland captain held his hand up for the Conrad Smith line-break that led to Sitiveni Sivivatu’s 15th-minute try.

“I shouldn’t have drifted at all. I should have just thought about taking him and let Shaggy (Shane Horgan) and Kearns (Kearney) close the gap but with turnover ball and a split-second decision — sometimes you make the wrong decision.”

Melbourne on Saturday next is a huge ask of tired bodies and minds. But if they demonstrate the same spirit and application they can match Australia, who, like the All Blacks, are in transition but will have a bounce in their step following the arrival of Robbie Deans — the man most New Zealanders wanted to take over from Henry.

Another question is whether Michael Bradley will make changes. He was pretty coy afterwards but should Luke Fitzgerald and Alan Quinlan recover from their injuries they could start while Rory Best will possibly get the nod ahead of Jerry Flannery.

Since 1979 this was Ireland’s 24th consecutive loss on tours to the southern hemisphere since 1979 — the year Ollie Campbell inspired Ireland to a two-Test win over Australia. Some day the sequence will be broken but does a team that this time last year went into training camp for the RWC have the energy for another day in the fire?

Scorers — New Zealand: Nonu, Sivivatu tries; Carter 3 pens, 1 con.

Ireland — P Wallace try; O’Gara 2 pens