Weary Ireland’s end of season woe

OUT on their feet and with their trench in danger of being overrun at the Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night, Ireland’s pack looked to the sidelines for the arrival of reinforcements.

But, with 31 years of history on the line, all that Declan Kidney could call upon were rookies, untried untested, and unable to reverse the momentum. It was so different to last season when the Ireland coach ended a drought of over double that length, Ireland’s Grand Slam success of 2009 built upon the shoulders of a pack and team largely consisting of veterans.

A heroic defensive effort had just about kept Ireland within touching distance of Australia, yet after a marathon campaign, the final 40 minutes of the season were just too much for some. Kidney would have loved to have called upon his dogs of war. Instead it was the pups, Rhys Ruddock and Damian Varley winning first caps in Brisbane, Dan Tuohy a second.